Wait for the Whole Story

By now you know that my favorite way to study the Bible is passage-by-passage, verse-by-verse, and even word-by-word. There is so much wealth in every word of Scripture. But I also want to consider the greater context so I pull back from the close-up of one word and see the bigger picture of the verse and then the passage. Pull back a little more and I can see how the passage fits into the theme of the section and even the entire book I’m studying. If I take this macro-vision even further I can see the bigger-bigger picture of the Old or New Testament and finally the whole Bible.
That’s also how you and I need to look at our lives. Right now, you may be dealing with something very difficult and all your attention is centered on this one thing in your life. It’s all you can see. You are hyper-focused on this single issue, person, or struggle. May I encourage you to pull back just a little and look for the bigger picture? This issue, person, or need is one word in one sentence of one paragraph on one page of your entire life story. But it isn’t your whole story. God has a much bigger picture in mind. The Bible tells stories of people who had a challenge—infertility, oppression, imprisonment, slavery, rejection, even lack of basic life necessities—and God moved in such a way that the resolution to their challenge became a much larger and more God-glorifying part of their story.
In my present season, I am resting my heart in Jesus’ words in the upper room: “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13:7). When I want to say, “God I don’t get this; I can’t figure out why You allowed this to happen,” I hear Him say, “You can’t grasp it now child, but you will understand when you see the bigger picture.” Because there is a bigger picture. There is a higher purpose. I’m leaning on that with all my heart today.
Let’s give God our troubles, our struggles, our difficulties, and disappointments and watch Him unfold something we never imagined (check out Ephesians 3:20). Beloved, your life is so much more than this one moment. Trust the Author of your story, He has a beautiful ending in store for you.

Your Miracle is on the Way

You and I have the “Paul Harvey” version of the Scriptures – we know “the rest of the story.” But put yourself in the shoes of those who lived both sides of the biblical stories. Mark 9:17-27 introduces us to a very worried father whose son is under the control of a violent spirit. He stands before Jesus pleading, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:22). Stay in the moment with this father as he sees Jesus turn to the child and speak with authority, “I command you to come out of him and never enter him again” (v. 25). Watch through his eyes as “the spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently, and came out” (v. 26).” “That’s awesome,” we think, but think again. “The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, ‘He’s dead.’” (v. 26). In the moment it appeared that Jesus had made everything worse.
Freeze this scene right here and consider how many times you and I have been in the same place. You brought your problem to Jesus in hopes that He would help you. You prayed and pleaded with Him hoping for a miracle. And what happened next? It all got worse instead of better. And so the questions start: “Did I pray wrong?” “Did God not hear me?” “Does He have something against me?” Now, in addition to our problem, we have all this anxiety and we’re wondering, “What just happened and what do I do now?”
“But Jesus . . .” these are the most precious words in the Bible to me. When it all seemed more hopeless than before, Mark said, “But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet” (v. 27). Wonder of wonders, the boy is not dead – he is alive – and healed!
My friend, may I remind you not to give up on Jesus before the miracle is complete. That moment when all seems lost, just as it was for this father, may be the moment before all is found. I am in the dark middle of a miracle in the making – the part where I’ve prayed and prayed, but the situation seems to be getting worse instead of better. Maybe you are too. Just as the father lived out his story in real time, you and I are also living out our story without the advantage of a written script that tells us how it all ends. But we have Jesus. We have the Miracle Worker. Beloved, let’s trust that His miracle is on the way.

My Rescuer

Image: “The Lost Lamb” by Alfred Usher Soord (1868-1915).

I have been in some hard places in my life, some of my own making, some the result of other’s actions, and some through the ups and downs of life. Some were frightening, some were heartbreaking, and most were depressing. Two things were certain – I felt all alone and I thought my situation was hopeless. I’ve lived through quite a few of those places and I have learned some things I hope will encourage you through your own.
First is the promise that you are not alone in your hard place. The Lord God journeyed with the Israelites for forty years in a wilderness, through the desert and the rocky crags, through blistering hot days and cold nights and He never abandoned His people. But most importantly, He was faithful to them through their rebellion, failures, mistakes, and disobedience. He was with them in battle and in the drudgery of their daily lives. The entire book of Exodus is the story of God’s goodness to His chosen people. And lest you forget, others have walked the same valleys of hardship and heartache and are happy to journey with you through yours.
There is also the assurance that God will faithfully provide for you and me, even in the hard places. I marvel constantly at how God has met my family’s needs through the years. From car repairs to rent, groceries, school supplies, a place to live, a job, and even my education. God knows what we need and He is a good Father who cares about and for His kids.
But this verse from the prophet Micah speaks volumes to me about the hard places. “You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued. There the Lord will redeem you” (Micah 4:10). I learned that knowing God is the most important thing in my life and you and I will only know Him through experience. I know He is the God who rescues His children because He has rescued me time and time again. Here’s the point: I would not know this facet of His character if I’d never been in “Babylon” – if I’d never been in need of rescue.
I am prone to trouble. But I know that wherever I am, whatever caused the difficulty, however deep the pit, God will rescue me because He has done so before. Beloved, hard places are not the end of your story. They are where God comes to your rescue. They are how you come to know your Redeemer.

Promises, Promises

The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does” (Psalm 145:13).
Sarah and Rebekah, both have stories marked by the power of God. They both saw God move in wonderful and amazing ways, in impossible situations. Wouldn’t you think they, of all people, would trust God completely? Yet Sarah and Rebekah doubted God would keep His promises. Honest confession, so have I. God has made promises to me and circumstances made those promises seem impossible. I am as guilty as my ancient sisters of falling to a lack of faith. They manipulated people and things to “help” God. I have as well.
The Bible assures us that “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Charles Spurgeon says, “God keeps His promises before He makes them.” Think about that. When God makes a promise, it is as good as done no matter how the situation looks. God can be trusted to fulfill what He has promised.
Now think about what God has promised to you. Can you see the thing coming into reality right now? Probably not. Does that mean that God will fail to keep His promise? Absolutely not. It means you need to keep your eyes on Him and not on the circumstances. It means God is going to do something amazing before your eyes. In fact, the more impossible the situation looks, the bigger the miracle to bring it to fulfillment. And you don’t want to miss that do you?
Beloved, you and I do not have to doubt that God will keep His promises. We also don’t have to scheme and plot and manipulate to bring God’s promises to fruition. It is completely His job and He doesn’t need any help from us. Anything you and I may accomplish by our feeble actions will be empty and vain. Everything God does to accomplish His promises will be extraordinary and beyond our wildest expectations. I know this from His Word and from my own experience. When I stand aside in faith and let God be God, He blows my mind!
Our only response to God’s promises should be “May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38) as we wait – not in frustration and doubt – but in eager anticipation. God is faithful, Beloved. He will not fail you. He always keeps His Word.

Advent 2023: How Do We Get to Bethlehem?

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea . . . “Matthew 2:1

I had a conversation recently with a friend who is moving away. She is greeting this transition with both anxiety and excitement. “It’s all going to be so strange in a new town, but who knows what God has in store there?” I remembered my own move five years ago and that same mix of anticipation and trepidation. Like my friend, I believed God was behind our relocation and in the ensuing years He has confirmed that His will for me is here in this place. I believe God sets things in motion and orchestrates events so that His will is fulfilled. The Bible is filled with story after story of God’s hand in the events of human history, and in individual lives. But sometimes the path He chooses is hard and difficult to understand in the moment.

Joseph had a destiny in Egypt that affected his family, the forthcoming nation of Israel and the entire world. But God took him through pits and prison on the way. David would be king of Israel, but by way of the sheep fields and running for his life through the wilderness. I love the accounts of Paul; God had a purpose for him, to “carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel,” (Acts 9:15). He declared, “you must testify about me in Rome, (Acts 23:11). And he did indeed make it to Rome to declare the name of Christ Jesus, but he arrived as a prisoner, through a storm and a shipwreck and a snake (Acts 27-28).

Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem fulfilled a prophecy made hundreds of years before: “Out of you, Bethlehem Ephrathah . . . will come one for me who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). How could that happen when His mother and father were in Nazareth, some 100 miles away? Watch what God did. “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone when to his own town to register,” (Luke 2:1, 3). Guess where Joseph’s family town happened to be?

Beloved, a life surrendered into the hands of the Lord God Almighty may have twists and surprises, and yes even doubts and struggles, but you can be assured that He is faithful to fulfill His purpose. Don’t be afraid of these “strange things that are happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). It’s just God at work fulfilling His purpose for you.

Best Friends

Yesterday Joy decided that she wanted things her way and Nana did not comply which resulted in a full-blown temper tantrum. They are few and far between these days, but when she hits one it is epic. We’ve learned in these moments to just let her get it out of her system and then she is usually okay. That proved true yesterday as she spent all her angst and afterwards, we resolved the issue calmly.

When the dust settled and we were snuggled in the rocker, she said, “Nana, do you think we can be best friends again?” Oh, how that wrenched my heart. I drew her extra close and said, “Sweetheart, you and I will always be best friends, no matter what. On good days and bad days and happy days and angry days. I will always, always, always love you.” She drew in a contented sigh and laid her head on my shoulder.

If that touched your heart, I have another story for you. It’s about God and a ragtag bunch of rebellious people. While Moses was on the mountaintop meeting with the Lord, the Israelites were down below worshiping a golden calf. The Lord was quite angry. So much so that he intended to withdraw Himself from their presence lest He “destroy you on the way” (Ex. 33:3).

Thank heavens for Moses, who intervened on behalf of the people and the Lord relented. Then Moses got bold. He said, “Now [please] show me Your glory” (v. 18). And wonder of wonders, He did. The Lord tucked him into the cleft of a rock, covered him with His hand, and as He passed by him, He “proclaimed His name, the Lord” (v. 5) and His nature: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin” (34:6-7 – yes, there’s more and we’ll cover that later).  The Lord, who had every authority to destroy the rebellious Israelites instead declared his compassion, grace, patience, love, faithfulness, and forgiveness.

Have you sinned? Have you stomped your feet and told God “NO!”? Have you run from Him and fallen into a pit? Do you feel like God doesn’t want to be your friend anymore?  Don’t give in to those feelings. Ours is a God who loves to forgive and restore. Hear this loud and clear Beloved, you cannot make God stop loving you. You cannot make Him turn His back on you. No matter what you do, He is your best friend for life – and forever.

Putting all the Pieces in Place

Can you hang with me for a brief history lesson? I promise the application will be worth it. In our Scripture writing group, we are in Numbers 10, where the Israelites are preparing to break camp and move out. In the preceding chapters, the Lord had assigned the work of the Tabernacle, or Tent of Meeting, to the Levites. It was all precisely planned. As was the marching order of each tribe, and the Levites in particular.

 After the first three families led out, the Levite tribes of Gershon and Merari followed, carrying the curtains and support structures for the Tabernacle. Every pole, stand, and tent peg was accounted for and carefully packed. After the physical pieces of the Tabernacle came another trio of Israelite families, then directly behind them was the Kohath tribe of Levites. They carried all the Tabernacle furniture and the bowls, plates, candelabras, pans, etc. for worship and sacrifices. Six more tribes, in two groups of three, completed the company.

The arrangement was intentional. When the cloud of the Lord’s presence lifted and headed out, so did the people, and when the cloud stopped, this is where they made camp. When the first group of Levites arrived with the pieces for the structure, they immediately set to work reassembling the Tent so that when the second group of Levites arrived at the new campsite, the furnishings and other elements could immediately be put in order. Not one moment was wasted waiting around for the Tabernacle to be built. This was a brilliantly organized plan.

I’m sitting here in my life right now wondering why things have happened the way they have. Why am I working when most of my peers are retiring? Why am I in graduate school at this age? Why am I having to fight for my family right now? And then I look back six years ago when I didn’t understand why my husband had to medically retire, why we had to return home, why we moved into this house that was so much bigger than the two of us needed. We didn’t realize at the time a little girl was coming along who needed a place. But God did and He set it up well ahead of the need.

So here’s the question I am asking myself this morning. If I believe God had this planned out years before the fact – and I do – why am I so anxious? How about you? Do you doubt He will get it done? Beloved, if God sent the Tent, He will also send the tables.

My Redeemer

You may have heard folks talk about “the patience of Job” I don’t know who coined that phrase, but I’ve studied Job a lot and I can say that he was not the paragon of patience he is purported to be. Neither am I. He and I have a lot in common. We both have been attacked by satan and we both have struggled to keep our eyes on God. Granted he had a rougher time of it than I, but I know what it’s like to be in the devil’s crosshairs. Which leads me to another similarity. Like Job, I also tend to whine. A lot. This year has been full of trials and heartaches. I trust God, but man, those fiery darts can be mighty painful.

Here is another point in which Job and I are alike. We both have a Savior.  He said, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand upon the earth . . . [and] I myself will see him with my own eyes . . .” He was sure with all his heart that God would vindicate him and redeem him. I cling to the same hope And we both long for the day when He destroys the evil one and death forever. He said, “How my heart yearns within me” (Job 19:25,27). Mine too, Job. Mine too.

But there is one way that we differ. Job looked for a Savior he didn’t know. But I have found my Redeemer and His name is Jesus. Job spoke in his pain, wishing God would “guard my steps, but not keep track of my sin.” He wanted God to “seal up my offenses in a bag [and] cover over my sin” (Job 14:16-17). Because I am in Christ, that is exactly what He has done! My sin – “Oh the bliss of this glorious thought”[1] – all my sins are under the blood of Jesus and God watches me – not to keep track of my every offense, but to guard and guide my steps.

Peter wrote, “Love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). Jesus’ blood is love poured out lavishly on those who believe and receive God’s gift of salvation. And He didn’t seal our sins up in a bag, but He left them buried in the tomb that could not hold Him. Do you know my Jesus? Do you have the sweet assurance of His forgiveness and grace? You can be set free from your sins, Beloved. He is just a prayer away.

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[1] “It Is Well With My Soul” Horatio Spafford and Philip Bliss 1873.

East and West

I was reading in the Psalms this morning and came across David’s prayer, “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord” (Ps 25:7). What a comfort this verse is. I’ve always tried to be transparent but I have done things that I will probably never share with you. They are things I am not proud of, things that I am, in fact, ashamed of. If you’re honest, you have some of them too.

Satan loves to go back through the record of my life and say, “Remember THIS sin? Oh, you were rotten.” “And don’t forget this day, you even made your mama cry.” “What were you thinking when you did THAT?” “How could God ever want someone like you? He is disgusted with you!” Does any of that sound familiar? Guilt is his favorite tool to beat us down and shut us up. It worked with me for a long time. But God . . .

A few years ago I was studying the names of God, particularly Elohe Chaseddi – The God of Mercy, and found Psalm 103, once again by David. He praised the Lord, “who forgives all your sins . . . who redeems your life from the pit . . . [who] is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, [and] abounding in love” (vs. 3, 4, and 8 ). This doesn’t sound at all like the angry God the enemy was touting, does it? This sounds like the God who “does not treat us as our sins deserve” (v. 10). Oh, praise His name!

This is the God who “has removed our transgressions from us – as far as the east is from the west” (v. 12). Do you know how far the east is from the west? Infinity. There’s a reason why East and West are represented on a compass by arrows. They stretch out in opposite directions and go on forever, never to meet again. Do you understand what that means in the context of this verse? If you have received God’s mercy and grace through Christ Jesus, your sins can never circle back on you.

If you have a past – and you do – that’s good news. Whatever you have done, God has placed it under the blood of His Son. You are free. He has given you a new life and a new hope. Go after it, Beloved.

Wait for God

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits. And in His word, I have put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  More than watchmen wait for the morning” (Ps 130:5-6).

Waiting on the Lord is never futile.  It may be uncomfortable, it may be nerve-wracking, and even a bit frightening, but it always ends with His blessing.  The key to waiting is to put my hope in God – not in an outcome, but in the Person.  The outcome I hope for may or may not come to pass.  But I can put my hope in God because He never fails.

The Psalmist understood that. The city slept as the watchman kept vigil, waiting for the sunrise.  As he stood guard in the black of night, he never once doubted that the morning would come. It came yesterday.  It came all the days before.  Yes, it was dark through the night, but the morning never failed to come.

 You and I can hope in God through the dark night because He never fails to come. I know this from personal experience.   He comes just as surely as the sun rises morning after morning.   Even more than this – He is the reason the sun rises morning after morning.  Yes weary one, God always comes.  No power in heaven or earth could keep him from coming for His child, not even death.

He comes every morning with new mercies (Lamentations 3:23).

He comes with glory (Exodus 16:7).

He comes with redemption (Ruth 3:13).

He comes with listening ears (Psalm 5:3).

He comes with rejoicing (Psalm 30:5).

He comes with strength (Psalm 59:16).

He comes with wonders (Psalm 65:8).

He comes with unfailing love (Psalm 143:8).

He comes with a sustaining word (Isaiah 50:4).

He comes with justice (Zephaniah 3:5).

He comes with resurrection power (Luke 24:1-6).

He comes with daily provision (John 21:4).

He comes with His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

He comes with the Morning Star (Revelation 2:28).

He comes with peace.

He comes with Joy.

He comes with promise.

He comes with faithfulness.

He comes with unfailing love.

Oh, Beloved, are you surrounded by the darkness of a long night?  Put your hope in the Lord.  Morning is coming. Like the sun that rises at dawn, He always comes.  Keep watching.  Keep waiting.  Keep hoping.  The Lord your God is coming.