A lot happened in chapters 32 - 47 but one verse in particular stood out to me. It's in chapter 45 right after Joseph has revealed his true identity to his brothers. In verse 5 Joseph says to his brothers:
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.
This verse stood out for a couple of reasons. First of all, I would SO love to know what his brothers were thinking. I bet a few of them were thinking - RUT ROH!!! (read it in your best Scooby Doo voice and you'll know what I mean!) I'm sure they were scared to death! They probably thought they were at best going to be thrown into some sort of prison and at worst killed. But Joseph puts their mind at ease.
In that one verse he has basically told his brothers that he has forgiven them. He wasn't holding a grudge. He wasn't harboring anger. He wasn't rubbing his hands together in glee about what he was going to do to them to exact his revenge. He was instead thrilled to see them and so excited that he was going to be able to do something to preserve their very lives. That must have been so humbling for his brothers. To see what their little brother had turned into and to realize that he was not going to give them what they deserved but rather was going to provide for them and bless them.
Joseph had matured through all of his trials. He was no longer the teenager who rubbed the fact that he was his Dad's favorite into the faces of his brothers. He was not the same guy who had walked around strutting his stuff in a colorful robe. God had changed him. Joseph had a heart for God. Because of his trials and struggles, Joseph saw things from a different perspective. Rather than flaunting his position in Pharaoh's household, Joseph offered help to his brothers. Rather than being angry, Joseph had allowed God to change his heart and use him for a greater purpose.
He could have turned into a bitter, mean, horrible man that had a closed off heart that couldn't be used of God. But he didn't. Just like Job, he persevered. Just like Noah, he did the tasks laid before him. And LOOK at what God did!!! I'm sure Joseph didn't like being thrown into the pit or sold into slavery but look at where he was now! God had taken what was meant for pain and destruction and turned it into something beyond what could have ever been imagined.
I mean just think about it! Could Joseph (or his brothers for that matter) ever have imagined that he would some day grow up to be the head of Pharaoh's household? Of course, God showed Joseph in a dream that some day he would have power, but that was from God. Those weren't Joseph's imaginings or daydreams. His brothers laughed at him when he told them those dreams because they knew how ridiculous it was. Little did any of them know what God really had in mind! :-)
The second reason this particular verse stood out to me is that it reminds me of Jesus. God sent His only Son ahead to save lives. God made a way for Joseph's brothers and for all of Egypt by sending Joseph ahead and God made a way for all of us by sending Jesus ahead. Wow! When all seems lost - God makes a way. When there seems to be no hope - God makes a way. When death seems to be knocking at the door - God makes a way. God's love is in that verse. His heart for His people is in that verse. He sent 'ahead'.
God made provision. He sent 'ahead'. He wasn't just waiting to see what happened. No! He was in control. He had a plan. He sent 'ahead'. Just like Joseph's brothers took a journey to Egypt to ask for help, we have to take a journey to Jesus to ask for help. God has sent 'ahead' but we have to do our part too. We have to step out. We have to open our hands and our hearts. God has sent 'ahead' and Jesus is waiting for us to come to Him. Because of Jesus, we will not get what we deserve. He took our sin on the cross and stood in our place. What a humbling, amazing picture that is! Instead of getting what we deserve, we get Jesus! All we have to do is ask Him into our hearts! God sent 'ahead'. He made a way!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
M & M's
Miracle or Misdiagnosis...two of my new favorite flavors! I'm not sure which 'M' it is but I am just thankful that I do not have a retinal occlusion! That's right - do not! I still don't know why my right eye is blurry but pretty much, the bottom line, at this point, is the opthamologist thinks that the optometrist doesn't know what she is doing! He didn't say that - I said that and he just smiled :-)
I had more bright lights shone into my eyes today...you would've thought I was being interrogated by the FBI! At one point the doctor asked me to look towards his ear. I told him that I couldn't see anything at the moment so if he could try and give me a general direction I'd do my best - LOL! The first doctor had one of his colleagues take a look and make sure he wasn't missing anything because he said that he just wasn't seeing any hemorrhaging/bleeding and it just doesn't disappear. Well, his colleague had me go through the same battery of tests and he didn't see an occlusion either!
Now, I've been referred to another optometrist for a second vision test (on October 12th). If that optometrist is unable to correct my vision then I will go back to the opthamologist for further testing. My prayer now is that all of this was for naught and my vision can be corrected and I can get on with life. Whatever the outcome, I will choose (probably over and over and over again cause it's easy to forget) to trust the Lord and remind myself often that He is God and I am not! He created my vision so it ultimately belongs to Him. I would like to continue using it on a daily basis but if I have to make adjustments, I will. God is God and I am not.
Thank you to those who prayed and if it's not to much trouble, could you continue to pray that this will reach a positive resolution? Thanks so much!!!
I had more bright lights shone into my eyes today...you would've thought I was being interrogated by the FBI! At one point the doctor asked me to look towards his ear. I told him that I couldn't see anything at the moment so if he could try and give me a general direction I'd do my best - LOL! The first doctor had one of his colleagues take a look and make sure he wasn't missing anything because he said that he just wasn't seeing any hemorrhaging/bleeding and it just doesn't disappear. Well, his colleague had me go through the same battery of tests and he didn't see an occlusion either!
Now, I've been referred to another optometrist for a second vision test (on October 12th). If that optometrist is unable to correct my vision then I will go back to the opthamologist for further testing. My prayer now is that all of this was for naught and my vision can be corrected and I can get on with life. Whatever the outcome, I will choose (probably over and over and over again cause it's easy to forget) to trust the Lord and remind myself often that He is God and I am not! He created my vision so it ultimately belongs to Him. I would like to continue using it on a daily basis but if I have to make adjustments, I will. God is God and I am not.
Thank you to those who prayed and if it's not to much trouble, could you continue to pray that this will reach a positive resolution? Thanks so much!!!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
As the world turns!
Ok...now to step back from the whole eye thing and get back to the bible reading thing. We're back in Genesis and reading about Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah) and their children and man-o-man if that isn't the first soap opera ever, I don't know what is! Think about it...
Now I think that there are some missing pieces to these stories. I imagine that Abraham knew he sinned by telling the half-truth about Sarah (she was technically his sister - his half sister) and I also imagine that he repented of that sin. We may not read it in the bible, but I believe that it is there - between the lines. I believe God blesses a repentant heart.
It could be too that God blessed Sarah not Abraham. There were two people involved and true to the times, Sarah was submissive to her husband and did not counter what her husband said. So perhaps God blessed Sarah and her love for her husband. I don't know. It is boggling to this puny little mind.
But through it all God's grace abounds. He uses what is intended for bad and turns it into good. Because of us humans, and our free will, it may be a winding road for God to get us to where He wants us to be but He doesn't give up. He keeps leading the way and then patiently waits when we get off course.
I'm not sure if the soap opera of Abraham and Sarah is in the bible to show us their great faith or more to show us their imperfections and mistakes. They were human too. Abraham not only lied once about Sarah but he did it again! He got caught up in what and who he could see and forgot that God is bigger than everything and could've protected him from anything and anyone. I think that maybe their story is shared because of the soap opera not in spite of it.
If we look back, isn't there a little bit of soap opera in all of our lives. Isn't there times where we messed up, knowingly even, and yet God forgave us and still blessed us? Haven't there been times where we have picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and tried again? Abraham and Sarah are just like us or rather we are just like them. Human yet loved. Sinners yet forgiven. Unworthy yet blessed. Weak yet, through God, made powerful.
So don't get caught up, distracted or discouraged by your soap opera. Remember God used Abraham's and Sarah's to give birth to the nation of Israel! Just imagine what He might do with yours!!!
- Travels to a new land
- Passes his wife off as his sister
- There are Pharaohs and kings
- Names are changed
- Cities are destroyed
- A woman is turned into a pillar of salt
- Infertility
- Multiple wives
- son almost a human sacrifice
- Man works 7 years for one woman and is tricked into marrying the wrong one
- Man works another 7 years to finally marry the woman he loves
- Wealth
- Destruction
- Drama...drama...drama
Now I think that there are some missing pieces to these stories. I imagine that Abraham knew he sinned by telling the half-truth about Sarah (she was technically his sister - his half sister) and I also imagine that he repented of that sin. We may not read it in the bible, but I believe that it is there - between the lines. I believe God blesses a repentant heart.
It could be too that God blessed Sarah not Abraham. There were two people involved and true to the times, Sarah was submissive to her husband and did not counter what her husband said. So perhaps God blessed Sarah and her love for her husband. I don't know. It is boggling to this puny little mind.
But through it all God's grace abounds. He uses what is intended for bad and turns it into good. Because of us humans, and our free will, it may be a winding road for God to get us to where He wants us to be but He doesn't give up. He keeps leading the way and then patiently waits when we get off course.
I'm not sure if the soap opera of Abraham and Sarah is in the bible to show us their great faith or more to show us their imperfections and mistakes. They were human too. Abraham not only lied once about Sarah but he did it again! He got caught up in what and who he could see and forgot that God is bigger than everything and could've protected him from anything and anyone. I think that maybe their story is shared because of the soap opera not in spite of it.
If we look back, isn't there a little bit of soap opera in all of our lives. Isn't there times where we messed up, knowingly even, and yet God forgave us and still blessed us? Haven't there been times where we have picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and tried again? Abraham and Sarah are just like us or rather we are just like them. Human yet loved. Sinners yet forgiven. Unworthy yet blessed. Weak yet, through God, made powerful.
So don't get caught up, distracted or discouraged by your soap opera. Remember God used Abraham's and Sarah's to give birth to the nation of Israel! Just imagine what He might do with yours!!!
He must be the one!
I went to see my doctor today. Since I've moved to Washington I haven't established myself with an actual primary care physician. After the news I received on Monday, I decided it was time to find a primary doctor and get to know him/her and have him/her get to know me.
I had previously perused the Kaiser Permanente website and found a doctor that I thought looked kind in the face and smart in the credentials. So I scheduled an appointment with her and saw her this morning. I went to the appointment with hope that she would get me in to see the opthamologist today rather than having to wait until tomorrow. Before my new doctor came into the room, I said a quick little prayer. My prayer was that if the opthamologist I'm scheduled to see tomorrow is the best one for me to see, my doctor today would not rush me in with someone else.
Well, I still have an appointment set for tomorrow afternoon at 4:00. So while I was disappointed and even shed a few tears in the car, I know that he must be the one. I know that God hears my prayers. I know that God loves me and wants what is best for me. I know that God can move mountains and part seas. I know that He can make the lame walk and raise the dead. So now I know that this doctor must be the one. What I don't know is if he will actually be able to do something to restore my vision but I do know that he is the one God wants as my doctor.
So, I wait. I wait out one more night and one more long day. Tonight is another night before. Tomorrow may not be full of answers but it will at least be the first step. My prayer is that it is an afternoon full of action. May God calm my heart and reassure my mind and give me peace for I know that above all else, He is God and I am not.
I had previously perused the Kaiser Permanente website and found a doctor that I thought looked kind in the face and smart in the credentials. So I scheduled an appointment with her and saw her this morning. I went to the appointment with hope that she would get me in to see the opthamologist today rather than having to wait until tomorrow. Before my new doctor came into the room, I said a quick little prayer. My prayer was that if the opthamologist I'm scheduled to see tomorrow is the best one for me to see, my doctor today would not rush me in with someone else.
Well, I still have an appointment set for tomorrow afternoon at 4:00. So while I was disappointed and even shed a few tears in the car, I know that he must be the one. I know that God hears my prayers. I know that God loves me and wants what is best for me. I know that God can move mountains and part seas. I know that He can make the lame walk and raise the dead. So now I know that this doctor must be the one. What I don't know is if he will actually be able to do something to restore my vision but I do know that he is the one God wants as my doctor.
So, I wait. I wait out one more night and one more long day. Tonight is another night before. Tomorrow may not be full of answers but it will at least be the first step. My prayer is that it is an afternoon full of action. May God calm my heart and reassure my mind and give me peace for I know that above all else, He is God and I am not.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A funny thing happened on the way through Job...
So you know how sometimes our words come back to bite us in the butt? Well, let's just say that I'm having a harder time sitting down these days. Let me explain...
Back in June I went to the eye doctor to get some new contacts. I was coming to the end of my supply of contacts and needed more plus my right eye had been blurry, so I just figured my prescription needed to be changed. I called the eye doctor and she did an eye exam and ordered me a new set of contacts. I picked them up...tried them out...and called to let her know that they were wrong. I couldn't see out of my right eye. My vision was still blurry. This started a series of trial and error appointments.
I asked during one of my follow up appointments if there could be anything physically wrong with my eye. You see eyes are a hazard in my family. We not only have problems with our vision but we also have problems with the physical anatomy of our eyes. I relayed my family history to the doctor but was assured that she didn't see anything wrong with my eye and we would just keep trying different prescriptions.
Fast forward to yesterday. I went in for yet another appointment because I still can't see out of my right eye. Let me be very specific - I can see - it isn't that I've gone blind and only see black - it's just that what I do see is all blurred. Ok, back to the appointment. I asked my husband Nathan to go with me because I was determined that something was going to be figured out at this appointment. Well, we did get something figured out...she finally dilated my eye (and before you ask, nope, that hadn't been done during any of my previous appointments) and discovered that I have a retinal vein occlusion which is basically a blockage of the blood supply to the retina. This is not a good thing.
I have now been referred to a retinal specialist for evaluation and treatment. I have an appointment tomorrow morning with my regular doctor and then an appointment with the specialist Thursday afternoon. As you can imagine, I'm not super thrilled with having to wait. I would rather get in to see the doctors ASAP. This is my vision we're talking about. I wasn't worried about the blurriness when I thought the problem was just a bad prescription but now that I know that there is something physically affecting my vision and that it may not be correctable...I'm a tad bit concerned.
Add to all of this the fact that I have been having circulation problems in my right leg since the end of April and you've got the makings of a real worry fest. I'm wondering if the two things are connected since they both involve the circulatory system on my right side. Of course, I don't know that they are connected at all, but hopefully the doctors will figure something out.
Needless to say, I didn't sleep well last night and I kept thinking of that phrase "This is a test of the emergency broadcast system". I'm not sure that I have been given this test or if this test has just found me but I do know that this is a test of my emergency broadcast system. How I choose to react to this test is the key. Honestly, I have been stressed...I have been tearful...and I am worried. BUT, I know that God is God and I am not. I know that my prayer was and will continue to be for God to change my heart. I want to come out of this a different Denise. I want to be stronger, wiser, softer, and more sensitive to the Lords voice.
Of course, I want my vision restored so that I can see clearly and sharply...that is my heartfelt desire but if it is not, then I want to trust. I want to trust that God is in control and that He knows why this is happening. He will use this to change me and possibly to change the hearts of others. Do I want to go through this? Nope. Am I willing to try my best while I am going through this? Yes. I will do my best to stand firm in my faith and not falter. I can't promise that I won't question or get angry or cry more tears but I will do my best to trust because after all - God is God and I am not!
Back in June I went to the eye doctor to get some new contacts. I was coming to the end of my supply of contacts and needed more plus my right eye had been blurry, so I just figured my prescription needed to be changed. I called the eye doctor and she did an eye exam and ordered me a new set of contacts. I picked them up...tried them out...and called to let her know that they were wrong. I couldn't see out of my right eye. My vision was still blurry. This started a series of trial and error appointments.
I asked during one of my follow up appointments if there could be anything physically wrong with my eye. You see eyes are a hazard in my family. We not only have problems with our vision but we also have problems with the physical anatomy of our eyes. I relayed my family history to the doctor but was assured that she didn't see anything wrong with my eye and we would just keep trying different prescriptions.
Fast forward to yesterday. I went in for yet another appointment because I still can't see out of my right eye. Let me be very specific - I can see - it isn't that I've gone blind and only see black - it's just that what I do see is all blurred. Ok, back to the appointment. I asked my husband Nathan to go with me because I was determined that something was going to be figured out at this appointment. Well, we did get something figured out...she finally dilated my eye (and before you ask, nope, that hadn't been done during any of my previous appointments) and discovered that I have a retinal vein occlusion which is basically a blockage of the blood supply to the retina. This is not a good thing.
I have now been referred to a retinal specialist for evaluation and treatment. I have an appointment tomorrow morning with my regular doctor and then an appointment with the specialist Thursday afternoon. As you can imagine, I'm not super thrilled with having to wait. I would rather get in to see the doctors ASAP. This is my vision we're talking about. I wasn't worried about the blurriness when I thought the problem was just a bad prescription but now that I know that there is something physically affecting my vision and that it may not be correctable...I'm a tad bit concerned.
Add to all of this the fact that I have been having circulation problems in my right leg since the end of April and you've got the makings of a real worry fest. I'm wondering if the two things are connected since they both involve the circulatory system on my right side. Of course, I don't know that they are connected at all, but hopefully the doctors will figure something out.
Needless to say, I didn't sleep well last night and I kept thinking of that phrase "This is a test of the emergency broadcast system". I'm not sure that I have been given this test or if this test has just found me but I do know that this is a test of my emergency broadcast system. How I choose to react to this test is the key. Honestly, I have been stressed...I have been tearful...and I am worried. BUT, I know that God is God and I am not. I know that my prayer was and will continue to be for God to change my heart. I want to come out of this a different Denise. I want to be stronger, wiser, softer, and more sensitive to the Lords voice.
Of course, I want my vision restored so that I can see clearly and sharply...that is my heartfelt desire but if it is not, then I want to trust. I want to trust that God is in control and that He knows why this is happening. He will use this to change me and possibly to change the hearts of others. Do I want to go through this? Nope. Am I willing to try my best while I am going through this? Yes. I will do my best to stand firm in my faith and not falter. I can't promise that I won't question or get angry or cry more tears but I will do my best to trust because after all - God is God and I am not!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
It's over!
Job's suffering is done! This is a day that Job probably thought would never come. The sun was brighter, the sky bluer and the grass greener! Oh what a happy day!
I find it interesting though that Job's restoration was given only a couple of paragraphs at the end of the book. After chapters and chapters of suffering, anguish, debate, pleading and theorizing. Only a couple paragraphs are devoted to the restoration of his life. Perhaps God is more concerned with the matters of our heart and those things that change us and mold us than He is in blessings.
Don't get me wrong, God loved Job. God loves us. He loves blessing us! He gave Job double what he had before. He opened up the store houses in heaven and poured out blessings on Job. He even gave Job more children. He didn't double the number of children Job had before but gave him exactly the same number. I think maybe that is because children are irreplacable and no matter how many more children Job had, they would never replace the ones that were lost. Anyways, back to what I was saying...
God blessed Job but He wasn't all that concerned with it. He was more concerned with the state of Job's heart. Even though God never really answered Job or explained why He had allowed Job to suffer so, Job realized that he had been pretty arrogant in his doubting God. He repented and acknowledged that God is God and he is not. I think that is what God cared about.
God cared about the hearts of Job's friends. He was angry that they had been misrepresenting Him. Their arguments were based on the idea that only the wicked suffer. That the righteous (innocent) do not suffer and that is just not reality. We all face trials and tribulations no matter our righteousness or lack of it. It's how we face those trials that are the true test. In the end, God let Job be the mediator for his friends. He told Job to pray for his friends. I think that was so Job's heart could begin to heal and forgiveness could enter in.
It is difficult to stay angry at someone that we are praying for. Especially when we really know God is listening. God told Job and his friends that He would hear Job's prayer and not punish them like He wanted to. That was a big responsibility for Job and one he may not have wanted all that much. He might have secretly been wishing that God would punish his friends. But again, God was concerned with Job's heart, and He knew that the first step towards forgiveness was prayer.
I wonder what that did to the hearts of Job's friends. To be told, flat out, by God "I'm angry with you" and then be told that the person they hurt the most was the very one that was going to intervene on their behalf with God, I wonder how that made them feel. I would like to know what happened to their hearts. How did all of this change them? How did they go on to live their life? Were they more understanding? Were they kinder? Did they have more of a servants heart? Did they interecede on behalf of their fellow man? We don't know what happened to Job's friends but I have no doubt that they were never the same.
Job made it through this trial. He went on to live a full and happy life. He was wealthy once again. But more than anything, he was changed. He was not the same Job inside or out. His heart was different and miraculously, through all the suffering, he more than likely loved his God more then he did before.
I pray that I listen for God's voice the next time I'm faced with a trial or hardship. I pray that my heart is changed and that my eyes stay on God. I pray that my trust in Him is renewed and that I am stead fast in my faith. I pray that God will bless me but more than anything, I pray that God will change me.
I find it interesting though that Job's restoration was given only a couple of paragraphs at the end of the book. After chapters and chapters of suffering, anguish, debate, pleading and theorizing. Only a couple paragraphs are devoted to the restoration of his life. Perhaps God is more concerned with the matters of our heart and those things that change us and mold us than He is in blessings.
Don't get me wrong, God loved Job. God loves us. He loves blessing us! He gave Job double what he had before. He opened up the store houses in heaven and poured out blessings on Job. He even gave Job more children. He didn't double the number of children Job had before but gave him exactly the same number. I think maybe that is because children are irreplacable and no matter how many more children Job had, they would never replace the ones that were lost. Anyways, back to what I was saying...
God blessed Job but He wasn't all that concerned with it. He was more concerned with the state of Job's heart. Even though God never really answered Job or explained why He had allowed Job to suffer so, Job realized that he had been pretty arrogant in his doubting God. He repented and acknowledged that God is God and he is not. I think that is what God cared about.
God cared about the hearts of Job's friends. He was angry that they had been misrepresenting Him. Their arguments were based on the idea that only the wicked suffer. That the righteous (innocent) do not suffer and that is just not reality. We all face trials and tribulations no matter our righteousness or lack of it. It's how we face those trials that are the true test. In the end, God let Job be the mediator for his friends. He told Job to pray for his friends. I think that was so Job's heart could begin to heal and forgiveness could enter in.
It is difficult to stay angry at someone that we are praying for. Especially when we really know God is listening. God told Job and his friends that He would hear Job's prayer and not punish them like He wanted to. That was a big responsibility for Job and one he may not have wanted all that much. He might have secretly been wishing that God would punish his friends. But again, God was concerned with Job's heart, and He knew that the first step towards forgiveness was prayer.
I wonder what that did to the hearts of Job's friends. To be told, flat out, by God "I'm angry with you" and then be told that the person they hurt the most was the very one that was going to intervene on their behalf with God, I wonder how that made them feel. I would like to know what happened to their hearts. How did all of this change them? How did they go on to live their life? Were they more understanding? Were they kinder? Did they have more of a servants heart? Did they interecede on behalf of their fellow man? We don't know what happened to Job's friends but I have no doubt that they were never the same.
Job made it through this trial. He went on to live a full and happy life. He was wealthy once again. But more than anything, he was changed. He was not the same Job inside or out. His heart was different and miraculously, through all the suffering, he more than likely loved his God more then he did before.
I pray that I listen for God's voice the next time I'm faced with a trial or hardship. I pray that my heart is changed and that my eyes stay on God. I pray that my trust in Him is renewed and that I am stead fast in my faith. I pray that God will bless me but more than anything, I pray that God will change me.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
God speaks!
Finally!!! 37 chapters later and God speaks! I'm sure Job was ecstatic! Now...now his friends would see. God would vindicate him and tell the faltering musketeers all about their friend Job and how he was a great man. Now God would explain what was going on. I can see it now, Job has his arms crossed on his chest and his left toe is tapping, with a smirk on his face just waiting for God to tell 'em.
But wait...what's this??? God doesn't jump to Job's defense. Nope. That wasn't at the top of God's list. The first thing He does is basically tell Job - listen buddy, I'm God and you are not. Seriously, that pretty much sums up chapters 38 and 39. God is "questioning" Job but all He is really doing is telling Job and his friends and anyone else around who was listening that He was God and they were not.
And I really do think God was speaking audibly. The first verse in chapter 38 says that "the Lord answered Job out of the storm". Storms are loud and chaotic and get attention. God "answered out of the storm" - I don't think He was whispering or that Job was hearing God only in his head. I think God was speaking up so that He was sure to be heard. He is God and they are not.
Job's friends could theorize and debate and offer opinions and try to define what was happening to Job all they wanted. Job could defend and plead and whine and stand firm all he wanted. Bottom line - God is God and they are not. God doesn't have to explain Himself. He doesn't have to tell Job or his friends anything. He doesn't have to tell them that Job was tested because of his righteousness. He doesn't have to give reasons for His actions. He is God and they are not.
He created the heavens and the earth and all who walk upon it. He created the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. He created the trees, the sun, the moon, the mountains, the flowers and even the weeds. He controls lightening and hail and rain. He calms waters and tells eagles when to take flight. He is God and we are not.
We forget that fact. We don't forget it down in our knower...we just forget it for moments. We want God to explain things to us in a way that makes sense to our limited human mind. We want to understand. We don't want to just blindly trust. So we question and we debate and we argue.
Luckily, He is a big God and He can take it but just like He told Job - He tells us too that He is God and we are not. Sometimes we need to turn off our logic and amp up our knower and just trust - He is God and we are not. He created everything and we did not. He parts seas and causes lame people to walk and feeds 5,000 with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He deserves our praise just because He is God.
So, when you don't understand and have no answers as to why and it seems that God has left you and no matter how many questions you ask or arguments you start God remains silent...in times like that just remember....
But wait...what's this??? God doesn't jump to Job's defense. Nope. That wasn't at the top of God's list. The first thing He does is basically tell Job - listen buddy, I'm God and you are not. Seriously, that pretty much sums up chapters 38 and 39. God is "questioning" Job but all He is really doing is telling Job and his friends and anyone else around who was listening that He was God and they were not.
And I really do think God was speaking audibly. The first verse in chapter 38 says that "the Lord answered Job out of the storm". Storms are loud and chaotic and get attention. God "answered out of the storm" - I don't think He was whispering or that Job was hearing God only in his head. I think God was speaking up so that He was sure to be heard. He is God and they are not.
Job's friends could theorize and debate and offer opinions and try to define what was happening to Job all they wanted. Job could defend and plead and whine and stand firm all he wanted. Bottom line - God is God and they are not. God doesn't have to explain Himself. He doesn't have to tell Job or his friends anything. He doesn't have to tell them that Job was tested because of his righteousness. He doesn't have to give reasons for His actions. He is God and they are not.
He created the heavens and the earth and all who walk upon it. He created the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. He created the trees, the sun, the moon, the mountains, the flowers and even the weeds. He controls lightening and hail and rain. He calms waters and tells eagles when to take flight. He is God and we are not.
We forget that fact. We don't forget it down in our knower...we just forget it for moments. We want God to explain things to us in a way that makes sense to our limited human mind. We want to understand. We don't want to just blindly trust. So we question and we debate and we argue.
Luckily, He is a big God and He can take it but just like He told Job - He tells us too that He is God and we are not. Sometimes we need to turn off our logic and amp up our knower and just trust - He is God and we are not. He created everything and we did not. He parts seas and causes lame people to walk and feeds 5,000 with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. He deserves our praise just because He is God.
So, when you don't understand and have no answers as to why and it seems that God has left you and no matter how many questions you ask or arguments you start God remains silent...in times like that just remember....
He is God and you are not!
Monday, September 13, 2010
The words of Job were ended
Chapters 29 - 31 find Job remembering what was. He longs for his past life, when things were good. His friendship with God was intimate and close. Job had it all. He longed for what had been. How many of us do that? How many of us wish for what we had? Especially during times of trouble. We naturally don't jump for joy when the road is rough or do a happy dance in anticipation of how much our character is going to grow once we get through a trial. Nope...we tend to look backwards and wish for what was.
Looking backwards always seems to make the past rosier. We never quite remember things the way they actually were. I'm sure that Job's life had been great. Job was remembering when his children were alive and when his business was prospering. However, Job was just a man, so I'm sure had troubles and problems too. But our memories are almost always sunnier than what reality actually was. We have to remind ourselves that things weren't perfect then just like they're not perfect now.
I'm going through a little bit of that myself. Being married for the first time at the age of 42 has certainly brought it's own set of challenges. I moved out of my parents home in my early 20's and other than a year spent living with my sister, I always lived by myself until I got married this April. Just having another person in the house has been an adjustment. Then add to it the fact that it's a man - someone who doesn't think anything like me - oy vey! That has caused a lot of bumps along the road. Having to adjust when someone changes the plan or having to ask someone else for their opinion before making a decision or having to literally sit in the passenger seat on road trips and not be the driver...goodness the bumps just keep piling up.
I catch myself thinking about those times when I had a house to myself and total control of the remote. I could eat cereal for dinner and not do the dishes for days if I didn't want to. I could spend my money however I wanted. I made a decision and it didn't change unless I was the one that changed it. I could sleep in or stay up late. I could watch all the Doris Day movies I wanted and didn't see a hint of basketball or football unless by accident while channel surfing.
Then I stop and remind myself of the loneliness and how I longed to be married. Of those times when I wanted to go try a new restaurant but didn't have anyone to go with. Or wanting to head to the beach for the day but not wanting to go alone. I think about how I wished for someone to snuggle up to at night or cuddle with during a movie. I wanted someone to do life with and now I have him. I thank God for my blessings even though the adjustment is harder than I thought it would be. It just is what it is and Nathan and I will get through it, together. Nathan is one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me and I strive each day to look ahead and be grateful and not look back through rose colored glasses.
So like Job, we can look back on our life and idealize what it was or we can be honest and pepper those memories with a healthy dose of reality. Then look forward - towards God - and ask Him for help to get through what lies ahead for us. We need to remind ourselves to be grateful for the moment that is not just for the moments that were. Hopefully, our road won't be as rough as Job's but if it is, may we remember to look for God. To ask our questions. To seek out answers. And then our words should end...just like Job's did at the end of chapter 31. We should be quiet and listen for the voice of God.
I have no idea if God would have spoken any sooner if Job would have just stopped talking and stopped arguing/debating with his friends. Maybe He wouldn't have but maybe He would have. We'll never know. I know that sometimes my words just need to end and I need to listen for God. I need to stop presenting my case or asking for what I want or justifying my actions or explaining my opinion...my words just need to end.
In chapter 32, a fourth "friend" of Job's, Elihu, speaks for the first time. He gives his own reasoning and opinion as to why things are happening to Job. Some of his logic has a grain of truth in it (it doesn't apply to Job but there is some truth in what Elihu is thinking) and some of it is way off base, but Job doesn't debate with this friend. Job stays quiet. He was probably exhausted and didn't have the energy to start debating with a fresh opponent. Or perhaps Job actually realized that his efforts were futile and he needed to just be quiet and wait for the Lord. I'm sure someone more astute than I am knows the answer to that question but whatever the reason - Job was quiet.
I think we need to do that more often...I know I do. I need to just be quiet and wait. I need to sit with what is going on around me and in my life and stop trying to explain it or justify it or understand it and just wait. God will speak sooner or later and it will always be right on time.
Looking backwards always seems to make the past rosier. We never quite remember things the way they actually were. I'm sure that Job's life had been great. Job was remembering when his children were alive and when his business was prospering. However, Job was just a man, so I'm sure had troubles and problems too. But our memories are almost always sunnier than what reality actually was. We have to remind ourselves that things weren't perfect then just like they're not perfect now.
I'm going through a little bit of that myself. Being married for the first time at the age of 42 has certainly brought it's own set of challenges. I moved out of my parents home in my early 20's and other than a year spent living with my sister, I always lived by myself until I got married this April. Just having another person in the house has been an adjustment. Then add to it the fact that it's a man - someone who doesn't think anything like me - oy vey! That has caused a lot of bumps along the road. Having to adjust when someone changes the plan or having to ask someone else for their opinion before making a decision or having to literally sit in the passenger seat on road trips and not be the driver...goodness the bumps just keep piling up.
I catch myself thinking about those times when I had a house to myself and total control of the remote. I could eat cereal for dinner and not do the dishes for days if I didn't want to. I could spend my money however I wanted. I made a decision and it didn't change unless I was the one that changed it. I could sleep in or stay up late. I could watch all the Doris Day movies I wanted and didn't see a hint of basketball or football unless by accident while channel surfing.
Then I stop and remind myself of the loneliness and how I longed to be married. Of those times when I wanted to go try a new restaurant but didn't have anyone to go with. Or wanting to head to the beach for the day but not wanting to go alone. I think about how I wished for someone to snuggle up to at night or cuddle with during a movie. I wanted someone to do life with and now I have him. I thank God for my blessings even though the adjustment is harder than I thought it would be. It just is what it is and Nathan and I will get through it, together. Nathan is one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me and I strive each day to look ahead and be grateful and not look back through rose colored glasses.
So like Job, we can look back on our life and idealize what it was or we can be honest and pepper those memories with a healthy dose of reality. Then look forward - towards God - and ask Him for help to get through what lies ahead for us. We need to remind ourselves to be grateful for the moment that is not just for the moments that were. Hopefully, our road won't be as rough as Job's but if it is, may we remember to look for God. To ask our questions. To seek out answers. And then our words should end...just like Job's did at the end of chapter 31. We should be quiet and listen for the voice of God.
I have no idea if God would have spoken any sooner if Job would have just stopped talking and stopped arguing/debating with his friends. Maybe He wouldn't have but maybe He would have. We'll never know. I know that sometimes my words just need to end and I need to listen for God. I need to stop presenting my case or asking for what I want or justifying my actions or explaining my opinion...my words just need to end.
In chapter 32, a fourth "friend" of Job's, Elihu, speaks for the first time. He gives his own reasoning and opinion as to why things are happening to Job. Some of his logic has a grain of truth in it (it doesn't apply to Job but there is some truth in what Elihu is thinking) and some of it is way off base, but Job doesn't debate with this friend. Job stays quiet. He was probably exhausted and didn't have the energy to start debating with a fresh opponent. Or perhaps Job actually realized that his efforts were futile and he needed to just be quiet and wait for the Lord. I'm sure someone more astute than I am knows the answer to that question but whatever the reason - Job was quiet.
I think we need to do that more often...I know I do. I need to just be quiet and wait. I need to sit with what is going on around me and in my life and stop trying to explain it or justify it or understand it and just wait. God will speak sooner or later and it will always be right on time.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Talk about beating a dead horse
Job's friends are relentless. They have spent chapters debating with Job and trying to get him to admit to some sort of guilt or sin. Job has spent chapters denying their accusations and restating his innocence. It has got to be exhausting. I'm tired just reading it, I can't imagine living it.
Not only did Job have to suffer the anguish of losing his children, his livestock, his servants, being afflicted with disease and listening to his wife tell him to curse God and die. He had to suffer the "helping" of his friends. (Makes you wonder how many people of had to suffer our "helping") I don't doubt that his friends really did have good intentions. They really did care about Job. They wanted his suffering to stop and they were presenting him with the only option they could see - admit your wickedness and ask for forgiveness.
They listened to their own logic and came up with what they thought was the solution. Now if only they could get Job to see it. I'm not so sure I would've come up with a different solution if I had been in their shoes. It seems logical that Job must have done something wrong to so anger God. Why else would so many bad things be happening to him? Of course, we know that bad things happen to good people all the time, but in our logical/human mind, that isn't fair or right, so there just has to be another reason. Job's friends figured it was because Job had really sinned and just wasn't fessing up to it.
Job never waivers though. He stands accused and maintains his innocence. His story never changes. His faith never falters. In Job 27:2-6 he says:
2As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will utter no deceit.
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
Job admits that he is tasting bitterness. He admits that he is struggling with understanding what is going on but he goes on to say he will not be defeated. He will not deny his integrity. Wow! I am growing to admire Job more and more every day. He never gave up and he never turned his back on God. He admitted even through his suffering that he was still alive because of God's breath in him. He knew that God had not totally turned his back on him or he would be dead. If God had completely withdrawn from Job then his life would end.
Isn't that amazing to think about?!? God's breath is in all of us. Every single one. Whether we believe in Him or not. Whether we proclaim His Lordship over our life or not. Whether we have turned our back on Him or not. He does not pull His breath of life away from us. He has hope that we will all come to know Him and love Him so He keeps His breath of life in us until our time has run out and we go to stand before Him. If He didn't believe in us, He would withdraw His breath of life. If He didn't love us, He would withdraw His breath of life. If He didn't want us all to have a chance to choose to be with Him in heaven, He would withdraw His breath of life. What amazing grace and mercy!
I'm not sure I am explaining what I am thinking very clearly but I hope I'm not muddling it to badly. It is funny to me how the book of Job can cause me to be overwhelmed by God's grace and mercy. A man who suffered great and experienced paralyzing anguish is teaching me about God's grace and mercy. Who would've thunk it :-)
As long as we have God's breath within us we can become better...we can love more...we can work harder...we can be of greater service...we have hope!
Not only did Job have to suffer the anguish of losing his children, his livestock, his servants, being afflicted with disease and listening to his wife tell him to curse God and die. He had to suffer the "helping" of his friends. (Makes you wonder how many people of had to suffer our "helping") I don't doubt that his friends really did have good intentions. They really did care about Job. They wanted his suffering to stop and they were presenting him with the only option they could see - admit your wickedness and ask for forgiveness.
They listened to their own logic and came up with what they thought was the solution. Now if only they could get Job to see it. I'm not so sure I would've come up with a different solution if I had been in their shoes. It seems logical that Job must have done something wrong to so anger God. Why else would so many bad things be happening to him? Of course, we know that bad things happen to good people all the time, but in our logical/human mind, that isn't fair or right, so there just has to be another reason. Job's friends figured it was because Job had really sinned and just wasn't fessing up to it.
Job never waivers though. He stands accused and maintains his innocence. His story never changes. His faith never falters. In Job 27:2-6 he says:
2As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,
3 as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will utter no deceit.
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
6 I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.
Job admits that he is tasting bitterness. He admits that he is struggling with understanding what is going on but he goes on to say he will not be defeated. He will not deny his integrity. Wow! I am growing to admire Job more and more every day. He never gave up and he never turned his back on God. He admitted even through his suffering that he was still alive because of God's breath in him. He knew that God had not totally turned his back on him or he would be dead. If God had completely withdrawn from Job then his life would end.
Isn't that amazing to think about?!? God's breath is in all of us. Every single one. Whether we believe in Him or not. Whether we proclaim His Lordship over our life or not. Whether we have turned our back on Him or not. He does not pull His breath of life away from us. He has hope that we will all come to know Him and love Him so He keeps His breath of life in us until our time has run out and we go to stand before Him. If He didn't believe in us, He would withdraw His breath of life. If He didn't love us, He would withdraw His breath of life. If He didn't want us all to have a chance to choose to be with Him in heaven, He would withdraw His breath of life. What amazing grace and mercy!
I'm not sure I am explaining what I am thinking very clearly but I hope I'm not muddling it to badly. It is funny to me how the book of Job can cause me to be overwhelmed by God's grace and mercy. A man who suffered great and experienced paralyzing anguish is teaching me about God's grace and mercy. Who would've thunk it :-)
As long as we have God's breath within us we can become better...we can love more...we can work harder...we can be of greater service...we have hope!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
What Job doesn't say
I'm struck by the fact that even through all his anguish and distress Job hasn't said "Lord, I believe but help my unbelief". He has never doubted the sovereignty of God. His faith in who the Lord is has remained strong. He has been angry at the Lord. He has shaken his fist at God. He has questioned why God is doing what He is doing but Job has never doubted that God is still God. Job's faith has remained strong and in fact, in chapter 19:25-27 he says:
25 I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
His heart still yearned to see the Lord. Now that is faith! He may not have understood what was happening to him but he never doubted that God was still on the throne. He never wavered in his devotion to the Lord. Through it all he still proclaimed that his Redeemer lived!
Could we do the same? Could we play the hand that Job was dealt and still say that our Redeemer lives and that our heart YEARNS to see Him? And Job didn't mean that he yearned to see the Lord so he could tell Him a thing or two or punch Him or scream at Him. No! He yearned to see his Savior. The God he loved wholly and completely. Yes, Job had questions. Yes, Job wanted answers but in the end, more than anything his heart still yearned to see his Lord!
No matter what his friends said or how many times they accused him of being wicked or tried to get him to admit sin...Job never gave in or gave up. In Job 23:10 he says
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
He believed in his Lord no matter what the test was. He knew that after this 'fire' he would come out like gold. His character was being changed. He was terrified as chapter 23 goes on to show and rightly so. I'd be a little freaked out too if I was Job. He never thought what had already happened to him ever would happen, so I'm sure he was terrified about what else might lie ahead for him. But he never turned his back on God. He never denounced his faith. He never gave in. He stood firm and fast in his love for the Lord even through all his fear.
What is our reaction when trials and tribulations come our way? Do we start questioning our faith? Do we doubt God? Or do we yearn for him more? Do we stand firm in the fact that God is on the throne no matter how things may appear?
How we have reacted to troubles in the past is just that, the past. From today on we can choose to have an attitude of stead fast faith like Job. Just like Job, we may have no idea why God is allowing things to happen in our life but we do know that God is on the throne.
He loves us with an everlasting love that reaches far beyond our time here on earth. He loves us with eternity in mind, not just the temporary. He loves us with our character in mind not just blessings. His love sees us with all the puzzle pieces of our life put together not from our perspective of only seeing one piece at a time. We may not see the completed puzzle but God does.
We have to choose to trust Him no matter what. Will you make that choice? We will probably have to make that choice over and over and over again because life is hard and we get distracted. It is easy to focus on our troubles, I know I have certainly done that my fair share. We forget to continually turn our eyes back to the Lord, but if we ask Him to, God will bring Job to our memory when we face trials. We can make the choice to yearn for our Lord no matter what.
25 I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
His heart still yearned to see the Lord. Now that is faith! He may not have understood what was happening to him but he never doubted that God was still on the throne. He never wavered in his devotion to the Lord. Through it all he still proclaimed that his Redeemer lived!
Could we do the same? Could we play the hand that Job was dealt and still say that our Redeemer lives and that our heart YEARNS to see Him? And Job didn't mean that he yearned to see the Lord so he could tell Him a thing or two or punch Him or scream at Him. No! He yearned to see his Savior. The God he loved wholly and completely. Yes, Job had questions. Yes, Job wanted answers but in the end, more than anything his heart still yearned to see his Lord!
No matter what his friends said or how many times they accused him of being wicked or tried to get him to admit sin...Job never gave in or gave up. In Job 23:10 he says
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
He believed in his Lord no matter what the test was. He knew that after this 'fire' he would come out like gold. His character was being changed. He was terrified as chapter 23 goes on to show and rightly so. I'd be a little freaked out too if I was Job. He never thought what had already happened to him ever would happen, so I'm sure he was terrified about what else might lie ahead for him. But he never turned his back on God. He never denounced his faith. He never gave in. He stood firm and fast in his love for the Lord even through all his fear.
What is our reaction when trials and tribulations come our way? Do we start questioning our faith? Do we doubt God? Or do we yearn for him more? Do we stand firm in the fact that God is on the throne no matter how things may appear?
How we have reacted to troubles in the past is just that, the past. From today on we can choose to have an attitude of stead fast faith like Job. Just like Job, we may have no idea why God is allowing things to happen in our life but we do know that God is on the throne.
He loves us with an everlasting love that reaches far beyond our time here on earth. He loves us with eternity in mind, not just the temporary. He loves us with our character in mind not just blessings. His love sees us with all the puzzle pieces of our life put together not from our perspective of only seeing one piece at a time. We may not see the completed puzzle but God does.
We have to choose to trust Him no matter what. Will you make that choice? We will probably have to make that choice over and over and over again because life is hard and we get distracted. It is easy to focus on our troubles, I know I have certainly done that my fair share. We forget to continually turn our eyes back to the Lord, but if we ask Him to, God will bring Job to our memory when we face trials. We can make the choice to yearn for our Lord no matter what.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
We thought we had more time
I'm going to leave Job alone in his suffering for a moment. I kept concentrating on and thinking about my reading and was waiting for what the Lord wanted to show me and my mind kept being drawn back to something that occurred in the office. So rather than fight it, I'm just going to blog about what happened. We can pick up Job again later today after I do today's reading :-)
Yesterday a lovely lady came into the office. She lost her husband to cancer 3 weeks ago. She said something that really stuck out in my mind. She said "We thought we had more time". They were married for 49 years and he passed away just 7 months after his diagnosis. She laughed as she told stories about her husband and she brought tears to our eyes as she talked about their love for each other.
He was in hospice at the end and she told us how she would crawl up in bed and lay next to him and they would hold hands and talk. She said that they worked really hard at their marriage over the years and in the end, there was nothing left unsaid.
WOW! How many of us can say that? Think about that in context of all your relationships, not just a marital one. Do we show the people we love how much we love them? Or do we think there will always be more time? Are there things that are left unsaid? Or do we take the time to make sure we really talk to those we care about?
What about with your relationship with the Lord? The same could apply there too. Do you really talk with God? Or do you say a quick prayer in the morning and another one at night just to make sure your bases are covered? Do you think there will be more time to get your heart right with him? What if there isn't? What if there isn't more time?
Don't let the stresses of life get in the way of what really matters. Now I don't for one minute think that this lovely couple never had an argument or disagreement or that we will never argue with those we love but the overwhelming memory she had of their relationship is that they lived every day. They left nothing unsaid. They loved to the fullest. What an amazing legacy! I pray that I can leave that same kind of legacy some day. What about you? What kind of legacy will you leave?
Yesterday a lovely lady came into the office. She lost her husband to cancer 3 weeks ago. She said something that really stuck out in my mind. She said "We thought we had more time". They were married for 49 years and he passed away just 7 months after his diagnosis. She laughed as she told stories about her husband and she brought tears to our eyes as she talked about their love for each other.
He was in hospice at the end and she told us how she would crawl up in bed and lay next to him and they would hold hands and talk. She said that they worked really hard at their marriage over the years and in the end, there was nothing left unsaid.
WOW! How many of us can say that? Think about that in context of all your relationships, not just a marital one. Do we show the people we love how much we love them? Or do we think there will always be more time? Are there things that are left unsaid? Or do we take the time to make sure we really talk to those we care about?
What about with your relationship with the Lord? The same could apply there too. Do you really talk with God? Or do you say a quick prayer in the morning and another one at night just to make sure your bases are covered? Do you think there will be more time to get your heart right with him? What if there isn't? What if there isn't more time?
Don't let the stresses of life get in the way of what really matters. Now I don't for one minute think that this lovely couple never had an argument or disagreement or that we will never argue with those we love but the overwhelming memory she had of their relationship is that they lived every day. They left nothing unsaid. They loved to the fullest. What an amazing legacy! I pray that I can leave that same kind of legacy some day. What about you? What kind of legacy will you leave?
Monday, September 6, 2010
Backed into a corner
I think that is how Job was feeling in chapters 10-13. You can see how his attitude has changed. The last of his three friends has turned on him. He feels alone and has no escape from his troubles. God has turned His back on him (at least that is how Job is feeling) and he can't get anyone to listen. You no longer read despair in Job's words but rather resolve. Resolve to stay true to what he knows is right. Resolve to prove his friends wrong somehow. Resolve to fight his way out of the corner or die trying.
Job is no longer pleading but rather presenting his case. He is no longer being the victim but rather he takes a deep breath and stands up straight and shows his resolve. He is willing to accept whatever God has for him but he will not lay down, he will not admit guilt when he is innocent and he will not go down without a fight.
In chapter 13 verse 3 Job asks for a chance to speak directly with the Almighty and to argue his case directly with God. How brave was that?!? He was backed into a corner and he was going to do whatever it would take to get his way out.
There is something inside of us...some sort of switch...that seems to flip when we are backed into a corner. Sometimes it happens in a not so good way, like anger but sometimes it flips to strengthen our resolve, determination and perseverance.
When I was a little kid I was sort of stubborn. Ok, not really sort of...just flat out stubborn. I rarely gave in and I often asserted my opinion. I know it's shocking to those who know me <insert sarcasm here> but it's true :-D My mom told me once that she prayed that God would remove the stubbornness from me and God told her that it wasn't stubbornness but rather perseverance and that I would need a lot of that later in life. God was right.
Job was displaying his stubbornness/perseverance/steely resolve in the reading today. He was no longer a defeated victim but rather someone who would stand firm in his faith, not give in to peer pressure to admit guilt that wasn't his and be brave and take his case directly to the Almighty no matter the outcome. Job's suffering may not have ended yet, but his character is being changed through it. He may not see it, but he is becoming a different Job in more ways than just the obvious. Job will never be the same inside or out.
Next time you are backed into a corner, remember Job. Flip the switch to turn on your perseverance and steely resolve. Go directly to the Almighty and state your case, He will listen. Stand firm in your faith and then look for ways that God is changing you and growing you and molding you. Don't give up...take a deep breath and persevere! And then just wait and see what God is going to do!!!
Job is no longer pleading but rather presenting his case. He is no longer being the victim but rather he takes a deep breath and stands up straight and shows his resolve. He is willing to accept whatever God has for him but he will not lay down, he will not admit guilt when he is innocent and he will not go down without a fight.
In chapter 13 verse 3 Job asks for a chance to speak directly with the Almighty and to argue his case directly with God. How brave was that?!? He was backed into a corner and he was going to do whatever it would take to get his way out.
There is something inside of us...some sort of switch...that seems to flip when we are backed into a corner. Sometimes it happens in a not so good way, like anger but sometimes it flips to strengthen our resolve, determination and perseverance.
When I was a little kid I was sort of stubborn. Ok, not really sort of...just flat out stubborn. I rarely gave in and I often asserted my opinion. I know it's shocking to those who know me <insert sarcasm here> but it's true :-D My mom told me once that she prayed that God would remove the stubbornness from me and God told her that it wasn't stubbornness but rather perseverance and that I would need a lot of that later in life. God was right.
Job was displaying his stubbornness/perseverance/steely resolve in the reading today. He was no longer a defeated victim but rather someone who would stand firm in his faith, not give in to peer pressure to admit guilt that wasn't his and be brave and take his case directly to the Almighty no matter the outcome. Job's suffering may not have ended yet, but his character is being changed through it. He may not see it, but he is becoming a different Job in more ways than just the obvious. Job will never be the same inside or out.
Next time you are backed into a corner, remember Job. Flip the switch to turn on your perseverance and steely resolve. Go directly to the Almighty and state your case, He will listen. Stand firm in your faith and then look for ways that God is changing you and growing you and molding you. Don't give up...take a deep breath and persevere! And then just wait and see what God is going to do!!!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Your knower
Job's despair was palpable in today's reading. His friends didn't believe him. God had abandoned him. His children were gone. His livelihood destroyed. What did he have left to live for? He knew he was innocent of any wrong doing and that there was no reason for what he was going through but he couldn't get anyone to listen to him or believe him. Not even God. You can feel him giving up hope.
In chapter 9 verse 29 Job says: Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain. He had no reason to keep pleading his case. In his mind, it was done. No matter what he did or what he said nothing changed for the better, in fact, they got worse. So why even try?
How many of us have felt that way in our life? We may not have been in such extreme distress but we felt hopeless. We didn't see any way out of the situation we were in or the circumstances facing us. So why even try. Giving up would've been easier. Laying done and calling it quits would've seemed the smarter choice.
Thankfully, God holds our heart in His hand and even though at times it feels that He has abandoned us - He hasn't. He is holding us together. He is there, waiting for us to open our eyes to what He wants us to see. Or open our minds to what He wants us to learn. Or open our heart to His love.
I don't like going through hard times or through trials. I've had my share and I honestly can't say that I liked any of them or enjoyed one moment of them. What I have enjoyed and appreciated is when they are over. It is amazing to come out the other side and see life from a new perspective. God has stretched me and strengthened me and molded me in to someone that I never would've been if it wasn't for the trials and struggles. Would I want to live them again, not on your life. But would I want to miss out on who I have become because of them NO WAY!
I'm not to fond of people or ministers who don't acknowledge the hard times in life. Who want to maintain a polly-anna outlook and don't give people permission to hurt or struggle or question or be sad. Life stinks sometimes. Plain and simple. Every day is not full of sunshine and flowers. Some days are full of clouds and storms. Luckily, as we learned earlier, God gave us a rainbow to renew our hope but that doesn't take away from the storm we weather to get to it.
Job weathered the mother of all storms in life but his story doesn't end here. There is more to come. Just like our story hasn't ended yet either. If we wake up tomorrow, then there is always hope. We may not feel it but it is an absolute truth. He loved God with everything he was and everything he had. He just had no idea what God was doing. Just like we often times don't understand what God is doing.
Job had a knower and you have one too. Your knower is deep down...it's that place inside you that just knows. You know the sky is blue, the grass is green, the sun comes up in the day and the moon at night. That's the place...your knower....the place inside you that will remind you, God loves you! So listen to your knower. When you feel despair coming, stop and listen and you'll make it through.
In chapter 9 verse 29 Job says: Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain. He had no reason to keep pleading his case. In his mind, it was done. No matter what he did or what he said nothing changed for the better, in fact, they got worse. So why even try?
How many of us have felt that way in our life? We may not have been in such extreme distress but we felt hopeless. We didn't see any way out of the situation we were in or the circumstances facing us. So why even try. Giving up would've been easier. Laying done and calling it quits would've seemed the smarter choice.
Thankfully, God holds our heart in His hand and even though at times it feels that He has abandoned us - He hasn't. He is holding us together. He is there, waiting for us to open our eyes to what He wants us to see. Or open our minds to what He wants us to learn. Or open our heart to His love.
I don't like going through hard times or through trials. I've had my share and I honestly can't say that I liked any of them or enjoyed one moment of them. What I have enjoyed and appreciated is when they are over. It is amazing to come out the other side and see life from a new perspective. God has stretched me and strengthened me and molded me in to someone that I never would've been if it wasn't for the trials and struggles. Would I want to live them again, not on your life. But would I want to miss out on who I have become because of them NO WAY!
I'm not to fond of people or ministers who don't acknowledge the hard times in life. Who want to maintain a polly-anna outlook and don't give people permission to hurt or struggle or question or be sad. Life stinks sometimes. Plain and simple. Every day is not full of sunshine and flowers. Some days are full of clouds and storms. Luckily, as we learned earlier, God gave us a rainbow to renew our hope but that doesn't take away from the storm we weather to get to it.
Job weathered the mother of all storms in life but his story doesn't end here. There is more to come. Just like our story hasn't ended yet either. If we wake up tomorrow, then there is always hope. We may not feel it but it is an absolute truth. He loved God with everything he was and everything he had. He just had no idea what God was doing. Just like we often times don't understand what God is doing.
Job had a knower and you have one too. Your knower is deep down...it's that place inside you that just knows. You know the sky is blue, the grass is green, the sun comes up in the day and the moon at night. That's the place...your knower....the place inside you that will remind you, God loves you! So listen to your knower. When you feel despair coming, stop and listen and you'll make it through.
The Three Musketeers
My reading today was Job 1-5 and around the end of Job chapter 2 I was reminded of the Three Musketeers.
By the end of chapter 2 Job had lost everything, his children, his servants and his livestock. He had also been afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. At the beginning of chapter 3 we hear about his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar who heard what was going on and went to him to comfort him and sympathize with him. When they first saw him they began to weep and tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat down with him and no one spoke for 7 days.
In 1844, Alexandre Pere Dumas wrote the novel The Three Musketeers which is about three inseparable friends who live by the motto "All for one and one for all". That's sort of like Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar...they were the first three musketeers so to speak. They were so overwhelmed by what was happening to their friend that they shared in his grief. They went to him and sat with him. They didn't speak, they didn't try to solve the problem, they just sat with him. Now if only they would've kept quiet and not started speaking after 7 days...but I'll talk more about that later.
Today I witnessed some modern day musketeers work together to bring in a fish. It was Carl's fish. No matter which pole a fish struck on, it was going to be Carl's fish. So when a pole went down, the three of them jumped into action and while Carl worked the pole and the fish, David and Nathan did their jobs on the boat (dropping anchor, reeling in other lines, etc) to ensure the best possible chance for Carl to get that fish into the boat. Then when he did, they all three celebrated like it was their own fish. They high fived - they hooted and hollered - they celebrated together. David and Nathan were genuinely thrilled that Carl got that fish in the boat. For the rest of the evening they relived every moment of the exciting catch. They shared in it together.
Friendship is defined as:
I have several great musketeers in my life as well. Men and women who have stood by me through thick and thin. They have listened to my heartaches and have prayed for me and have rejoiced in my successes just like they were their own. They have sat with me quietly, laughed with me loudly and, at times, even cried with me. They are my musketeers. My definitions 1, 3 and 4. I am so blessed to have them in my life and now that I live far away from them, I appreciate them even more.
I wonder if I'm a good musketeer. I think I am but I know I could be even better. Couldn't we all? I know that Job's three sure could have. Like I mentioned before, they shared in his grief and sat with him quietly for 7 days and then Eliphaz was the first to speak. Unfortunately, Eliphaz had done a lot of thinking in all that silence and had come up with some strange conclusions. He began to basically pass judgment on Job. He began to offer answers and reasons as to why Job had been afflicted with such enormous troubles. His musketeering stopped.
How many of us have had that done to us or have done that to someone else? How many of us have started out being a good musketeer and ended up sitting in judgment of the very person we care so much about?
We need to love the way God loves us - with grace and mercy. We need to remember that they are our fellow musketeer and it could be that all we are to do is sit with them quietly. Not solve their problems or point out their mistakes. That is up to God to do. Will He use us to do that? Yep, He just might, but we better be darn sure that is what is happening before we open our mouths and start tearing someone down. Words hurt and when we are having a tough conversation with someone, it has to come from a heart of love not from a heart of judgment.
So musketeers...that's what I'll think of when I think about the first part of Job. What to do and what not to do as a musketeer. What about you? How is your musketeering record? Any room for improvement?
By the end of chapter 2 Job had lost everything, his children, his servants and his livestock. He had also been afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. At the beginning of chapter 3 we hear about his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar who heard what was going on and went to him to comfort him and sympathize with him. When they first saw him they began to weep and tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat down with him and no one spoke for 7 days.
In 1844, Alexandre Pere Dumas wrote the novel The Three Musketeers which is about three inseparable friends who live by the motto "All for one and one for all". That's sort of like Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar...they were the first three musketeers so to speak. They were so overwhelmed by what was happening to their friend that they shared in his grief. They went to him and sat with him. They didn't speak, they didn't try to solve the problem, they just sat with him. Now if only they would've kept quiet and not started speaking after 7 days...but I'll talk more about that later.
Today I witnessed some modern day musketeers work together to bring in a fish. It was Carl's fish. No matter which pole a fish struck on, it was going to be Carl's fish. So when a pole went down, the three of them jumped into action and while Carl worked the pole and the fish, David and Nathan did their jobs on the boat (dropping anchor, reeling in other lines, etc) to ensure the best possible chance for Carl to get that fish into the boat. Then when he did, they all three celebrated like it was their own fish. They high fived - they hooted and hollered - they celebrated together. David and Nathan were genuinely thrilled that Carl got that fish in the boat. For the rest of the evening they relived every moment of the exciting catch. They shared in it together.
 |
| Carl is on the left, my husband Nathan is in the middle and my brother David is on the right |
Friendship is defined as:
- A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
- A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
- A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.
- One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement
I have several great musketeers in my life as well. Men and women who have stood by me through thick and thin. They have listened to my heartaches and have prayed for me and have rejoiced in my successes just like they were their own. They have sat with me quietly, laughed with me loudly and, at times, even cried with me. They are my musketeers. My definitions 1, 3 and 4. I am so blessed to have them in my life and now that I live far away from them, I appreciate them even more.
I wonder if I'm a good musketeer. I think I am but I know I could be even better. Couldn't we all? I know that Job's three sure could have. Like I mentioned before, they shared in his grief and sat with him quietly for 7 days and then Eliphaz was the first to speak. Unfortunately, Eliphaz had done a lot of thinking in all that silence and had come up with some strange conclusions. He began to basically pass judgment on Job. He began to offer answers and reasons as to why Job had been afflicted with such enormous troubles. His musketeering stopped.
How many of us have had that done to us or have done that to someone else? How many of us have started out being a good musketeer and ended up sitting in judgment of the very person we care so much about?
We need to love the way God loves us - with grace and mercy. We need to remember that they are our fellow musketeer and it could be that all we are to do is sit with them quietly. Not solve their problems or point out their mistakes. That is up to God to do. Will He use us to do that? Yep, He just might, but we better be darn sure that is what is happening before we open our mouths and start tearing someone down. Words hurt and when we are having a tough conversation with someone, it has to come from a heart of love not from a heart of judgment.
So musketeers...that's what I'll think of when I think about the first part of Job. What to do and what not to do as a musketeer. What about you? How is your musketeering record? Any room for improvement?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Feivel
Remember that cute little mouse from American Tale?
That's what I thought of today when I was doing my reading. Feivel. More specifically the song "Somewhere Out There" In the movie, Feivel is separated from his family and the song represents the hope that Feivel and his sister have of some day being reunited. A portion of the lyrics state:
And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky
In Genesis 9:8-11 God establishes a covenant with Noah and his sons that never again would all life on earth be destroyed by a great flood. In Genesis 9:13 God tells Noah that the sign of this covenant will be the rainbow and then in Genesis 9:15 God says that when the rainbow appears HE will remember the covenant. Did you catch that? GOD Himself would look upon that same rainbow and be reminded of His covenant with us.
When we see a rainbow in the sky, God, the Creator of all things, is looking on the same thing we are, at that very moment. Isn't that cool? Just imagine that...sit back and think about it..................go ahead, I'll wait...............................:-)
Ok, seriously though, of course we know that God doesn't forget things but He made a point of telling Noah that He would be reminded of the covenant too. I think it is so cool that God chose to assign an everlasting symbol to the first covenant He made so that generation after generation after generation would have a physical reminder of that first covenant.
Unfortunately, the rainbow has been 'assigned' to a lot of causes and agendas in today's society, but God has not forgotten it's true meaning and we shouldn't either. It symbolizes a promise between us and the Lord.
- He made it
- He is reminded of it
- He will keep it.
Each time we see a rainbow we should not only be reminded of this first covenant specifically, but also of the fact that all of God's promises are just as permanent. When God makes a promise He doesn't cross His fingers behind His back to cancel out the promise. Nope! He keeps His fingers and toes where we can seem them :-) He makes a promise and that's it - end of story. The promise has been made and it will be kept.
So next time you see a rainbow, remember God is looking on that same rainbow!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
TP
That's what the Lord brought to my mind today after reading the story of Noah - TP. Not that kind of TP though I'm sure they needed a lot of it with all those animals and people on the ark - LOL! But rather, Trust and Patience.
Can you imagine the amount of trust and patience it took on Noah's part to build the ark? I can't! I had a hard time trusting and being patient for 20 or so years while I was waiting for the Lord to bring me the right man to marry. I can't begin to imagine the amount of trust and patience it took for Noah to build an ark when there wasn't a drop of rain in the sky.
In Genesis 5:32 it says that Noah was 500 years old when he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth. The next mention of Noah's age is in Genesis 7:6 where it states that he was 600 years old when the flood waters came on the earth. So while the bible doesn't mention what age he was when God told him to build the ark (Genesis 6:13) we can conclude that it took a lot of years.
Day after day, he toiled and worked. One more piece of wood, one more nail, one more...one more....I'm sure there are times he pounded a nail and then looked up and said, really??? Really God? This is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life?!? I know I would have. I'm sure he probably even had moments of impatience where he threw his saw down on the ground and walked away feeling like what he was doing was a waste. No one in town believed him, they all thought he was crazy and I'm sure his wife may have even questioned his soundness of mind a time or two. I mean, he was human after all, so I'm sure he felt all those emotions but then that's where the trust kicked in.
He trusted that God had a plan. He trusted and believed that God was going to do what He said He was going to do and that is bring a great flood. He may have had moments of questioning, just like the rest of us, but ultimately he trusted God. He didn't let his neighbors fill him with so much doubt that it stopped him from doing the task laid before him. He took a deep breath and reassured his family that he was following God's plan. He may have paused but then he picked up his hammer and got back to work.
I'm sure Noah prayed without ceasing. I have no doubt that he had an ongoing conversation with God. I imagine those prayers were full of praise, sprinkled with questioning and topped off with a healthy dose of thankfulness that he and his family were to be spared. Prayer is what refilled his TP :-) Communication and time spent with God is what refreshes our soul and renews our resolve to stay the course.
So whatever task the Lord may give us or whatever challenge life hands us, we must always remember a good supply of TP
Can you imagine the amount of trust and patience it took on Noah's part to build the ark? I can't! I had a hard time trusting and being patient for 20 or so years while I was waiting for the Lord to bring me the right man to marry. I can't begin to imagine the amount of trust and patience it took for Noah to build an ark when there wasn't a drop of rain in the sky.
In Genesis 5:32 it says that Noah was 500 years old when he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth. The next mention of Noah's age is in Genesis 7:6 where it states that he was 600 years old when the flood waters came on the earth. So while the bible doesn't mention what age he was when God told him to build the ark (Genesis 6:13) we can conclude that it took a lot of years.
Day after day, he toiled and worked. One more piece of wood, one more nail, one more...one more....I'm sure there are times he pounded a nail and then looked up and said, really??? Really God? This is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life?!? I know I would have. I'm sure he probably even had moments of impatience where he threw his saw down on the ground and walked away feeling like what he was doing was a waste. No one in town believed him, they all thought he was crazy and I'm sure his wife may have even questioned his soundness of mind a time or two. I mean, he was human after all, so I'm sure he felt all those emotions but then that's where the trust kicked in.
He trusted that God had a plan. He trusted and believed that God was going to do what He said He was going to do and that is bring a great flood. He may have had moments of questioning, just like the rest of us, but ultimately he trusted God. He didn't let his neighbors fill him with so much doubt that it stopped him from doing the task laid before him. He took a deep breath and reassured his family that he was following God's plan. He may have paused but then he picked up his hammer and got back to work.
I'm sure Noah prayed without ceasing. I have no doubt that he had an ongoing conversation with God. I imagine those prayers were full of praise, sprinkled with questioning and topped off with a healthy dose of thankfulness that he and his family were to be spared. Prayer is what refilled his TP :-) Communication and time spent with God is what refreshes our soul and renews our resolve to stay the course.
So whatever task the Lord may give us or whatever challenge life hands us, we must always remember a good supply of TP
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
No Vacancy!
When I was a little kid I could never get away with anything. My brother and two sisters could never get away with anything either cause somehow our Mom and Dad always found out. Now mind you, we grew up in a small town and wherever we went someone knew us and knew who we belonged too. So it’s no wonder we couldn’t get away with anything. Mom and Dad had eyes and ears everywhere but at the time, to us kids, it seemed that Mom and Dad were almost magical in their ‘knowing’ :-)
It can be like that with God. We, at times, forget that He is all knowing, all seeing and all interested in us. When He does something to speak directly to where we are in life or what we are thinking, we often times are amazed and confused. We wonder, how did He do that? Or we may even talk ourselves out of believing that what just happened was from God. Sometimes we are able to recognize it for what it is and revel in the fact that He loves us so much that He takes the time to speak directly to us and into our hearts. Well, today I had one of those ‘magical’ moments from God.
I did my bible reading while I was on lunch today. I've read the first three chapters of Genesis many times before so it was very familiar to me. I was thinking about and wondering about what God may want to show me this time. I wasn't really hit with any major revelation so I just finished my lunch and returned to work.
I work for a major insurance company and about ½ hour after returning to my desk I received a phone call from one of our clients. He is currently on the east coast and was in desperate need of some notes that he left at his home here on the west coast. He asked if he could have his daughter bring the notes to me and then could I find a local office in his current area and fax the notes to that office and he would swing by and pick them up. I assured him that wasn’t a problem. I made a couple of phone calls, got everything set up and his daughter came down with the notes. I had no idea until that moment that our client is a minister and the notes were sermon notes/ideas.
On the first page of the notes it said in all capital letters “GOD DID NOT CREATE A VACANT DAY”. The notes went on to discuss other aspects of the first three chapters of the book of Genesis but I don’t want to steal Pastor B’s sermon so I’ll just let him preach those points where God leads :-D But WOW! That is amazing! I can’t really even find words to describe how amazing that is. God brought me exactly what He wanted me to think about, right to my desk, in an insurance office…isn’t that just amazing?!?
God did not create a vacant day. He had a purpose and a plan to fulfill on each of the seven days of creation. Even the seventh, Sabbath, day had a purpose – rest (I plan on reminding my husband of this particular purpose the next time I want to sleep in on a Saturday morning! :-D). Do we live our life with a purpose and a plan? Are any of our days ‘vacant’? Do we embrace the simple tasks, joys, hurdles in life or do we gloss over them waiting for the bigger and better days to come?
I’ve been guilty of not staying in the moment and of looking/waiting/wishing for something more to come along. I want to do my best from now on to not let that happen again. I don’t want any of my days to be vacant. I want to take time and breathe in what is happening around me. God gave each day a purpose and He has a plan for each of us. So let’s make sure that when we close our eyes at the end of a day, we can hang the ‘No Vacancy’ sign out because we lived that day to the fullest!
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