For the Weary Warrior

This year has seen my family shatter and Joy unexpectedly taken several hours away from home. It has been a year of grief, conflict, tension, brokenness, and isolation. It has worn me down. My body is tired of carrying so much tension. My brain is tired of jumping through all the legal hoops. My heart is tired of sorting through the emotional aftermath. My spirit is tired of . . . well, my spirit is just tired. The enemy has been telling me I just need to quit – to shut myself up in a room, lick my wounds, and put it all away. In other words, to give up. I’m not going to lie – it has been tempting.
But the Spirit keeps bringing one verse to mind: Paul wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9). The word “weary” means be so exhausted as to lose courage. Notice it doesn’t say, “don’t admit that you’re tired.” It just says, “don’t give up. Because God is faithful.
I ran across this today in my Facebook memories and it explained so much about the past year and about what I am feeling. It was written by Francis Frangipane of In Christ’s Image Training Ministry. “There are times when we face extended spiritual conflict. We fight, endure, and finally prevail. Yet remember: our enemy is a “thief” (Jn 10:10). You may be so relieved that your main battle is over that you fail to notice your joy is gone. The obvious fight has been won but in your weariness your peace was depleted. Therefore, routinely take inventory of your soul. Wait before the Lord and listen. Make sure the thief hasn’t stolen any of the fruit the Holy Spirit has been cultivating in your heart — that your “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” are all functional and growing in you (Gal 5:22-23).” –www.icitc.org.
Paul and Francis are both right. We can’t give up. But we can rest. There is too much at stake to throw up our hands and throw away our peace and Joy and hope. I’m going to take the summer off from school and I’m going to enjoy every minute I get to spend with my girl. I going to let the Spirit of Christ nurture my spirit. I might even clean up my house. But I will not give up.
Beloved, I don’t know what battles you’ve been fighting, but maybe it’s time to rest a spell. Let the God who loves you heal and refresh you. Just don’t give up.

Navigating the Unknown

Life is full of unforeseen twists and turns. A job loss, a death, a difficult diagnosis, a child in serious trouble, a decision that shakes your family – we all will face life-altering situations. We will all ask, “What do I do now?” “Where do we go from here?” “How will I cope with this?” It’s pretty unnerving to not know what’s up ahead. I understand this uncertainty very well. As I pray and seek God’s Word, these are the promises I’m clinging to.
God is my guide along the way – “[The Lord] leads me…He guides me…” (Ps 23: 2, 3). God knows where I’m going – even if I don’t. He knows the path I must take and what challenges lie ahead. He knows the best place to cross the river and where to stop and rest for the night. I can follow Him with confidence because He is a good guide.
God is always with me – “The Lord your God will be with you where you go” (Jos 1:9). God knows I need the comfort of His presence as I make my way through unknown territory. He knows I will become anxious and I will have sad days. He also knows I will wander from the path if I lose sight of Him. He is carefully attentive to me, knowing when I need encouragement, strength, help and comfort.
God will provide along the way – “These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything” (Deut 2:7). As He guided them through the wilderness, God provided the Israelites with water (Exodus 15:22-25; 17:1-6), food (Ex 16:4; Num 11:31-32) and even kept their clothes from wearing out – for forty years (Deut 29:5). Jesus reminds me that my Heavenly Father knows all my needs, and is committed to providing all things for me if I will trust in Him (Matt 6:25-33).
I don’t know what uncertain path looms large before you, but God does. He has promised to be with you, to care for you, and to lead you all the way. To where? Your heavenly home. You and I may not be able to see what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow. Take His hand and let Him lead you, Beloved, He not only knows the way, He is The Way.

The Master Craftsman

There is a simple principle my mother taught me – you’re probably familiar with it: “Bought lessons stay with you longer than taught lessons.” It is the southern version of a verse in Psalms that I have underlined in my Bible. The Psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word”: (Ps 119:67). He followed it up with: “It was good for me to afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (v. 71).
I learned to be more discerning about who I hang out with when we were questioned by the police on prom night because one of us had drugs. I learned to be a better money manager by going through foreclosure and bankruptcy. I learned to stay focused on the road when I ran a red light and T-boned another car. I learned the hard way not to get prideful. I still have the sore behind to remind me that I don’t want God to take me to the woodshed ever again. I still have a lot to learn and I’m still making a lot of mistakes and causing myself a lot of afflictions, but I’m also learning that even my mistakes become tools for God to mold and shape me.
That takes us to a familiar verse – you probably know right where I’m going. “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). All things mean all things. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The things someone does to you. The things I do to myself. The things that we regret. The scars and the consequences. They all become tools in the Master Craftsman’s hand, guided by His love and his purpose.
And what is that purpose? Look at verse 29: The we might “. . .be conformed to the likeness of His Son . . .” I believe that to be true to the marrow of my bones and the depths of my soul. Otherwise, I don’t think I could survive some of the trials I’ve been through and am still in. I have to know and believe that a good God is working behind the scenes with all this hard stuff.
Have you made some big mistakes along the way, Beloved? You can trust them into God’s hands. You’ll be amazed by what He will make of it – and you.

Hope for the New Year

The last grains of 2023 are slipping through the narrow neck of the hourglass. I don’t know about you, but for me and my family, it’s been a very hard year. You may be nodding your head in agreement. I could never have guessed this time last year what we would face in twelve months ahead. We pray that when we turn the calendar, we can put it all behind us and move on to brighter days. But life doesn’t observe our time boundaries. So how can you and I close this year with any measure of hope for the next? I’d like to offer you a few words of encouragement on the eve of the new year.
God is still the ruler of the universe. The Psalmist wrote, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all” (Ps 103:19). He has not lost control and none of the events of this year – on the world stage or in our lives – took Him by surprise. Nothing in the coming year will catch Him off guard either.
You may have lost someone you love this year. You may have lost your job or your home. You may have had a difficult health struggle. This year may have broken your heart as it did mine. But we can rest in this promise: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps 34:18). God is near to all who are hurting.
You may be staring at a lot of uncertainty ahead. Listen to this: “I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand as says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’” (Is 41:13). Whatever 2024 holds, God holds your hand and promises to help you through it.
He also said, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). The Lord’s plans are not altered by family difficulties, hardships, unexpected events, grief, pain, job loss, or financial struggles. These do not deter God’s good plans for you. He will even use them to brings His plan to fruition.
As the calendar turns to a new year, let us put both the past year and the days ahead in the hands of our mighty, sovereign, loving, faithful Father. Better yet, put yourself in His hands, Beloved, and let Him carry you through.

Rest for Your Soul

Joy loves to snuggle up to me or Poppy at naptime when she is home. She always starts out facing away from us until she is ready to surrender to sleep. Then she will give a big sigh and turn over so that she is facing whomever she is with and immediately drifts off. I can feel the release in her body as she gives herself over to sweet sleep.
I always think of her when I read Matthew 11:28-30: Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In the context of Jesus’ message, He was speaking to all those who had been burdened down by the Levitical law. The image was of a pair of oxen – the bigger, stronger ox bore the bulk of the load so that the younger, weaker animal did not become exhausted. The Levites took the original commands of God and added the 613 Levitical laws them to create an enormous burden for anyone who tried to live righteously. It was impossible to maintain. Jesus wanted them to know that He would not put any additional burdens on them; in fact, he would take their burdens on Himself and lighten their load.
As believers on this side of the cross, we don’t live under all those laws, but we live with struggles and difficulties and pressures and burdens. We live with wayward children and too much responsibility and too little support. We live with doubt and pain and broken relationships. We live with fearful diagnoses and fear of the world outside our door. We live with grief and loneliness and heartache. And we live with our guilt and shame. It all weighs us down and wears us out. Sometimes it’s all too much to bear.
Beloved, if you are tired – if the weight of the world, your family, anxieties, heartaches, or failures have made you weary, may I offer some advice? Take a deep breath and turn your face to Jesus. Give Him all your worries and fears and heartaches and sorrows. Roll the weight of it all onto Him and give yourself and your burdens over to Him. He will bear the load and carry you too. And you will find rest for your soul.

The Dark Night of the Soul

The 6th-century Spanish mystic and poet St. John of the Cross called it “The Dark Night of the Soul.  Mother Teresa and many other Christian servants and giants experienced it. Even gray-haired ladies from the deep south go through it. The Dark Night of the Soul describes a crisis of faith or a difficult, painful period in one’s life. It can be “triggered” by a trial or come on out of the blue. It is most often marked by depression and a seeming absence of the presence of God – as if the Spirit has abandoned the believer. If you’ve ever been through it, you will never forget it. And that is by design because the dark night is a turning point in the believer’s life. It is a place of decision, a time of faith that serves as a hinge that moves one into a deeper relationship with God.

Job was experiencing a dark night of the soul in his season of testing. When every possible crisis hit his life, he had no idea that he was suffering for the sake of the Lord. He never heard heaven’s conversation; he didn’t know that the Sovereign One was holding him up as a model of faith – “Have you considered my servant Job?” (Job 1:8). He only felt the pain of grief and loss and physical misery. He only heard the accusations and condemnations of his “friends.” Even his own wife wanted him to “curse God and die” (2:9)

He also didn’t know that while he was being harassed and abused by the devil, he was still being held in the hands of the Almighty. He didn’t know that the Lord had satan on a leash, only allowing him to go so far in his plot. He didn’t know when – or if – it would end. But one thing he did know – his God was faithful and would not fail him. In the midst of his suffering Job said, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (23:10).

I’m not saying Job never complained; he did – a lot. But he always came back to what he knew: God is too good to allow him to suffer unjustly.

Someone reading this is going through their own dark night. You are in physical or emotional misery. You don’t understand and you can’t find God anywhere. Beloved, hold tight to what you know: God is good. He is faithful. He has not and will never abandon you. One day you will come through this fire with a faith of pure, proven gold. I know this one with my heart.

God, I Don’t Understand

I looked up at the sky with tears on my face and said, “God, I do not understand this.” The situation was completely counter to everything I prayed for. I thought I had done everything He told me to do. Now this. The obvious question hung in the air – and in my heart: “Why?” I know you can relate. I’ve read your posts. I’ve heard you talking. You’ve cried on my shoulder, just as I cried on yours. Life doesn’t always follow our well-thought-out plans or our desires and passions. Our hearts are broken and our faith is shaken. And all we can do is ask “Why.”

I came across two passages in the Bible this morning that I believe can give us comfort. In Jeremiah, Israel was under oppression by their enemy. They had been captured and whisked away from their home. God declared His intent to rescue His people even though they had sinned against Him. But He would do it through a storm – “See the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath . . . on the heads of the wicked” (Jer 30:23).

Much like the storm David endured in Psalm 18, His people would see the wrath of God. It would not be directed at them but it would still be a frightening ordeal. “The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until He fully accomplishes the purposes of His heart.” And then the word of comfort: “In days to come you will understand this” (Jer 30:24).

The other is in John’s account of Jesus’ final week. As He and His disciples we being served the Passover meal, the Lord knelt before each man and washed his feet. As He approached Simon Peter, the disciple questioned Him, in essence asking, “Why are YOU washing my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (Jn 13:6-7). The word in both verses is not just an “AHA! moment” but it is a profound knowledge that goes deep into the heart and soul.

What these Scriptures teach us, and what my own experience with God has proven is that He has a purpose for everything He does and everything He allows in our lives.  Every. Single. Thing. And one day you and I will understand. It will all make sense. We’ll look up to heaven and say, “So that’s what You were up to!” In the meantime, Beloved, will you trust Him?

Godly Sorrow

So you messed up. Again. You went where you shouldn’t go. You did what you shouldn’t do. Or you didn’t do what you knew you should. You looked at something vile and sinful. You let your mind go into a nasty pit. And now you are feeling the weight of your sin – you are feeling guilty and maybe even ashamed. That’s not entirely a bad thing. Let me explain.

Paul dearly loved the congregation in Corinth, his aim was to build them up, not tear them down (2 Cor 13:10), but this church had serious problems. Sexual sin was rampant among them, an overflow of the culture. Paul chastened them severely for tolerating sexual immorality in the body. A man was immorally involved with his father’s wife (1 Cor 5:1). Not only did the church turn a blind eye to this sinful behavior, but they were proud of it! (v. 2) They boasted about their “open-mindedness” (v. 6). Sound familiar?

Paul said they should have been “filled with grief” over the man’s sin and over their acceptance of it and him. The whole church was sick with sin and he wanted them to feel the fever and the burden of the disease. He wanted them to be ashamed of their immoral condition.

We have done a grave disservice to the church by claiming that guilt and shame have no place in a Christian’s life. This text and many others reject that philosophy. In his second letter, after the church had followed his directive, Paul said he did not regret the sorrow he brought on them. It hurt him to do it, but the result was good. “Your sorrow led you to repentance” (2 Cor 9). “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” (v. 10). Because the man apparently repented, Paul insisted he should be restored to the church. He should not be burdened with “excessive sorrow” (2:6-8).

Sin should cause us to feel guilt and shame. Notice I did not say that sin should make us feel that we are shameful. That is the tool of satan. He attacks the sinner personally. The Holy Spirit attacks the sin and leads the sinner into repentance and restoration – or salvation if they are not saved. Repentance leaves no residue of regret or guilt or shame, but you and I will feel its weight until we do.

Beloved, if you are bearing the burden of guilt over your sin, let that godly sorrow lead you to Jesus. Confess and repent and God will forgive you and purify you from all unrighteous (1 Jn 1:9). Get that heavy weight off your back and walk in God’s good grace.

It All Matters to Jesus

I love to see the tender side of Jesus in the Scriptures. I’m reading in Mark’s gospel, where the Lord ministered to a sick woman and a dead little girl. Take a few minutes to read Mark 5:21-43.

Jesus is approached by a desperate father who pleads, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live” (v. 23). On the way they are interrupted by an equally desperate woman with “an issue of blood.” She hoped to discretely touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and be healed but when Jesus felt healing power leave his body, He stopped and demanded to know who had touched Him.

Why? Why would Jesus call out someone publicly who obviously didn’t want to be identified? Two reasons that I see. First, He wanted to commend her faith. “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (v. 34). Her faith stands out sharply when we see that Jesus returned to His hometown where “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And He was amazed at their lack of faith” (6:5-6).

Secondly, He wanted to publicly announce her healing. For twelve years she had been “unclean” due to her bleeding. She would have been considered “untouchable” by her neighbors and even her family. Imagine no loving physical contact for twelve long years. Jesus wanted to put an end to her physical and emotional suffering. Such tender compassion.

The delay must have worried the father and his worst fears were realized when someone came to tell him that his daughter was dead. But the tender-hearted Jesus reassured him saying, “Don’t be afraid, just believe” (v. 36). And He went to the home and raised the girl from death to life. When the little girl got up Jesus told them to keep it quiet and “to give her something to eat” (v. 43).

That tells me that Jesus – the Creator of the Universe and the perfect Son of God cares about the big stuff in our lives as well as the little stuff. Jesus pays attention to every aspect of your life – even the smallest, most insignificant things. You can take it all to Him. Whether you need healing, rent money, restoration, wisdom, or just a snack. Nothing is too big or too little for Him; if it matters to you, Beloved, it matters to Jesus.

Way Maker

I get it dear one. Some days it feels like you are both drowning in the sea and wandering through a desert.  Yes, it’s possible to feel both at the same time. I’ve been there more than a few times. God gets it too and He promised to make a way.  “This is what the Lord says – He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters;” “I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:16,19).

At times our emotions seem like an overflowing sea, thoughts rushing this way and that, pulling us under and threatening to take our very breath.  For a split second, we come up for air – “I believe!”  In the next the waves crash over our head again – “But I am afraid!”  God promises to make a path through the waters of fearful thoughts and discouragement that threaten to drown us.  He promises dry ground to cross over to the other side.

And we are also in the desert where nothing grows and all seems lost – walking through a season of drought.  Health issues.  Grief.  Family tension.  Divorce. Heavy responsibilities.  Financial struggles.  Too much to do and not enough time to do it. They beat down like the scorching sun as we wander over the sand looking for an oasis.  God promises to make a way here too – to provide streams in this wasteland.  Not to drown us like the sea, but to refresh and restore us.

Our Father meets our needs for rescue and for refreshing.  He gives us dry ground and cool springs.  He never fails to notice us wherever we are – even when we’re in two places at once.  Even when we’re someplace we’re not supposed to be. Oh, my drowning, wandering friend – let me throw you a lifeline of hope.  You don’t have to fear because God hears you, He is with you, He fights for you, He will never leave nor forsake you, and He promises to help you.  He knows where you are this very minute, and He knows what you need right now.  And He will make a way where there seems to be no way.

He’s proven Himself faithful over and over and over again throughout history. He’s proven Himself faithful so many times in my life. He will be faithful to you. Whether it’s the waves or the desert heat Beloved, God knows and He will help you. He is the Way-Maker.