Taking account of you

"When you weep, your Father beholds. Like a father pities his children the Lord also pities them that fear Him. Your sigh is able to move Jehovah; your whisper can incline His ear unto you. Your prayer can stay His hands, your faith can move His arm! Oh think not that God sits on high in an eternal slumber, taking no account of you."
-Charles Spurgeon

On several occasions lately, I've been encouraged and challenged by quotes and thoughts shared by friends. This is one of those. These are my doubts and my struggles at present... praise God that even men like Spurgeon are familiar with such thoughts.

Guided by a God outside of time

"God, outside of time, has already faithfully provided, even though my eyes are limited to the present circumstances."
-A much-needed encouragement from a friend today

I wait and wait for the future to be unfolded before me, hoping for certainty, for guidance as to the next step, for any sign of where to go or what to do or how it is all going to come together.

But even as I feel trapped in inaction, God knows and is already guiding me to where I need to be. Trust is my portion, and faithfulness in what He has given to me for now.

Seasons changing

"For years I have dreamed of a life that would allow me ample time to read and reflect and pray and meditate for hours about things of the Lord, and at the same time I have consistently filled my schedule with busyness and proceeded to wonder why I never have time to develop all of the spiritual disciplines I pray for... I don't know how long this time will last. But I do know this: I enter every situation in life purely by the grace of Jesus, and the only appropriate response is to live it for His glory. So I will strive, in this time of empty days, of hours and hours stretching out before me, to build the discipline I never had before."
- from my first entry in this blog, August 8, 2009

10 months and 100 entries later, and the seasons are changing. I have found myself scrambling these past few weeks to get my feet under me. My days of empty hours and unlimited solitude are drawing to a close, and new things are on the horizon (though still far enough away that I can only watch and wait until they come into closer focus). But the wind is picking up, the tides are changing, and off I go.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven."
-Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 3:1

I have loved this season. I have loved the hours of silence, prayer, delving deeper into God's Word, depending on Him to supply the needs the world could not meet. It has been a time of rest and healing, of training, of preparation, of building habits that I pray I will carry with me on the next leg of the journey. May I greet the future with the fondness I have for the past.

Intentionality

"Godliness is never accidental. Neither is victory coincidental. Both stem from up-front, daily resolve." -Beth Moore

If we are not intentionally pursuing God, we will accidentally be pursued and caught by everything else. Not making a decision is a decision in itself. Are you actively seeking God or passively being ensnared by the world?

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." - Hebrews 12:1

Choosing today

His mercies are new every morning.

I was talking with a friend today (preparing for teaching lessons at camp) about choices, habits, character development. In everything, we have a choice. In every day, every circumstance, every next step we take is a choice. Whether we are on the mountaintop or in the valley, flying high in victory or brought to the ground by our own mistakes or someone else's, there is no time when we are left without a choice. Lying face-down on the ground as a result of our own intentional rebellion, we are still not beyond the reach of God's mercy.

The choice is this: will I let God have the glory? In my accomplishments and greatest joys, will I give God the glory and take none of it for myself? In my failures and times of broken confusion, will I let Him glorify His name by redeeming my situation?

And the time is now. We could wait until tomorrow, but every action we take is one step toward a habit. Do we want to build the habit of waiting until tomorrow to ask God into our circumstances? Or do we want to build the habit of inviting Him in the very instant that we recognize our need for Him?

I choose Him, I choose now, I choose joyful submission today.

The best place to be

"We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
-Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah, in 2 Chronicles 20:12

The people of Judah face a great army coming to invade and take possession of their land. They do not have the forces to defend themselves or time to come up with a solution, and so they stand unified before the Lord, fasting and pleading with Him as they wait on His guidance.

Do they know that they are in the best possible place? That their weakness is their strength, for God's power is made manifest in their weakness?

When we come to times of crossroads and crisis, I pray that our response will be the same. We do not know what to do, Lord, but our eyes are upon You.

Abandon

Abandon. Surrender. Taking up your cross.

These are not once-and-for-all decisions. With every new day and each new situation, we decide again whether we will cling to control or relinquish it into the hands of God. My soul belongs to God, but will I give this day, this choice, this worry over to Him?

What fasting is and is not

Fasting is something more than and different from the Old Testament picture of sorrow and sackcloth and ashes and weeping. It is not a hunger strike, manipulating God to answer your requests.

Fasting is being reminded of your mortality and your dependence on the hand of God.

Fasting is identifying with the poor and hungry.

Fasting is adjusting your priorities, being a thankful recipient of God's gifts instead of a slave to them.

Fasting is a bodily reminder to go to your knees, using the twinges of hunger to prompt you to bring your requests before the throne of God again and again, as the persistent widow.

Fasting is joyously proclaiming that there is something more precious, more essential to you than food. It is declaring that your lifesource is other than that on which the world depends.

The nearness of God

What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?
Deuteronomy 4:7

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
Psalm 73:28

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145:18

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Isaiah 55:6

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Philippians 4:5

"...a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."
Hebrews 7:19

Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 4:8

I could, and should, ponder this one for a long time. He is the God of all the universe, uncreated Creator of all things, all-powerful, almighty, and yet He is near to those who trust in Him and turn to Him. What a gift, what a life, to live near to Him all of my days!

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.

-Fanny Crosby

The place of artists

I love the emphasis placed on skillful artistry throughout the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles. God ordains that the temple will be built and decorated to the finest detail by the hands of skilled craftsmen. The musicians who are to lead the congregation in singing and playing before the Lord are gifted and well-practiced in those areas. From the time of David through the ages, so much of the great art and music of the world was created in worship to God. Let's carry on this tradition! Who better to inspire masterpieces than the true master Artist?

Many parts of one body

It came up in conversation this week that behind any one of the great and well-known preachers or evangelists, people with great ministries, is at least one person who receives little or no fame for their work.

I do not write this to try to change that or to bring those people glory-- their work will be recognized in time in a manner much more worthwhile. But here is another arena of life in which the Christian way is backward. Fame means nothing; earthly recognition is worthless. In the Kingdom, positions in life or ministry that earn the praise of man are leveled to the same ground as those that pass unseen.

No one will ever become widely famous for great organizational skills or faithfulness in cleaning toilets, but I challenge you to name me a ministry that can function without these tasks getting done. Christ Himself came not to be served, but to serve, turning the world on its head and undermining the face value of every position. Do we believe that a life spent faithfully crunching numbers in obedience to God will receive as much recognition from Him as a life spent at the pulpit?

Doing our part and letting go

"Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight."
-Joab to his brother Abishai, in 1 Chronicles 19

Maybe this isn't the most commonly referenced story in all of Scripture, but there's a principle here that hit me today. Joab and Abishai prepare their armies and agree to give the battle everything they've got for the sake of God. At the same time, they also accept that their resources are finite and the ultimate outcome is in the Lord's hands. Are there circumstances in our lives where we could be putting this into practice? I know I tend to either try to take it all into my hands or take a fatalistic view and resign myself to whatever happens. I think, though, that the key to this is in the balance. Isn't it always?

Our resources or His?

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
-Paul, in 2 Corinthians 1

I love this verse of Scripture and the passage it comes from. It reminds me of the illustration (well-worn, but still excellent) of a pitcher of water. If you simply pour out the water that is in the pitcher, the pitcher is soon empty and the water ceases to flow. But if the pitcher is located under a faucet with an endless supply of water, the pitcher remains full while still flowing into whatever is around and under it.

I can't put a number on the times in my life that I've tried to do something-- a day of work, a difficult task, a relationship-- on my own resources. Maybe I last a few hours, maybe even a few days if I'm particularly well-rested at the start. But inevitably, and generally sooner than I anticipate, I find my resources have been tapped out. I'm emotionally, mentally, and physically drained, and I have nothing worthwhile left to give.

But God is the faucet to our small pitcher. If we locate ourselves near Him, under Him, in the refreshing flow of His comfort and strength, we ourselves are filled even as we pour out into others. Rather than draining our finite resources, we tap into His infinite resources and reap blessing even while we bless those around us. What a better way to live!