Remember Me

T

he last year of high school is one of the most memorable and most challenging for students.  All during the year, students constantly speak of their ardent desire for the school year to end.  They can't wait to receive their diplomas, leave home and family, attend university or get a job, and finally be out on their own.  These sentiments usually last until April and then, as the final six weeks of school approach, they suddenly realize that this portion of life is over.  Frantically, they seek some way of applying the brakes, of slowing life down, and avoiding the inevitable.  The excitement of finishing school and breaking all ties with home is replaced by the anxiety of what the future holds and the fear that they will be forgotten.

One of my former high school students embodied these very emotions with frightening precision.  At the start of his last year he was overjoyed to be finishing school and wanted nothing more than to be done with his studies and his hometown.  Yet, on graduation day, he stood before me with tears in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks asking me over and over not to forget him.  He had this terrible fear that no one would remember him, that his life to that point would have had no significance for anyone. 

This student, however, is not alone.  We all suffer from this same fear.  We are afraid that after we have served our purpose, we will be forgotten, thrown out, discarded, much like we discard containers after we have emptied them of their content.  Such a view of life, though extremely common, fails to take into account God's thoughts toward us.

Genesis 8:1a at first seems to be just an introduction to a new chapter.  But if you read it carefully, you will discover just how much God cares for you.  The opening line of chapter 8 begins with these words, "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him on the ark..." But God remembered?  No, God never forgot Noah.  He knew where he was and he knew what Noah was doing.  I believe the verse might be better understood if read this way, "But God was thinking about Noah...."  That's right, thinking about him.

Although Noah was locked in the ark without knowing what the situation was on the outside, although he tended the animals day after day and week after week, and although he may have believed God had forgotten him, the scriptures tell us that God remembered him.  God's promise to Noah was that he would be saved and God kept that promise.  All the time Noah spent in the ark seemingly forgotten, he was in the process of being saved and perfected for the purpose God had for him.  God thought about Noah.  He saw him in the ark.  He saw him as he performed his daily duties.  He heard him when he prayed, and he sheltered him during the storm.

God does the same things for us on a daily basis. God thinks about us all the time.  He makes plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), he knows how many hairs are on our heads (Matthew 10:30), his thoughts toward us cannot be counted (Psalm 139:17-18), he hears our prayers (Psalm 55:17), and he shelters us (Psalm 61:3).  When we consider all that he does on our behalf we understand better what Genesis 8:1a means.  Although it may appear that God has abandoned us and that he has forgotten us in our moment of need, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Isaiah 43:3 assures us that whenever we pass through deep waters or walk through fires God is with us.  It is impossible for him to be with us and forget about us.  It simply will not happen. 

Today as you go about your routine and it seems to you that God is nowhere in sight and that he is very far away, let these words from Isaiah 49:14 -ff comfort and reassure you: "But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.' 'Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."  He who remembers Israel and who keeps all his promises is faithful to remember you today!!

The Bowl

R

eminders and evidence of God’s faithfulness are everywhere.  The rising and setting of the sun, the rain that falls on the earth, the wind that blows through the trees, and the moon and stars in the night sky are constant testimonials to the fact that our God is faithful. 

God’s faithfulness has always amazed me.  No matter what circumstances I have encountered in life, one thing holds true—God is faithful to me regardless of my situation, regardless of my feelings, and regardless of my faithfulness to him. In all the changes of life, in all of its trials, in all of its conflicts, in all of its challenges, and in all of its joys, God has never failed me.  He has always remained true to his word and his promises are a solid foundation in a world of shifting sand!

I was reminded of this great truth just last evening.  As I dried and put away the day’s dishes, God took the opportunity to teach me a lesson about his faithfulness.  In my hand, I held a bowl.  It is not a very attractive bowl but it is my bowl nonetheless.  I purchased this bowl just after arriving at seminary.  Since I didn’t have much space in my dorm room for dishes, I used that bowl for just about everything.  I ate cereal from it in the morning, I had soup in it when I was sick, I used it for popcorn as a snack, and I ate stew from it for my evening meals.  When I finished with the bowl, I washed it and placed it back on the shelf until the next meal.

Although my life changed drastically after coming to seminary, one thing remained constant, that bowl always had something in it for me to eat.  I never went hungry, I never went without clothing, and I always had enough money to pay my bills and cover my necessities.  But every time I visited the kitchen, God always had something to place in that bowl. He always made sure I had something to eat and something to drink.  He never forgot but showed up at every meal, right on time. 

Sometimes he used others to fill that bowl.  Someone would send me money from home and I’d buy groceries or sometimes someone would invite me to dinner and pay for my meal.  Whatever the form, God always saw to it that I had something to eat and he always took care of me, even when I wasn’t sure how he was going to do it.

1 Kings 17:14 gives us the story of another bowl.  This bowl belonged to a widow who lived in the village of Zerephath with her only son.  Times were very hard for this woman. She had very little to eat.  In fact, she was gathering firewood to prepare her last meal for herself and her son. Just at that moment the prophet Elijah asked her to bring him some bread and water.  The widow told him of her plight, that she had only enough flour in the bowl for one last loaf of bread for her and her son.  What Elijah told her next is the focal point of our study today.

"For thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.'"  Do you see God’s faithfulness and his love in this passage?  Just when this widow thought it was all over, just when she believed there was no way out, and just when she reached the end of her resources, God stepped in.  Even though there was a drought and although there was no way to buy more flour or oil, God promised that her supply would never run out.

This is always God’s way.  When we have exhausted our resources and come to the end of our ropes, that’s when God steps in.  At that point we become totally dependent on him for all our needs.  When our relationship becomes one of total dependence on God, we experience and understand God’s faithfulness to his children. So, what’s in your bowl today?

How Long Is Until?

“H

ow long do I have to clean my room, mom?”  Now you know when you ask a question like that the answer just can’t be good!  “Until it is clean”, she always replied.  I told you the answer would not be good.  In fact, I hated this answer because it meant I would be in my room a long time, and from the looks of the clutter under my bed and in my closet, I would be there until doomsday!

The lesson my mom was trying to teach me with that little word until was the importance of carrying a task through to completion no matter how long it took.  Had she told me fifteen minutes, I would have worked for that amount of time and stopped, regardless of the condition of my room.  Some things cannot be measured in time.

This is the lesson found in Luke 15:1-7, “Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

We know this passage as the story of the lost sheep, a parable Jesus told to illustrate God’s great love for those who are lost.  The attitude of the Pharisees and teachers of the law is still prevalent today.  Everybody, it seems, is a far worse sinner than we are and the sins they have committed make ours look like children’s pranks.  But the irony is, that while we are busy pointing out the fact that everyone else is a sinner, we neglect to include ourselves in the group.  Everybody listening to Jesus’ voice that day was a sinner.  There are only two groups of people, those in Christ, and those outside of Christ.  There is no middle ground!

But if we read very closely we will find that little word, until.  How did this shepherd search for that one lost sheep?  Just how long is until?  Is it measured in minutes, hours, days or weeks? Does it even have a measure?  That is a great question.  We read this parable as if the shepherd were gone a few hours at the most.  But what if he were gone for weeks, months or even years?  What if it took a lifetime?  That puts a very different perspective on things, doesn’t it?

We must also notice that when the shepherd found the sheep, he put it on his shoulders and went home. How long did he carry that sheep?  He carried it until he arrived safely home. In other words, he searched until he found and he carried it until the sheep was back in the fold.  The shepherd carried that sheep for the same amount of time he spent searching for it.  Both are simply covered by the word, until.

What a beautiful illustration this is of God’s love for us.  His love for us is not measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years.  His love for us is measureless and his grace toward us is boundless.  How long is until?  How far is it?  We’ll have to wait until we arrive safely home to find out!

The Sound of Faithfulness

G

od is faithful!  This is one of the most fundamental tenets of the Christian life and one we sometimes have trouble remembering.  It is easy for us to speak of God’s faithfulness when the road of life is smooth and straight with no dips, bends, or bumps.  As long as our walk with God is “enjoyable,” we have no problem claiming and testifying to the faithfulness of God. Life, for us, is good!

But when something goes wrong, when we encounter unforeseen difficulties or challenges, when illness comes, when death visits, when we are on the brink of financial ruin, or when God seems a million miles away, then we find ourselves doubting God’s faithfulness.  The thanksgiving and the praise don’t come so easily and we find ourselves walking more in doubt rather than by faith.

Yet, it is in the difficult times of life that we learn most about God’s faithfulness to us.  The Children of Israel learned about God’s faithfulness during their forty years of wondering in the desert.  Noah leaned of God’s faithfulness during the year he spent in the ark after the flood.  Job learned of God’s faithfulness through unimaginable suffering.  Sampson learned about God’s faithfulness through imprisonment and blindness.  David experienced God’s faithfulness in the wilderness as Saul sought to take his life. 

There are so many examples we could cite and each one of them would demonstrate to us that God is indeed faithful to fulfill every promise He makes and to care for us regardless of the situations into which He places us.  That’s right, God places us into every situation and He remains faithful to us no matter the circumstances.

One Sunday morning, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness.  In fact, for the first time I actually heard the sound of his faithfulness!  Now before you stop reading let me tell you that my room was not filled with light, there was no burning bush in the corner, and God’s voice did not boom and shake the rafters in my apartment.  Instead, what woke me at 3 a.m. was the wonderful sound of rain hitting the metal awning over the cars in the parking area outside my apartment.

The sound was deafening and woke me from a sound sleep, something that even Congress can’t do on a good day!  At first I didn’t know what it was, and then it occurred to me what was happening just a few feet outside my door.  The forecasters had predicted rain for Saturday that would continue into Saturday evening.  This time they were right on target and the rains came in torrents.  After not seeing rain for so long, the cool splash of water falling from the sky was a welcomed sight, feel, and sound.

Outside it was completely dark.  The world was sleeping.  God, however, was awake, faithfully caring for His creation.  As I lay there the words from Paul’s letter to the Philippians came to my mind.  In Philippians 1:6 Paul says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” 

           

In this passage, we are reminded that it is God, not we, who began the good work and it is God who will see it to completion.  He knows where we are in life, he knows the difficulties we face, and he is aware of every need we have.  Just at the right moment, when we are parched, when it is dark outside, when no one takes notice of what is going on; God sends the rains of his blessing and love into our hearts and lives.  He is faithful to us in every situation every moment of our lives.  When was the last time you heard the sound of God’s faithfulness?  Listen!  Is that the sound of thunder in the distance?  Are you ready for a rainstorm today?

Come On In

I

 distinctly remember the first day my brother and I moved into our new home.  For eighteen long months we had worked, preparing the house for occupancy.  At last, the long-awaited day arrived.  With the help of our parents and a few friends, we moved our furniture, our clothes, and all our belongings into the new house, cutting the apron strings with home and taking up the reigns of home ownership.  

It was exciting and frightening at the same time.  During the previous eighteen months, we had lived with our parents but our new home was across town, waiting for us to enter and set up house keeping.  During this time we were in limbo; we lived in one place but were looking forward to another.  Although we had enjoyed living with mom and dad, the time had come for us to move on and start a new life of our own.

A few days after moving into the house, I received a reality check. You know what these are, don’t you?  They are those little moments when you understand just how big the hole you’re in is and you know the shovel you are holding isn’t large enough to dig you out.  It had never occurred to me that the money we borrowed had to be paid back.  I had written checks to pay for the plumbing, the wiring, and all the other needs we had.  But that was the bank’s money, not mine.  Now I was faced with the reality that I had to use my money to repay the loan.  Talk about scared!

I imagine this is the way Joshua must have felt as he stood on the threshold of the Promised Land, ready to make his entrance with the children of Israel.  For forty years they had been wondering in the desert, walking in a great circle, paying for their disobedience to God.  The Lord was using this situation to prepare them to take possession of the land. The wanderings in the desert would teach them about God’s faithfulness and his trustworthiness.

Finally, the day came when they were to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land.  There must have been wonderful excitement in the camp that day.  The promise made to Abraham hundreds of years before was about to be fulfilled.  God had opened the door and had extended an invitation for his people to go into the land of promise.  The responsibilities for leading the people into the land and for conquering it fell to Moses’ servant, Joshua.

Can’t you just imagine Joshua’s fears and worries?  For the past forty years, the people had received their instructions and their leadership from Moses.  This great man of God had stood before Pharaoh, he had led them through the Red Sea, he had given them God’s law, and he had built the tabernacle in the wilderness.  How would Joshua ever fill Moses’ shoes?  Would the people listen to him? Would they respect him? Would they carry out his instructions?  The fear of the unknown must have plagued Joshua and weighed heavily on his mind.  God, however, had great plans for him and gave him wonderful words of reassurance.

In Joshua 1:1-3, God gives these words of encouragement to Joshua, “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites.  I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.”

There are three things we need to learn from this passage of scripture today.  First, Joshua must face reality.  Moses is dead!  The people can no longer rely on his leadership.  This left the people and Joshua with not only a sense of loss, but also caused them great anxiety.  Their security blanket had been ripped right out from underneath them.  But God does not stop here.  The next sentence demonstrates that God’s plans do not change. 

Second, God tells Joshua that the people will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land he promised on oath to Abraham.  What wonderful reassurance this must have been.  God’s promises are not dependent on one individual or set of circumstances. God’s promises are dependent on him and, therefore, can never fail. 

Finally, God restates his intention.  That intention is to fulfill his promise, to be with the people as they cross over and to settle them in the land just as he told Moses and just as he promised Abraham.  No matter how daunting the circumstance and no matter how impossible and hopeless the situation may seem, God’s promises remain true.  He will keep them all!

This morning, as we face the day ahead, we can, and must, draw great strength from these verses.  The events of yesterday are gone.  All of its successes, all of its comforts, and all of its security are forever in the past.  God is calling us to move forward into territory unknown to us but very familiar to him.  He is calling us to move from where we are into the promises he has given us.  We cannot dwell in the desert when God has called us to a land flowing with milk and honey.  We must get up, move forward, leave the past behind, enter the land, and possess it.

God has opened the door on this morning and he extends to us the following invitation:  “Come on in!”  The rest is up to us.  Personally, I’m going to wipe my feet on the welcome mat and go on in!  How about you?

All Wound Up

L

ike father, like son!  So the saying goes and I’ll have to agree that I see more and more of my dad in me the older I grow.  Friday evening I arrived home from work and entered the house. The first thing that captured my attention was the fact that my clock was not ticking.  This would be of no great import in and of itself had I not grown up in a house filled with clocks that my dad loved to wind.

I can still see my dad as he made the rounds through all the rooms in our home.  He started in the living room with the grandmother clock, made his way to the front hall, then into the room my brother and I shared, next he wound the clock in my sister’s room, and finally he wound the one hanging in his and mom’s bedroom.  I have fond memories of sitting at the supper table when all the clocks would go off at the same time chiming and clanging the hour.  It was quite a cacophony of sound.

But the most wonderful part of owning so many clocks was the constant ticking heard throughout our home.  The constant rhythmic sound of the pendulums swinging back and forth sweeping out the minutes and the hours is a part of my childhood I will always remember.  In fact, as I write this Tidbit, the clock mom and dad gave me over twenty years ago is softly ticking away in my living room.  It is the first sound I hear in the morning and the last sound falling on my ear as I drift off into sweet and comforting sleep.  The ticking of the clock is a reminder of my dad’s faithfulness in keeping the clocks running and in making sure we had everything we needed at home.

Moses reminds us of God’s faithfulness when he writes the following words in Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”  Moses wants there to be no doubt in the minds of those crossing over into the Promised Land that God will be faithful in fulfilling the promise he made to Abraham so many years earlier.  God’s promise that Abraham’s seed would possess the land he swore on oath to Abraham would be fulfilled and God would continue to manifest his faithfulness by fulfilling every one of his promises.

Today, we are still the heirs of God’s faithfulness to his word.  God promised Abraham that all the nations of the world would be blessed through his offspring.  Jesus Christ was a descendant of Abraham and all nations of the world have been and continue to be blessed because of him today.  God’s faithfulness to us is continually manifested by the beating of our hearts, by the filing of our lungs, and by the provision of all of life’s necessities.  There is not a situation we face or a need we have but that God knows it and is working to address it in accordance with his will.  All we need do is trust and obey him as he leads us.  There is no path too difficult, no water too deep, and no mountain too high that God will not faithfully demonstrate his love, his mercy, and his grace toward us.

In a few minutes, the clock in the living room will strike the hour.  Once again I will be reminded of my dad’s faithfulness as he made the rounds in our home.  His attention to the clocks was only a symbol of the attention, dedication, and love he had for all of us.  How much more then will God attend to us?  How much more value do we have to him than a clock has to its owner?  We are the apple of his eye and the reason he sent Jesus Christ to pay sin’s penalty.  Do you hear the clock of your life ticking? Have you thanked God today for keeping it wound?

The Bowl

R

eminders and evidence of God’s faithfulness are everywhere.  The rising and setting of the sun, the rain that falls on the earth, the wind that blows through the trees, and the moon and stars in the night sky are constant testimonials to the fact that our God is faithful. 

God’s faithfulness has always amazed me.  No matter what circumstances I have encountered in life, one thing holds true—God is faithful to me regardless of my situation, regardless of my feelings, and regardless of my faithfulness to him. In all the changes of life, in all of its trials, in all of its conflicts, in all of its challenges, and in all of its joys, God has never failed me.  He has always remained true to his word and his promises are a solid foundation in a world of shifting sand!

I was reminded of this great truth just last evening.  As I dried and put away the day’s dishes, God took the opportunity to teach me a lesson about his faithfulness.  In my hand, I held a bowl.  It is not a very attractive bowl but it is my bowl nonetheless.  I purchased this bowl just after arriving at seminary.  Since I didn’t have much space in my dorm room for dishes, I used that bowl for just about everything.  I ate cereal from it in the morning, I had soup in it when I was sick, I used it for popcorn as a snack, and I ate stew from it for my evening meals.  When I finished with the bowl, I washed it and placed it back on the shelf until the next meal.

Although my life changed drastically after coming to seminary, one thing remained constant, that bowl always had something in it for me to eat.  I never went hungry, I never went without clothing, and I always had enough money to pay my bills and cover my necessities.  But every time I visited the kitchen, God always had something to place in that bowl. He always made sure I had something to eat and something to drink.  He never forgot but showed up at every meal, right on time. 

Sometimes he used others to fill that bowl.  Someone would send me money from home and I’d buy groceries or sometimes someone would invite me to dinner and pay for my meal.  Whatever the form, God always saw to it that I had something to eat and he always took care of me, even when I wasn’t sure how he was going to do it.

1 Kings 17:14 gives us the story of another bowl.  This bowl belonged to a widow who lived in the village of Zerephath with her only son.  Times were very hard for this woman. She had very little to eat.  In fact, she was gathering firewood to prepare her last meal for herself and her son. Just at that moment the prophet Elijah asked her to bring him some bread and water.  The widow told him of her plight, that she had only enough flour in the bowl for one last loaf of bread for her and her son.  What Elijah told her next is the focal point of our study today.

"For thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.'"  Do you see God’s faithfulness and his love in this passage?  Just when this widow thought it was all over, just when she believed there was no way out, and just when she reached the end of her resources, God stepped in.  Even though there was a drought and although there was no way to buy more flour or oil, God promised that her supply would never run out.

This is always God’s way.  When we have exhausted our resources and come to the end of our ropes, that’s when God steps in.  At that point we become totally dependent on him for all our needs.  When our relationship becomes one of total dependence on God, we experience and understand God’s faithfulness to his children. So, what’s in your bowl today?

Remember Me!

T

he last year of high school is one of the most memorable and most challenging for students.  All during the year, students constantly speak of their ardent desire for the school year to end.  They can't wait to receive their diplomas, leave home and family, attend university or get a job, and finally be out on their own.  These sentiments usually last until April and then, as the final six weeks of school approach, they suddenly realize that this portion of life is over.  Frantically, they seek some way of applying the brakes, of slowing life down, and avoiding the inevitable.  The excitement of finishing school and breaking all ties with home is replaced by the anxiety of what the future holds and the fear that they will be forgotten.

One of my former high school students embodied these very emotions with frightening precision.  At the start of his last year he was overjoyed to be finishing school and wanted nothing more than to be done with his studies and his hometown.  Yet, on graduation day, he stood before me with tears in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks asking me over and over not to forget him.  He had this terrible fear that no one would remember him, that his life to that point would have had no significance for anyone. 

This student, however, is not alone.  We all suffer from this same fear.  We are afraid that after we have served our purpose, we will be forgotten, thrown out, discarded, much like we discard containers after we have emptied them of their content.  Such a view of life, though extremely common, fails to take into account God's thoughts toward us.

Genesis 8:1a at first seems to be just an introduction to a new chapter.  But if you read it carefully, you will discover just how much God cares for you.  The opening line of chapter 8 begins with these words, "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him on the ark..." But God remembered?  No, God never forgot Noah.  He knew where he was and he knew what Noah was doing.  I believe the verse might be better understood if read this way, "But God was thinking about Noah...."  That's right, thinking about him.

Although Noah was locked in the ark without knowing what the situation was on the outside, although he tended the animals day after day and week after week, and although he may have believed God had forgotten him, the scriptures tell us that God remembered him.  God's promise to Noah was that he would be saved and God kept that promise.  All the time Noah spent in the ark seemingly forgotten, he was in the process of being saved and perfected for the purpose God had for him.  God thought about Noah.  He saw him in the ark.  He saw him as he performed his daily duties.  He heard him when he prayed, and he sheltered him during the storm.

God does the same things for us on a daily basis. God thinks about us all the time.  He makes plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), he knows how many hairs are on our heads (Matthew 10:30), his thoughts toward us cannot be counted (Psalm 139:17-18), he hears our prayers (Psalm 55:17), and he shelters us (Psalm 61:3).  When we consider all that he does on our behalf we understand better what Genesis 8:1a means.  Although it may appear that God has abandoned us and that he has forgotten us in our moment of need, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Isaiah 43:3 assures us that whenever we pass through deep waters or walk through fires God is with us.  It is impossible for him to be with us and forget about us.  It simply will not happen. 

Today as you go about your routine and it seems to you that God is nowhere in sight and that he is very far away, let these words from Isaiah 49:14 -ff comfort and reassure you: "But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.' 'Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."  He who remembers Israel and who keeps all his promises is faithful to remember you today!!

The Sound of Faithfulness

G

od is faithful!  This is one of the most fundamental tenets of the Christian life and one we sometimes have trouble remembering.  It is easy for us to speak of God’s faithfulness when the road of life is smooth and straight with no dips, bends, or bumps.  As long as our walk with God is “enjoyable,” we have no problem claiming and testifying to the faithfulness of God. Life, for us, is good!

But when something goes wrong, when we encounter unforeseen difficulties or challenges, when illness comes, when death visits, when we are on the brink of financial ruin, or when God seems a million miles away, then we find ourselves doubting God’s faithfulness.  The thanksgiving and the praise don’t come so easily and we find ourselves walking more in doubt rather than by faith.

Yet, it is in the difficult times of life that we learn most about God’s faithfulness to us.  The Children of Israel learned about God’s faithfulness during their forty years of wondering in the desert.  Noah leaned of God’s faithfulness during the year he spent in the ark after the flood.  Job learned of God’s faithfulness through unimaginable suffering.  Sampson learned about God’s faithfulness through imprisonment and blindness.  David experienced God’s faithfulness in the wilderness as Saul sought to take his life. 

There are so many examples we could cite and each one of them would demonstrate to us that God is indeed faithful to fulfill every promise He makes and to care for us regardless of the situations into which He places us.  That’s right, God places us into every situation and He remains faithful to us no matter the circumstances.

One Sunday morning, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness.  In fact, for the first time I actually heard the sound of his faithfulness!  Now before you stop reading let me tell you that my room was not filled with light, there was no burning bush in the corner, and God’s voice did not boom and shake the rafters in my apartment.  Instead, what woke me at 3 a.m. was the wonderful sound of rain hitting the metal awning over the cars in the parking area outside my apartment.

The sound was deafening and woke me from a sound sleep, something that even Congress can’t do on a good day!  At first I didn’t know what it was, and then it occurred to me what was happening just a few feet outside my door.  The forecasters had predicted rain for Saturday that would continue into Saturday evening.  This time they were right on target and the rains came in torrents.  After not seeing rain for so long, the cool splash of water falling from the sky was a welcomed sight, feel, and sound.

Outside it was completely dark.  The world was sleeping.  God, however, was awake, faithfully caring for His creation.  As I lay there the words from Paul’s letter to the Philippians came to my mind.  In Philippians 1:6 Paul says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” 

           

In this passage, we are reminded that it is God, not we, who began the good work and it is God who will see it to completion.  He knows where we are in life, he knows the difficulties we face, and he is aware of every need we have.  Just at the right moment, when we are parched, when it is dark outside, when no one takes notice of what is going on; God sends the rains of his blessing and love into our hearts and lives.  He is faithful to us in every situation every moment of our lives.  When was the last time you heard the sound of God’s faithfulness?  Listen!  Is that the sound of thunder in the distance?  Are you ready for a rainstorm today?

How Long Is Until?

“H

ow long do I have to clean my room, mom?”  Now you know when you ask a question like that the answer just can’t be good!  “Until it is clean”, she always replied.  I told you the answer would not be good.  In fact, I hated this answer because it meant I would be in my room a long time, and from the looks of the clutter under my bed and in my closet, I would be there until doomsday!

The lesson my mom was trying to teach me with that little word until was the importance of carrying a task through to completion no matter how long it took.  Had she told me fifteen minutes, I would have worked for that amount of time and stopped, regardless of the condition of my room.  Some things cannot be measured in time.

This is the lesson found in Luke 15:1-7, “Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

We know this passage as the story of the lost sheep, a parable Jesus told to illustrate God’s great love for those who are lost.  The attitude of the Pharisees and teachers of the law is still prevalent today.  Everybody, it seems, is a far worse sinner than we are and the sins they have committed make ours look like children’s pranks.  But the irony is, that while we are busy pointing out the fact that everyone else is a sinner, we neglect to include ourselves in the group.  Everybody listening to Jesus’ voice that day was a sinner.  There are only two groups of people, those in Christ, and those outside of Christ.  There is no middle ground!

But if we read very closely we will find that little word, until.  How did this shepherd search for that one lost sheep?  Just how long is until?  Is it measured in minutes, hours, days or weeks? Does it have a measure?  That is a great question.  We read this parable as if the shepherd were gone a few hours at the most.  But what if he were gone for weeks, months or even years?  What if it took a lifetime?  That puts a very different perspective on things, doesn’t it?

We must also notice that when the shepherd found the sheep, he put it on his shoulders and went home. How long did he carry that sheep?  He carried it until he arrived safely home. In other words, he searched until he found and he carried it until the sheep was back in the fold.  The shepherd carried that sheep for the same amount of time he spent searching for it.  Both are simply covered by the word, until.

What a beautiful illustration this is of God’s love for us.  His love for us is not measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years.  His love for us is measureless and his grace toward us is boundless.  How long is until?  How far is it?  We’ll have to wait until we arrive safely home to find out!

How Do I Get There Daddy?

M

y dad has one of the best senses of direction of anyone I know.  No matter the destination, no matter if he’s been there or not, he isn’t at all intimidated by driving across unfamiliar territory or blazing a path into the unknown.  This is one aspect of his character that drives my mom crazy!  Daddy never returns by the same route that he took to arrive at a destination.  So, as you can imagine, this has led to some very interesting trips in the family car.

Several years ago, I flew to Detroit, Michigan to purchase a car from a friend I met at seminary here, in Fort Worth.  Getting to Detroit was not at all difficult; the pilot did all the work.  I wasn’t concerned about which direction the plane needed to take to arrive in Michigan.  Once on the ground, however, it was a completely different story.

Fortunately for me, daddy was on the job. In fact, he had been on it for several days, studying maps, plotting out the most direct and the safest route for me to take. All I had to do was ask a simple question, “How do I get there daddy?’ and he did the rest.  I have a good sense of direction and I know how to read a map.  What I lack, however, is the years of driving experience my dad possess and whenever I travel, especially to unfamiliar places, I defer to a higher level of expertise.  Daddy possesses that expertise and he has never steered me wrong yet. 

From Detroit, he laid out a way home that was both enjoyable and low key.  He knew that driving a different car would be stressful and driving a manual transmission after having been accustomed to an automatic one, would require a greater level of concentration and attention.  He plotted a way home whereby I made good time but covered roads that were not heavily traveled.

The writer of the book of Proverbs understood what it was like to defer to a higher authority for directions.  Instead of a road across the country, he needed directions for his life.  In lieu of asking his earthly father for these instructions, he took his request directly to God, himself.  The writer preserved this wonderful piece of advice for us in Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” 

Please take a very close look at this passage.  In the first half of the verse, we are reminded that we can, and do, make decisions in life.  The writer says that in our hearts, which is in our inmost being, we determine what path we want to take.  We submit our plans to God and then allow him to work out the details of that plan.  The Scriptures are filled with examples of this.   Consider Abraham who wanted a son and God worked out the miraculous birth of Isaac. And how about Solomon who asked for wisdom and received much more because he submitted his life to God’s plan?

God cares very much about us and about the choices we make.  He alone knows what path we must take to fulfill the purpose he has for us.  God directs our steps and we must follow. Sometimes these paths take us into places we have never been before, but God goes on ahead of us.  At other times, the path grows steep and hard to travel, but God gives us the strength to persevere.  God knows what is best for us.  He will not make our path more difficult or more challenging than is necessary to ensure our safe arrival at the place he has for us.

The trip from Detroit was pleasant.  Taking the road my dad picked wasn’t always understandable.  At times, other roads seemed to be more direct and much easier to travel.  But daddy knew what I needed.  He understood my situation and he took it upon himself to make my travel the best it could be so I would arrive home safe, sound, in one piece, and more confident than I was when I left.  If this is how our earthly fathers lead us, how much more will our Heavenly Father direct the paths we walk every day?  Are you submitting your life and your way to him today?  Is he giving you traveling instructions and are you traveling by them today?

On The Other Side Of The Door

T

here is something unique about the view from a hospital gurney. The ride from my hospital bed to the operating room seemed interminable because all I could see were the lights overhead as they passed by.  Voices unfamiliar to me were all around and my sense of direction was all out of whack!  Mom and dad were close by, following right behind as we made our way through the labyrinth of Duke University Medical Center on our way to the operating suite. 

When we arrived, the gurney came to an abrupt halt!  We had come to the green double doors that indicated the moment of separation had come.  On this side of the doors mom and dad were close by, giving me assurance that all would be well.  On the other side of the doors lay the operating room and the unknown.  After we said our goodbyes, the gurney moved forward, this time without mom and dad’s supervision, and I entered those unfamiliar surroundings all by myself!   

This is exactly how Joshua must have felt when the reality of Moses’s death and the realization that he would be the one leading the people into the Promised Land hit home. The journey to the Jordan River and the Promised Land had been a long one.  Joshua had experienced mana, the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day.  He had accompanied Moses to Mt. Sinai where God gave the ten commandments, and he lived through the 40 years of wondering in the wilderness.  He and Caleb were the only two of twelve spies left who had actually seen the Promised Land.  But none of this prepared him to take the reins from Moses and lead the people over the Jordan River to possess the land.

On this side of the doors lay the history of his people and all he had known.  On the other side, even though he knew the land was theirs, lay the unknown.  How would they conquer the land?  How long would it take?  Could he do it?  What would happen if he should fail?  The questions must have been innumerable in Joshua’s mind as he played out one scenario after another.

What Joshua needed was support and assurance and that is exactly what God gave him.  In Joshua 1:9 we find these words of comfort, assurance, and encouragement: ^“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Take a few moments, slow down, and read that verse again, very carefully.  Notice that it begins with a question as God reminds Joshua that he has given a direct command. Joshua is not to be afraid, he is not to be discouraged. No matter how long the conquest lasted, no matter how many cities he had to vanquish, and no matter the size of the armies he would encounter, God’s command was clear: be strong and courageous, do not be afraid.  These were not requests or suggestions; they were commands. But the commands were followed by the promise that God would be with Joshua every step of the way.  The word, wherever, means just that.  There was nowhere Joshua could go, no situation he could face, no obstacle he could encounter without God being right along beside him!

And how about today?  How about the situations in life that we face, the obstacles we encounter, and the situations that overwhelm us and seem to grow bigger and bigger with each passing moment?  God’s answer is exactly the same as it was on the day he spoke these words to Joshua.  No matter where we are, no matter what difficulties we face, no matter how impossible the circumstances, and no matter how dark the way ahead seems to be, the God we serve is with us wherever we go—no questions asked!  Just a few verses before this, God makes this promise to Joshua: “…As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Several hours after passing through those double doors I emerged. I was sleepy, tired, very sore, and completely changed.  On the other side of those doors God was waiting for me and, although surrounded by unfamiliar faces, voices, and difficult circumstances, I was not alone! And neither are you my friend, neither are you!

Safely Sleep

O

ur home on Main Street was a wonderful place to grow up.  We had great neighbors all around, there were plenty of other kids to play with and it seemed we never lacked for anything to do.  Mom would step out onto our back porch more than once to call us in, especially during the summer months when school was out.  Finally, as the last remnants of sunset gave way to the dark pall of night, we would head home for baths, and bed.

Each night before closing the house for the night, mom or dad would follow the same routine.  All the lights in the house were turned off, the thermostats were checked to make sure we were cool or toasty, mom and dad would stop by our rooms to kiss us good night, and the doors, both front and back, were firmly shut and the security latches fastened.

Peace then rained in our home and we all settle down for a good night’s sleep. I never felt afraid, nervous, or worried about anything happening to our family.  Mom and dad were there, they had secured the house, and all was well with the world.

Today it is quite different. I go through the same routine each night as my parents did but the last thing I do is to make sure the security system is armed and all the outside lights are on.  Then, I hop into bed and Trixie, my cat, takes settles into one of her many favorite spots, and we go to sleep.

Isn’t it funny how we place so much confidence in locks and security systems?  David, the shepherd boy who became king, had no such options. Instead, as a shepherd, he looked to God for his safety and security.  He records this for us in Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

There are three great truths tucked neatly away in David’s words.  First, notice his confidence in the Lord.  Despite weather, despite intruders who would harm the sheep or try to steal them, despite the lion and the bear that could easily strike the flock, David says confidently that he will lie down and sleep.

Then notice how David plans to sleep.  He will lie down in peace and sleep in safety.  No cares, no worries, no things going bump in the middle of the night, just deep, peaceful, and restful sleep. David knows full well that God is on watch, that God will protect him and let no harm come to him.

Lastly, let us take notice of why David will sleep in peace.  David categorically states that he can and will sleep in peace and safety because the Lord, and he alone, will make this happen. In fact, David uses the word, dwell, to demonstrate his faith and confidence in God’s provision. To dwell means to remain constantly in that state. In essence David is saying I will lie down and sleep in peace and safety because Lord you, and no one else, constantly stand watch over me, be it day or night.

Tonight, I will make the rounds just as I am sure my mom and dad will make the rounds at their home.  Before I turn out the light and settle in, I will remind myself that despite the locks, despite the outside lights, and despite the security system, I will sleep in peace and security because God alone will stand watch over me, just as he has every night of my life!  Do you know this security today?

In The Kitchen

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y mom is always in the kitchen!  It is the most popular room in their home and sits in the exact middle of the house.  To go from one end of the house to the other, you must pass through the kitchen, it’s just that simple!  When I call home, she’s there, when I am looking for her, that’s the first place I check, and the sound of her working in the kitchen is more dependable than the most faithful alarm clock Thanksgiving mornings were no exception.

When I was living at home, I awoke every Thanksgiving morning to the sounds of mom’s work as she prepared for the day ahead.  There was always so much to do:  pies to make, eggs to boil, dishes to wash, and of course, a turkey to cook.  All these things didn’t happen by magic, they required hard, faithful work.  For the rest of us, the food just “magically” appeared, the dishes were just “magically” washed, and the kitchen “cleaned itself!”  In actuality, however, the meal, the dishes, and the cleaning happened because mom was faithful to her task of providing for all of us. Her faithfulness was not evident only on Thanksgiving Day, but on each and every day of the year.

God works in exactly the same way as millions of mom’s all around the world.  While we are asleep, while it is dark, when we don’t believe He is taking notice of us, God is working.  He is busy making sure we have everything we need. He is busy making sure your heart continues to beat, that your lungs continue to circulate oxygen through your body, and He is making sure that you are ready to face the day ahead.

Yes, God is in the kitchen working.  You will always find Him there, preparing, cleaning, and planning every area of your life. Like the kitchen in my parents’ home, God is always in the middle of everything, constantly involved in every aspect of life, constantly preparing for the days ahead, constantly working in situations we know nothing about at present.  Even when it seems the lights are off and the kitchen is dark, God is working, using a slow cooker or a low setting on the oven because a particular situation needs longer preparation.

Jesus, himself, reminds us of God’s constant care and work in our lives. In John 5:17, he makes this observation, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” Notice that little word, “always”; it packs a powerful punch!!  Jesus wanted to remind his disciples and us that God never leaves us out on a limb.  He never closes the kitchen, He never stops working, and He never leaves anything undone.  God is always in the kitchen!  If you listen carefully, you will hear Him rattling the pots and pans of your life.  He is looking after you, making sure you have what you need to live life according to His will and purpose.

Thanksgiving meals are wonderful because mom is in the kitchen!  How much more wonderful are the things of life because we serve a God who is always in the kitchen?  When our pots and pans are rattled, when the heat is turned up, or when it feels as if God is scrubbing us with a wire brush, we should be thankful for His faithfulness.  And God is faithful every moment of every day of every year of your life.  Let us with the psalmist say, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 118).

           

Oh yeah, “Thanks mom!”

Do You Remember When?

T

he screen saver on my computer is set to scroll through photographs from France, New Mexico, my home in Texas, and my hometown in North Carolina.  There are pictures of family, friends, and familiar places I’ve visited.  As I look at those snapshots, I easily remember the events taking place when I took the photographs.  I remember the places, the people, the weather, the conversation, the smells, and the time of day.  All these return to me as I carefully observe the pictures on my monitor.

Isn’t it funny how a single picture can do that?  One glimpse of the picture and our memories are flooded with sights, sounds, smells, and emotions tied directly to the circumstances caught for all time on film.  Everything around us comes to a grinding halt and for a few moments we are transported back in time, revisiting friends, family, places and events that were important to us.

The Children of Israel had several experiences like this in their history.  The Old Testament is full of examples where God reminded them of their past and how He acted on their behalf.  One such occurrence is found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy.  In Deuteronomy 5:15, Moses records these words, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” 

What a photograph that must have been!  Can you imagine walking through the middle of a sea on dry ground?  Can you imagine the sound of the wind and the height of the water as it formed walls on both sides?  Can you imagine what the people must have felt with the Egyptians behind and the open sea before them?  It is a picture that escapes our ability to fully understand and imagine all the conditions surrounding it.  But the Israelites had been there.  They had witnessed this miracle first-hand and now God wants to make sure they don’t forget!

The passage above, though, does not concentrate on the waves, the water, the wind, the dry ground, or on the Egyptians.  The focus of the verse is not on what happened but on who caused it to happen.  God’s intention is clear.  He wants His people to remember all that He did for them and how He brought them from slavery and bondage into freedom.

As Christians, the message given so long ago by Moses is directly applicable to us.  Too often we pray that God will see us through some type of crisis and when it passes we forget His blessings and His actions on our behalf.  We forget all that God has done for us and only come to Him when we are in trouble or in dire circumstances.  But God would have us remember everything He has done for us in all our circumstances.  Remembering God’s love and protection in our past gives us faith and hope that He will continue to lead us through all our difficulties in the future.

God always brings us out from the slavery of sin into the freedom of His love and grace.  He wants us to remember that He loves us that He cares for us, that we are the apple of His eye, that nothing can touch us without His approval, and that He is aware of all that happens in our lives even when we don’t feel as if He does.  God’s word is sure, His love is constant, and His watchful eyes are always upon us.  We need to remember that today! 

So, how long has it been since you reviewed the photographs of your walk with God?  Why don’t you do that today?  You will hear God whispering to you, “Do you remember when….?”  And He will whisper again, “I do.  I remember everything and every trial we’ve walked through together.  I was there then, I am here now, and I will be with you in the way ahead, no matter what!  Remember!”