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What Do We Find Under God’s Protection?

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A memory came up in Facebook the other day. It was the day that I went back to work after Olivia was born. I was holding her, and torn about leaving her. She was holding my finger in the photo, something she had often done since. Things haven’t changed much. I still get a little torn when she goes off to school. Something that I learned about her is that she doesn’t know what to do when people are mean to her. She will just sit there and cry, or hold it in until she can’t take it anymore. That is what happened a couple days ago.

As a mom it is almost impossible to have experiences with your children and not relate them to your relationship with God, or His love for us. And that was the same when Olivia was struggling the other day with not wanting to go to school.

I knew something was wrong. I had a pretty good idea that someone had been mean to her. Yet no matter how many times I tried to ask about it, she wouldn’t tell me what it was until the fear of going to school became too unbearable. At this point she was clinging to my leg telling me she just wanted to be with me. A sure sign that she didn’t feel “safe” going to school. 

And that is what she wanted. As the bus pulled up, she broke into hysterical tears. One last time I asked her, what happened at school that was making her not want to go that day. She blurted out through tears “someone pushed me on the playground a lot and I fell”. Later on she would tell me that it was a girl that had pushed her and when she fell, the girl just laughed at her. 

She felt unsafe and unprotected going to school. But she wanted to feel safe, and protected… like she wasn’t going to get hurt.

At home she had refuge, and strength, and support. But she had something else too… as she clung to me, there was love. The love that took her home, changed her shoes, and brought her safely to school. 

Deuteronomy 33:8 says “the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are everlasting arms”.

A few years ago I had a dream that I was in the tower of a castle. It felt like a fortress, or a place of refuge even. The tower was strong, and it felt like nothing could destroy it. I was towards the top of the tower looking down, as enemies tried to break through the tower walls, and destroy my protection. But I had confidence that wasn’t going to happen.

I can often feel like Olivia. Scarred from the days gone by, terrified to move forward, and forgetting I have an unfailing Father who is my refuge, shelter, and strong tower. And I can lack the confidence I had in my dream. I can also forget what I have often found when I’ve been under God’s shelter.

What do we find under God’s protection?

I wrote about Psalm 91:1-2 last week, but if we ever wonder what we find when we abide in Him, Deuteronomy 33:27 answers that question. When we rest in the shadow of the Almighty God, we find everlasting, unshakable, and unfailing arms.

Arms have strength, and carry things. Sometimes what we have in our arms is fragile, and we have to carry it carefully. Just as sometimes God carries us when we are weak. When we are carried by God, we are not carried by weakness, but by someone who has enough power to raise His son from the grave.

What else can we find under His shelter?

When we abide in Christ, we would find what Ephesians 1 calls spiritual blessings. If I could come up with a list of spiritual blessings, it would be long. Protection, rest, grace, forgiveness, strength, redemption, kindness, goodness, peace, faithfulness, assurance, a secured place in heaven. I could add everlasting arms to that list. 

My desire to protect Olivia has always been driven by love. And when I read scripture, I am continually amazed that the things God has done for us and given to us are, as well, all driven by love.

May we remember that. May we remember that under His refuge are good things done for us, and given to us out of a deep love. We are His adopted, and chosen daughters. With that title comes covering, and shelter when we are weak and in need of His everlasting arms to carry us through.

How To Endure A Storm

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I was sitting in the first 2 verses of Psalm 91 this week. That was where God had me, because everything else felt overwhelming. A lot of times my struggles feel like a battle. But this didn’t feel a battle. It felt like I was in a storm. And it felt like the storm came up fast and furious. Storms and battles are different, and require different reactions. Battles require more action, and storms require more stillness. As we approach battles, we put on armor. In storms, we seek shelter. In a battle, the armor is on us, in storms the shelter is over us. My time in Psalm 91 helped me understand how to endure through a storm.

Where is the safest place to be during a storm?

I have learned that the safest place to be in the middle of a storm, more so a hurricane, is the eye. The winds create a round center that is calm. Protected almost. 

And as the week went on, and the strong seemed to come crashing in from different directions, I was comforted by Psalm 91. You may know the know the verses well. “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”” 

Beautiful truths, but to help us understand it a little deeper, here are other words taken from the Hebrew translation… The one who sits, stays, inhabits, in the secret place, covering, safety of the Most High will rest, abide, lodge under the shade of the Most powerful God. The word “will” in the verse implies a truth and a certainty. There is no question about this. Only assurance. We will find shade, if we abide in Him, who is our refuge and strength.

My favorite translation of “rest” in the Hebrew translation is “pass the night”. This verse basically promises that night will end. But while its night, we can be safe and secure. It is as sure as the sunrise. But until it does, we can trust, have confidence in, be secure, and feel safe under God’s protection.

But when we are in need of shelter, do we immediately say “the One we trust is our refuge”?

The One. The Most High above all else, and set a part. 

Storms pass. They do. But until they do, we can find shelter, safety, protection, under His shadow. We can be like Peter, until he got distracted. He knew the safest place to be wasn’t in the boat, it was closest to Jesus.

Let’s take a look…

Here were the disciples, just hours after the feeding of the 5000. Jesus had just performed this incredible miracle. Feeding a large crowd, with barely enough food to feed my own family. 

You would think their faith would be at an all time high. However, Jesus made the disciples go ahead of Him in a boat, and He dismissed the crowd so He could be by Himself to pray. So maybe their fear was in part because Jesus wasn’t in the boat with them as the storm came up, as He had been the last time. 

Not only is Jesus not with them as the boat was buffeted by the wind against it. But they became terrified when they think Jesus is a ghost. Seeing a ghost would terrify me, so I can understand the disciples fears. But I can further resonate witnessing God’s work, and then quickly finding myself in the middle of a storm, and scared.

As Jesus comes to them on the water… again doing the miraculous, they still wanted assurance that it was Him. “Call me out of the boat” says Peter. And Jesus does. Jesus called Peter to do the same thing He, Himself was doing. The impossible.

Jesus doesn’t call us to do the ordinary. Just like He doesn’t do the ordinary, even in a storm.

We will never know what it is like to actually walk on water, but when we step of our boat called “safety”, and into the “storm”, our walk with Christ can really feel like walking on water as the wind and the waves crash around us.

We can find the shelter and refuge that Psalm 91 speaks of. But I want to make mention of this… The shelter and refuge most likely didn’t stop Peter from getting soaked by the wind and the waves. Peter was still in the storm, so the shelter he found by being close to Jesus protected him from being overtaken by the storm. 

Until Peter lost his focus…

Peter’s response to the wind and the waves showed that he had doubts about the One he was walking to. He got distracted from the greatness of Jesus, and begins to sink. I know what panic feels like. I felt a bit of panic this week, and surely Peter had to have felt it. Thankfully despite Peter’s brief moment of doubt, He calls out to Jesus, and we see the strength of the hand of Jesus. 

Be still, and know that I am God.

This story teaches us that we will never sink if we keep our eyes locked on Jesus. His hand is strong enough to save. We can be confident He is with us, and will come to us in the middle of the storm. Yet as He is with us, He also is in control of it all. He grabs us the second we call out to Him.

When the storms come, and we need shelter, we can pass the night under His shelter and care. We can be still, so that we don’t get swept up in the winds and the wave. But if we find ourselves beginning to sink, we just need to call back out to Him, who will reach out, and bring us right back to walking on water, right next to Him.

Why God’s Holiness Brings Me Comfort

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I was reading about the Lord’s prayer in Luke 11 today. Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. And I was caught by how Jesus opens His prayer. Father, hallowed be your name. This week I had thought a lot about holiness, and what that means. God being holy seems like an intimidating thought for so many, because we see how far short we fall. I have definitely been there myself, being consumed with how unworthy I am. But as I was reading about God’s holiness I was comforted by that aspect of God. And so today I share with you, why God’s holiness brings me comfort. It makes me feel deeply loved. Beloved.

Our Father, who we are told by Jesus, to call out to in prayer, is Holy. Set a part from all else. In Him there is not a speck of darkness. My Bible app translates the word “hallow” as holy, perfect, pure to the fullest. And separated from profane things.

Why God’s holiness brings me comfort…

This Holy One, we get to call Father. And if comforts me that He is holy, because the Holy One carries us, and is with us, and goes before us, and calls us by name. What peace that can bring us. We aren’t carried by any darkness but only by glorious light. There is no shadow of fear, or uncertainty in Him. No doubt, or lack of confidence. 

I can be found guilty of not remembering who God is, and who He has always been. But this is our Father, our creator, guardian, and protector. If were to do a spiritual DNA test to show our spiritual ancestry, God would be the beginning. And we are His descendants.

We are descendants of a Holy God. And that is just beautiful. 

1 Peter 2:9 says that we a chosen people. A royal priesthood. Holy nation, God’s own possession. And the ones that He called out of darkness into marvelous light are to declare His praise. What I put in bold in actually in caps in the Greek translation. That means Peter didn’t want the readers of his letter to miss this point. It was important and not to be skimmed over. Same goes for us.

As His descendants, we are also told to come to Him like children. And that sounds all nice and great, but what does that even mean? That question tripped me up. I know exactly what Jesus said, but what does that look like for me, in my life? Because I can often be found coming to Jesus like an adult. An adult who knows exactly what can go wrong in every single situation, like Jesus doesn’t hold all things together and isn’t fully in control.

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

And then I thought of Charlie and Olivia. Each morning I put them on the bus. They go on willingly trusting that they are going to get to their destination. 

They don’t question me or have the same fears that I do. “What happens if the bus gets in an accident?” “What happens if someone is mean on the bus to my kids?…. There is only one bus driver and like 30 kids on the bus, how can he control them all?” “What happens if something happens at school?”

All the questions that can run through my mind sometimes. 

But my kids get on the bus with joy, trusting the bus driver will take them to their destination and then back home again after school. 

I guess that is what being like a child is like. Putting aside approaching Jesus like an adult. Believing that He is in control, and holds all things together. Hoping against hope. Trusting that God will guide us to our desired haven, whether that is where God is leading us in life, or the day that He will welcome us into heaven when our time on earth is done. And believing that He will provide our every daily needs.

Our God’s, our Father’s provision comes daily. \Our daily bread, as we need it. He did it for the Israelites, and will do it for us. 

He will never not be holy, or good, or set a part. God will never run from us in our time of need. It is not His nature to do so. He will be close, He will come to us, because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

My prayer for us all is this. May His holiness give us peace and comfort, so we can come to Him as children, fully trusting in who He is, so we can live how He created us, as His adopted, and chosen daughters, who deeply know their unfailing Father.

My 2023 Word For The Year

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How many of you do words for the year? I know many of you don’t. It isn’t right or wrong to do one or not, but somehow they end up being fitting for me. You can read about my word of the year from last year here. But my word of the year this year is so different than the words I usually chose. What is my 2023 word of the year?

Beloved.

I will be honest, I am not sure I fully grasp what that word means. I know what the word love means. But this is different, and I am not sure the dictionaries definition really captures its meaning.

Beloved: Dearly loved

Dearly loved, and close to the heart are decent definitions. But I want to reflect on the word a bit more as it pertains to being a child of God. I will do this by sharing a story that I was encouraged to share again recently, but then share the redemption story that I didn’t think to ask of pray for.

After college in 2014 I moved to Long Beach, CA. To help ensure my safety, my dad bought me a new car. I would say it was my “dream car”. Navy blue. Illuminated lights, leather seats, and had a sporty feel when it was driven. And it also had what I like to call a fin (otherwise known as a spoiler).

About 9 months later, as I was driving home from a doctors appointment, and I was returning the phone call of someone who had called me 2 months prior. Thankfully it was rush hour, so I was only driving about 35 in the center lane of the 405 (a 5 lane highway), when a piece of plywood flew off the pick up truck in front of me and crashed through my windshield.

It took me a minute to realize what was going on, and that I still had my foot on the gas. I slowed the car to a stop, trying to figure out if I was still alive or in heaven. At that moment a tracker trailer stopped and pulled the piece of wood off of me. I always wonder what he thought he was going to find as he had witnessed the accident. A week prior this happened to another car on a California freeway, and the driver had died instantly.

The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8

A nice couple pulled over and sat with me as I made phone calls trying to find someone to come get me. But back then we weren’t as attached to our phones as we are now. And then they sent me to the hospital. My car had safety glass, so I had 1000’s of splinter sized pieces of glass all over me. In my hear, my eye lashes, in my clothes… everywhere. So they wanted to get me cleaned up the right way and make sure I wasn’t seriously injured.

My car ended up being totaled because of the amount of glass that got into the electrical system of the car. And that was the end of my dream car, which in a way had been taken from me.

Looking back I am always amazed at how God had gone before me, even at a time I wasn’t following in His ways. It was rush hour, so I was driving only 35, I had 3 people pull over to help me, my car had safety glass, and for some reason that day, I returned a phone call I had gotten months before, which caused the wood to hit my wrist, and not my neck. If it weren’t for specific details, the story probably would have ended differently. But God loved me enough to spare my life, even though I definitely didn’t deserve it.

Amazing grace. End of story… actually not really.

Then God did the unexpected…

Around 20 years later I would have another car incident. In 2020 my car was stolen from from my driveway. You can read about it here, but it was quite the 13 week ordeal. Again my car was taken from me. This time it was not my dream car, but I loved, and was safe for my family.

Again my car was totaled, because the person/s who stole the car somehow destroyed the engine.

So I had to go car shopping. After test driving a couple cars that I just wasn’t happy with, I was a bit disappointed. Then I spotted a new car model I had never seen before. When I sat in the car, it felt like my dream car. It looked different on the outside, it was white, and also a small SUV. But the inside was exactly the same. The illuminated lights. The leather seats. The sporty way it drove.

I knew that was my car. It was more than my car. It was in a way redemption. God giving me back what was taken from me. It was something that I didn’t ask for, and definitely didn’t expect. But I felt so loved and seen by God.

Actually I didn’t just feel loved, I felt dearly loved safe, and secure, and close to God’s heart. I felt beloved. And as I look back on these moments, I see just how much God loves me, by His graceful care for me, even thought I don’t deserve it.

Several time in the New Testament the writers of the chapters use the word “beloved” when they are addressing the people who they are writing to. The one I share with you today is Jude 1:20-21

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

The word for “beloved” in Greek here is translated further as “esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love”. And as His beloved daughter, that is how He would call out to us if we earnestly seek Him and His ways. The word “keep” is translated as to attend to carefully, or guard. I think of a precious piece of jewelry here. Something you don’t want lost of stolen, or broken.

May I suggest that we treat ourselves that way, guarding ourselves, and attending to ourselves carefully by abiding in His love. So as we continue in 2023, may we, as beloved daughters keep ourselves in His great love, and keep looking for His mercy and kindness of Jesus, until we are with Him face to face.

We stay rooted in His word, walking in His ways, and believing He works everything for His glory and our good.

And as we do this, we will see His love for us, and look back and say God has done more than we could ask or imagine.

Be Still And Know He Is God

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Be still. That was my word for 2022. Technically 2 words but you get the point. Be still and know He is God. As I have reflected on the past year this week, those 2 words (and Psalm 46:10) couldn’t have been more appropriately. My heart and mind has had to be quieted, still, and calm more than ever this year. And this was only possible by knowing God is God. That the Lord is the Lord.

When we have full faith, depth of our being that He is God, we will have a peace that surpasses understanding. And there was a lot that I didn’t understand this year. God lead me to give up something that I loved in the very beginning of the year.

Why would He do that? Because He knows what is ahead. He knew I needed the freedom in my life to be more narrowly focused on the other things He had called me to do. And when I wrote the email that said “I need to step back”, I did feel that freedom, and that my time was now undividedly His, and not my own.

This preceded the unexpected…

Within a couple week of this, began a pretty decent season of me being sick. I am not a sickly person. But this year was marked with ear infections, sinus infections, too many antibiotics, a procedure to help fix it, then a surgery when the procedure didn’t have its fully desired outcome, and then 2 rounds of c-diff. This was about 6 months of time all together.

It wasn’t fun. It was tiring. And it required a lot of faith, and being still. Because just as I was dealing with these new things health wise that I had never dealt with before, God was also leading me to new levels in ministry.

I was telling my friend the other day, that usually when you are sick, you take time off. And there were definitely things that I said no to, and scaled back on to allow myself enough energy for what God had lead me to do. But when you follow Christ, the answer a lot of time isn’t to quit when things get hard. I want to mention that, yes, there are definitely times you need to step back for a time, but I am talking more about when life begs you to quit, and Christ calls us to endure.

We can only endure when we know deeply that He is God. Because when we hold on to our fears, and what ifs, and buts, we can definitely find reason to walk away.

But Jesus says that anyone who puts there hand to the plow and looks back isn’t fit for the kingdom of God. That is such a hard truth to swallow sometimes. However Jesus touches on human nature here. When we look ahead at how hard things may be, we may desire to turn back.

This here is the truth…

When we follow Christ, we must remember Hebrews 12: 1-3. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” 

When we want to turn back, we need to remember Christ, and what He endured. In this way, we know He is God, and will find stillness in our hearts.

I shared a little about needing to be still through sickness in ministry, and I could get into some messy details, but I want to share with you probably the biggest thing that I needed to be still for this year. And it has to do with my youngest child, Olivia.

She finished Kindergarten in June. When she started Kindergarten, she was 4, as her birthday is in November. Socially she was ready. She couldn’t wait to run on the bus with her brother her first day. She has always been socially mature. But that wasn’t the same academically. She struggled.

Every report we got on her testing, she was way below benchmark. We tried summer academy, which was run more like camp, but her scores were worse coming out of summer academy, than when she began.

The Gift of Time…

We were told earlier in the year not to hold her back, because “she would get it”, and she was socially ready. But she never academically “got it”.

So we began the discussion with the school a couple weeks before school began in the Fall of holding her back. This came with a lot of worry, mixed with the desire for her to be set up the best for success in the future.

I didn’t want to failed her as a parent. Were we about to make the right choice? Would she be insecure about being held back? And how would we tell her in an encouraging way that she wouldn’t be going to 1st grade with all of her friends?

Eventually it was decided that “the gift of time” in giving Olivia an extra year of Kindergarten would help beneficial for her, and give her a firmer foundation in the future.

Did we make the right choice?

We had an abundance of peace once the decision was made. And we told her that to give her the best chance of succeeding in life, we felt it was best for her to have a little more time in Kindergarten. It definitely helped that the school allowed her to stay with the same teacher.

She is doing amazing academically now. Her scores are the opposite of last year, and she is said to be helping her friends in class as well. She has always been a natural leader, and this has given her an opportunity to develop that more.

As I look back over the past year, I have seen the importance on Psalm 46:10. Be still and know that He is God. Because when we do that, we will have a peace that passes understanding, we will be able to endure the difficult seasons in life, and really look back and see how faithful and good God is. Looking back should increase our faith, and encourage us in our seasons ahead.

Know He is God.

So as we pass from one year to the next, be still. Know He is God. Because He is, and He is faithful, and we will look back and see that.

What Makes Christmas Wondrous: Promise Fulfilled

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Have you ever heard about the 400 years before Jesus came, and the significance of that? It is the time between the end of the book Malachi and the time when Jesus was born. And as far as anyone knows, God did not speak, and no scripture was written. This time in history is just one more reason that makes Christmas so wondrous, because God fulfilled promise.
What happened during the 400 years aren’t mentioned in scripture. But history gives us a picture of what happened when the Old testament ended and the New Testament began.

What happened during these 400 years?

These years began with the Jews back in Israel after they had been held in captivity Babylon. The temple had been rebuilt, and although the Law had been restored, the Jews again were not living lives to honor God.
Shortly after the silent years began, Greek influence overtook Hebrew culture (this is when Greek language was adopted, and the Old Testament was translated to Greek). At first the Jews were treated fairly well, but eventually the reading and observing the Hebrew law was outlawed, an altar was up for the Greek god, Zeus in the temple that was created for God, Himself.
The ruthless ruler who had this done even sacrificed a pig on that altar, which was basically a slap in the face to the Jews, as pigs were considered unclean. He also turned other rooms in the temple into brothels, and murdered thousands of Jewish women and children.
That was just the beginning of the darkness that those 400 years held (you can read more about what happened in the silent years here). The silent years seemed mostly hopeless, and definitely held a level of darkness that had never been experienced before.

But hope would come, just not yet.

There was a brief revolt when the Maccabees revolted, they had a cleanse and rededication of the temple that took 8 days. The Festival of Dedication. Hanukkah.
But their newfound freedom didn’t last long, and soon they were overtaken by the Romans.
When the New Testament begins, Herod the Great (The king of the Jews) was in power, and tried to appease the Jews by marrying into the Jewish bloodline and expanding and renovating the temple. He also allowed them to follow Jewish law.
That all sounds great until you realize that he had an intense desire for power. It also seemed like he only wanted to please the Jews, so that they wouldn’t turn against him.

Here begins the New Testament.

Why does all of this matter? And why does it matter to us?

I think of how many times I lack faith, or respond to God in unbelief, yet we have these people that scripture records as still being faithful and still holding on to hope that there will be redemption for God’s chosen… even after 400 years. There were still some of God’s chosen that held on to the promise. There would be rescue. Hope. Freedom. God would fulfill what was spoken years prior.
This was evident in the lives of Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph.

What makes Christmas so wondrous?

Knowing a bit of the history of the 400 years, makes Mary’s response to the angel so much more profound. This promise had obviously been passed down for generations and generations through the darkest days. 400 years. I bet as the years went on and on, every day one day farther from the days the promises were spoken, more and more people started to lose hope.
Imagine being Mary hearing about this promise. Maybe she heard about it from her parents, or other family members. She had obviously believed it, and held on to the hope that someday there would be rescue again.
And then some day arrived. The angel of the Lord was sent to her. So favored that she was chosen out of everyone else to carry and birth the promised Son.
This wasn’t just any angel either. It was angel Gabriel, an angel who stood in the presence of God.
She was at first troubled by his greeting, but he assures her to not be afraid, that she had found favor with God. Then comes the news that she would conceive a son. He would be the Son of the Most High, would be given the throne of David. But His kingdom would never end.
“May your word to me be fulfilled.” Mary says right before the angel leaves her.
She believed it. She knew it was true, and she reflects a gratitude, faithfulness, and humbleness in how she hears the news that after so many years, God was going to fulfill His promise and it was going to begin with her.

Wow. Promise Fulfilled.

When you know a little bit more about the 400 years of silence, it makes Mary’s song of praise even more meaningful. She ends saying this:

From generation to generation, His mercy extends to those who fear him. He performed mighty deeds with his arm. Scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. Brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. Filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. Helped his servant Israel. Remembered to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever. Just as he promised our ancestors. Luke 1:50-55 

Have you ever waited a long time for something? As you have waited has your hope lost weight? Does the confident hope that you felt in the past all of a sudden feel like it is balanced with fear and doubt?
We live in the “already, but not yet.”  What makes Christmas wondrous is that it is a time we remember that promise was fulfilled. Jesus came to be near as promised, but He has yet to come again as promised.
However, we live in a time when all we have to do is look around and see all that He has given us. That His promise is true. Because of this, we can remain confident in hope that He will be with us every step of the way. We will see it, if we believe. If we keep our eyes locked on Christ, the promised Son, who was, and will come again.
If you hope is beginning to fade, as doubt begins to grow, may you remember Jesus. That He came near, and is with us. And may that give you the confidence to holdfast to hope, that His promises are true.

How To Rise Above Your Circumstances… Like Habakkuk

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Do you ever look at the world around you and think “What is going on right now?” Maybe justice doesn’t seem to prevail. Your circumstances dictate your behavior, and as much as you call out to God, you don’t feel like God is listening to your prayers, because you don’t see them being answered. Let’s look at Habakkuk and see how to rise above our circumstances in times like these.

Habakkuk opens his book with a complaint to God that may sound exactly like how you are feeling. “How long must I call to you, but you not listen?” Destruction was before him… too much of it for his liking, and he cries out to God that justice never prevails.

I can only imagine what Habakkuk’s social media page would have looked like. But would he have shared his discontent about what he was seeing around him with his following? I am not sure.

“Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?” Habakkuk 1:3

And how about us? When we see what goes on in our own world, and the world around us, what do we do? Do we take it to God? And run to His word? Or use our platform to share our thoughts, and cause a stir?

We will look at one of my favorite Bible people next week, because we will get an outside perspective on what she did, which will give us a model to follow. But let’s start with what Habakkuk does.

Habakkuk wrestles with God in his frustration about the sinful nation, and is upset that God allows Him to witness the destruction He was seeing.

He wanted answers in his time of struggle. But God doesn’t answer by changing Habakkuk’s circumstance or explaining it to him. God answers by offering him words of hope. He tells Habakkuk that he was doing something that he wouldn’t believe.

And finally, at the end of this 3 chapter book, after wrestling, and receiving words of hope from God, he lands on faith. “Even though the fig tree doesn’t bud, the fields produce no food” the Sovereign Lord would be his strength and make his feet like the deer. Enabling him to tread on the heights.

Deer are surefooted animals that can climb rocky cliffs, and never stumble or fall. She can scamper on what looks like impossible grounding, and impassible terrain.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:19

When we run like the deer, and tread on the high places, we can live above our circumstances. God is our strength and enables us to do so. He gives us courage to tread on new heights. We can escape our enemies and gain freedom, because the Sovereign Lord is our strength. It doesn’t matter how impossible things seem if our eyes are locked on Jesus, we can run our race with endurance, and refuse to give up, and then watch with amazement all that God does. We can shake off the things that hinder us and be like the deer, and our God will get the glory. This all comes in the face of what others may do, and what goes on around us. No matter what, we can still boldly live our God’s call.

How to rise above our circumstances.

Habakkuk lived in trying times, but his resolution was to turn his attention to the Lord, despite what he was witnessing. God’s promises were his firm foundation, as they are ours. We can be free to walk in faith, just like the deer who is unshaken by the heights.

God, many times, will not change our circumstance, as much as we would like Him too. That isn’t really how He operates a lot of the time.

So, if we want to make a difference in the world, what can we do on an everyday basis?

Tune in next week, as I share more about this by looking at Ruth.

3 Benefits Of Being Rooted In Christ

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Have you ever felt weak? Maybe like a tree whose roots aren’t that deep, struggling to survive? And if a storm comes, you would be shaken and knocked down? Unable to be thrive through the wind and the rain? As we all know, roots are vital to the health of a tree. They provide nutrients to a tree, and anchor it in place. Trees only thrive when they absorb enough water through its roots. And coupled with that, a tree must absorb enough water to grow.

There are numerous references to roots in scripture, and many of those convey the analogy of strength in the faith. 

Roots and Faith.

One of those verses is Job 14: 7-9.

“At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant…..

Oh, how it can feel like a reflection of reality. This verse focuses a lot on what happens below the surface. Roots. Gnarled. Messy. No hope in sight. BUT, even at the first whiff of water it comes to life and grows. …

But I read something interesting the other day. And it is important because water doesn’t just help a tree grow.

“When we pave over our landscapes, and replace deep rooted native plants with shallow rooted turf grasses, we inevitably make flooding events worse”

I got to really thinking about this and our faith. If we have surface level faith, like the shallow rooted turf, the rains will drown us, because our roots aren’t deep enough to be an anchor for our soul, or to absorb the amount of water that a storm can bring.

In short: What is meant to grow us, would actually harm us.

Roots that are deep sustain a tree. So if our roots in faith are deep, we are more anchored in the soil, and we will absorb more living water. When the storms come, we can withstand them better, because we are more secured, and stronger in Christ. 

The deeper we are in Christ, the more we will be prepared and able to weather a storm. The less we will be swayed by the winds, and the less our branches will break. 

And the deeper we are in Christ and abide in His love, and the more we stand on His promises, the more our hope will grow. 

Hope is a natural response to being in God’s word.

Romans 15: 4 says, For everything that was written in the past, was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures, and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope.

This means that hope is a natural response to being in the Word. Troubling circumstances are going to be harder if we are not rooted in Christ, because other things will take root. Fear, doubt, insecurities… false hopes and promises that disappoint. 

God’s word is an encouragement to us, and reveals who God really is. It teaches us about the hope that doesn’t disappoint, and what it means that God really is working all things for His glory and our good.

Trees with deep roots provide protection.

Last week I took my friend’s daughter to a flower farm by their house. There, we found a large Weeping European Beech Tree, and as the hot sun came out, we found ourselves finding enjoying the coolness of branches that seemed to protect us in the moment. It felt refreshing. I was reminded of another time that I had to seek shelter under trees.

I was on a large, open hill, and a couple friends and I were laying on some wood benches near the top. It was a beautiful day, until the clouds rolled in, and we found out hair quickly getting full of static. It didn’t take long for us to realize that lightning was about to strike, and we better run for shelter. We ran towards the woods where trees sheltered us as the storm passed.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Psalm 5:11

As we enjoyed the coolness and protection of the trees, and were basically hidden under the branches and leaves, I was thinking of God’s protection over us. How He provides a place of shading and protection from harm, the heat, the storms. Everything that goes on around us really. He is the safe place that we can go, to find all we need in all weather. Heat or storm. 

What are the 3 benefits of being rooted in Christ?

When we abide, or are rooted, in Christ, we are safe in His love. Despite what goes on around us, we are secure in His embrace, and will grow to be stronger and more secured. And as we remain in His word, hope will grow.

So my hope for you is that you have a hunger for His word, and that you grow by His strength, so that you may have the hope that doesn’t disappoint.

What Abraham Teaches Us About Hope

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What Abraham Teaches Us About Hope is part 2 of a 2 part blog. You can find part 1, What Job Teaches Us About Hope And Times Of Suffering, here. We pick up right where we left off!

Job intimately ties us to the New Testament, because all of his questions and problems are answered perfectly in Jesus Christ. Our faithful Defender. Our living hope.

We can stop believing the lie that God will never let His people suffer, by looking at Jesus, and embracing the truth that there is hope, even when our circumstances try to convince us there isn’t. And this hope doesn’t disappoint or put us to shame. We have a God who doesn’t run out on us, when our blessings wear thin… We have Jesus, His promised Son, who can empathize with our weakness.

What can we have genuine hope for?

Jesus was tempted, just as we are—yet he did not sin. So even though we are unworthy, we can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence and without fear, so that we may find grace in our time of need.

But, what exactly should we have hope for? And how do we get from longing for this hope, to deeply knowing and having confidence in what we hope for? 

  • We can have hope, confident assurance, that our help comes from the Lord.
  • That when we call, He will answer.
  • That He goes before you, and will never leave you.
  • That He loves you so much that He sent His only son, so that if you believe in Him, you will not perish but have eternal life.
  • That one day He will wipe away every tear from your eye, and there will be no more pain or sorrow.
  • That He is preparing a place for us, and that one day Jesus will come again, as promised. 

This is the hope that will not disappoint or put us to shame.

Romans 15: 4 says, For everything that was written in the past, was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures, and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope.

This means what scripture says about what Job experienced can help us have hope and encouragement.

This also means that hope is a natural response to being in the Word. Troubling circumstances are going to be harder if we are not rooted in Christ, because other things will take root. Fear, doubt, insecurities… false hopes and promises that disappoint. 

God’s word is an encouragement to us and reveals who God really is. It teaches us about the hope that doesn’t disappoint, and what it means that God really is working all things for His glory and our good… And, sometimes “our good” means a time of testing so that our faith is proven or strengthened…

As I have sought to know Him, His love has been almost tangibly. His love, that is promised and kept. Made and fulfilled. Unshakeable. True. Fixed in heaven. Sacrificial. Loyal. Devoted. Kind. Gentle, yet strong.  

I am often amazed. Because we are unworthy,  and don’t deserve it do we? His goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and love. Yet He has been so willing to pour it out for us. Grace. Undeserved kindness. 

My prayer is that you to walk in faith, because you know the immensity of His love for you. To never wonder if there is hope for you, but be confident in what you hope for, because you have the unshakeable assurance that the One who promised is faithful. And to be ROOTED in Christ, so that hope can arise in your life.

What does Abraham teach us about hope?

I want to end by looking at Abraham who is described as one who “hoped against hope”, as every aspect of his life seemed to go against God’s promise. God had promised him a son. But as time went on, it became less and less possible, from a human perspective, for this promise to come to pass.   

But what does it mean to hope against hope?… For me, sometimes I hope against fear, insecurity, and doubt, and the wonder if hope will disappoint. 

But when you hope against hope, it doesn’t matter what your circumstances are… you keep walking in faith, believing that every word God says is true.

When we hope against hope we will look back and say “I knew You would work it all out… I believed you”.

We have to have an unshakeable assurance that He really does work everything together for His glory, and our good, even if we can’t see it. That is hope. 

Abraham’s obedience wasn’t perfect, and neither will ours be, but Abraham’s life shows a growing assurance of who God is. As his body aged, his faith didn’t weaken, and he didn’t waver in unbelief.  He knew ‌God had power to do what He had promised… and we see this as God tests Abraham, years after Isaac, his promised son, was born. God, asks Abraham to take Isaac, who he loves, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. 

Abraham heads off with Isaac to the place God would show him, and Isaac asks him where the lamb was for the burnt offering. Abraham assured his son that God himself would provide a lamb. What is promised by God, is going to be fulfilled by God.

God, Himself will provide.

So here is Abraham preparing the altar with the wood that Isaac had carried on his back. He is about to slaughter his bound son when an angel of the Lord comes and stops him. Abraham looks over and sees a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. 

Not a lamb as Abraham had expected. But a ram. A strong adult grown up lamb…known for protecting its herd. Abraham received a bit differently than expected, but more than he expected, and he walked down the hill with Isaac and named the place “the Lord will provide”. 

He is the God who provides. And He is also the God who will see to it that His promises are fulfilled. In more ways than we could ask or imagine. 

Years later another promised Son, would carry a wooden cross on His back. This time, it wasn’t a test. There was no ram in the thicket. And Jesus wouldn’t display His power to take Himself off the cross. The Son wouldn’t be spared, but given up for us so we can be rescued from our sin.That is how much God loves us. He sent Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrificial lamb who would overcome death, and the grave, so we might have this hope that doesn’t disappoint. 

What Job Teaches Us About Hope And Times Of Suffering

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About 6 months ago, I looked deeper into a verse in Job that had growth to mean a lot to me, Job 14: 7-9, as well as the book of Job in its entirety and how it fits into the bigger picture of scripture. And I learned a lot about what Job teaches us about hope and times of suffering.

I wanted to share it with you all but since there is way too much to share in one post… so in my next 2 posts I am going to share with you what I learned about why Job spoke the words so close to my heart, and why they matter to us today.

Ready? Let’s go!

Job lived in a land called Uz, and many believe he lived about the same time as Abraham. Job chapter 1 describes him as being a righteous man who feared God,.Even God said “he is the finest man in all the earth”, and a man of integrity. God blessed Job with wealth, prosperity, and sons and daughters.  

However, following a conversation between God and Satan, Job’s life changes. 

Satan, along with other angels, present themselves before the Lord. Satan had been roaming the earth, most likely looking for people to deceive, and the outcome of this conversation is that God permits Satan to test Job. 

Strange as it might seem to you at first, this conversation comforts me. Here’s why. Sometimes, when we see what goes on around us, it can seem like Satan has more power than he actually does. But we see here that God and Satan are not equal, and that ultimately, Satan’s attempts to bring suffering upon us do not surprise God. God is in control.

The test was to see if Job would curse God when he lost the blessing and protection God had given . Satan was ultimately suggesting Job was only blameless and righteous because he didn’t yet have a reason to turn against God.

Will Job’s faith waver, when what God has blessed him with is gone? Would ours?

Will you still worship God when tragedy comes?

Tragedy after tragedy comes upon Job’s household. He loses his prosperity, livelihood, and most of his family. And is left tearing his robe (which is an outward expression of grieving) shaving his head, and falling to the ground… in worship.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb” Job says”, “and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

On another day, Satan again presents himself before God along with other angels. Satan had been roaming the earth, and God praises Job for maintaining his integrity. We see Satan again allowed to test Job, because surely Job would curse God’s face if not only his possessions and family were struck… but his own flesh and bones.

Job chapter 2: 7-8 paints a disturbing picture of Job’s physical reaction to being afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. He sits among ashes, and scrapes himself with a broken piece of pottery. 

His wife, who is grieving herself, questions Job, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” 

To complicate things more, there was a belief that if you had troubles, God was punishing you for your sin. And three friends offer Job a “perfect solution”, to his perceived “punishment”. Repent before God.

Is suffering always a punishment for sin?

But suffering isn’t always a punishment for sin. Is it true that there are consequences in this life for our sins? Yes! But we will suffer hardship because of things out of our control, for purposes only known by God.

In everything that led up to Job’s suffering, he is said to have not sinned, and he uses psalm like expression to ‌try to understand why he is going through this heartache. When we come to Job 14:7-9, Job seems to speak the words out of hopelessness. He contrasts his life with a tree that is cut down. “For a tree there is hope, ” Job says, But not seemingly for him. He was uncertain there was any hope beyond his life, and this life. 

But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last And where is he? As water disappears from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dries up, So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep.” Job 14: 10-12

We see the uncertainty of what happens after death, and Job’s desperation for hope. His circumstances probably seemed unfair. Why should a cut down tree have a better hope of resurrection than a suffering man?

Job deeply struggles for hope, and to understand “why”..

Why was I not born stillborn? Job despairs in 3:16. And why was life given to someone burdened with grief. He couldn’t relax, had no rest, and longed for death, probably because it seemed better than his current misery.

Maybe like Job, your life feels cut down, and you see everyone else who has hope, but maybe you don’t believe that hope is for you. Maybe you have been following all the rules, “you have done everything right” but you don’t see God’s faithfulness in your life. I have been there, when circumstances out of my control left me feeling cut down, and thinking “God doesn’t look very powerful or faithful right now.” And I wondered if the hope that promises not to disappoint would put me to shame.

In looking back I realized God just didn’t look how I wanted Him to look in the moment, and neither did my life. I longed for a hope that I could see and understand. And I let my circumstance define my understanding of God.

And like Job, part of me wanted to ask God a lot of questions, and just try to justify myself. It can be easy to want to do that when you want answers. 

But God didn’t answer all of Job’s questions directly… And perhaps that is because Job was asking the wrong questions, as we often do. Maybe he should have started the first question he asked with the word “Who.”  

“Who are you God that the suffering of the innocent is worth it?”. Because Job was suffering, and in terms of why he was suffering, he was innocent. God eventually speaks to Job to proclaim who He is. Here is a snippet of the proclamation in Job 38-41:

  • He is the God who laid the earth’s foundations, and shows the dawn its place
  • Who sends lightning bolts where they should go, and brings forth the constellations in their season, and feeds the raven.
  • The one who gives the horse its strength, and knit you together in your mothers womb. 

Job was confronted with God’s almighty power, and absolute authority. God was sovereign. And Job declared the hope that God can do all things for His glory, even when it doesn’t seem so in the moment. Job answers God in Job 40: 4 “I am unworthy- how can I reply to you?” And later says “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” 

Who are you God that the suffering of the innocent is worth it?

Like Job, we will face circumstances without answers and explanations. We will struggle with the hard questions and won’t always be okay.

But as Job did, we can be honest with God. Job’s story reminds us that when we are hopeless, and in despair, we need to not let our circumstances define who we know God to be. We are unworthy because of our sin, but God loves us. And He loves us so much that when we ask the question “why”, He will remind us who He is.

Job teaches us that there is a need for a Savior.

While reading Job, I’ve been reminded of people I meet today. People who feel hopeless and alone. Disappointed. Or on the flipside, unsatisfied, and unhappy even though they have everything they have ever dreamed. Job says perfectly what many people could never put into words. 

“If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot.””

Job couldn’t confidently stand before God in his own righteousness. And He couldn’t justify himself  with all the things he had done right. Job needed someone to stand before God in his defense, and he knew it. Someone to save him from judgment, so he didn’t have to stand before God in fear.

Job intimately ties us to the New Testament, because all of his questions and problems are answered perfectly in Jesus Christ. Our faithful Defender. Our living hope.

To be continue…