The phrase comes from Tennyson in Idylls of the King, but it is reminiscent of phrases given to Joshua as he prepared to lead the Israelites across the Jordan and into the promised land.
Joshua 1:2-3 (NKJV) 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.
God tells him several times to “Be strong and courageous..” (Joshua 1:6), “Be strong and very courageous.” (Joshua 1:7), “…be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
When I think of being strong and courageous, I don’t usually think of ducklings! I think of hero bodybuilders or armored knights of old…people who are prepared to crush and conquer and face an army. Yet God repeats the phrase to Joshua, including at last the command to “not be terrified; do not be discouraged..”, which indicates that Joshua was close to terror and despair, rather than filled with hope and adrenaline.
And little wonder. Joshua had to be experiencing a slight sense of Déjà vu. About forty years earlier, he had been part of the group of spies sent to scout out the promised land…spies who had come back terrified and discouraged. The entire nation was ready to rebel against Moses and even God. Now, forty years later, Joshua was to try again– this time as Moses’ replacement, a new leader for a new generation already prone to complain and rebel.
Some days I feel a little like Joshua– facing walled cities, giants, and feeling totally inadequate to the task. Some days it even feels like a struggle to “arise”, let alone going forth to conquer.
And then God reminds me…”Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.” It’s not that God is literally leading me into the promised land as I go to the grocery store or face a difficult customer at work or walk around the neighborhood. But, figuratively, He is helping me win battles against temptation, discouragement, anger, and bitterness. He IS with me wherever I go, and He wants me to trust HIS strength and wisdom to triumph. I become “more than a conquerer” (Romans 8:37) when I stop trying to fight in my own strenth and rely on His. My strength may be minimal, my motivation questionable, and my wisdom lacking, but I can waddle confidently into battle, knowing that the victory is certain!
This is also true for my pursuit of prayer– My prayers are often flighty, inadequate, sporadic, and even grudging. I keep a prayer journal, and that can help with motivation, discipline, and even praise, but it doesn’t guarantee that I will draw perfectly near to God or follow Him with total faithfulness. The more I rely on MY efforts, the more I am fighting to replace God’s strength and wisdom with my own. God doesn’t want me on the sidelines, or sleeping in– He wants me in the game. But the outcome doesn’t depend on my ability or my performance (or my lack of feathers!)
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness–Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson (July 4, 1776)
We’re getting ready to celebrate our Independence Day in America. There will be parades, cookouts, parties, fireworks, and a host of other celebrations. There will be a lot of flag-waving and patriotic displays. At some gatherings, there may be readings of our Declaration of Independence. This document was drafted to outline, not just a list of reasons why they should rebel, but what they hoped to build as a result of their struggle for freedom.
Over 240 years later, this document, and what it stands for, is still relevant and calls us to a high standard– one our nation has not fully achieved. In spite of the great strides we have made and the example we have been to the rest of the world, in recent decades, we have left behind many of the very truths we aspired to hold.
First, there is a dangerous belief that “truth” is no longer self-evident, nor is it timeless. We don’t hold beliefs and truths anymore. We shift with the tide of public opinion and the shadowy promise of “being on the right side of history”– which just means being on the winning side of the current debate within our lifetime and hopefully into the next set of history books.
Second, we have spent countless hours, shedding blood, sweat, and tears over the phrase “ALL MEN”– struggling to reach the promise of equality for all humankind. We have fallen short of this vision, and twisted it into a grotesque parody of itself. Instead of working together in unity and inclusiveness, we have devolved into factions each fighting to be “more equal” than others. Instead of looking at the equal value and humanity of all our people, we point fingers at all the people who are “less worthy”, “more privileged”, “entitled”, “marginalized”, “intolerant”, “judgmental”, who “need to be silenced”, or “need to be kept in their place”…how can neighbors and fellow citizens be so vicious? One answer may be found in the very next phrase…
ARE CREATED equal, and are endowed BY THEIR CREATOR…Usually, this phrase is emphasized in the exact opposite places– the emphasis is on EQUAL and ENDOWED. We have lost the “truth” of being “UNDER GOD”. We have lost the truth of being created. We have lost the truth that our worth, our rights, our values, are not a product of our own opinions and observations.
It is easy to point to others and say, “They are ruining our country– They are not living out these truths.”
The harder lesson is to look at my own assumptions, actions, and beliefs. Do I TRULY believe that all the people around me– of every creed, gender, race, political party, nationality, educational achievement, or economic level are created equal and endowed BY THEIR CREATOR with value, and inalienable rights? If, at any point, I make assumptions about the worthiness of “those people”, assuming that God loves me more, or will have more mercy or grace toward me because of who I am or how I behave; because of the color of my skin, or where I live, or who I voted for; because of the things I know or the good deeds I have done–I am part of the problem. Christians, if we bear the name of Christ who created all mankind, and we hate those whom Christ created, the love of Christ IS NOT in us.
That doesn’t mean that we ignore sin and compromise our character, and pervert justice in the name of a comfortable facsimile of equality. But it also means that we must stop whitewashing hatred and injustice in the name of morality. Morality without love cannot heal our nation. Nor can rewriting our history. Nor can declaring our Independence.
The Declaration of Independence is not a stand-alone document. It had no authority on its own. If our founders had lost the Revolutionary War; if they had abandoned their vision of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”; if their descendants had failed to bring a divided nation back into unity; if our parents and grandparents had not struggled and fought to make our nation live up to its principles; and if our generations fail to come together and work toward that same vision– Independence will not be something to celebrate, but something to detest.
While it is called the Declaration of Independence, it is a spirit of dependence– on God, on His truth, and on the goodwill of our fellow Americans, that keeps this document alive and full of promise.
A few months ago, I went to the theater to see the movie “Paul, the Apostle of Christ.” It was an excellent movie, not the least because I found so much of it relevant to what is happening in the world today. The movie was centered around Paul’s time in prison in Rome; the upheaval and persecution facing the early church, and the looming certainty that Paul would be martyred and his words and leadership sorely missed. The church in Rome was facing division– some were militantly opposed to the corruption in Rome under Nero, and wanted to form a rebellion. Others wanted to flee Rome in hope of supporting outlying churches, starting new churches, or just finding a safer haven. Still others were losing hope and wanted to give up or hide.
The movie also covered (in a series of flashbacks) scenes of Paul’s earlier life. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but this part of Paul’s life is covered in the Bible, so I will stick to the facts presented there, rather than the drama from the screen…
Saul of Tarsus was both a Jew and a Roman citizen by birth. He had studied God’s word intensely his whole life, and became a Pharisee. He had studied under some of the greatest scholars of his age–in today’s world, he would have been one of the greatest legal minds of our time– a superstar in the arena of law, philosophy, and logic. Of all the people in Jerusalem and throughout the Jewish world, Paul KNEW right from wrong. He KNEW the words of God, the laws of God, the traditions of God’s people. The result of all that knowledge was an obsession with wiping out those people (Jews, especially, but also Gentiles) who followed Jesus of Nazareth and “The Way.” Saul was a man filled with righteous anger, and a zeal to have everyone conform to what was “right.” He was a man of power and influence– a man to be feared and respected. In his letters, we can still see some of that intensity and the way he has of arguing both sides to their logical ends. But something happened to Saul..something that changed his entire future, including his name.
Paul, the Apostle of Christ, was still a Jew and a Roman citizen. He was the same man who had studied vigorously and knew the laws of Moses and God’s words through the centuries written by prophets and historians and psalmists. But the Paul we see in scripture, while still bearing the intensity of his youth, is a man of gratitude and peace. Here is a man who works steadily with his hands for honest but meager wages compared to what he might have made as a Pharisee. He is a man who boldly faces down even Peter and James in Jerusalem, but who nevertheless takes orders from a council made up of former fishermen and tradesmen. Paul undergoes flogging, arrests, prison, cold, hardship, physical pain, poverty, and disgrace with the kind of stoic acceptance, and even joy, that makes him a great hero of the early church. Never once does he return to the anger that drove him to persecute others who did not agree with him. Instead, he is willing to be the victim of persecution at the hands of those he used to serve.
I was scrolling through Facebook the other night, and I chanced upon posts from two women I know. Both are about the same age, both mothers of five children, and both are practicing Christians. The first woman was posting about two recent difficulties faced by her family, and how God had been faithful and gracious in spite of a huge loss and a tense situation that could have turned into another tragedy. She spoke of God’s answers to prayer, and how their family was reminded of God’s goodness as people came alongside at just the right moment, and the loss was not as great as it might have been. I was inspired and encouraged by the way she saw God’s love, and gave credit to all who had helped them.
The second woman spoke in vicious tones about how she would not associate with certain Christians who hold political and social views she sees as hateful. She cursed fellow followers of Christ for being “anti-Jesus,” and condemned several of her early teachers and pastors. I read her remarks with great sadness, because I remember her as a younger woman, eagerly memorizing scripture and being a loving and encouraging example to others. I also read her remarks with pain, because I think she includes me in the “hateful” group based solely on the type of church I attend.
It is not my place to say that one woman is a “better” Christian than the other– on another day, their FB posts might cause me to think very differently. And God sees more than just what we post on FB or say in passing conversation–He knows our every thought and motive. So I want to be careful–these women, though similar in some superficial ways, lead very different lives and have very different experiences of following God. But I saw in their posts two ways of “seeing” Christ.
When Saul of Tarsus, in his anger and zeal, traveled toward Damascus intending to kill people he may have never met, he was already a crusader for Jehovah– ready to mete out justice against anyone who didn’t meet his standards. He KNEW all about God. He knew what it took to be righteous.
But when he actually encountered Christ– he was knocked off his horse, blinded and overwhelmed by a vision. And when Christ spoke to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4), Saul didn’t recognize the voice of the very God he so proudly served. Saul remained blinded for three days, but his vision was never the same again.
As Paul, he became a man of prayer– his letters are filled with prayers for the well-being and spiritual growth of those he misses and longs to see. They overflow with doxologies and prayers of worship for the Savior he loves and serves with gladness. He can’t stop talking about God’s goodness– to him, to Israel throughout the centuries, and to the Gentiles who now have access to the throne of Grace. He still has harsh things to say to some of the followers who “don’t get it.” To those who want to compromise with sin or go back to legalism. But he pleads with them; he doesn’t throw stones.
It can be very frustrating in today’s world and in our society to see Christians who have very different ideas about worship styles, ways of interacting with others, even ways of living out the words of Christ. Sometimes, it seems that fellow Christians are blind to the needs of the poor, or the sins of their friends, or the hypocrisy in their lifestyle. I think scripture gives us a clear directive:
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Matthew 7:3-5 (English Standard Version)
We should not rush to condemnation, name-calling, and finger-pointing. Instead, we should do a “vision” test and see if we are looking and acting in love or in self-righteous hypocrisy.
God doesn’t want us to be blinded by the light of our own knowledge and self-righteousness. Instead, He wants us to walk in the light of His Word–His Word made flesh! May we live in the light of Paul’s example of prayer, loving correction, and running the good race.
Yesterday was my Grandmother’s birthday. She passed away over 20 years ago, but I still cherish the memories I have of my time with her. She was a woman of quiet dignity, gentle wisdom, and deep love for her family and neighbors.
While I was still in my late teens and early twenties, my Gram started getting me interested in genealogy. She had amazing stories that had been passed down through several generations, but she was unsure how many of them were “true” and how many had devolved into legend and half-truth. Her stories became the first framework I used to research our family’s roots. Over thirty years later, I have books and charts and databases filled with names, dates, stories, photos, mysteries, dead ends, twists and turns, surprises and more. I have traced my own family, my husband’s family, related families, possible connections to famous people in history, and mapped out many of the locations where our families lived over the centuries.
God created and instituted families, and I’m so grateful for mine. In spite of the many tragedies and skeletons I’ve found along the way, one thing is clear. God’s design for families is good and leads to hope, security, and fruitfulness.
All families are unique, but the design for families– the traditional family model–has been pretty consistent throughout the centuries and even across cultures. It may not always be the “nuclear” family of a mother and father and two or three children in a single household. Sometimes it is made up of multiple generations or nuclear groups sharing a house or living communally, and there have always been blended families, or single-parent households, but there is a consistent expectation of being able to trace one’s mother’s family line and father’s family line through at least two or three generations– knowing their names, where they were born, and when they lived and died.
As technology is advancing to make this kind of genealogical research even easier, society is pulling away from the traditional family model and making it harder and harder to find one’s “roots.” Children live with a series of adults– “aunties” and “dads” who bear no biological relationship and no lifelong commitment to them. Children whose fathers are nameless, faceless DNA donors, or whose parents left them to chase a career, or be with a new lover or a consuming addiction. Grown children rebel and leave their families behind to mix and mingle with other free-floating adults, never desiring to continue a legacy of family ties. Many people look upon this as “progress”– changing the definition of family…ironically, they use the term “relative” when talking about values and definitions, even as they redefine what it means to be a “relative.”
God doesn’t love us less if we don’t come from a traditional family– certainly, He is the God of the orphan, the fatherless, and the widow.
Psalm 68: 4-6: (NIV, courtesy of biblegateway.com)
Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
God wants us in families– He wants us to grow and be fruitful. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” is a phrase often used about family members being alike in their thinking or actions or habits. And so it is with families who grow and live together. We may “fall” away from our birth families, and move miles away, but we will produce a new tree with the same fruit– fruit that nourishes communities and societies and new families.
However, when we lose the pattern of families as God set them up, we lose a lot of other good things:
A sense of belonging–sure we all belong to the entire human race, and we shouldn’t become exclusive and tribal at the expense of our neighbors and others, but there is a point at which we want to know where we “fit” in the scheme of things.
Support and encouragement–I love my family; and I even like most of them! But I recognize a bond that cannot be broken lightly, and it keeps pulling us together in good times and bad. We are there for baby showers, funerals, weddings, house-warmings, graduations, and reunions. As our family has grown, we can’t always be at every event, but I will never be without anyone. There is a horrible epidemic of people who ARE living and dying alone– no family to visit or be visited; no family to talk to, or argue with, or share memories. This breaks my heart, and it breaks the heart of the God who made us to be “relational.”
History and legacy–My life has a purpose and fits into a plan. I am uniquely “ME”, yet I am also a daughter, sister, wife, step-mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin (and second-cousin once-removed, etc.). I didn’t just appear out of thin air, and I won’t disappear without leaving a trace. The choices I make don’t just impact my life. This is important regardless of my history–I am the one who can change a bad legacy into a great heritage, or ruin a heritage and leave a legacy of pain for those I leave behind.
Role models–Having roles within a family prepares us for having roles at work and in our communities– we learn to speak out, and to listen; we learn to ask for and offer help; we learn to respect others and earn the respect of those around us. We don’t learn these lessons perfectly, because there are no perfect families. But families provide a structure and pattern for teaching life lessons that is time-tested and approved. Busy parents are aided by grandparents, uncles, and older siblings and cousins in modeling good behavior, correcting bad behavior, and answering questions ranging from “the birds and the bees” to how to braid hair or tie a necktie. When that structure is missing, young people fall through the cracks in ways both small and crucial.
Seeing how God’s love works through the ages. God doesn’t just love in spurts and impulses. God’s love is eternal, and meant to be shared from generation to generation and spread from family to family.
I pray today that, just as my grandmother encouraged my love of family, that I will leave a legacy of love and faith for others in my life– those who are family by blood, and those who have become the family of my heart. And I hope that others will pray for our families to stay true and strong and fruitful, too.
Prayer encompasses many things–it is a conversation, a discipline, and a journey. It involves talking to God about every aspect of one’s life, and listening for guidance and assurance from Him in return. It involves seeing Him for who He is and giving praise accordingly.
Often, we take this journey without ever making a plan. We commit to praying at mealtime (grace) or in times of crisis or stress (thoughts and prayers), but we pray without seeing it as a journey of faith.
That’s one reason I started keeping a prayer journal, and why I recommend it to others. I don’t write down what I say for grace, or how long I prayed yesterday compared with today. But I do write out various requests that come up each day. I also write down specific people or situations to lift up ahead of time–like charting a journey–so I have an idea “where I’m headed” in prayer for the day. Each day, I pray for a city, nation, or region of the world–that’s one type of “destination” for my prayers. I also have a list of people who are celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. Not only does this help give a focus to my prayers for this day, but it gives me insight from “where I’ve been” to help me in “where I’m going”.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t pray spontaneous and impulsive prayers. But it means that I have an outlook and a purpose that goes beyond the immediate and personal. God wants to have an intimate and personal time with me in prayer, but God is not exclusive in His love…He wants me to see others, to love others, and to include others in my thoughts, actions, and prayers. Each day, I am challenged to look beyond to see what God has done and is doing around me. And each day, I am challenged (and blessed) to participate in God’s work as I pray intentionally, and follow the “map” for this journey.
My husband and I are licensed amateur radio operators. This weekend, we participated in an exercise/contest known as “Field Day.” Every year for Field Day, tens of thousands of radio operators across North America spend twenty-four hours trying to make as many radio “contacts” as they can, in conditions that mimic being “in the field” or off-grid. Many groups, clubs, and even individuals will set up in camp sites, open fields, county fairgrounds, barns, sheds, and other locations. Some will use their radios on generators, batteries, solar power, or the lowest power settings available. Some will have campfires and cookouts; others will order in pizza, but all of them will be seeking to make radio contact with people from all over the continent.
To make an official “contact,” certain key elements have to be exchanged. Every licensed amateur operator has a “call sign”– a unique identification code. There is also a “report”, telling how many radio stations are being used by the group, and what kind of conditions and power supplies are being utilized. Finally, there is a section code, telling where the station is located. Most codes are similar to the two-letter state codes used for mailing letters, GA for Georgia, CT for Connecticut, BC for British Columbia. All three elements must be sent, received, and understood by both operators to qualify for a “contact”. In other words, if I am listening, and I hear an operator in Texas give his call sign, his report code and his section code, it doesn’t count unless I know he has heard my information, and he knows I have his. Only if both parties have exchanged and verified all information can the contact be “logged” and counted.
Communicating via radio is an amazing experience, even in this age of cell phones, and Skpye, and social media utilizing satellites. Knowing that your voice is being carried by the thin air and transmitted to someone across miles using simple machines that use less power than a desk fan or a microwave oven is mind-blowing. But on Field Day, it is even more miraculous to listen as thousands of voices are carried simultaneously. The radio hums and crackles with the static of ten thousand tongues all trying to get their message out–“Here I am!” “Can you hear me?” “Did you get my message?” “Where are you?” “Who are you?” Letters and numbers and codes all mingle and form a messy barrage of sound. Voices, beeps, pops, whistles, and more assault your ears, before you can tune into just one understandable voice. There is a thrill in hearing that lone voice calling out their message..they could be anyone from any number of places. You get ready to respond, and then you hear it—static of a hundred other stations trying to get through. All those radio waves carrying the hopes and messages of a hundred or a thousand others just like you, wanting to make contact; wanting to be heard and understood.
Sometimes, miraculously, you get through on your first try– you send your call sign, and the other operator repeats it back, telling you it’s ok to send the rest of your message and receive his/hers. The two of you exchange the three elements, sign off, and you can tune to another frequency and try to make another contact. Most of the time, though, you spend several minutes calling out your ID, hoping to be acknowledged, only to listen as others get to make their contact, waiting your turn. Even more frustrating, as you wait, sometimes the atmospheric conditions change and the voices all fade out into a low buzz of static– the contact opportunity is lost. Conditions may change in another minute– or an hour– or not at all. I may hear from someone in Alaska, or Vermont, but I won’t be able to count them as a contact this year.
Field Day is exciting; sometimes frustrating, sometimes exhilarating. There is a thrill to making a contact and finding out that you’re talking to someone from Alberta, Canada, or South Florida, or Rhode Island, or the San Joaquin Valley in California. It’s exciting to make a contact, and realize it’s someone you know from a neighboring county! We have a logbook program on our computer that “shades in” the various sections as you key in a contact, so our map becomes colorful as the contest period continues, and we tense up to see if we can fill in most of the sections– can we “get” Hawaii? Nova Scotia? Wyoming? South New Jersey? Will the weather and atmospheric conditions cooperate? Sometimes a series of thunderstorms or solar flares can break through or distort the radio waves and make it impossible to stay tuned in long enough to send and receive even a short message. Sometimes, you can make clear contacts with certain regions and not with others, even ones close by– one year, we got zero contacts with a neighboring state, while getting several other regions hundreds of miles away!
While Field Day is exciting, and it serves as a great way to test and practice with radio equipment in case of a nationwide or region-wide emergency, it is still just an event–a single 24-hour period of making contacts with complete strangers (in most cases) for a couple of minutes.
Prayer is a thousand times more amazing than Field Day for a number of reasons. Think about it:
God is ALWAYS listening–twenty-four hours, seven days a week, every moment, every year of our lives.
God is ALWAYS tuned in to our cries– there is no distortion, no static. He hears millions of cries simultaneously and with perfect clarity.
We don’t need a “call sign” or identity code. God knows each voice intimately..He doesn’t have to ask us to speak louder or more distinctly. He doesn’t hear an “accent” or lisp, or rasp in our voice. He doesn’t have to ask us to repeat our request three or four times because He didn’t understand us the first time.
We don’t need a section code– God knows where we are better than any GPS system every invented. We can’t hide from Him, and He isn’t surprised to find out where we are, or where we came from. He already knows where we are and where we’re going!
Our messages can be as personal and as lengthy as we want. God doesn’t need to “hurry up” to get to the next person’s request, and He wants to hear all our thoughts and needs.
Prayer is not an event or a contest– it’s not a practice run–it is an actual conversation with our Loving Father!
You don’t need a license, or a radio, an antenna, or a microphone to contact God!
We can pray for others anywhere, anytime, for any reason, and God already knows the details– where they are, what their needs are, and what is best in the long run. Just as He already knows us intimately, He knows the needs of everyone we’ve ever met– and everyone we haven’t met yet! Some groups will have made upwards of 500 contacts over the course of Field Day– God can make millions in the same moment, and not miss a single one!
God doesn’t want to make contact with us to fill a quota for a contest; He doesn’t want to hear from us because it’s thrilling to hear from someone new. He wants to have a relationship with us– filled with love and trust and hope and joy. He doesn’t just want a Field Day with us– He wants Eternity!
It appears on our money in the United States. It is our official national motto, “In God We Trust.” See article here But is it true?
In recent years, many people and groups have tried to challenge this simple four-word phrase. Some claim that it violates the “separation of church and state”. However, the phrase is not specific to any one religion– most of the major world religions (and most of those practiced in America) agree that there is (at least) one God, who can and should be trusted.
I actually worry a little less about those who are challenging the phrase than about those who simply ignore it or give it lip service. And I pray that I don’t fall into the latter group, but in certain moments, I can’t honestly say that I am trusting fully in God. Instead, I tend to trust in various “God-like” things:
I trust my own intuition or my own reason
I trust “experts”
I trust “the science”
I trust “the numbers”
I trust in the money that bears the motto
I trust in my own strengths and abilities
I trust in my husband
I trust my church
I trust my family
I trust what I read on Wikipedia or what I look up on Google
I trust what my friends send me on Facebook or Twitter
Of course, some of the things listed above are obviously suspect; others seem reliable and true. It’s hard to argue against some of the things on the list– it’s hard to doubt what I see, what can be measured, or what has proved true in the past. And yet, I have been hurt and betrayed by many of these things– my feelings are unreliable; my friends or family give me advice with good intentions, but bad results; images and even eyewitness accounts don’t always tell the whole story, and, increasingly, honesty and integrity are being crushed out by compromise and expediency. “If it bleeds, it leads…” “The truth is evolving..” “We all have our own ‘truth’..”
God’s truths are eternal and righteous; that doesn’t make them easy or comfortable. Sometimes it seems as though God takes a stand on both sides of an important issue– or that He takes no side at all– leaving us confused and wanting quick and well-defined answers. I have friends who agonize about being on the “wrong side of history” with many current issues. Let’s face it– no one wants to be on the “wrong side” of anything. We draw lines and pick sides– both sides can’t be “right”, can they? So how can we know if we’re trusting God if God is silent or ambiguous?
In the end, there are a few guidelines that have helped me be more confident and have acted as anchors for my faith:
Reading the Bible: not a verse here, or a chapter there to support a particular action or position–consistent reading THROUGH the Bible– from beginning to end, or at least through an entire book at a time.
Asking tough questions: I would love to assume that I already know the answers or have the “right” opinions, but if I can’t handle being challenged; if I never have any questions or can’t ask the ones I keep pushing down, that should be a sign. Sometimes the more questions I ask, the more I have! But, as uncomfortable as it is in the beginning, it is better to ask, and chase after an uncomfortable answer than to ignore the question or pretend to have all the answers.
LISTENING— really listening, whether to friends who seem to know all the answers (see above) , or those with really good questions. It also means listening to those with whom I am tempted to disagree, and to those with whom I passionately disagree. Listening is not the same as accepting or agreeing, but it is important for at least two reasons:
Every person is made in the image of God– how I treat them is a reflection of my love for God. I will fall short; I will still hurt people’s feelings, whether or not that is my intention, but if I’m doing it through pride, hatred, or disdain, I am dishonoring God.
Second, I cannot say I understand a person if I’m cutting them off, talking over them, and finishing their sentences for them. Often, while we may disagree on semantics or details, it turns out we agree on more than we assume we know about “the other side.”
Praying for wisdom and discernment. It sounds odd to those who trust in their own understanding, but God WILL open your eyes, ears, and mind to truth, even if it’s being twisted, covered up, hidden, or falsified. God promises, again and again, to give wisdom freely to those who ask. He doesn’t want us to be confused and frustrated– but He does want us to seek out His truth instead of wallowing in the bog of “little white lies” and obfuscation around us.
Waiting and listening for the Holy Spirit to prompt my conscience. This is much like asking for wisdom, but more subtle, and in some ways more dramatic. The Holy Spirit is our guide and counselor (think Jiminy Cricket, but much more spiritual and always right). Even if I’m not aware enough to know what to ask or what to question, the Holy Spirit will often prompt me. Have you ever been reading along, or listening to someone’s story, and suddenly you just get the sense that something is “wrong”– you’re not getting the whole truth; or there is a detail that stands out and doesn’t make sense, and it keeps niggling at your conscience? Yeah– that. Pay attention to that– even amidst the graphic images and angry voices surrounding you.
Keeping track of God’s faithfulness– I don’t maintain this blog because I “wish” that God was faithful, or because someone managed to convince me that this is what I “should” believe. God has proven faithful through all my questions. I know I can trust Him because I have trusted Him through good times and difficult times; times when it didn’t make sense, when it wasn’t popular, and when circumstances pointed in other directions. I have seen God’s hand at work in history and prophecy and personal testimony in ways that defy expectation and explanation.
And whether of not it’s printed on my money; whether or not it’s popular or “patriotic” or punishable by law, I will continue to trust in God. He is trustworthy and true; faithful in mercy and love; sovereign and altogether righteous. In God I have trusted; In God I trust; and In God I will continue to trust.
Yesterday, I expressed a goal of looking around to Thank God for his amazing creation and looking for God throughout the day. I saw mist rising from fields–fields that are lush and growing, and others that are soggy or just beginning to show tiny shoots; I saw red sorrel, and bright green leaves, beautiful flowers of many colors, a majestic sand hill crane, a bunny, plenty of birds, and dozens of excited kids!
First, I thought of the bush– it burned but was not consumed. What does this tell me about God?
God often catches our attention with displays of His power– God has the power to consume us. He is even described as a consuming fire. Yet God is not out to “burn” us– he often uses fire or struggles to refine us, to “burn off” the briers in which we have become entangled or to rid us of impurities. But, as with the bush, he longs to work through us as a refining fire, without destroying us. God’s fire within us draws attention– it startles, even frightens some–but it is a controlled fire with a Holy and life-giving purpose.
It reminds me that God is not to be taken lightly. We don’t play with the kind of fire that engulfs a large bush; neither should we “play” with God’s warnings, his promises, or his truth. Just because God uses fire, doesn’t mean that it is harmless for us to use on our own.
It also reminds me that God is present IN the fire of our trials–if we are feeling the heat, God is there with us. Just as he was found in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; just as he was found by Moses in the fire, so we can often find him with us or speaking to us in times of crisis.
Second, I thought about God telling Moses to take off his shoes, because the ground he was on was Holy ground. Three thoughts:
Holy Ground is sacred– God doesn’t want us tracking in sin and filth on our shoes. Once I get home, the shoes come OFF. I don’t want to track mud and goo and who knows what all over my floors. God will not tolerate sin seeping in or sticking to our soles to enter His presence, which bring me to…
Moses was in the very presence of God. God’s voice was in the bush, but his presence was all around– even in the very ground. God wants to be so close to us that NOTHING separates us. Later in life, Moses and God were so close, that Moses glowed from having spent time with his Heavenly Father face to face. Moses had to wear a veil to cover his face when he was in the presence of people– he lifted the veil to talk to God!
The last thought blows my mind…God told Moses to take off his shoes because he didn’t need them. Shoes provide protection from all kinds of things– hot sand in the desert, scorpions, shards of glass, thistles and thorns, sharp rocks…When we are in the presence of God we don’t need protection from anything! He is our safety, our fortress, our shelter. We don’t need shoes, or safety belts, or helmets, or sunscreen to protect us from His presence! (Unless, of course, we are stumbling over His cornerstone! Kicking against the Solid Rock–even with steel-toed shoes–is not a safe prospect.)
If someone reading this is also going through the fire today, I pray that we can see God’s presence or hear His voice in the midst of it, and kick off our shoes, knowing that God’s presence makes even the desert sand or the fiery furnace Holy Ground.
Our church is having Vacation Bible School this week. VBS is one of my favorite childhood memories, so I’m excited to be going back as a volunteer. I’m working with toddlers this week–children of other volunteers, who are too young for the “full” VBS experience.
I was surprised and encouraged, though, to see that there IS a curriculum for this age group. Yesterday, we talked about God’s wonderful creation. We sang songs, played, ate snacks, and listened to stories. One of our activities was to talk about some of the specific things that God created (plants, animals, the sun, etc..) When I asked the group, “Who created everything?”, one little guy popped right up and with all the confidence of a three-year-old, proclaimed, “My Daddy made it!” This was not really a wrong answer– His Heavenly Father did make everything, to which another young fellow added, “Yeah, God made tractors, too!”
Toddlers may not have the “approved” or “acceptable” answers to big theological questions, but their hearts instinctively know that good things come from our good Father. The whole group was ready to shout out about plants– grapes, tomatoes, pickles, and blueberries were all mentioned, along with carrots and corn. Lions, elephants, and puppies. And, of course, tractors.
Sometimes, it’s easy for adults to get distracted by the things WE have made–plans, careers, decisions, mistakes, partnerships, habits–that we lose sight of the wonderful things God has given us.
I want to take some time today (before and after working at VBS) to pause and say, “Thank You” to my father for clouds and trees, for carrots and blueberries, for hope and joy, and for puppies and elephants, too. But I also want to pause and soak in the amazing thought that “My Daddy made it”– for my good, for his pleasure; to be enjoyed and protected, used and shared.
Yesterday was Father’s Day. Father’s Day can be very difficult for many people– in my case, it can be a reminder of how much I miss my Dad, who passed away 20 years ago. Some of my friends have had recent experience in losing a beloved father. For some, the hurt is still there after 50 years, or 70.
For others, it is a difficult day, not because they grieve the loss of a father to death, but because they grieve the absence of a loving father– an absentee father, an unknown father, an abusive father, or a distant, cold, or critical father.
At this point, I generally point to the Father who is eternally loving and faithful– Our Heavenly Father is God of the fatherless and the orphan, the God of restoration and reconciliation. No matter where our earthly fathers are or have been, God is always right by our side.
All that is true, but I want to share something that’s been bothering me. I scrolled down my FB feed, and listened in at church, and talked to a restaurant owner, and looked at the card section at the store. And there’s something missing. It’s not that we don’t honor fathers. I saw a lot of wonderful tributes to dads, husbands, brothers, and sons. I saw sons sitting with their recently widowed father at church; a son honoring his father by taking him out to eat; fathers and sons wearing awesome matching shirts with fun messages, and lots of old photos of dads with their families in years past, as well as newer pictures of dads with goofy toddlers, and pretty girls in prom dresses, and holding newborns.
We honor fathers, but we do not honor Fatherhood. We seem awkwardly proud and surprised when fathers actually show up and do their job. We make it seem easy, even brainless, in comparison to the work of a mother. In fact, there are those who argue that Fatherhood is not necessary for family life. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is POSSIBLE to rear children in a single-parent household (male or female). It is possible to raise strong and healthy children without the presence of a father (or mother). But that doesn’t make it desirable or advantageous for a child, or for society.
What are we losing as a society when we engage in (or stay on the sidelines for) a war on Fatherhood? When we make excuses for bad fathers or mothers who choose to denigrate the men who gave life to their children? What happens when “dad” becomes, not the name of a single influential person in your life, but the name of whichever man is currently living with mom, AND also the man who sees you every other weekend? What happens when the media consistently portray moms as hardworking and wise, and dads are the comic relief?
We are losing the next generation of fathers; the next generation of men with drive and passion to work for something beyond their own whims and wants. We are losing the next generation of women, too– as they struggle to be both mothers and fathers, or choose to be neither because it’s too much trouble to do it alone. We are losing a sense of what it means to be a Father– the honor, the responsibility, the joy and pride, the reward. Worst of all, we are losing the examples of fathers who through their words and actions, are pointing others to our Heavenly Father. God is not a baby-daddy; He is not an absentee father or an every-other-weekend Father. He is not a faceless provider of money for new clothes and college textbooks. He is not a goofy guy who tells bad jokes and pats you on the head once in a while. He is not the one who never shows up for your game or your dance recital because he’s too busy playing golf with the guys.
This isn’t universally true– and I’m so grateful for the men, young and old, who are staying the course, setting the examples, and standing out like beacons of light. And I don’t wish to belittle the women who have had to be both mother and father due to death or other circumstances beyond their control. But we desperately need good fathers. We need fathers who will fight the good fight; not fathers who are Missing In Action. We need active, responsible, faithful Dads. But we need to pray for them. We need to honor them. We need to encourage and support them. More than just one day a year….
Pursuing Prayer 