Tag: God

Moving Out, Moving On, Moving Up Part 5

December 5, 2021

Sometimes we just need to remember what really matters.

In the midst of waiting, confusion, confession, and learning to surrender it all, an unexpected reminder brings us to our knees in humble recognition of the main thing.

Jesus.

Last night, Brendan took our friend and me to see The Chosen Christmas movie. It was a good thing I had a pile of tissue in my purse. The two words that circled my mind during our time in the theater and long after were brilliant and anointed.

Not only is this a top-rate production from every aspect, but it also sent chills through us the entire time.

The music, from old classic Christmas hymns to what will be a couple of new favorites, was superbly done. Children and strings added another layer to the musical treat.

Interviews with the musicians gave us a glimpse into the reality of every day life framed with the message of Christmas.

Each season, we talk about the Christmas story, but never in my life have I ever seen anything like this portrayal. The Bible came alive.

And as if that wasn’t enough—truly, it would have been—in between the magnificent musical numbers and interviews were dramatic monologues given by some of the Chosen actors who spelled out God’s loving plan for the salvation of his children from the beginning of time through today.

It was an evening of awe, worship, and the stunned shaking of our heads at the incredible message handed to us in the most beautiful package.

I’m still marveling at the truth and simplicity of it all as well as the God-given inspiration, talent, and resources that made it happen.

We can’t wait to see it again. And again.

The most important part is that I was reminded of the magnitude of God and his love for us. That we have no way of comprehending his intricate plans for our good. And overall, nothing really matters except for having the most intimate relationship with Jesus who came to us as a baby to be crucified so that through his resurrection, we could be living eternally with our God.

In light of that, our current journey takes on a new meaning.

God has miracles for us. His plans, if we choose to accept them, lead us into great things that will open up the way for others to come to know him. And through it all, he draws us closer to him where we get glimpses of his heart of love for all of us.

What a tremendous reminder.

Today, everything looks different. And so does this Christmas season.

To be continued…

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/The-Chosen-Christmas

Moving Out, Moving On, Moving Up Part 3

December 3, 2021

Today God showed up again.

He always does exactly when I need him to.

The morning started beautifully in worship, prayer, and reading the Bible. We received a response to an inquiry on a rental place with the same words we’ve heard over and over.

“I already have numerous applications on that one, but I have another one available in two or three months. When do you need to move in?”

“Yesterday. LOL” I texted back.

But, no worries. God knows. This is no surprise to him. Carry on.

We worked on hours of compliance requirements for our business. Prayed some more, and then went to go get a box of my books out of storage since someone wanted to purchase my new series.

No problem I thought.

I was wrong. Big problem.

Simply being at the storage unit, seeing the mess of our remaining belongings, and searching for the elusive box triggered those frantic days of moving three and a half months ago. The uncertainty and exhaustion, the sorrow, grief and confusion. It all came rushing back.

I paced the hall while Brendan replaced the things he’d moved to search for my books. And then I remembered that the last time I was at the storage unit, that overwhelming day of despair, was also the day God did a miracle. He healed my broken foot.

It happened like this:

Brendan and I had the final load to put into the unit. The clock was ticking and time running out. The truck needed to be returned in five minutes, and we still had the largest piece of furniture to unload. Our bed frame is a solid wood, canopy bed with four-inch square posts attached to a substantial headboard. Our very strong son and Brendan could just manage it, but our son was at school so that left Brendan and me alone to navigate this extremely heavy piece.

I’ve mentioned my limitations. Something like rheumatoid arthritis has rendered the joints in my hands and wrists barely moveable – I can’t even drive – so lifting and maneuvering the bed with Brendan seemed impossible.

Somehow, we managed to figure out a way to position it on our dolly. It was a great plan.

Except for the fact that we didn’t realize the space it would rest on the dolly had precisely the same opening as the post. We slid it over, dropped it in place and it slipped through all the way to the ground.

On top of my foot.

Excruciating barely describes the pain that shot through my leg. I screamed. Brendan probably swore – I’m pretty sure I did. I knew my foot was broken. Fumbling to get it off my foot first, and then out of the way, we both cried.

But we had no options except to push forward and get the thing moved.

Gritting my teeth and praying for help, we muscled it into an open space. We watched a massive lump develop on my foot, but I told Brendan to go take the truck back. I would continue to move things the best I could.

He left reluctantly. I limped, dragging my broken foot as I loaded the cart to take things up to the second floor. Trip after trip, I cried and prayed, stating that Jesus is my healer and I would not let this injury be the final word of a terrible day.

That same incredible, Jesus-example friend I mentioned in a previous post, picked Brendan up from the truck rental place and brought him back to storage to get me. Our son arrived to help Brendan.

I decided not to go to ER, even though our friend insisted I probably should. I had faith that God was healing it.

“Let’s just wait and ice my foot,” I said to my friend.

Within an hour, the swelling receded, and I could move my toes again. Soon after that, I could put weight on it. A purple bruise spread across my foot, but faded quickly to yellow over the next few days.

I realize that without an x-ray, there’s no medical proof that my foot was broken and healed. But the evidence based on the weight of the bed, the pain and immobility, and the way the bruise spread and dissipated so quickly, indicated a miracle to us.

Today, I needed that reminder at our storage unit.

And as if that wasn’t enough, when we went to pick up our mail afterwards, we opened a letter from our previous mortgage company to find a check. A refund. Really?

God paid our house off, gave us money, and now was sending us another unexpected check?

Tonight, as I write this, I’m freshly reminded of the goodness of God. Even in the telling, there is a refreshing revelation that he has our back. He sees our pain. God knows exactly what we need when we need it.

I might think I need a home, but what I really need is that sweet grace of Jesus.

To be continued…

Moving Out, Moving On, Moving Up Part 2

December 2, 2021

On the day we were to move out of the vacation rental, I booked an extended stay hotel for a few days. (For previous post click here.) Within hours, friends called to offer for us to stay with them for a month. Their one-bedroom apartment unit and extra bedroom/bath worked well for us. Four days later, we moved in, grateful for this next leg of our journey. Even then though, I confess to having a melt-down. In exhaustion, even while standing in the kitchen area of our new, temporary lodging with a beautiful view I cried.

“Be grateful,” I admonished myself.

“The holidays are coming, and I don’t have a home.” I whined.

Weeks later, God allowed us a wonderful trip to stay with our oldest daughter and her family who were visiting North Carolina. We also made an unexpected connection with some old friends who had moved there. It eased my grief about holidays and not being in a home with family. God knew exactly what I needed.

Our one month turned into two with this wonderful couple. Because of a project they were developing, our stay actually ended up being helpful for them. Only God knew how perfectly the situation would benefit us all!

On Monday, our stay there came to an end.

During the past two months, one night while I made dinner, I felt God say to start looking again. Brendan concurred. We were led to a property that we believe we will purchase at some point in the near future. We went to look at it and fell in love with the potential, even though it doesn’t make sense. But we know God told us not to worry about whether it makes sense or not. He said to trust him, and he will give us this territory to impact the surrounding community. We started praying over the area, and continue to wait for God’s timing and resources.

Then in a dream a couple weeks later, I saw us looking at warehouses and office buildings. I woke up with the strong sense to look for an office. Maybe we would end up living there? I searched commercial property and one particular place caught my attention. It would be perfect for our business team. When we went to look at it, we immediately sensed that it was to be the location of our office. It’s bigger than we need, but the impression we had was that we were building for the future, not only the present. We would need the space to grow into. And God indicated that we will impact all the offices that fill the neighborhood. We’re still waiting for the owner to make a decision on our rental offer.

But still no living situation. It all makes no sense. But God’s peace has been undeniable.

So we packed up, loaded our cars, and didn’t know where we were going to go. We ended up at our church for a leader’s training and worship night. Our faith got a boost in that incredible environment. Our son had a place to stay, and we ended up at a hotel for the night.

Now we are at a friend’s house.

We all believe God’s saying for us to be here right now as we formulate business plans. Plans that are God directed and run. And while it makes perfect sense in the realm of the Kingdom, it makes no earthly sense.

But here’s the deal.

I woke up in the middle of the night and realized how peaceful I felt. In a hotel room with our belongings stuffed into our car and no solid place to call home, my heart was settled. I realized how much God had changed me over the past few months. The incredible things he’s working in each of us and our marriage as we journey through this “homeless” adventure are undeniable and valuable.

When I surrendered looking, I gave up my need to figure things out. Eventually, I let go of what I wanted and decided I wanted God’s will more. I choose to believe that no matter how messy and senseless our circumstances may appear, God’s plan is good. He is in control.

People need to know that. They need Jesus. And if our journey can further that in any way, that is what we want more than anything.

We don’t know where we’re going. We continue to wait and look as God leads. We’ve approached a few places as possibilities. Only God knows where the perfect fit is for us.

I’ve decided that it’s okay if I don’t know. He does. That’s all that matters.

In the meantime, we’re revamping our business. I’m writing new books. We’re discovering those areas God wants to grow us in, and we’re waiting expectantly and patiently for him to lead us. We’re speaking his promises and visions for us in faith.

That is where our strength is renewed.  That’s what God promises.

“Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

To be continued…

Moving Out, Moving On, Moving Up

December 1, 2021

Photo by Artem Podrez on Pexels.com

Life can be an interesting journey.

These past few months have been especially challenging, intriguing, and edifying. I just looked up the word edifying to see if I used the best word.

  1. Instructing; improving.
  2. That educates, informs, illuminates or instructs.
  3. That enlightens or uplifts.

Yep. That’s it.

We’ve definitely been instructed, improved, informed, illuminated, enlightened, and uplifted. All of the above.

As a matter of fact, it’s so much of all those things that I feel led to share it as it unfolds. Hopefully, you’ll find that our story leads you into some of the list above, but at the very least, may you find it entertaining.

The beginning of the story can be found in #3 miracle in my previous post. If you want the overall details of what began this moving story (no pun intended), you can read that post here.

After we lost our house in the auction that rocked us and left us questioning how God could direct us in doing the right thing only to have it blow up in our faces, we frantically began packing up our house.

I have to say right here that in the previous post, I described the miracle as we see it now. However, at the time, while we believed God must have a plan, and we said we were trusting him (and we were to the best of our ability), frantic does accurately describe how I felt. I confess that I lost it more than a couple of times during those three weeks.

That is because:

#1 – we didn’t know where we would go

#2 – we were being threatened by the new owner that any day a sheriff would throw us out

#3 – my physical limitations made packing difficult and painful

#4 – Brendan was working extremely long, physical hours in a town an hour away

#5 – we were working with a company to help us claim the money that was allegedly ours, but we didn’t know if we should trust the legal system (that had just burned us), and the company – to us and many others it seemed pretty unbelievable that these laws existed (see previous post)

On the night before the sheriff would show up at 7 a.m. the next morning, according to the very nice, and cautious (can you blame him these days?) officer who posted a notice on our front door, we were giving things away, selling items, and throwing whatever we could in the truck. We booked an extended stay hotel for a few days so we could figure out next steps.

That’s when the real fun began.

Brendan showed up to check us in around midnight. I had called the hotel earlier to let them know we would probably be checking in very late so they would be aware. An extremely helpful, kind young woman assured me it would be no problem and made a note at the front desk in case we arrived after she left at eleven.

All good, right?

Wrong.

The hotel wouldn’t allow us to stay there because we were locals.

I know. Crazy, right?

Apparently, there are hotels in the area which are frequented by local people involved in drug and sex trafficking so those establishments have decided that no one who lives within fifty miles can stay there. We don’t understand the logic.

Granted, Brendan in his sweaty, dirty, packing and loading a moving truck attire may have appeared less than respectable at the midnight hour, but still. Seriously?

Thankfully, God intervened in the form of a dear friend who rescued him, took me home to her house, and went back to finish loading the truck with him until 2 a.m. That is Jesus in action, my friends. She gave us her bed and slept on the couch!

We debriefed and rested for a few days at her home while she was on a family trip.

I cried a lot. Prayed even more. Okay, so maybe I cried more?

I don’t know. Don’t judge. Trusting Jesus is a process. Which is why I’m telling this story. Because where I was then and where I am now is miles apart.

Except the crying thing. Sad, happy, or moved with the Holy Spirit and my love for Jesus, I cry. I think my husband is finally learning to accept this.

During those days, we found a vacation rental and booked it for a month. We hadn’t found anything permanent. The market here is insane right now. Very few rentals with outrageous prices are snatched up within hours. Houses are selling at equally crazy prices.

The condo was a nice place on a lovely golf course ideally suited for Brendan and I with our youngest son. Those first couple of weeks went by without us finding anything to rent. We waited for the funds from our house sale.

Then we felt as if God said to stop looking. What? That made no sense to me. You need a place to live, you scan all the ads each day to find one. But it seemed that God had something different for us. It was a process for me to not look. Whenever a new listing popped up in my email, I’d look, then quickly delete it. Next time, I’d delete it sooner. Then one would seem good, and I’d check it out. For days, I fought the urge, gave up, gave in, and let a day go without succumbing. Finally, I surrendered and quit totally. Then the money from the house came through.

Coincidental? I don’t think so.

Since we asked the owner, and it seemed like the place was available, we assumed we would be able to extend our stay, but that didn’t end up working out. So we were on the move again.

Moving out, moving on, and moving up?

To be continued…

Want to See a Miracle?

November 27, 2021

So do I.

And the truth is, I’ve seen God do incredible, unbelievable things – miraculous things.

But here’s another truth: They don’t always look like what we expect, the way we expect, or in the timing we expect.

Here are a few examples:

  • When my husband (then fiance) and I were applying to get him a visa to come to California to marry me, he had to file a cleared police report. He turned in the paperwork and was told it would take a number of weeks to process. We didn’t have weeks. Our wedding was planned according to when we felt God said to wed, and each step of the visa acquisition was specifically timed. We prayed. Brendan called a couple of week later. They lost his paperwork. That was NOT what we expected or wanted to hear. BUT…because they lost it, they put a rush on redoing it and getting it pushed through – faster than it would have originally been done. Miracle.
  • Brendan took the kids and flew to Sydney to turn in the final paperwork and pick up his visas. On their website, it stated that he could pick them them that same day if he waited for them after turning in his documents. When he arrived, however, they told him they would mail them in six weeks. Except he was booked to fly out for our wedding in only a few days. The kind gentleman entered Brendan’s information, even while insisting that there was no way it would be approved that quickly. A few seconds later, it was approved. Brendan’s visas were in hand. When he called to give me the good news, it was 5 a.m. my time. We realized that no one but God could have made it go through.
  • A couple of years ago, I asked God to give us the house we’d recently purchased free and clear, wiping out the debt after Brendan lost his job and I was unable to work due to physical limitations. It was a stretch to believe God would do that, but I kept praying while we also worked with the mortgage company to modify our loan. After six months, we were given a deferred payment, and then Covid hit. We made those payments, but when it came time to get a new payment, the mortgage company didn’t respond to our many attempts to settle it. In the meantime, one of the HOAs in our community decided to sue us for back payments. We spent six months negotiating with them to try and pay them off, but they kept refusing our offers. Even on the day before they were going to auction the property, we spent the entire day, cash in hand at the court and the HOA’s lawyer’s office trying to make the payment while they stalled and then raised the price more than $2,000.00 putting it far out of our reach. We left as the court closed, stunned and not understanding what had just happened. Our house was auctioned the next morning. BUT…in Florida, when a property is sold at auction, any outstanding debt becomes the responsibility of the new buyer (who knew??), and the money paid to purchase the property (after the debt is paid) goes to the owner (that would be us.) Again, we had no idea. In the end, we lived in our home for 2 1/2 years, paying the equivalent of about 6 months payments (due to unforeseen circumstances, not our negligence), the debt was completely wiped out, and we ended up with an unexpected chunk of money. Not at all what, when or how we expected, but God answered my prayers. Miracle.

And those are just a few.

I’m not going to say they have been without heartache. Mostly because at the time, we struggle to trust when circumstances don’t look like anything good can happen. I’ve grieved over losing our house and having to quickly pack and move at a horrible time in the market. But even now, as we wait for what God has next, we’ve learned to trust more, take riskier steps, pray bolder prayers. We want to see God do miraculous things. Not just for us, but because every time we share the miracle, it encourages someone else.

That money we ended up with?

We’ve been able to be generous with some situations that have blessed others. Yay, God!

Miracles aren’t just for us, they are to show people that God is real and almighty and desires good for us.

But as Chris Sonksen says in his book, indispensable church,

“The hard truth is that most of us will never see a miracle because we’ll never do anything that requires one.”

So, where have you seen a miracle? Or where is God urging you to step out in faith, trusting him for one? Has he called you to give, write, speak, start a business? Where have you pushed aside that nudging to make a difference in you family, your church, your city?

I’m thrilled with the things God has done in our lives and the lives of others who boldly step out in faith to bring God’s kingdom into our physical world. I can’t wait to see what he has coming next. But I do know that whatever he has, it’s because he loves us and wants us to know it.

Open your eyes and get ready to see a miracle.

If you’d like to read about the many miracles God did that brought me and my Aussie husband together, you can read our story in The Miracle of Us: Confessions of an Online Dater.

A Mighty Wind

October 16, 2021

I’m in editing mode right now as I am trying to get my next book released. Book 3 in the Winds of Redemption series, A Mighty Wind is coming soon. That means that I have very little time to write.

Which makes me a little sad because God has been teaching me SO MUCH!

I’m looking forward to sharing a couple in incredible downloads that God has given me recently, but for today, I MUST get back to the paper manuscript and red pen. (Yep, I’m old-school that way.)

The countdown has begun.

So to whet your appetite for you readers out there, here’s a little excerpt and the new cover to go with it…

When Amanda Grace Stiles senses a whisper from God to visit a hospital room where she works, she finds a woman lying in a coma. As she prays for the stranger, Amanda has no idea of the journey she’s embarking on with the woman’s past criminal life, or the friendship God has planned for them. Nor does she expect to fall for the handsome, hospital orderly that intersects their paths.

Tyrina Louise Duval nearly loses her life trying to save another, but even in her rescue, she can’t seem to be free of her horrific past.

As Amanda and Tyrina each experience joy, sorrow, and threats, they find that God’s plans are good even when they don’t understand.

Chapter 1

May 2007, New Orleans, Louisiana

The impression came at her with such force that she spun around to see who stood behind her. But the gift shop was empty. Amanda Grace Stiles first scanned the refrigerator holding bouquets of flowers, and then the shelves of get-well cards. Nothing. What did she expect? The small hospital store was usually quiet at this hour especially on a Monday evening. Visiting hours would be over at eight. Amanda glanced at her watch. Seven forty-five. She had planned to be home by eight fifteen tonight.

Room 236.

The whisper pressed into her heart. Again? He’d been sending her on these little missions more frequently these days. Not that she really minded. Amanda felt humbled that he would choose her. She wasn’t anyone special.

There was no mistaking the urgency in the request that compelled her to quickly finish up her closing duties and count the money in the drawer.

Now.

The unspoken voice came again. Not sternly, but with a sense of timely necessity. Amanda lifted her eyes to the ceiling and sent up a quick silent prayer.

Should I clock out early?

It could cost her job if someone caught her leaving. Closing early. What if a customer came in for something in those last few minutes? But she knew she had to heed the insistence she felt in her spirit. She was learning to obey when God spoke.

That’s all for now…look for A Mighty Wind to blow into print mid-November. And if you want to read book 1, When the Wind Blows and book 2, Where Blows the Wind, you can get them here. By the way, book 2 and 3 can be read in either order since book 2 is about Tyrina now and book 3 takes us back to where her life was saved.

Until later then…

Oh! What a Relief it Is!

October 9, 2021

I’m dating myself, but does anyone else remember the Alka-Seltzer commercial with the jingle of “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz. Oh, what a relief it is?” Catchy tune, that one.

But today, I experienced a very different kind of relief.

It came from obedience.

I know what you’re thinking. There are a lot of things that bring relief.

  • When the paycheck hits the bank before the bills do.
  • When your teenager comes home safely at night.
  • When the baby finally goes to sleep.
  • When the doctor gives a clean bill of health.
  • When you stop in time without hitting the car in front of you.

But I’ll bet you’ve never thought about feeling relieved when you’ve known something God said to do and you obeyed.

You might even be asking why should I feel reassured about that? Fair enough. I’d never really thought about it either until today. And then, today, my husband and I followed through with something we knew God told us to do. There was a great flood of relief that washed over me. So why?

  • Because we were doing something out of love for God. Our obedience shows our love.
  • Because we know God is faithful in everything he promises so if he asks us to do something, he has good reason.
  • Because in our obedience, we honored God, and he is worthy of all the honor we can give him.
  • Because our obedience leads to him entrusting us with greater things.
  • Because he promises to reward us. We don’t obey for the reward, but we are grateful for it when it comes.
  • Because obedience brings freedom. God’s got this so we don’t have to concern ourselves with anything if we are obeying him.

I will probably think of more reasons as the day goes on. But let that suffice for now. I just know that this sense of well-being is from a loving heavenly Father who loves us and wants good for us. When we obey him, things go well for us. Even when something looks like it might not be turning out well, it will. Even if something is hard, painful, grievous, or difficult, when we are obeying, the end result will be good.

The world’s answer for anxiety may be a tablet plopped in a glass of water, but my relief comes from the Lord, our living water.

Getting Off Track

October 2, 2021

Photo by Aline Nadai on Pexels.com

I had a vision the other day when I was praying. I don’t know if it was exactly a vision, but often when I’m praying, I get a random picture in my head. Except, I don’t believe they’re random. When I’ve prayed for people, and a picture comes to mind, the person is usually astounded at the way it perfectly relates to them or their situation.

That’s the power of God. He sees and knows all things. His Spirit is able to speak to us and through us if we are willing to be in communion with him and used by him.

All of that is an explanation for my time with Jesus last week.

Due to crazy, unexpected circumstances, our family is in a transition situation with housing. The details for this post don’t matter as much as what I’ve been learning in this season.

The journey is always more important than the destination.

I may know and believe that, but in the middle of circumstantial pressure and timelines, deadlines, pressing in, I forget. And recently, I realized that I was seeking answers from the Lord more than I was seeking him.

Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7). He says our heavenly Father is good and wants to give us good gifts (Matthew 7:11). Every good gift is from Him! (James 1:17) The Bible also says that if we lack wisdom, all we have to do is ask and it will be given to us. (James 1:5)

So there is nothing wrong with asking for what we need and seeking direction from God. That’s a good thing!

But what God really wants is relationship with him. He longs for us to be in his presence. We need to seek HIM first before everything else.

I found that when I went to God, I was actually getting off track by:

  • Time restraints – God is outside time, but we live in a timed world that can feel like pressure if we don’t have the right focus
  • Options – sometimes there are many good (and some bad) options available to us, and we can get caught up in the plethora of possibilities trying to figure out the best one God has for us
  • Questions – it’s easy to focus more on “why is this or that happening?” or “what is going on?” rather than trusting that God has a plan and will let us in on it in the prefect timing
  • Outside distractions – illness, broken appliances, world problems, family needs, friends’ issues to name only a few of the daily things that can keep us tied up – the Bible says “entangled”

Praying about all those things isn’t wrong or bad, but I discovered that when I sought only Jesus first, everything else fell into place. Just sitting in his presence, singing to him, praising him, and thanking him changed my heart attitude and made everything clearer.

The Bible tells us to “take every thought captive” and make it obedient to Jesus Christ. I used to tell my kids to think about that verse as if thoughts came knocking at the door of our castle. We might open the little mini-door to see who’s there, but then, if it’s not the lovely, pure, excellent thoughts we should have (Phil. 4:8), we send the thought to the dungeon where Jesus is in charge.

I don’t want anything to distract me from Jesus.

That brings me to the picture I had.

Which was of a large, red umbrella. At the time, I was praying with some people and believed it was for someone. (It turned out it was.) When I first have a picture pop into my mind, it’s just a picture and doesn’t usually make sense, but as I sit and wait for God to explain, it typically becomes clear.

In this case, God said that he was the umbrella and it was time to come out of the rain of things that were an overwhelming flood of distraction coming down. He said to cling to the handle, stay close, and hold fast to him, and he would cover the person. The umbrella was red denoting the blood of Jesus that covers us.

It turns out that the picture was also for me. Maybe it speaks to you as well.

When Jesus is all that matters, he covers us and nothing else, even things that seem (or are) so crucial, lose their position in our perspective. Not only that, but he always comes through with answers, makes impossible situations work out, and makes every crooked place smooth.

I have to remember to keep blinders on – like a horse in a race. LOL

Worship is one of the things that helps me keep my focus on track. This song is one that helped me that day and for days following.

Here’s to keeping on track with Jesus.

The Answer to Everything

September 26, 2021

What would you do if you could have the answer to everything?

Would you pay for it? Sell everything you have for it? Go without eating to get it? Would you go off alone for days if it meant you could obtain it?

What if I told you that the answer to everything is within your grasp, totally free, and the only thing you need to give up for it is yourself?

What is the answer?

You may be surprised. But it makes sense.

God’s presence is the answer to everything. Every prayer. Every need. Every dilemma, tragedy, crisis, challenge, or question.

We see this in the story of Moses.

Most of us have heard the “legend” of the burning bush. A particular movie even satirized it by making it a singing bush. But when we look more closely at the story in the Bible, we see the way it can relate to our life.

Moses was a baby who was supposed to be killed, but by a miracle, he was saved and actually raised in the palace of the king of Egypt by the princess. Growing up, he had every privilege. Fine food, clothes, servants, education, and status even though he was born the son of a Jewish family with a price on his baby head. (Only God can do something like that.)

He grew up and realized his true identity meant he had a role to fulfill, but he tried to do it his way and ended up slinking out of town after murdering a man.

So, forty years later, this humiliated (humbled) murderer is tending sheep, not his own, but his father-in-law’s sheep—an honorable, yet humble profession—on the far side of the desert (talk about alone time), when God appears.

In a bush. Burning with fire.

Naturally, Moses is intrigued and decides to check it out. How can a bush be burning, but never burn up? Physics defied. But that’s God for you.

First thing God tells Moses is that he’s on holy ground. In other words, Moses is in the very presence of God. Then God gives Mo (you don’t mind if I call him that, do you?) some specific encouragement like “you’ve got this” and instruction “say I AM sent you and use your staff.” Mo wasn’t very confident anymore after forty years living in the desert with sheep, but God gave him a sidekick to help him. (I love the way God reunites families!)

God told him up front the basics of what would happen. The king (Pharaoh) would resist, but eventually come around after some serious plague persuasion, and then the people were supposed to ask their neighbors for gold and silver to take with them. (Why would they need gold and silver in the desert?? That’s another story.)

Here are some things I love about this story:

  • Once again (see last week’s post), God came to someone (Moses) when he was alone, far from anyone, minding his own business. God calls us where we are at.
  • God does whatever it takes to get our attention. He knows what will turn our head and make us take notice. Granted, today, if any of us saw a bush on fire, we’d probably be quick to take a video and post it on social media.
  • God sees us. He told Moses that he saw the misery of his people.
  • God is concerned for the condition and circumstances we’re in. His love for us is great, and his heart breaks when we are hurting.
  • God has a good, spacious, place for us beyond the current situation. He never says it will be without obstacles, but it will be great. Milk and honey may not be your jam, but the idea is sweet, nourishing, and abundant.
  • God promises to bring us out of our misery. We have to be willing to do what he says to get out. He does his part, but without our obedience it won’t happen.
  • God has more for us than simply taking us out of a bad situation. When he removes us, he lets us take abundance with us and leads us somewhere better.

We all know the part of the story where the Israelites come to the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army hot on their heels. Ever been in that place where it seems like there’s no way out?

God parts the waters, the army drowns, and the people make it to the other side safely.

What was the answer to all their questions? Prayers? Needs?

God’s presence. He saw them. Sent help. Went ahead of them. Cut off the danger behind them, and then led them with fire by night and smoke during the day.

Okay, so today, we may not have smoke and fire, but when we accept the presence of God through believing in Jesus, we have God’s spirit—Holy Spirit—living with us. In us, to be exact. Surrounding us, covering us, filling us up.

But it’s easy for us to let life’s circumstances draw us away from God’s presence. After all, when the hot water heater breaks and leaks all over the floor, it’s understandable that we might be focused on water around our ankles and forget the Spirit of God that we don’t see is right there with us.

Let’s say something like that happens. And even though we’re surrounded by crisis, when we know that God sees, has a plan, knows what we need, and wants better for us, we can take a moment to rest in his presence that is there even when we think we might drown. Let him send rescue. Remember that he wants to take us out of misery and give us more. Ask him for instructions.

So, what burning bush has he sent your way lately?

After a Long Time

September 19, 2021

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Do you notice how it seems that when we are in a place where something is taking a long time to happen or change, our fear and doubt grows?

Yeah, me too.

That also happened to Obadiah in the Bible. When I read his story recently, I was struck by the parallel to our current lives.

Here’s the basic run-down of the situation:

For a long time, a crazy lady, Jezebel, and her bad-guy husband, Ahab, had been running things like tyrants in Israel and all the surrounding areas. They had set out to kill all the godly prophets (the folks who spoke the messages of God to instruct and encourage his people), and many of them were dead.

Obadiah was actually in charge of the king’s palace, but he had been frantically working to save these prophets by hiding a hundred of them in caves and sneaking them provisions.

Like I said, it was a crazy, scary time.

To top it off, there hadn’t been any rain for three years so there was a severe famine in the land. Ahab called on Obadiah to find grazing land for the animals (clearly more important than the people it seems.)

But as always, God had a plan. And it was a great one. It seems like in the places of the greatest lack, God does the biggest work.

When Ahab and Obadiah split up to search for some grass, God sent the prophet Elijah to speak to Obadiah. I love that God waited until Obadiah wasn’t with Ahab. He often gets us alone, away from the distraction of the enemy, so he can speak to us.

You can imagine how stunned and excited Obadiah was to see Elijah. He was, after all, the prophet of all prophets. The main man, we might say. He evaded capture because of God’s protection and suddenly showed up to speak to Obie of all people. (You don’t mind of I call him that, right?)

This is where I started to notice some cool things.

  • Obie was a “devout believer in the Lord.” Don’t some of us feel stuck in an evil situation for a long time even though we are steadfast in following the Lord? Following Jesus doesn’t always mean we won’t have trouble. In fact, we may have even more. (But always with a good ending.)

Elijah instructs Obie to go tell Ahab that Elijah is in the area. Say what? Yeah, Obie kind of freaks out about this because obviously Ahab is out to kill Elijah and anyone associated with him.

  • Because of his past and current trauma (3 long years of drought, tyranny, and killings), Obie doubts this man who he absolutely knows is a good guy. Isn’t it easy for us to doubt what God is telling us when all we can see is our past and/or current trauma?
  • Obie predicts that he will be killed IF Elijah doesn’t follow through with meeting Ahab, IF Obie tells Ahab that Elijah is “in the house,” or IF God decides to take Elijah away again. “If” and “what if” gets us in trouble every time we say or think it. When we start projecting possible problems, our fear increases and faith diminishes.

God is so faithful though. Elijah promises that he won’t bail on Obie, and in the end, Obie decides to trust God and Elijah. He goes to inform Ahab of the situation. All good, right?

Yes.

But, not without trouble.

Immediately, when Ahab meets Elijah, he throws out false accusations at him saying that Elijah is the trouble-maker in Israel. In truth, it’s Ahab and Jezebel who are the trouble-makers, and Elijah makes it clear. Not only with words, but with actions.

  • Whenever we are falsely accused, it is the enemy—Satan—who uses people to speak against us. He accuses us with the very same thing that HE is doing. So instead of getting all offended by the accusation, we can recognize it and calmly call it out with truth especially if it is the opposite of who we are and the same as what that other person is doing/saying. Sometimes it’s best to ignore it. Don’t defend ourselves because we don’t need to. Taking a stand in godly conviction is different than defending ourselves and our position. (Still learning this every day!)

This is where things get really good.

Elijah doesn’t just confront Ahab and argue with him, he calls all the people together and has a contest. Yep. Right then and there he tells them to make an altar and put some meat on it and call on their gods to catch it on fire and burn it up. He says he’ll do the same thing, and whichever god answers the challenge is the real God.

  • The people wavered between the God of their ancestors and the gods of the evil tyrants, Ahab and Jezebel. In light of something new, they let go of the truth they knew from the past. God says that if we need wisdom, we should ask him and not doubt what he says or we’ll be double-minded, tossed back and forth. Do you ever feel tossed? I’ve learned that if I feel unsettled, it’s because I’m trying to hold onto two things. Usually, it’s that I know what God says, but I’m trying to make it fit something else that seems to make more logical sense. Just saying.

The people agree and build an altar, stack the meat on top, and spend all day calling, dancing, cutting themselves, and finally screaming at their gods, but nothing happens. (Why are we not surprised? If their god was real, why after 3 years of sacrifices, hadn’t it rained?)

  • What type of plans, rituals, pleading, figuring, etc. do we often attempt in order to make something happen in our lives, but to no avail? Maybe we are looking at the wrong things and/or motives to secure what we want or need.

I’m sure you’ve guessed the rest of the story by now (unless you are a Bible reader and already know it).

Elijah built his altar, but he one-upped the deal by adding a trench and pouring three jars (we’re not talking mason jars, people) of water over the entire thing. Before he called on the Lord, he proclaimed that the people would know that God was the only God and turn their hearts back to him.

  • This year, everywhere in scripture, I find that same theme. “So they will know that I am God.” What if we choose to believe that everything that happens in our lives, good or bad, is so that we or someone else will know that God is who he says he is?

Of course, God came through because he gave Elijah the plan to start with, and Elijah committed the altar building to the Lord, the only true God. The fire of the Lord consumed the entire altar as well as the soil and all the water. (I’m still wondering where they got the water in a drought…but God!) God never does things half-way!

In the end, the people came to their senses, got rid of all the false gods and the false prophets of Baal. Elijah prayed for rain, and after seven reports from his watchman, it rained—a lot! That’s a whole other story. And then, God made Elijah teleport to the city Ahab was running away to. True story. (And you thought teleporting was a new idea.)

The story doesn’t end there. Elijah has an exhaustion melt down—no wonder! That was some pretty intense work he did. But God shows up in a whisper.

  • Sometimes we look for God to show up in the same way all the time, but God is far more creative than that. Where have we missed hearing God because we thought he would only speak a certain way?

The bad guys get theirs—in a bad way.

  • The bad guy always loses. Think of when people watched their political hopeful, the Savior of the world be beaten and crucified. That was a dark day. But God brings life out of death. No matter how dark, he is always victorious. I’m learning to think and live from that reality of victory rather than the false reality of circumstances—even when they look more real. Truth is, we are actually spiritual beings in a physical world. Think about it.

You can read the entire story and more in I Kings. This came from chapter 18 and part of 19, but I recommend starting at the beginning. Actually, the beginning of the Bible will give you the entire story of it all.

Seriously, if you’ve never read it, it’s the best book ever written. Step aside soaps and reality TV. The Bible is where it’s at!