But it's not the most important thing....

When we go through especially troubling times in this life, it's really quite easy to let ourselves become consumed by them. Even if we are praying a lot, we can find that most of our prayer time is spent asking, sometimes begging God to intervene in our situation. A lot of really terrible things happen in this world that can drive us to our knees, and the good news is God really does care.  I know in our situation that not only does God care, but He has a plan and it's in motion. It is extremely important to me that our situation is resolved. But today, as I was on the elliptical listening to the Revelation song, I realized ... contrary to how I've been feeling lately, it's not the most important thing. As I worshipped God, singing the Revelation Song at the top of my lungs, the important thing is what began to consume me.

I felt surrounded by the sheer magnitude of God, His holiness, His glory. I felt the heavy weight I've been carrying for so long begin to lift. And I prayed a much different prayer.

Lord, our family belongs to You. Help us not to be consumed by the things that happen in this world. Don't let us be distracted; let our eyes remain fixed on you. Through every circumstance, no matter what's at stake, I pray that our lives would bring glory to You. I pray that we would truly be a family that lives our lives full of faith and adoration for You. No matter what happens in any situation we face in this world, we will praise you. Whether we burn in the fiery furnace or whether You deliver us, let us bring glory to your name.

And that.........that is the most important thing.

How do I spend my time?

I've been thinking about time lately. I've heard people say through the years, "We are SO busy...we don't have any time for _______" (fill in the blank for what you are wishing you had time for.) As I've been thinking about it, however, I've decided that for the most part I think we MAKE time for what we want to make time for. Maybe our problem is more with the reasons we do the things we do.

Let me explain. The obvious example for me right now is Aaron. If every single one of my days was completely booked for the next two weeks and I got word today that Aaron was coming home tomorrow, you can bet things would get rearranged and I would be at that airport to see him when he lands. Furthermore, there would be a whole evening cleared to invite ALL our friends and family over for a HUGE celebration. Nothing would stop this from happening. It's very, very important to me. We make time for what's important to us.

On the other hand, what if we are driven to get people's approval? To always "do the right thing" so people will think highly of us? What if we fill our days with meetings, volunteering, counseling those who are hurting, giving people rides to where they need to go, etc. etc. etc. Those are great things to do if that's what's in your heart, if you're driven by love. But if you're doing it merely because you think it makes you a better person, it becomes about you, not them. You ignore the things that you know are important to you so you can continue doing these tasks that you're convinced make you a super Christian.... and bitterness is soon to follow. You resent the people you're helping for taking up your time, and you resent all the other "Christians" who aren't doing as much as you are for everyone.

Or, what if your reason is money? Let's face it, we need money to live. But there are a couple of things I want you to think about. First, how many of us work at jobs we don't like simply because we want more? We want nicer houses, cooler stuff, better vacations. And to get those things, we have to work hours and hours and hours doing something we hate. Or, what if we have to work those hours just to meet our basic needs, but instead of focusing on all the opportunities God may have for us to minister, we focus on getting it over with and collecting our money. If we work, most of us see people every single day. What an opportunity to listen to the Spirit of God to see if there's a difference we can make in someone's life. If only we could get the focus off ourselves.

Now, that's kind of easy for me to say right now because I'm finally in a position where I LOVE my job. But I've been there. I've been in those jobs where I struggle to keep a healthy focus, where I spend my time praying that something better will happen for me, rather than looking outward to see how I can touch others. And there are definitely things I wish I would have handled differently. But even now...in the job I love... there are opportunities for me to make a difference in the lives of others, OR I can choose to focus on myself and my own needs. I can always make my day about me. But if I do, I'm not successful in my business and I'm not successful in my Christian life.

Lest we begin to think this is a post encouraging everyone to stop whatever you're doing, let me quickly move on to what my real encouragement is. If you're feeling your days are being taken from you, if you find your time is spent doing things you really don't want to be doing, spend some much-needed alone time with the Holy Spirit. Find somewhere quiet, where your time is His alone. Let Him help you discover your purpose, your method, your niche so to speak. Let Him ignite the passion for whatever He created you for. He created you with a very special personality to use with special gifts and talents. Take the time to ask Him what He wants you to do. And even ask Him what you can be doing right where you are. Commit yourself to resisting all the distractions Satan would use to lure you away, and let life become about Him again.

I trust you'll find it's amazing how enjoyable time becomes.

Raise your hand if you enjoy the waiting....

We are waiting. Sometimes patiently and sometimes not so much....but waiting, nonetheless.

I would like to just put it out there right up front... I hate waiting. But in thinking back to some scriptural accounts of this particular issue, I discovered I'm in pretty good company. Even Abraham, who received top billing as a man of faith, didn't always shine in this area. Waiting is hard. It gives you too much time to question, too much time to wonder if you really heard from God. And  too much time to try to figure out a workable solution on your own.

But thank God. He doesn't let go of us. He continues to comfort. He continues to build, to be faithful, to reveal. Through this process, as I surrendered my heart to His loving hands, I have found a deeper faith. I have discovered at a whole new level what it is to hope in things unseen. And I have had profound revelation of how huge and capable He really is.... capable of taking care of everything in the universe no matter how large or how small.

Most importantly of all, and the glue that really holds it all together for me, He has reminded me of His love. The deep, intimate, unconditional love.

I placed a link below to a song that has lifted my spirits many times as I wait. I still hate waiting. But I love and appreciate so much the things I gain from it. While I'm waiting, I will worship.
While I'm Waiting....

Slaves obey your masters.....

I Peter 2:18 You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect.* Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.


Has this particular passage ever bothered anyone else? Is Peter saying God condones slavery??? Certainly that can't be right....
 
I have always been aware that a lot of things happen in the world that aren't right. And as I have seen my daughter, son-in-law, and their small children go through this horrible time of separation because of politics.... it's become just one more injustice added to my list. I see every day the effect it has on my daughter, trying to take care of two small children while she is due to deliver a third in just two short weeks. And she does it all the while trying to deal with the pain of having her husband ripped away from her. It's a lot to deal with. But yesterday, she unknowingly said something that ministered deeply to me. She had been reading a book on slavery here in the U.S., and all that those people suffered. She said, "Even if Aaron and I don't get to be together for another year, as painful as that would be, it wouldn't be as bad as what they had to go through." Now, I'm never one for comparing pain. Pain is pain, and I think you get into trouble when you try to measure one person's suffering with another's. But she was right. The things those people suffered were terrible...and it lasted a long, long time.
 
Which brings me back to the verse. Slaves are instructed to obey their masters. That always bothered me. I always felt it should read, "Masters, free those slaves! You have no right to hold another man captive!" Why would God condone slavery?
 
However, after my conversation with Rachel, something dawned on me that I have never considered before. What if this is really one of the most powerful, life-changing verses in the entire Bible? In fact, that's exactly what it was for me at that moment. It was no longer a verse about slavery. It was about integrity.
 
"No matter what happens to you...no matter where you find yourself in life....no matter how unfair or unjust it may be, still choose to do the right thing. Carry yourself with honor."
 
What is happening to Rachel and Aaron, and especially to their children right now, seems very unjust. You don't rip families apart to prove a point. You don't deprive children of their father and a wife of her husband on purpose. You don't deny a loving husband and father the opportunity to provide for his family. And you don't force a mother to give birth to her child without her husband by her side, just because of a hot political climate.
 
But through it all, Rachel and Aaron have continued to do the right thing. They have continued to follow the rules. They have held their heads high and walked in integrity.
 
Because they know. They know who really holds their future in His hands.

Keeping the Faith

God is amazing. Even in the midst of many troubles, He continues to work. He continues to be faithful, to inspire, to comfort, to lead. My son-in-law is sitting in Mexico right now, waiting for the okay to come back to his wife and children who are oh-so-eagerly awaiting his return. Nothing is easy about this on either side. In fact, it's so mentally, emotionally, and physically draining, it could cause you to wonder if doing the "right thing" is all it's cracked up to be.

But I look at my daughter, and I listen to my son-in-law, as they both proclaim their faith and trust in God to see them through. Even through the tears, even through the pain, they continue to trust Him. Even after having their hopes crushed more than once, they continue to trust Him.

And I know it's God Himself who has drawn near to them and given them this gift. Only He can have this effect on people. No matter how bad it gets, I'm here. And I'm never going to let you go.

He's the only one who could make them this confident. Thank you, Lord, for your everlasting love.

Does anyone REALLY know God anymore?

Today I was thinking about all the many stories in the Bible of men who could say this is what God is going to do, then sure enough that's exactly what He did. They really knew Him. They really understood what it was He wanted to do. Is there anyone that can really do that now? I can't think of anyone.

We hope. We pray and we hope. We think we have a pretty good understanding of what He should want to do, based on what we've learned about Him in the Bible. But to stand up and say, this is what God is going to do so prepare for it. We're pretty hit and miss.

I think I know God. I feel like I know His heart. There have been times when I felt that I've really heard His voice. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong. Or maybe I was never right....maybe it's just the old adage of even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile.

Right now I'm just suffering in the midst of great disappointment. I really thought I knew what God wanted. I really thought I knew what He would do. And I was wrong. So wrong. I still have faith in Him. I know He knows what He is doing and everything will be okay. I just don't know if I'll ever believe again that I really know Him. Or that I can even hear His voice.

Lord, show me what's true. Show me what to believe and I'll believe it. Reveal Yourself to me.

Because I really, really need to see who you are.

In thinking about prayer....

Yesterday I had all these questions about prayer, so on the way home several different situations from the Bible came to mind. Top of the list was Job.

Deep inside we all hope we don't have to be Job. Job prayed, but ultimately it all just played out the way it was going to anyway. Job's situation wasn't resolved right away, but does that mean Job's prayers were of no effect? I don't think so. In this case I believe Job's prayers strengthened his relationship with God. He was able to be honest with Him and to open his heart to Him. And that could be the very reason that in the end, everything turned out so well. Job continued to honor God through the whole ordeal. Without prayer, he may not have been able to do that.

Then there was the passionate prayer of King David for the life of his baby. He cried out to God, fasting and praying for the life of his son. On the seventh day, his son died anyway. David's reaction?
Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the LORD. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.
He had hopes that God would have mercy on him and let his son live. God didn't do what he wanted him to do, but he got up and worshipped God anyway.
 
The next incident that came to mind is in Daniel chapter 10:
12 Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.14 Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come."

In this case, it sounds as if some spiritual warfare had to take place in order to answer the prayer. It said Daniel's prayer was heard in heaven on the FIRST DAY he prayed, but for 3 weeks the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked the messenger (thought by some to be Gabriel). Michael, who the messenger refers to as Daniel's prince, is apparently the only one who helps Gabriel fight this spirit prince of Persia. What's up with that? Interestingly, it says when he was done talking to Daniel, Gabriel needed to go back and continue this fight. So, in this case it would seem the answer was delayed only because of spiritual resistance. Did Daniel's prayers help break through this resistance? It doesn't say...it only explains the delay. But it does assure us he was heard in heaven right away, and something was in motion.
 
Another interesting thing that came to mind was when the apostles tried to cast the demons out of a man but couldn't do it. Jesus said that type of thing required fasting and praying. Then he proceeded to heal the guy. Now people (including me) often think you should fast and pray for the thing you are wanting to see happen. But is this really what Jesus meant? Had he been fasting and praying for this particular man to be delivered? I don't think so. I don't think the focus of our fasting and praying is to be the results we are looking for.  It seems to me the key is deepening your relationship with God. The more you fast and pray, the more in tune you will be. And apparently the more powerful your prayers will be when the need arises.

In contrast to the above, there are many, many examples of prayers being answered immediately. Healings, deliverances, resurrections. You would think I'd be just as confused as I was yesterday on what the purpose of prayer really is.

But today I'm at peace. Clearly, like so many other things in the realm of God's kingdom, prayer has many purposes. The most important of these purposes is it keeps us in tune with God. So I will continue praying. I will continue worshipping and adoring, I will continue crying out for our needs. And if the answer doesn't come right away, still I remain confident that something good is in motion.