Mountains and Valleys

A verse in Deuteronomy struck me yesterday. It is tucked in the commands Moses gave the Israelites just before they finally entered the Promised Land. He was telling them how good the land was, “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Deut 11:9). Verse 11 provided a powerful visual for me: “The land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.” I realized that mountains and valleys almost always develop together.
Mountains are glorious – tall, majestic peaks that seem to reach up to the heavens. They take our breath away with their beauty and grandeur. Men climb mountains and gaze in wonder at the world below them. Mountains inspire words of prose and songs of awe. My family visited North Carolina several years ago and when we hit the Smokey Mountains I was stunned by their beauty. I’ve seen part of the Rocky Mountains and they are beyond words.
I am sure you get where I’m going. Life is full of both mountains and valleys. And rain. We all want the mountain top experience, but nobody wants to go down into the valley. We want to scale the heights with the Lord. We want to gaze in awe and wonder from that high place. But the valley is where the rain soaks in and nurtures the ground so that there is growth and fruitfulness. Some of the most stunning flowers grow in the shade of the valley.
I have been through many valleys. The truth is, I am in one right now. But if my experience has taught me anything it is that the green pastures and the quiet waters are down in the valley (Psalm 23:1-2). The valley is where we learn to walk with God and trust Him day-by-day. It is where we can most clearly see God’s goodness and mercy (Psalm 23:6).
Here is something else that spoke to my heart. Moses said, “It [the Promised Land] is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it . . .” (Deut 11:12). David said, “Even though I walk through the valley . . . You are with me” (Psalm 23:4). God watches over His children in the valley – He walks with us and comforts us.
Yes, the valleys are hard, but that is where we grow closer to God. When you and I are in the valley, Beloved, let’s plant some seeds of faith and hope and watch them bloom.

Promises and Prophecies

Yesterday the weather prediction was for an 80% chance of rain. While my husband and I were out early running errands we got some misty sprinkles, and that was it for the day. NOAA recorded 0.08 inches of rain for the day. Somebody’s prediction was wrong. Predictions often fall short – prognostication is not an exact science. Ask Punxsutawney Phil.
That is why I am so thankful that the Bible is a book of promises and prophecies, not predictions. Whatever the Lord says will happen just as He declared. That is because He is operating from a position of sovereignty and providence. Those are words we don’t use much in our contemporary religion, but they are powerful and carry a rich and significant meaning. The word “sovereign” speaks to God’s rightful authority over every created thing – which covers everything that exists. Likewise, the word “providence” is speaking to God’s charge over everything He has made. I take great comfort in that.
We can see God’s supernatural hand in all through Scripture. The Lord promised Israel a land of their own and He gave them the Promised Land in Canaan – which is still their God-given territory no matter what men say. He prophesied exile in Babylon for Israel – and restoration after seventy years. Every word came to fulfillment. And He promised that, despite enemies, imprisonment, a shipwreck, and a snakebite, Paul would preach in Rome. Luke reported, “And so we came to Rome” (Acts 28:14). God does everything He declares.
When I come to passages that prophesy Christ’s return, I have one eye always looking to the east, anticipating His appearance (Matt 24:27). One day He will break open the sky and it will roll back like a scroll (Rev. 6:14). He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives and it will be split in two “from east to west, forming a great valley” (Zec 14:4). “The Lord will be King over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name.” (v. 9).
Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon” (Rev 22:7). If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, that is a frightening prophecy, but if you are in Christ, His return is an exciting promise. Beloved, you can take Him at His Word; He is on His way. Will you join me in declaring, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).

Follow Jesus

Obedience is the mark of faith in the Christian’s life. Sometimes obedience is simple, even delightful. When the Scriptures say, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves” (Heb 10:25 KJV), it is a Joy to obey and gather with our church family. When Jesus commanded, “Love one another” (Jn 15:17) it is (usually) a sweet pleasure.
But what about when He tells us to do something hard, something illogical, something impossible? Not so easy now, is it? But God doesn’t give us a pass when it’s hard. He still expects absolute obedience. Joshua was to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. In Joshua 3 they were camped on the east side of the Jordan River (v. 15). Canaan was on the west side. It was unfamiliar territory inhabited by fierce people groups who were not going to just hand over their homes.
The Lord told the Levites to take up the ark of the covenant and stand in the river – which, by the way, was at flood stage. Sounds like the perfect setup for rebellion. But Joshua delivered a word that gave the Israelites courage. He said, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” Then he told the people to consecrate themselves, “for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (vv. 3-5).
I’ve studied the late Henry Blackaby’s masterpiece study, “Experiencing God” several times and his wise premise is to watch what God is doing and follow Him. That is the heart of Joshua’s message. He didn’t just tell them to march out – he told them to follow the Lord their God who would do something amazing. That is the key to obedience when the task is hard.
I’m sure you are familiar with the “Footprints” poem, which says when there is only one set of footprints that is where the Lord carried you through hard times. I have a different perspective. I want to follow Jesus so closely that I step in His footprints, leaving none of my own – especially when the way is hard. I want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Mat 25:21).
Beloved, I don’t know what difficult thing God is asking of you, but I know two things for certain – He will go before you and He will do amazing things when you follow Him. Step out into His footprints, good and faithful servant.

The Journey of Faith

Three days. That’s all it took for the complaining to start. Three days from blessing to grumbling. Three days from rejoicing to grousing.
Three days before the Israelites had walked through walls of water and felt the dry ground beneath their feet. They sang and danced and rejoiced, proclaiming “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation; Who among the gods is like You, O Lord-majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” They sang of their trust in Him, “In your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed…You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance.” (Ref. Exodus 15:2, 11, 13, 17.)
And everything changed. They found themselves in a desert with no drinkable water. So they turned on their God-appointed leader and “grumbled against Moses, saying ‘What are we to drink?’” (Ex. 15:24). We might think, “Are these the same people that witnessed the power and might of the Lord?” Well, yes, actually they were. But they quickly forgot God’s faithfulness and goodness just three days before and complained about the circumstances of the moment. It is a pattern that shows up over and over again in their wilderness journey. And if you and I are honest, the same pattern shows up in our own lives as well. Why do we, like the Israelites, fail to trust the Lord who has proven Himself faithful again and again and again?
In a word: unbelief. The very same unbelief that demoralized the faith of the Hebrew nation undermines our faith and confidence in God today. The exodus from Egypt was the great expression of Yahweh’s love for the Israelites. The cross of Jesus Christ is God’s ultimate expression of love to you and me. Every day we are surrounded by reminders of His care and devotion to us His children. Yet still, when we are faced with a challenge, we grumble. Rather than trust God, we whine and complain. And God asks, as He asked of Israel, “How long will these people refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?” (Num. 14:11). Faith is not just a necessary for the journey; it is the journey.
Jesus once posed a question, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). What would He find in you, Beloved, if He came today?

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.

Jerusalem

God called a man named Abram to “Leave your country, your people, and your household and go to the land I will show you.” He promised to make Abram “a great nation . . . and a blessing to all the peoples on earth” (Gen 12: 1-3). Why Abram? Simply because he was God’s sovereign choice. Abram and his wife Sarai obeyed the Lord and set out for an unknown destination. God changed their names to Abraham and Sarah and promised them a child of their own. But after twenty-five years and no baby, she insisted that Abraham sleep with her servant Hagar who would bear a son for Sarah. This they did and they were pleased with the boy named Ishmael. Until.

Sarah miraculously conceived in their very old age – she 90 and he 100 and gave birth to Isaac, the promised child of the Lord. Abraham sent Hagar and Ismael away to protect Isaac’s inheritance. And this is the root of the unrest in the Middle East and the hatred for Israel. The nations that descended from Ishmael – the Arab and Muslim nations today – contend that as Abraham’s firstborn son, he – and thus they – are the rightful heirs to the land God gave his father, the territory of Palestine. But Isaac’s son, Jacob – renamed Israel – and his descendants are heirs to the land according to the Lord.

But the war on Israel goes even deeper than Isaac and Ishmael. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, God declared the destruction of satan through the “seed” of the woman: “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen 3:15). One of Eve’s sons – Seth – was the line through whom Abraham and the nation of Israel came. A Jewish baby – a descendant of Seth and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob/Israel was born. Jesus, who is also the Son of God is the seed of the woman from Genesis 3:15. Until his birth, satan used Israel’s enemies to try to obliterate the Jewish people and stop his destroyer from coming. (See Pharoah’s attempt to kill all the Jewish baby boys and the story of Esther.) But He came anyway. Satan thought he had won when Jesus died and was buried, but He came back to life. Prophecy declares that He will come back again and complete the destruction of satan which God proclaimed way back in the Garden. But the Jewish temple – which the Romans destroyed in 70 AD – must be rebuilt on its original site in Jerusalem before He returns (See Rev. 11). That site is the current location of the Islamic Dome of the Rock – the Muslim’s most holy temple.  

Satan is still trying to destroy the Jewish people – the nation of Israel – to prevent the rebuilding of the temple – and Christ’s return. That is why we must “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). It is about so much more than a strip of land in the Middle East. It is about the return of the Lord, the destruction of evil, and the ushering in of Christ’s eternal rule and reign. Don’t be afraid of what you see in the world, Beloved. God has not lost control. Not even for a second.

Do You Believe God?

Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Philippians 2:14

Three days. That’s all it took for the complaining to start. The Israelites were three days out from crossing the Red Sea in miraculous fashion, and they were already complaining. They fled Egypt, carrying the wealth of their captives with them. They saw the waters part and felt the dry ground beneath their feet. They sang and danced and rejoiced, proclaiming their trust in Him, “In your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed…You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance.” (Ref. Exodus 15:2, 11, 13, 17.) Then they found themselves in a desert with no drinkable water and the grumbling began.

Admit it, we’re the same way. We fail to believe that the God who sent His Son to die on the cross for us will also provide for, protect, and bless us. Paul “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, gracious give us all things?” (Rom 8:31-32). Why do we, like the Israelites, fail to trust the Lord who has proven Himself faithful again and again and again?

In a word: unbelief. The very same unbelief that demoralized the faith of the Hebrew nation undermines our faith and confidence in God today. The exodus from Egypt should have been their defining moment of faith, but they whined instead. “All the Israelites grumbled…and the whole assembly said, ‘Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’” (Numbers 14:2,3).

Are you believing God today? The cross is God’s ultimate expression of love to us. Every day we are surrounded by reminders of His care and devotion. Yet when we face a challenge, we grumble. We doubt. We question. We whine and complain. And God asks, as He asked of Israel, “How long will these people refuse to believe me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?” (Num. 14:11).

Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth” (Luke 18:8)? We need only to read the Scriptures and look at the world around us to know it is not far away. How will you answer His question, Beloved? Will Jesus find faith in you?

Promise Keeper

Have you ever had someone break a promise to you? I am sure you have, and so have I. It’s part of life in this fallen world. But we have a God who always keeps His promises. Jeremiah declared of the Lord: “He has done just as He said He would” (Jer 40:3).

He promised the first man and woman that if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. They ate and became mortal with death in their future. He promised Noah that he and his family would be rescued from the terrible flood that destroyed all life on earth. And they were. He promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations and that his people would have a land of their own. Israel is the fulfillment of that promise. He promised to rescue Abraham’s descendants from slavery and 2 million plus Hebrew people marched out of Egypt and across a dry seabed between walls of water and into freedom. The Bible is replete with God’s promises and His fulfillment of them – to the nation of Israel and to the world.

Here is another promise God made: “He will crush your head . . .” (Gen 3:15). This promise is spoken to the evil one, the devil, satan himself – the one who threw all of humanity into chaos and sin. God promised to send Someone who would bring divine justice and break the enemy’s hold over humanity.  He was true to His Word. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise.  

He also promised rest. Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). He wasn’t necessarily talking about physical rest, although David declared that God leads him to restful places to be restored (Ps 23:2-3). In this context He was speaking of spiritual rest – He promises us rest for our souls. You and I are sinners and the penalty of our sin is condemnation – eternal death. The heart of the gospel is that Christ bore the burden of our condemnation on the cross. He gives us rest from our burden and rest from trying to atone for our own sins.

Paul said, “No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ” (2 Cor 1:20). Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises God has made. Do you believe Him, Beloved? Do you trust the Promise-Keeper?

Wherever You Go

Joshua and the people of Israel stood at the edge of the Jordan River and the Promised Land. Moses was dead and the Lord had called Joshua to take the people into Canaan. Joshua was terrified. God knew it. Three times in the opening text He told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.” And He gave him a promise – one of the most precious promises in the Bible: “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6-9).

This is so comforting and encouraging to me because I have found myself in some difficult places and very hard circumstances. I have walked through some scary things. I have wandered into places I never wanted to be. I have had to leave everything behind and start all over in unknown territory.  Some of those places were new towns, new jobs, and new churches and some were new situations and new relationships. There have been unexpected diagnoses, unwanted hardships, and challenges I never anticipated. And who knows what lies ahead between today and the end of my days?

But the one place I have never been and will never be is out of my Heavenly Father’s presence.  In the margin of my Bible beside verse 9 I wrote the words that God spoke to my heart: “Child, there is no place you can go that I will not be.”  While we know that God is always omnipresent – everywhere – this is much more. This is His sovereign covenant with me. I belong to Him and He will never abandon His own.

This is not just for me. It is for you too. It is for anyone who is united with Jesus Christ through faith. God is with you. Always. Whether they are physical places, difficult circumstances, emotional pits, or spiritually dark caves – God has promised “I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Jos. 1:5).  How can you be sure it’s true? If He left His throne in heaven, came to earth, went to the cross, and into the dark grave of death for you, then you can trust that He will never abandon you, no matter where you go.  Remember Jesus’ promise, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mat 28:20). Wherever you are right now, Beloved, He is there.

What Did God Say?

When God’s people were in bondage in Egypt, the Lord called Moses to launch a rescue effort. His first approach to the king was met with disdain and rejection from both Pharaoh and the Israelites. Moses was deeply dismayed and the Lord encouraged him with promises of His faithfulness. Then He told his reluctant servant “Because of my mighty hand, [Pharoah] will let them go” (Ex 6:1). And the Spirit said to me, “Hang on to that.”

I was reading ahead, skimming over the ten plagues that would come on the Egyptians as God worked to force Pharaoh’s hand. A plague of blood. A plague of frogs. A plague of gnats. A plague of flies. A plague on the livestock. A plague of boils. A plague of hail, thunder, and lightning. A plague of locusts. A plague of thick darkness. And finally, a plague of the death of every firstborn son.

Now, I’ve read these verses probably fifty times—I even wrote them out a few months ago, but they hit me differently tonight. After every plague the Scripture said, “Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not let the people go.” In my spirit, I heard a whisper: “6:1.” And then I understood. Nine times Pharaoh dug in his heels and said “NO!” But what had the Lord said?  “Pharaoh will let them go.” After the tenth plague, Pharaoh said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites.  Take your flocks and herds . . . and go” (12:31-32). Just like God said he would.

I don’t know who else needs to hear this right now but I sense strongly that God is asking: “What did I say?” What promise did He make? What calling did He place on your life? What vision did He cast in your heart? And what roadblocks have you hit? How many people are telling you this will never happen? Who or what is standing between you and the fulfillment of the promise? Beloved, this is when you and I must take God at His Word. If He said it – no matter how impossible it feels, no matter who is speaking discouragement to you, no matter how many obstacles get in your way – remind yourself “What did God say?” And get ready to go up into your Promised Land.