ApprehendingGrace.com

It is exactly six weeks until Christmas. Two weeks until Thanksgiving.

I know what you’re thinking…HOW did this happen? (Secretly – or not so secretly – my husband and I have decided that the holidays ought to come every other year! They just arrive too quickly when it’s every year.)

But this year I’m excited for the holiday season. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because I started reading Isaiah a few weeks ago and came across this passage in chapter 9:

⁶    For unto us a Child is born,

    Unto us a Son is given;

    And the government will be upon His shoulder.

    And His name will be called

    Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷    Of the increase of His government and peace

    There will be no end,

    Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

    To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

    From that time forward, even forever.

    The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

 I’m reading through the Bible using the New Living Testament (NLT) this year – I like the change it provides from what I had been reading (New International Version, NIV). But what I quoted above is from the King James Version (KJV). I’m old enough to love the sound of this passage in the KJV. But let me quote it in NLT as well, for those who might not have the KJV voice in their head:

⁶For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this!

When that verse is quoted, people usually stop in the middle of verse 7. But look at the last line – I had never noticed it before –The Lord’s “zeal,” His “passionate commitment” will accomplish  it, will guarantee it. What will it accomplish? What’s written about in verse 6 and 7a – the birth of a Son, Jesus. What, then, is God zealous or passionate about? Can it be anything other than fellowship with us? If Christ came so that we might have life (John 10:10), so that we might know the Father (1 John 5:20) – if that was his purpose in coming, doesn’t that reveal the Lord’s passionate commitment to us? I think it does. God was passionately committed to giving His son to us so that we might have eternal life with Him (John 3:16-17). Wow!

 How very much God loves us! For unto us a child is born. Thank you, Lord.

I’m praying that each Thursday between now and Christmas, God will give me a Christmas message to blog. Be sure to check back each week.

On this, the morning after the election, I imagine that at least 46% of you are unhappy at the outcome of our national elections. Some are even afraid. Let me encourage you.

• You know that God is not the author of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.
• You know that God remains firmly seated on His throne in heaven.
• You know that He remains sovereign over all things.

Remember the summary from Sunday’s blog. I wrote it without thinking about the outcome of elections in just a few days, but it seems appropriate today. Let me reiterate it here:

David’s Secret
David’s secret, is that his focus was on the Lord, not on his trials…The words of David in Psalm 16 confirm that David’s joy came from focusing on the Lord instead of his own situation:

⁸      I have set the LORD always before me.
       Because he is at my right hand,
       I will not be shaken. 
⁹      Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
       my body also will rest secure, 
¹⁰    because you will not abandon me to the grave,
       nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 
¹¹    You have made known to me the path of life;
       you will fill me with joy in your presence,
       with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

David’s joy came from his confidence in a God who held David firmly in His hand and who transcended time and space to enjoy being “present” with David during David’s life and through eternity.

Did you catch all three of those things? Let me reiterate them in the first person:

1. God holds me firmly in His hand - I need not be shaken!
2. God transcends time and space to come down to my level so that I can enjoy His presence - and what unspeakable joy those encounters bring!
3. God transcends time and space to take me to His presence after my life on this earth is over - eternal pleasures!

(For the whole blog, click here.)

It doesn’t matter who the president is! God is still in charge. Put your hope in Him. I’m reminded of the words of an old hymn:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.

The hymn was written about 1834 by a man named Edward Mote. Here’s the history of the hymn. 

Be blessed, friend. God is good. He is faithful. He is strong. All the time.

In 2 Samuel 22, David sings a long song of praise to God. As I read it, I couldn’t help but think about David’s life.

David’s Life
As a young boy, David was anointed to be the king of Israel…then sent back to tend his father’s sheep. The youngest of many sons, as he grew older, he was treated as the annoying little brother.  After killing Goliath, he had three different responsibilities that seem a strange mix of talents: He became a warrior for King Saul, he tended to his father’s sheep, and he was taken into King Saul’s court to play the harp for him when Saul was anxious. During this time, he seemed to shuttle back and forth between the responsibilities. That seems like a pretty strange life to me: One day playing for the king, the next day tending sheep. It would have been easy for him to begin to resent the trips back and forth or the difference between sleeping in the king’s palace and sleeping near the sheep.

During that time, David developed a deep friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime friendships. But the friendship was torn from him when Saul became irrationally enraged at David and sought to kill him. Saul’s anger sent David on the run for many years, and he sometimes came within minutes of losing his life.

Eventually Saul died and David became king. There were some good years, but even the good years were filled with fighting wars. War is not pretty and it’s not good.

There was the dalliance with Bathsheba, and the death of David’s son as a result of it. David knew it was because of his sin that his son died. What a heavy burden to carry.

David had many sons and daughters. Tamar was one of his beautiful young daughters; she had an equally good looking brother Absalom. Life was good…until Tamar was raped by a half-brother, Amnon. Absalom killed Amnon then fled to live in exile. On that day, he lost two sons.

Eventually Absalom becomes bitter toward his father, David, and sought to kill him. David was again on the run for his life.

Eventually, Absalom was killed by David’s men, and David mourned the loss of another child.

Absalom’s death restored David to the throne of Israel, which carried with it the responsibility to fight more wars to protect the country. At one point, Scripture describes David as “weak and exhausted,” cornered by his enemy and about to be killed (2 Samuel 21:15-16). One of his soldiers came to his rescue.

David’s one desire was to build a temple for the Lord. The Lord said “thanks, but no thanks.” David was a man of war and the Lord would not give him permission to build the temple. He gave him permission to gather all the supplies so that his son, Solomon, could build the temple. While I imagine it would have been a blessing to know that his son would be able to build the temple, I can’t help but imagine that there was a bittersweetness to it because it was something David so longed to do.

Eventually David died and was buried.

David’s Song
My point in reiterating all of this is to say that this mighty man of God lived a pretty crappy life, by my standards. He was unappreciated by his family, his best friend was ripped from him by a crazy father and king. He spent years on the run because that king was to kill him, then years later he spent more time on the run because his own son was trying to kill him. (He’d done nothing to provoke the anger of either.) His son died and the responsibility for that death was laid at David’s feet. His daughter was raped, and two more sons were killed because of it. David’s burning desire was to build a temple for God and God only allowed him to collect supplies. Even during the good times, his life was full of the horrors of war and the separation from his family.

And yet, 2 Samuel 22 (as well as many of the Psalms) records David’s song of praise to the God.

The Source of David’s Song
As I reflected on David’s life and his reaction to it, I realized that it is not an easy life that puts a song of praise in our mouth. It is not money and the adulation of others. It is not being rich in family and friends. It is not even fulfilling the purpose for which God has created us. Those things might bring a measure of happiness, a measure of ease of living, but it is not from those things that our song of praise truly resonates. It is from the nearness of God in the midst of trial that our faith is built and our love for a Savior is forged.

In chapter 22 of 2 Samuel, David’s song of praise rings out. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my savior,” he sings. David knew God as the One who is faithful, strong and able to save. Had he not experienced the wars in his life, he would not have truly known God ability to rescue the one who needs to be rescued. David described his need for God’s help: “The waves of death surrounded me; the floods of destruction swept over me…But in my distress I cried out to the Lord…He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry reached His ears.”

David knew that God heard his cry, and he then described God’s powerful response in the eleven verses that follow. His description illustrates a God that moved heaven and earth to rescue His servant. He sang of the quaking of the earth and the thundering of the Lord from heaven, and in verses 16 and 17 he summarized what happened: “Then at the command of the Lord…He reached down from heaven and rescued me.”

The lyrics of David’s song are strong and forceful and they leave no doubt that David had been in the dire straits and that God had delivered him. In fact, he concluded that portion of the song with verse 19: “They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest, but the Lord upheld me.”

David finished his song with 31 additional verses proclaiming God’s goodness, faithfulness, strength, and love. “The Lord lives!” David sang out. “Blessed by my rock! May God, the rock of my salvation, be exalted!…O Lord, I will praise You among the nations; I will sing joyfully to Your name.”

It is a powerful song written under the influence of the Holy Spirit to extol the power of a living, active God. (Click here to read the entire song.)

Let me reiterate, it was not the goodness of the Lord in good times that David sang about. It was God’s goodness when David was at his weakest.

My Secret
Want to know one of my dirty-little-secrets? Come close. Here it is: I’d like to have a cushy life. I’d like to not have to worry about having too many things to do or not enough money to pay the bills or the pain in my left knee. I’d like things to be easy. And sometimes I get frustrated and tired when they’re not.

Stories like David’s, a man described by God as “a man after my own heart,” remind me that my desires are still so unholy, so unsanctified, so untransformed. The word “holy” really means “set apart” or “totally other than.” To have a faith and love like David had, in the midst of the life David lived, would be “totally other than” anyone else I know.

I’ve taken some punches in the past few years. I bet you have, too. I have a book title in my head, but I know that I haven’t turned the corner enough to be able to write the book. The title is Dancing with a Broken Wing. It’s about dancing with joy out of a background of pain. David was a dancer.

David’s Secret
David’s secret, is that his focus was on the Lord, not on his trials. Read the song. Yes, he tells what dire trouble he was in, but it’s a necessary part of the story. Look at the number of verses given to the trouble compared to the number of verses gloriously given to the power of God. David’s focus is on the awesome power, faithfulness and goodness of His God. And it is that focus that enables Him to sing a song of praise instead of a lament of the troubles of life.

The words of David in Psalm 16 confirm that David’s joy came from focusing on the Lord instead of his own situation:

⁸      I have set the LORD always before me.
       Because he is at my right hand,
       I will not be shaken. 
⁹      Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
       my body also will rest secure, 
¹⁰    because you will not abandon me to the grave,
       nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 
¹¹    You have made known to me the path of life;
       you will fill me with joy in your presence,
       with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

David’s joy came from his confidence in a God who held David firmly in His hand and who transcended time and space to enjoy being “present” with David during David’s life and through eternity.

Did you catch all three of those things? Let me reiterate them in the first person:

1. God holds me firmly in His hand - I need not be shaken!
2. God transcends time and space to come down to my level so that I can enjoy His presence - and what unspeakable joy those encounters bring!
3. God transcends time and space to take me to His presence after my life on this earth is over - eternal pleasures!

It’s a word I use in almost every blog, but I have to say it again - Wow! My problems, no matter how big or small, truly are insignificant when I fix these three thoughts in my mind. God is so very good! Why would I want to focus on the problems of this life when I’ve got such a great God?

As you read through both the Old Testament and the New Testament, you will find the writers repeatedly reminding their readers about what God has done for them. For example, I recently read through the book of Joshua.In chapters 23 and 24 he gives his final exhortation to the people and farewell address. It’s a long narrative, reminding the Israelites first of their history with God (chapter 23) and then of God’s faithfulness to the Israelites since the time of Abraham (chapter 24). At the conclusion of this long reminder, Joshua challenges the people for a commitment to “honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly.” (24:14) They agree. He ends the discussion with a visual aid: “As a reminder of their agreement, he [Joshua] took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the oak tree beside the Tabernacle of the LORD.” (24:25b)

Do you purposefully remind yourself of the things the Lord has done for you? Do you know enough of your family’s spiritual history that you are able to remind yourself of the things God has done in for your ancestors that has impact on your life? You can use these memories to encourage yourself, as Joshua encouraged the Israelites, and as opportunities to recommit yourself to loving and serving God. Like Joshua, you can create a visual that reminds you of the goodness of God and your commitment to Him.

I find these reminders especially helpful when I am tempted to be discouraged or to sin. I can remember what God has done in the past for me and it encourages me to trust Him with my present and my future. I can remember what He has done in the past and it encourages me to remain faithful to Him.

Let’s get practical - how could you do this? There are lots of ways to approach your “rememberings.”

• Journaling is my favorite - when I am discouraged or otherwise out-of-sorts during my devotions, I often re-read entries from my journal. It’s always surprising to me how much I forget about my life and what I experienced in the past. Re-reading my journal reassures me that God met in those times and He will meet me again.
• If you’re not much of a writer, you can still be a “list maker” - start a “God’s Blessings” list and develop the habit of daily or weekly adding to your list.
• Are you a scrapbooker? Create a spiritual scrapbook. I would love to have a spiritual scrapbook, commemorating all the wonderful things God has done in my life, but it doesn’t work for me. Journaling works for me. Scrapbooking is too much like work for me, so it never happens.
• Create a digital scrapbook - if you’re not into the cut and paste approach, create a digital scrapbook. Scan in photos or other images, add your “God’s Blessing” list to it and a few journal-like entries and you’ve got a wonderful memory aid.
• Collect things that serve as visual reminders of God’s goodness. The Israelites were always collecting and piling up rocks to remind themselves of the things God had done for them. God says in Genesis 9 that He put the rainbow in the sky as a reminder to Himself of His covenant with the Israelites. Wow! Surely God doesn’t need a reminder, but it’s pretty cool that He made one anyway! I have a variety of paintings, knick-knacks, photos and other memorabilia around our house that remind me of God’s faithfulness to me. (I even have the screws & plates from when I shattered my elbow – they remind me of how God healed me well beyond any doctor’s expectation.)
• Create traditions that remind you of God’s goodness. The holidays will be upon us soon. If you don’t already have a “God has been good to us” tradition in your family, start one. Perhaps your conversation around the Thanksgiving table will be about God’s goodness to your family. Perhaps a Christmas Eve family devotional will be extended to include a time of remembrance. (Add some Christmas cookies & milk to make it a celebration!)
• Be purposeful in creating times of remembrance in your family. For example, I own a small business and at least once a year we have a full day prayer meeting that all employees are invited to. The first hour of that day is spent listing the blessings God has shown to our business and employees. Everyone participates as we write the blessings on a large poster-board. Do something like this with your family! Perhaps quarterly or as a part of birthday, anniversary or other life-event celebrations, gather the family together and list all the blessings that God has shown your family.

I have often asked people which characteristic of God means the most to them. Most people will say His love, and I sure can’t argue with that, but the characteristic I value the most is His faithfulness. I know I can always rely on Him. His Word promises it, but even more than that, the history I have with Him demonstrates it.

May I encourage you to do two things?

1. The next time you find yourself spiraling toward discouragement, stop and play the “Do you remember…?” game with the Lord.
2. Begin some personal and family traditions that remember God’s goodness to you and your family. Doing so will create a rich history that I am certain will not only impact you and your family in the present, but also well into the future. I am guessing that most of you didn’t have these kinds of activities in your childhood. Imagine the memories you would have if you had! Make it so for your children. And remember, it’s never too late to start, even if your children are grown and married.

⁵    Trust in the LORD with all your heart
     and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶    in all your ways acknowledge him,
     and he will direct your paths.
               Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust, Lean, Acknowledge, Direct

When we trust God, leaning not on our own wisdom, but instead acknowledging him - seeking His wisdom, we can be confident that He will direct us into paths that are a perfect for us. What a great thing! I can rest in knowing this. I can quit my striving and my worrying when I am confident of this…Can’t I? Then why is it still so hard sometimes? Why am I still tempted to worry and/or take things into my own hands?

How Do I Really Trust God?

First let me tell you that it’s possible. I come from a long line of worriers. Within my family, worrying is something like a badge of honor. Somehow, worrying about someone seems to be a primary way that we show someone we care about them. When I first met my husband he affectionately called me his wart - which was short for worry wart. It didn’t take long before I decided I wanted a better nickname! So I began to intentionally work on trusting God instead of worrying. It has worked. Many years later, I am no longer Phil’s wart. Every now and then he’ll catch me slipping into patterns of worry and he’ll use the nickname, but it doesn’t happen very often any more. And trust me. Life is so much better when we forgo the worrying.

I saw a sign once that said “Worry is an incredible waste of the imagination.” I thought that was wonderful - because it’s so true. Worry uses the imagination to conjure up all the negative things that could possible happen in a given situation. Wouldn’t you rather use that imagination to think about all the positive things that could come out of a given situation? I would! So I’m going to give you a couple of steps I’ve followed, and continue to follow, that enables me to put feet on the verse we’ve been studying.

1. The first step in trusting God is to decide to trust God. This isn’t rocket science! At some point, we have to decide that God is trustworthy, based on His Word and His character and His past history with us. We have to come to the point where we don’t just say we believe Him, but we actually act like we believe Him. He says He’ll direct us. Let’s trust Him to do so. That means every time there is doubt creeping into our thoughts, we decide again that we will trust God and we stop letting our imagination go to all the negative possibilities.I remember leading a missions trip a few years ago. My dear aunt was a part of the trip. We were out of the country for ten days, and finally were back on US soil. We had just gotten on the plane that would take us home. I was sitting next to my aunt and she was looking out the window. Sometimes ignorance is bliss! My aunt saw that they did not load our luggage on the plane. The brought the luggage cart to the plane, loaded some of it, then took it away. Our luggage was still on the cart they drove away. She became anxious and told me about it. My response was born more out of tiredness than wisdom, but it proved to have wisdom in it. I simply said “Well, you can worry about that if you want to. I’m going to enjoy the flight home.” The wisdom is that we can choose to worry about things if we want to. Most of those things will work themselves out on their. We made it home. Some of us didn’t get our luggage until the next day. Not a big deal. And the truth is that most of what we worry about really isn’t a big deal. You’ve heard the phrase “don’t sweat the small stuff…and it’s all small stuff to God.” So at some point, you just have to decide that you will trust God and not worry.
2. Get to know God better. I’ve found that we trust most those we know the best. So get to know Him better than you know anybody else. You’ll learn how He has been faithful to others in the situation you’re facing. Your eyes will be opened to how He has been faithful to you in the past. You’ll even see how He has met your needs when things spun out of control in the past. God is the One who holds your future in His hands. Period. Not you, not your spouse, not your children, not your parents, not your boss, not your friends, not your pastor, not your counselor, not your job, not your hobby, not the money in your bank account, not your connections in the community, not anything that you might be tempted to depend on. God holds you and He holds your future in His hands. So get to know Him. Join a Bible study, attend church regularly, read your Bible and pray for longer periods of time one or two days a week, read other Christian books. I find that reading Christian biographies really teach me a lot about how God works and how faithful He has been throughout time.What he’s done before He’ll do again. What He’s done for anyone He can do for you. You’ve made a decision to trust God. The ability to trust Him comes through faith. Faith is increased by pursuing God consistently.

If you struggle with trusting God, choose just one situation today and decide to trust Him in that situation. Don’t try to trust Him for every need you have right now - it will be too much for you and you will undoubtedly fail to trust Him in one of those areas. Then you’ll forget all the situations you trusted Him in and you’ll feel like you’ve failed. I don’t want to set you up for failure. I want you to experience what trusting God feels like. How it is different from the way you’ve been living. So start small. Find that one situation, commit to taking that matter to God in prayer and trusting Him to reveal what, if any, action you should take. Then rest. Be confident in Him. Know He’ll answer, so you don’t have to figure out what to do in the meantime. When you’re tempted to worry remind yourself of His faithfulness and thank Him for the answer that is on the way. When you’re still tempted to worry, spend some time getting to know Him better. God is up to something in your life! He wants you to trust Him for that thing you’re most worried about.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
      Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵    Trust in the LORD with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶    in all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will direct your paths
                    Proverbs 3:5-6

“There is no panic in trust” was our theme yesterday. It’s a good theme! No matter what our need is, God is capable and has the resources to meet that need. He is El-Shaddai, the God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People.

But knowing that and owning or apprehending it can be two very different things. Trust can be a difficult thing to “manufacture” if it’s not there already. How can we trust the Lord if we don’t trust Him already? Let me offer three suggestions.

Get to Know God Better

May I first suggest that we get to know God better? We trust the most those we know the best. I’ve known my husband for thirty years - I trust him implicitly. I’ve known my best friend for a dozen or so years. I trust her a lot. I know my neighbor down the street…well, just in passing. I mean no offense to her, but I don’t trust her very much. She may be the most trustworthy person on the planet, but I don’t know her well enough to trust her. God IS the most trustworthy person in all of creation. Yet if you don’t know Him, you probably don’t trust Him.

Get to know Him. Read about Him and how He protected, lead and provided for the Israelites and the New Testament Christians. Talk to others who know Him and ask how He has been faithful to meet their needs. Pray, not just with a laundry list of your needs, but with times of listening and just “being” with God. You can’t trust someone you don’t know. Get to know Him.

Decide to Trust Him

We’ll never trust God in an area in our lives until we decide to trust Him with that area. Yes, this sounds pretty bonehead, but it’s quite true. Often I find that when I am worrying over an issue, it’s something I’ve never actually made a decision to give to God. I’ve never said “Lord, I trust you with ________________.” Instead, I’ve just worried the issue. Or I’ve made a half-hearted commitment to trust Him, saying “Lord, will you take this?” and then just twenty minutes later when I don’t see a change saying (subconsciously if not consciously) “I better help God out by taking this issue back and doing something about it.”

A friend had a great illustration that helps with this. It’s based on 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” For you non-fishermen, casting is throwing your fishing line into the water. In some kinds of fishing, you cast your line into the water with an overhand throwing type motion. Then you sit and watch it, waiting for the fish to take the bait and jiggle the line. In other kinds of fishing you continually cast your line, then reel it back in, cast it out and reel it back in. The movement of the line catches the attention of the fish and the jump on it. When we trust God, we cast our line (worries) out into the water…and then we cut the line. Don’t reel them back in. Don’t even sit there watching the line for any movement. Cut the line and walk away from it.

The sign language sign for trust is to grab the air in front of you with both hands and pull it to your chest. That means trust. Notice the difference between casting your worries - throwing them away from you - and trusting God - capturing Him and bringing Him close. We are to throw our worries to God and hold Him close.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” It is possible. It is worth pursuing. Do it today. Pick one area and decide to trust Him. I am fully confident that He will prove Himself to be trustworthy.

In my next blog, we’ll learn about the partner to trusting God…see you then!

⁵    Trust in the LORD with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶    in all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will direct your paths.
                               Proverbs 3:5-6

There has been much happening over the past couple of weeks that might tempt us to fear. Stock market and financial institutions failing. Embassy and hotel bombings aimed at US interests. These events can make it feel like the world as we know it is falling apart around us. I bet there are some situations in your personal life that tempt you to fear as well. Perhaps your marriage is on rocky ground or someone you love is going through a health crisis. Maybe you have a big decision to make.

If any of those things are impacting your life, this verse is for you! Over the next few days, we’re going to look at each phrase of the verse. It’s a well known Scripture, but you’ll find that there’s much more to it than meets the eye. Let’s get started.

“There is No Panic in Trust”
I love what Bertha Munro said: “There is no panic in trust.” It can be easy for us to fall into a panic in our hearts and spirits. We wrack our brain to try to figure out what we should do to “fix” the situation. And when we can’t come up with something, our brain triggers a panic response. Unless we know that it’s not our responsibility to fix the situation. When we know that someone else who is capable and has all the necessary resources is handling it, that panic response doesn’t kick in.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say the company you work for has just decided to have a huge anniversary celebration next month. It’ll be a great time, with music, games and celebrations. For those who don’t like such frivolity, they want to include a quieter jazz room where people can mingle or just sit and visit with friends. Sounds great…except that planning hasn’t started because the decision to have the party was just made…A location has been reserved for three weeks from today. Trust me, if you’re the person assigned to plan the party, you’ll be tempted to panic! If you’re one of the people who simply gets to attend the party and enjoy the food, dancing and socializing, you’re looking forward to it. No panic required because you’re not responsible for making the event happen.

When we entrust our lives to the Lord, it isn’t our responsibility to make things happen - God has already said “don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” That doesn’t mean we don’t have responsibility to live diligent lives of work and servanthood, but it does mean we trust God to provide the necessary resources and enable us to accomplish the things He’ll direct us.

But my 401K is dwindling…Trust Me. I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I am Jehovah-Jireh, your Provider.

But the doctor says my test results…Trust Me. I knit you together in your mother’s womb. I am Jehovah-Raphe, the Lord who heals.

But I’m lost and it’s dark all around me and I don’t know which way to go…Trust Me. I will lead you in the way you should go. I am Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord your shepherd.

But I’m scared…Trust me. I am Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord your Peace.

But I am unworthy, how can you…Trust me. No, you are not worthy, but I have made you worthy. I am Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord your righteousness. I am also Jehovah-Mekaddishkem, the Lord your Sanctifier. I have set you apart for a purpose.

Trust me. I am El-Shaddai, the God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People. Trust me and you become my people.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart.” Make a decision today to trust God with that situation that has you most likely to panic. Let His peace will replace your panic.

Tune in tomorrow for more about what it means to trust God and how to do it.

“Do not consider it a hardship when you release your servants. Remember that for six years they have given you the services worth double the wages of hired workers, and the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.”     Deuteronomy 15:18

I can imagine that it would be easy to consider it a hardship to release one’s servants in the seventh year. As an employer, I know that it’s hard to lose employees. New employees must be found and trained. In the interim, I have to work long hours to accomplish my work, my lost employee’s work and the extra work required to find and train the new employee. Sometimes that doesn’t even feel like treading water, it feels like drowning!

But just as God created and is in control of seasons in weather, He also creates and controls seasons in our lives. Our challenge is to accept each season, no matter how short-lived, for what it is and for what God wants to do in it. The huge blessing that comes out of being able to develop such an attitude is that life (our inside life) becomes much calmer - we experience that peace that Scripture promises us. We are no longer at war with the circumstances of our life, fighting them to somehow prove ourselves the victors and the circumstances our slaves. Instead, we accept the circumstances and win victory by trusting the One who creates and controls the circumstances.

The physical spoils of the battle are similar - in both situations the circumstances are faced and dealt with. The emotional and spiritual spoils are radically different. When I fight my circumstances all day, I end the day frustrated and stressed out. Emotionally I am spent and possibly short-tempered or impatient. (Yes, yes, I know these aren’t fruits of the Spirit, but I’m being honest here.) Physically my body is absorbing the day of stress in ways that might not immediately be identifiable, but in the long term may mean an unhealthy weight gain or loss, damage to my heart, high blood pressure, or any of a number of other significant health issues. However, when I accept my circumstances and trust that God is working in and through them, I spend the day at peace inside and I end the day with that same peace. My stress level is down. I may be thankful that the day is over, but I am also grateful for God’s presence throughout it. I am less likely to develop the health issues related to living a stressful life.

Let me give you an example: On his way to work at the hospital last week Phil prayed “Lord, this evening is in your hands. Whatever you have for me tonight, I trust you to handle.” It was the worst night he’s seen in the sixteen months he’s worked there. But because he had prayed on his way in, giving the evening to the Lord, there was chaos and tragedy around him but he remained at peace because he knew that the Lord was there in the chaos and tragedy. It was the season God had for him that night.

How much easier it is to go through difficult times when we recognize that everything is in God’s hands and that we might be facing challenges in this season, but tomorrow, next week, next month or next year is coming and a new season will begin. This is temporary and God has something for us in it now. The sister to this attitude is knowing that God is in control. Did you get that? You don’t have to be in control! What a relief! It’s an even bigger relief when you realize that the One who is in control is better at it than you are! Let it bring you peace. Let God prepare a table for you in the midst of your enemies - whether they are human or paper enemies!

I wrote earlier that when we accept each season for what it is, we are no longer at war with the circumstances of our life, fighting them to somehow prove ourselves the victors and the circumstances our slaves. The truth is that we are the slaves…either to our circumstances, or to the One who controls them. We are at the mercy of much that happens to us each and every day of our life. We can’t change most things and trying to do so brings only that frustration I’ve already written about. Let’s choose instead to be slaves to the One who controls our circumstances. I’m learning that it’s a way better way to live.

I’ve been avoiding my blog! I’m in the process of transferring from one blog service (Yahoo) to another (we’ll see which one wins out!). Hence, whatever I write here must be transferred there, wherever there is. I know others who have decided to write a blog and have it up and running in what seems to me to be minutes. And of course, all the blog services make that promise. But what is minutes to others has been months for me. Aargh!

So lately I’ve been reminding myself a lot that God has uniquely gifted each of us and no, I’m not particularly lacking in intelligence just because I can’t get my new blog to work! And even if I were inordinately lacking in intelligence God would still be over-the-top wild about me! And in order to avoid reminding myself of these things over and over again I’ve been avoiding blogging.

I’ve been avoiding blogging so that my self image doesn’t take a hit each time I try and fail at making the conversion. I’m not proud of this. I’m not proud that not being able to accomplish this technical task makes me feel stupid (there, I said the word instead of couching it kindly as “lacking in intelligence”). I’m not proud that my approach has been to avoid the issue altogether.

One maxim I’ve learned is that when things seem to be happening in an unusual way, look for what’s behind it. Is God at work? (Well, the answer to that one is always “yes” because God is always at work in our lives.) Perhaps better stated, the question should be “What is God trying to teach me by getting my attention with these unusual circumstances?”

It doesn’t make sense to me that transferring blog services should be so difficult for me, so this morning I am asking “what might God be trying to teach me?” I can come up with several thoughts on my own, but the answer requires listening for His voice and to His Spirit. Here are my potential thoughts…

• God is giving me opportunities to practice not becoming frustrated when things don’t move as quickly as I’d like or when I’m not able to accomplish what I think I should be able to accomplish — and by giving me opportunities to practice this, He is teaching me patience
• God is reminding me that I’m not as smart as I would like to think I am (a little dose of humility is always good for us)
• God is teaching me about my need to rely on others (after all, we are a Body that is to work together, not just individual parts that work on their own)
• God is demonstrating how little it takes for me to be unfaithful to a task He has called me (revealing that I lack perseverence and that my heart condition is not as undivided as He would like it to be)
• God is teaching me about His faithfulness by demonstrating to me my own lack of faithfulness (His faithfulness so far surpasses my own — and this lesson translates to every other area — His mercy so far surpasses my own, His goodness so far surpasses my own, His love so far surpasses my own, His justice so far surpasses my own, etc.)

Wow! Since all of those possibilities occurred to me in the short span of five minutes or so, I’m guessing that He’s doing all of those things. The one that shouts at me the loudest, however, is the last one. I am thankful that the God I serve is so infinitely more faithful than I am. Praise His precious Name. And if a little technological frustration is what it takes to remind me of that, I’ll take it. Lord, You are so infinitely good to me! Thank You!

(And to my readers…I apologize for “being gone” for the past 6 weeks and I’m working on being faithful to you! Be blessed!)