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Then Job said, ‘Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
Therefore, I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.’
– Job 42:3b, 5-6
Job was a righteous, God-fearing man who tried hard to please God in all he did.
When hit with unfathomable loss, he worshiped. Even when he was struck with a devastating disease, he did not turn his back on God.
He did, however, complain. His disease ravaged him to the point that he was unrecognizable to his friends as he sat in the ashes and scraped his boils with a piece of broken pottery. Finally driven to the edge, his pain was so great that he cursed the day of his birth. This vulnerable moment opened him up to the final insult as his friends attacked his integrity and heaped the blame for his tragedy upon his own head.
But Job was at the end of himself and in no mood to give in to their self-righteous chastisement. His soul had been stripped completely down to the dirt. They attacked; he defended himself vigorously. Lost in the cacophony was the voice of God. No one seemed to notice.
Except one.
A fourth friend named Elihu sat there, quietly burning with anger against them all, for Job justified himself in his own eyes, and the three friends condemned him without cause. Finally, he spoke up and chastised Job because Job had complained against God instead of seeking Him out in his distress. Elihu presented a moving defense of the power and sovereignty of the Creator.
In the silence that followed, God Himself dispelled the shadows.
He reminded Job of the awesome intelligence that rules the universe and challenged him to present an understanding of even the simplest forces of nature. He rebuked Job for thinking he knew better than such an omnipotent Creator. In His words, we are reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words in his letter to the Romans:
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what his been made, so that they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Job had spent his life following what he had been told about God. In doing so, he been so blinded by his own efforts to please His Lord that he had missed really seeing God in the world around him.
His trials were not some wicked test of wills between spiritual forces, but the means by which God brought Job to a place where he was ready to receive a deeper revelation of the God he served.
Eyes wide open, truly seeing for the first time.
Job came out on the other side of his trial having experienced the God whose faithfulness can be trusted through any hardship; the Savior whose sacrifice can heal any pain; the Father whose discipline is the beautiful badge of His everlasting love.
Slightly Obsessed #219: When the Hedge Comes Down, Part 3
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Satan said, ‘Does Job fear God nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?
But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.’
– Job 1:9, 10a, 11
Behind the Veil
The book of Job is one of the few glimpses given mankind behind the veil into the interaction between God and his created beings. And the revelation is an astounding one. Not only is Satan not in hell, he has access to both heaven and earth. Satan tells God that he has been roaming about on the earth, which immediately suggests 1 Peter 3:8: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He roams the earth looking for human weakness he can exploit to cause pain and destruction.
But it isn’t Satan who brings up Job, but God. “Have you considered My servant Job?”
Satan seizes the bait and is lured into the fight. God grants permission to Satan to strike Job’s family and possessions in a series of losses inflicted by the sword, fire, and wind.
Job responds in the traditional expressions of grief and yet does not blame God. In fact, he falls to the ground and worships Him. His trust in the face of incomprehensible tragedy is staggering.
That’s not the end of it, though. Again, Satan appears before God. Again, God prods the devil into focusing on Job. This time, God grants the adversary permission to afflict Job’s body.
Finally, Job can take no more. From the depths of his anguish come the questions. If Job could have only read the first chapter of the book that bore his name, he would have understood God wasn’t being evil or cruel. He had not forsaken Job. On the contrary, He had singled out Job because of his reverence and diligence toward Him, to display his faith and to pull back the veil on suffering to generations of believers after him who would ask the same questions.
Job sees none of this.
All he sees is his world crashing down upon him. The crucial moment comes when his wife unknowingly steps into Satan’s carefully crafted trap, urging him to make the prediction a reality.
Curse God and die.
But in his darkest moment, when all he thought he knew about God had been lost in a pit of pain, Job refuses to turn on his Lord. Without knowing it, he has won the battle with that decision, revealing both the power of God to keep His own and the fragrance of a faith released under the heel of injustice.
Though Job passes the test, he still has more to learn before the restoration comes. It’s not enough for God to simply see Satan shut down. It’s not about Job passing a test. God has a deeper lesson for the man He loves so much.
Now God speaks.
When He is done, Job understands. He understands.
Job’s declaration rings throughout history for us who have followed. From his suffering comes this encouragement for us today:
When trial has burned everything we love, God brings from the ashes a new song.
Next week: When the Hedge Comes Down, Part 3
Slightly Obsessed #218: When the Hedge Comes Down, Part 2.
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Satan said, ‘Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.’
– Job 1:10-11
It came without warning.
One day a dark cloud descended over our home, and the floodgates of hell opened upon our heads. Events unfolded in terrifying succession, crises that I could never have dreamed would have happened to us. We love Jesus. Our home has been consecrated to Christ, and we have tried to serve Him with our whole hearts. We’ve lived through our share of trials and disappointments, but nothing like the onslaught of the last year.
We were instantly filled with panic, and immediately the questions came. What had we done? How could this happen to a family trying to serve God? How had we failed?
The Bible tells us we all stumble in many ways. But in the wake of the disaster, one of our sons and our pastor agreed one possibility seemed most obvious: The hedge was down. God had given Satan permission to test us.
In the book of Job, we read the account of a man hit with a series of tragedies rarely suffered by any one family. In his story, we read important truths for anyone dealing with bewildering loss. One that particularly stands out concerns the source of his suffering.
Job’s trials were not connected to sin in his life.
In John 9:2-3 we learn the disciples of Jesus assumed a man had been born blind because either he or his parents sinned. Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Jesus healed that man, and it was only then he understood the answer to the “Why?” that had tormented him all his life.
Job was not perfect, but he was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” (Job 1:1) This man reverenced God. He served God with a pure heart and a clean conscience. He even sacrificed offerings for the consecration of his children.
Our problems are often the result of our sin and poor decisions. Even then, God is at work. His response to our sin is not to punish us but to purify and discipline us like the good Father He is.
For Job, it seemed God struck him down without cause.
The Bible tells us trials come upon us for our testing, to strengthen and establish us in the faith.
When we are in the fire, it’s easy to ask God, “Why?” It doesn’t hurt to ask that question and examine our own hearts. If we can find no explanation for the trial, it’s possible another drama is being played out behind the scenes.
Next Week: When the Hedge Comes Down, Part 2
Slightly Obsessed #217: When the Hedge Comes Down
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Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.– Psalm 103:13
They call them fur babies, those pets we adore and spoil and spend too much money on each year.
The other day I rolled up to a stop light along with the usual collection of pickups and SUV’s. This is Idaho, after all, where we wear our flannel camo lounge pants and hiking boots to the grocery store with pride. Our highways and parking lots are well-represented by four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles, because you never know when you’ll have to cross a muddy road here, not altogether an unreasonable expectation in a state that keeps taxes low and road maintenance at a minimum.
As I sat at the red light, a pickup pulled up beside me in the other lane. The window was rolled down, and the driver rested his arm lazily on the door ledge. A chihuahua fur baby sat perched in the crook of the driver’s arm, yapping with all its tiny might at the pickup in front of me.
That’s when I noticed the dog standing in the bed of that truck, protected by a low canopy. It was a Siberian husky, impressive in its white and black coat. It lowered its head but didn’t bark in return. It fixed its icy blue eyes at the little yapping dog in the window. The contrast was both comical and chilling.
The chihuahua challenged the husky, oblivious to the fact the larger dog could have easily mangled him if he wanted and had the opportunity. But the little dog wasn’t worried, because he had his “daddy’s” arm around him.
Then the light changed, and a little squirt of a dog rode off feeling strong and justified and safe, totally without merit except for the love of the one who owned him.
Every day we awaken to a dangerous world.
An enemy many times stronger than us roams the earth, looking for someone to devour. On our own, we are as helpless as that little dog. Our defenses are just as pitiful, our attempts to frighten our adversary just as ridiculous.
But each day, we can rest in complete and utter safety.
Our safety comes in resting in the arms of the One who is Lord, Sovereign, and King, and of all. Just like that chihuahua has been adopted by a kind human, we have been adopted by a kind Master. The price He paid for us was high. The love He bestows on us is unfathomable. Every breath we take, each beat of our heart is in response to the Life-giver. How much more will He redeem us from the trials of this life and usher us safely into His eternal kingdom?
Are you afraid today? Are you being stalked by heartache and danger?
Never fear. Be bold in challenging the powers that try to enslave you. No matter what happens today, Daddy has you safe in His arms. We serve a compassionate Father, who deserves our trust and love.
Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’
– Galatians 4:6
Slightly Obsessed #216: Daddy Has You
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Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above earth and heaven.– Psalm 148:13
A Ugandan acquaintance of ours once told us how he learned to master his Sunday school lessons.
“The right answer,” he said with a grin, “is always, ‘Jesus.’
As a child, no matter what question the teacher posed in class, he always answered, “Jesus.”
I remembered this story recently as an unthinkable situation confronted our family, one I never dreamed we would face.
It arrived unannounced, stripping us of our sense of dignity and safety. It shook my faith down to the core and made me rethink all I believed about God. For the first time in the many decades I have been a Christian, I felt as if God had left the room when I needed Him most.
These last months, as I have sifted through the ashes of what I thought I knew, some unshakeable truths have emerged:
God is real.
Though the pain is worse than anything I have ever imagined, I can see how God has been working in our situation. Our prayers are being answered, just not in the way I hoped. This has led me to a deepening revelation of something I often professed but rarely faced in full surrender:
God is sovereign.
I can claim His promises, chastise the Devil, pray until I’m blue in the face, worship earnestly, argue convincingly, work until I’m exhausted, and quote Scriptures all day. But the reality is God’s in charge. Those responses to trial may be appropriate and Bible-based, but if I’m doing them with the motive of getting my way, they’re not going to be effective.
The Father is fierce in His love for us and unswayed by our desperate attempts to escape His discipline in our lives.
God’s Word is immutable.
I based so many of my actions in my adult life upon the promises of the Bible. My first reaction when we were dropped into this furnace was shock at the seeming contradiction. This no trial I expected to face, ever. The last year taught me that I had attached many expectations, principles, and personal interpretations to select Scriptures. I had created an elaborate scaffolding around the Bible that colored my vision of God.
Nothing really matters except our relationships with God and each other.
The reality is we can’t change a single hair on our head. It all comes down to the Savior. Jesus Christ alone is worthy. He wants us. Just us. Not what we believe or accomplish. When we are stripped of all we have to offer Him and to those we love, He clothes us with grace and calls us His. Then He calls us to be as radical in our commitment to Him and as gracious in our commitment to each other.
Today I still don’t understand much of what has happened. I sit in the rubble as the questions swirl around me, and I know this one thing:
The answer is “Jesus.”
Slightly Obsessed #215: Sunday School Had It Right
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We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
– 1 John 4:19-20
In 1788, the Austrians were at war with Turkey.
Determined to control the Danube River, about 100,000 Austrian soldiers set up camp near Karansebes. The Austrian army was comprised of troops who were German, Czechoslovakian, Hungarian, and Polish, so communication among the men was not good, to say the least.
Scouts were sent out to search for Turks but ran into some gypsies instead and brought back liquor to the camp. As the men got increasingly drunk, they became more and more agitated. The party deteriorated into a brawl, and at that point, someone shouted that the Turks were attacking.
Drunk and unprepared for battle, many men simply fled. In the confusion and unable to understand each other, the soldiers mistook the defectors for the Turks and began firing at them. Soon 10,000 soldiers lay wounded or dead at the hand of their comrades.
Two days later, the Turks showed up and captured the city, bewildered by the carnage but happy with the ease with which they overtook their enemies.
While the veracity of this battle is disputed by some historians, the message of the story is clear: An army that doesn’t communicate and treats each other like the enemy is sure to lose the battle.
It’s not easy to stay on track, though, is it? In real life, battle lines are not always clear. Sometimes, a real or imagined blow from an unexpected source sends us reeling. Other times, the emotion and pain from our own struggles cloud our discernment, and we lash out blindly, taking out an innocent comrade with our words.
Nothing wounds deeper than an unprovoked attack from someone we love.
Debate over doctrine is one of the greatest tricks of the enemy to get us fighting among ourselves. Although it is crucial to contend for the faith, we swing the two-edged sword of the Word of God at our own peril if we aim it at a fellow soldier. God commands us to instruct others in gentleness and humility.
We live in a crucial period in history. Satan is getting bolder, and our faith is being tested on many levels. The wounded lie strewn across the battlefield of broken lives and torn hearts. Now, more than ever, it’s time to take stock of what we are fighting for and how we can support each other in the heat of battle.
We must communicate effectively, treat others with tenderness, and forgive quickly. It is our duty to bind up the wounds of our fellow soldiers and leave no one behind.
This Memorial Day, we thank those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their homes, families, and nation. May we learn the lessons they have taught us.
Slightly Obsessed #214: Friendly Fire
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By Rebekah Hamley
I always feel closest to God when I’m in nature.
And on my hike in the Hunua Range, New Zealand, I felt His presence all around me. Life has thrown many challenges these last couple months and my future is full of unknowns, but as I explored His magnificent creation, I was reminded that the God Who created it all, loved me beyond measure. As beautiful as His creation is, God’s love is even more so.
He created and cares for the world and every living thing in it, so how much more does He care for us?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
-Matthew 6:26
While life is so uncertain, one thing is: God loves us so much, and He will never abandon us. No matter what happens in the coming days, months, or years, God is in control. And He will give us the strength to overcome any trial that comes our way.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
-Isaiah 40:31
As I reached the top of the range, and I saw the view in the picture above, I started crying and laughing at the sheer joy of God’s love and beauty. There was a particular quote from a song that my friend’s band wrote that stood out to me in that moment:
God of the mountains, God of the sea, all I see is Your glory. You are my refuge,
You’re all I need, and I know You know me.
You are all I expect.
-“Expectations” by Convent Bonfires
I’ve been able to see God’s glory all around me in the mountains of New Zealand and the seas of Australia. He has been my refuge during my time here and provided all I needed. He is all I expect and so much more. I know that with God by my side and fighting for me, I can face anything life throws my way.
Rebekah Hamley is the daughter of former missionaries and was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She is completing her degree in environmental science through Bethel University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During a recent break from her studies in Australia, she spent a week in New Zealand.
https://bekahhamley.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/god-of-the-mountains/
Slightly Obsessed #213: God of the Mountains
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For man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.
– Job 5:7
Jesus said, ‘Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.’
– John 14:1
If it can go wrong, it will.
It is said that the author of that gem was Captain Edward A. Murphy. He reportedly uttered the words that have morphed into the expression we know today as Murphy’s law while working as an engineer on an Air Force project in 1949.
Murphy’s Law isn’t news to much of anyone, and especially not to anyone who has ever tried to hang wallpaper. I know this because I have hung some wallpaper in my life and just finished attempting to freshen up an old wall with that textured paintable stuff. It looks sturdy enough on the roll. It turns into tissue paper when it’s wet, though, and the glue on the back produces more slime than a baby’s first cold. Wallpapering one wall between some wooden beams consumed me, my husband, a ladder, box cutter, straight edge, pencil, scissors, wallpaper tray, brush, roller, cardboard, endless rags to wipe up the slime, caulk gun, and two days of our lives gone forever.
Thankfully, I our marriage survived.
Because we live in a fallen world, most anything we undertake comes with its own set of special pitfalls.
At times it feels like just getting out of bed sets us up for defeat. But we shouldn’t be surprised. God clued us in thousands of years ago in the book of Job when He warned us that we are born for trouble as surely as sparks from a fire will fly up into the sky.
Sometimes, we cause our own trouble. Sometimes, trouble finds us. Life on this earth can get us down. But Jesus’ answer to trial is as freeing as it is challenging: Don’t let trouble trouble you. We can’t control every trial that enters our lives, but we can control our response to it.
Our reaction to trouble is usually to wallow in it. God challenges us to exercise discipline over our thought life by giving our worries and heartaches to God, trusting in His sovereign power and keeping our eyes on Him. The mind is an intense battlefield upon which we fight the enemy of our faith. Concentrating on our problems opens the door to darker emotions and defeat.
I’m done with wallpapering for (ever) now, but I know real challenges await each day. I’m learning how to control the urge to let my heart wallow in my problems. Worry never changes anything except us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, I will put my trust in the God who will deliver me from evil.
The answer to our troubles, however large or small is, “Believe.”
Jesus said, ‘Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.’
-John 14:1
http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-true.html
Slightly Obsessed #212: Believe
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He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
– Job 37:5 NKJV
The harvest long gone, the ground lay in deep slumber.
A tiny hard seed fell unnoticed to the earth. For months it lay unseen. But within that tiny shell, the blueprint for a full-grown tree rested in the cold, black soil. In spring, under a nurturing sun and life-giving rain, it burst from the ground and reached toward the light to grow and bloom.
The caterpillar who once crawled in the same dirt awaited release from its chrysalis shroud. Transformation complete, it emerged with not the slightest resemblance to the creature it once was. The worm was gone. From its shell it unfurled magnificent wings woven into gossamer sails and ornately painted by the hand of God as it lay in the stillness.
In a nearby field, a calf formed unseen in the womb of its mother for long months. God intricately knitted blood and bone and tissue into the image of its parents as it, too, waited out the darkness. Beautiful, full of life, perfectly woven, it finally entered the first light of a new day.
Another spring has come, bringing new life from dark places and proclaiming once again the reality of God’s power to transform.
Here are the everyday miracles to which we have become a bit too accustomed. Engrossed in our problems, living in the darkness of our sorrows, we walk blindly past the gospel of creation trumpeting the praises of the resurrected Christ. Beaten down by the world’s lies that this is all there is, that nothing ever changes, and there is no way out, we resign ourselves to the shadows and the dirt.
But all around us, creation begs to differ.
Darkness is God’s secret workshop, where He fashions the new creation away from the prying eyes of His enemies.
In the chrysalis of the closet, He plans and weaves and forms His beloved into something that will burst forth with joy at the proper season. To us, our problems are impossible to solve. But we serve a God of the impossible.
In God’s world, worms sprout painted wings and a little seed produces a tree. While I weep and complain and feel sorry for myself, God simply smiles and works. It is the season of resurrection, after all. The frozen ground must yield to the rising sun. In the glow of a new season, life once again conquers death. Miracles abound around us, and we remember that winter never wins. Jesus is Lord, and that is enough.
Can God solve my problems?
Can a worm fly?
Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
– Jeremiah 33:3
Slightly Obsessed #211: Can a Worm Fly?
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Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.
– Mark 5:36
She lay on her bed with her eyes closed, her long, black lashes kissing her gaunt cheeks.
Her father hovered over her in distress, the sight of her ravaged body disemboweling him again. He had never, ever, felt so helpless, so full of pain. His cherished daughter, his gentle little lamb, lay dying, and he could only stand by and weep.
The house began to fill with family and friends as the news shot through the city. Panic filled Jairus. Then it occurred to him that there was still a ray of hope: to find the prophet Jesus from Nazareth.
Jairus was a man of some reputation and stature. He was a synagogue official in charge of overseeing the services and work of the synagogue, a man who ordinarily conducted His affairs with solemn dignity.
But his grief over his daughter had stripped him of any such contrivances. When he learned Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee and was in his city, he eagerly searched Him out. Jesus wasn’t hard to find, surrounded as He was by a crush of people electrified by the miracles. Jairus made his way to Jesus, fell at the feet of the Christ, ignored the crowd, and begged for his daughter’s life.
Jesus consented to go with him. They headed toward Jairus’ home, jostled by a crowd pressing Jesus for their own miracles.
On the way, Jesus suddenly stopped and asked who had touched Him. This was an odd question. People were everywhere. Everyone wanted to be healed.
Then a woman, trembling in joy and fear, came forward and confessed to touching His garment. She had been completely healed by the power that flowed from Him.
While she rejoiced with her Deliverer, Jairus waited in agony.
These short moments taken to restore one person kept Jesus from the bedside of the lamb who lay dying.
Before Jesus could finish speaking to her, messengers arrived with the news that Jairus’ daughter was dead, striking fear in his heart as they destroyed the hope to which he clung.
It’s too late. Don’t trouble the Teacher anymore.
Then God spoke into his despair. “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”
Jesus dismissed the crowd. He took three disciples and came to the house of Jairus, where the mourning had already begun. Jesus told them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.”
The wails of grief quickly gave way to derision. Jesus sent them away.
Then He took his three disciples and the girl’s parents to the room where the girl lay. He took her hand and said, “Talitha kum.” Talitha is the feminine form of the Aramaic word “lamb.” “Kum” means “arise.”
Lamb, arise.
In one moment, a family in torment was restored. That which was impossible with man was accomplished with just a word from the Savior.
Of all the miracles Jesus performed during His earthly ministry, He must have especially loved reuniting children with their families. This, after all, was the very picture of His purpose for dying on Golgotha. He came from heaven entrusted with one mission, to reunite Father God with His fallen creation, the children dead in their sins and for whom He grieved deeply. It was, and is, His great joy to enter the house of the dead and awaken us to new life with the words to which unbelief must always bow:
Lamb, arise.
Slightly Obsessed #210: Arise
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Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.
– 2 Chronicles 20:9
A multitude of enemy warriors marched to war against the tribe of Judah.
They slipped around the Dead Sea and caught the people of God by surprise, making it as far as Engedi before they were spotted and reported to King Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat knew that his army could not stand before the combined armies of his enemies. Distressed, he turned to God, proclaiming a fast in Judah and assembling all the people to the house of God. His prayer is memorialized in Chronicles for the generations after to him who face an overpowering evil force. He ended his entreaty with these touching words: “Our eyes are on You.”
God answered the king with a plan for battle that has become the blueprint for generations of His people to come:
-Do not fear or be dismayed. (v. 15)
-The battle is God’s. (v.15)
-Hold your position on the battlefield. (v. 17)
-Trust God. (v.20)
-Offer the thanksgiving of praise. (v. 21-22)
-Stand and see the salvation of the LORD. (v. 17)
King Jehoshaphat did all God had commanded. His army went down to the battleground, stood before the amassed armies of their enemies, and sang praises to God. They did not fight, and they did not run before the threat of certain defeat. They did not study the enemy or count the number of weapons and men arrayed before them. They kept their eyes off the battleground and on their Captain.
They held their position, trusted God, faced down fear, and sang His praises.
True to God’s word, He destroyed the enemy by setting them against themselves, so that they were all destroyed without Judah’s army raising one hand in battle.
When Satan sets a trap for you, and you find yourself facing certain destruction, remember God’s promise to Judah.
Your enemy may be too strong for you, but this isn’t your battle.
This is God’s war, and it’s personal.
Your God will fight for you. Look up, for your deliverance is coming.
Slightly Obsessed #209: Look Up
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Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,
Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.
– Psalm 68:4
A new year usually begins with hope and promise set against the backdrop of winter.
My new year began in the heat of a blistering emotional desert. People I love are in pain, and their torment has scorched my soul. Day after weary day has stretched on with no relief in sight and only endless wilderness before us. Hope has slowly soured in my belly as my desperate prayers are met with silence. Waves of fear wash over me in the night as I frantically seek God before falling into a fitful sleep.
In the gray dawn of another day, I am spent. I can pray no more. There are no more words I can say, no entreaty with which to reach my Master. As the night shadows fade before the rising sun, I arise and pad heavily into the breakfast nook with a cup of coffee. There I open my Bible.
In the space between darkness and light, I need to hear His voice.
This morning I find Psalm 68, a powerful image of a God who does not sit impartially in the heavens glaring down at his frail creation. Here, I find a God who rides through the desert as conqueror. Once again, I am reminded no pit is too deep for Him, no problem too hard for Him, no trial too hot for Him.
O God, when You went forth before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness,
The earth quaked;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God.
– Psalm 68:7-8
Throughout this song of David, God addresses every situation of our lives that makes us feel lost and in need of a savior. He reminds us He is a father to the fatherless, an advocate for the widows, a home for the lonely, a deliverer for those in any kind of bondage, and a provider to the poor.
Through the wilderness He marches as the victor. Before His majesty the earth quakes and the armies of hell flee. In His presence the heavens open, and life-giving rain quenches our barrenness. In our worst of times, He reminds us of His promises.
You confirmed your inheritance when it was parched.
– Psalm 68:9
Fearsome as He is to His enemies, the King comes to His sheepfold as a precious and pure dove, a gentle Shepherd and Comforter to His people.
When You lie down among the sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
– Psalm 68:13
Once again, I am in awe.
Victory doesn’t come because we tough out trial. It doesn’t come because we pray the right prayers, sing the right songs, or attend the right church. We are saved because we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, Ruler of heaven and earth.
Dawn is rising.
Slightly Obsessed #208: Scorched by Trial
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Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.
– Romans 12:19
The person on the other end of the phone line needed my last name.
When I gave it to him, he paused before asking, “Are you Japanese?”
I nearly laughed out loud at the question. He wasn’t even close.
My maiden name is Prussian, a distinctly ethnic and confounding mix of letters that caused endless confusion for others as I grew up. I’m proud of my name, because my father was a local celebrity and a well-respected figure in the community. When I married my Scandinavian husband, though, taking on the name Thorson was a relief of sorts. It was much easier to pronounce and spell.
With the current cultural fascination with mythical gods, our last Norwegian surname has become cool. The Thor of recent movie fame is handsome and powerful. He rights wrongs. He’s the guy you want to have on your side.
Like the other superheroes of myth, he’s also prone to eccentricities and faults. That’s because he’s a figment of human imagination. Like all idols, Thor is a god made in our own image. We can’t construct a perfect deity, because we don’t understand perfection. We don’t comprehend unconditional love. We can’t fathom pure justice.
Contrary to the claims of secularists, the real God isn’t a creation of the human mind.
He’s so high above us, so powerful and righteous and holy, we can’t even begin to construct such a God. Our study of His creation, His Word, and His story reveals a murky vignette of His glory.
We will only fully understand when we stand before His throne on that great day He is revealed to humanity in all His glory.
Until then, we must accept His wisdom and leading by faith. We must trust Him when life gets hard. We must remember, when we see brokenness all around us, that He will make all things right. One day He will avenge all wrongs, dry every tear, and deliver the afflicted. He never acts out of evil motives. He is jealous with a godly jealousy for His beloved and fiercely protects His own.
Who wants to trust in a myth when the real Avenger is at the door?
A jealous and avenging God is the Lord;
The Lord is avenging and wrathful.
The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.– Nahum 1:2
Slightly Obsessed #207: The Real Avenger
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Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
– Matthew 11:29 NKJV
Decades ago, when my husband and I were new Christians, a series of small and incidental “signs” convinced us a windfall was coming our way.
We shared this belief with a few people, who were instantly skeptical. But we were undeterred, sure God had spoken to us.
When the bounty never arrived, we were a little embarrassed and a lot confused. How could we ever possibly learn to know the difference between God’s voice and other voices in our lives? That first lesson was a painful one as we realized how naïve we were. Thankfully, we discovered it does get easier to recognize what is from God and what isn’t.
We’re still learning because we’re just human.
One of the most beautiful features of the face of faith is the desire to learn the ways of God. It is the willingness to admit our failures and remember their lessons that marks the mature man and woman of God.
Growing in faith is a process that never ends on this side of heaven.
It requires us to balance hope with common sense; to humble ourselves enough to learn from others and admit our mistakes.
Our greatest source of wisdom is God’s Word. It is the inspired text from which we sit at the feet of God. Other important resources are trusted friends, pastors and teachers, parents, siblings, church and parachurch activities, Godly music, and books.
Maturity involves honest introspection and the willingness to learn from our mistakes (and successes). The Spirit of God is our greatest teacher and the One who will never lead us down the wrong path. But sometimes it’s hard to discern His voice above the noise in our head and around us. The Bible encourages us to keep listening and trying because we are trained by practice.
Getting up and falling.
And getting up again.
God understands our weaknesses. He wants us to hear Him. He is a patient teacher.
But solid food is for the mature,
who because of practice have their senses trained
to discern good and evil.
-Hebrews 5:14
Slightly Obsessed #206 A Portrait of Faith: Willing to Learn
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And those who know Your name trust in You,
For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
– Psalm 9:10
A frigid cold descended in the night upon the river valley.
The next morning, a deceptively innocent breath of frost kissed the new deck outside the front door. A toddler and his dad stepped out of the house, the boy bouncing enthusiastically on ahead of his father.
As the boy’s feet hit the ice, his little legs splayed out in opposite directions. Unable to catch his balance, he slipped and slid all over the deck. But he did not fall, he did not cry, and he wasn’t afraid.
He knew he’d be all right.
His father had a firm hold on his hands as he danced and laughed and skated across the danger to the safety of the gravel driveway beyond the deck.
Trust is a beautiful thing.
It’s a gift we give someone who has earned the right to ask for it. It’s the bond between two people who have a history between them. Trust is hard-won and easily lost. I believe that’s why God loves it so much when we show Him we trust Him with our lives.
Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the LORD.
– Psalm 4:4-5
The Lord understands how hard it is to trust what we can’t see.
At His resurrection from the dead, He told the doubting Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (John 20:29)
There are several Greek words used in the New Testament to indicate blessing. The one used in John 20:29 is makarios, which is most closely linked to the English word “happy.” Trusting in others or ourselves will inevitably lead to sorrow, because humanity is flawed. Searching for security in money or possessions or power will fail us, as well, because all those things are temporary. God is the only safe place for us. He has promised He will not abandon those who run to Him.
As a new year dawns, many of us carry the sorrows and struggles of an old year into the next. Danger lurks in a world filled with evil. This is a good time to take a mental pilgrimage back to the many times God has held our hands as we slipped and slid through the frigid seasons of our lives. Each time we’ve fallen, he’s lifted us up. Every time we safely navigated another trial, it was because we reached for His arms. As we enter a new season, may we have the trust to hang on tightly to Him.
Not only will we be safe, we will be happy.
…indeed,
we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves,
but in God who raises the dead….
– 2 Corinthians 1:9
Slightly Obsessed #205: A Portrait of Faith: The Courage to Trust
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Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice….
– 1 Samuel 15:22
The Old Testament prophet Samuel visited King Saul soon after he was set into power as king of Israel.
Samuel arrived to deliver a command from God to go up against the Amalekites and destroy them completely. God instructed Saul to destroy everything belonging to them, as well.
Saul did obey as far as taking his army up to the city of Amalek. There he defeated them. But he spared the life of the Amalekite king Agag and the best of the livestock in the city. The victory degenerated into a looting spree as the men saved what they liked and destroyed the rest.
When God sent Samuel back to confront Saul over his disobedience, Saul explained his motives were pure. He had simply saved the best of the flocks to sacrifice to God.
Samuel’s reply?
To obey is better than sacrifice.
The prophet then told Saul, “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23)
Disobedience against God places another god above Him.
It makes us the judge of the Lord’s wisdom and is inherently anti-Christ in nature. It’s sobering, then, to realize God equates our disobedience with witchcraft.
Conversely, it’s fascinating to read the exploits of believers in Hebrews 11 and see what God describes as acts of faith. In every instance, God honored those who listened to Him, believed in His promises, and were willing to obey what He told them to do.
Here, then, is the next quality of faith:
The willingness to obey.
In Luke 6:46-49, Jesus rebuked those who called Him “Lord” but didn’t obey His commands. He compared an obedient follower with a man who built his house upon a rock. This house, Jesus said, would stand firm against the storms that came against it.
On the other hand, a rebellious person was like the man who built his house on the sand. This house would fall when besieged by life’s trials.
Obedience isn’t about following the rules. It’s not even about compliance.
Obedience is the active response of an open heart to the voice of its beloved master.
There is nothing fake or feigned here. It engages all the qualities of trust and love and humility as we place our own will on the altar. It’s symbolized by a house built on a rock because it is the proof of our faith in Christ, the Rock that will never crumble beneath us when the going gets rough.
As always, God’s commands are meant to build us up and protect us. By walking in obedience to Christ, we live in victory over every circumstance of life.
Slightly Obsessed #204 A Portrait of Faith: The Obedient Heart
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It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High
– Psalm 92:1
God doesn’t need our thanks.
If we were to walk through an open door to heaven as the apostle John did in a vision during his imprisonment on Patmos, we wouldn’t find a forlorn father sitting by the phone awaiting a call from his kids. John’s glimpse into that other dimension revealed a royal residence filled with glory.
There a throne encircled by an emerald rainbow sits upon a sea of crystal glass. Lightning and thunder emanate from the presence of a King so beautiful and precious He can only be described in jewel tones. Around His throne wondrous living creatures and many thousands of angels lift their voices in continual praise to the Sovereign of the Universe.
God doesn’t need our thanks.
And yet, throughout Scripture we are encouraged, commanded, and entreated to be thankful. It’s not because God needs our attention. He’s no egotist.
He knows thankfulness is good for us. A heart full of praise has no room for envy, jealousy, or strife. When we are busy praising God, it’s harder to hear the bitter whisperings of the devil or the grumblings of a tired soul.
Praise guards us, guides us, and strengthens us. A grateful heart honors our Father, who has done so much for us. Gratitude purifies us. It draws others to our precious Lord. Living in an attitude of praise frees us and lifts us out of the bony clutches of all that would keep us forever tethered to the old life.
God doesn’t need our thanks, but He deserves it.
I want to be more appreciative of Him, to live in the joy of remembering all I have been given, even when life gets difficult. From every breath to every gift small and great, there is much for which to thank my God. If I were to consider each kindness my Heavenly Father has granted me, my days would be consumed in His praise. It’s a shame I have relegated so much of my gratitude to one day a year.
As the season of Thanksgiving approaches once again, this is my prayer:
To awaken and thank God for the gift of life and good health, asking God to help me pray more for those who are suffering from illness and pain.
To eat dinner and thank God for the gifts of my home and a full refrigerator, asking God to help me be more generous with my possessions to those who endure hunger and cold.
To watch football and thank God for the gift of family, asking God to help me be more loving to them.
To go to church and thank God for the gifts of freedom of worship and fellowship, asking God to help me be a better citizen to my neighbors and a gentler sister in the Lord to my precious friends.
To look upon the earth and thank God for His creation, entreating Him to reveal Himself to those who live each day without the knowledge and comfort of His love.
To raise my eyes to heaven and remember that even though He doesn’t need our thanks, He longs for us and and the expression of appreciation that marks a good relationship.
To determine to fill every day of every year with heartfelt praise to the God from Whom all blessings flow, that my song may be added to the eternal voices worshiping such a magnificent King.
Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen
– Revelation 7:12
Slightly Obsessed #203: God Doesn’t Need Our Thanks
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If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
– Galatians 1:10
The Scriptures tell us it is impossible to please God without faith.
But how does pleasing God present evidence of our faith to a dying world?
In Hebrews 11, the “faith chapter” describes acts of faith recorded in the Bible and defines faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Since our faith is the concrete evidence of the unseen world, let’s continue to examine what that evidence might look like. This week we look at the image of faith, as expressed by a second quality:
A desire to please God.
The longing to do what pleases Him comes from the active work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as He cleanses our heart and directs us upward. We no longer find pleasure in serving ourselves and sin. Our joy is now found in honoring our Father in heaven and our Lord Jesus. The concrete outflow of that heart change is seen in our actions and words.
How do we please God?
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Believe He exists.
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Trust that He will honor and reward our search for Him.
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Learn what He asks of us in His Word.
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Respond accordingly.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-4, Paul issued a plea to the Christians to strive to please God with their lives, and he particularly addressed the issue of purity.
Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor….
A clean heart is God’s gift to us through the sacrifice of His Son. Living to please Him is our gift back to Him. It is the outward expression of an inward change, evidence for all to witness.
Without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe He is
and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
– Hebrews 11:6
Slightly Obsessed #202 A Portrait of Faith: Living to Please God
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Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
– Matthew 5:6
Ask a Christian what the word “faith” means, and you’re likely to hear a quote from the Bible.
Most of us know at least part of the King James version of Hebrews 11:1, which tells us faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
In a court of law, a conviction or acquittal is based upon the evidence brought before the jury. The Bible assures us our faith is the evidence of an unseen world and its promises. But faith itself has an ethereal quality about it, and we often simply equate it with the idea of believing. But faith is not just belief. It is the expression of our belief before God and man. In James 2:17, we learn faith without works is dead.
So then, what does faith look like?
In the next few weeks, we’ll examine some qualities painting the portrait of a believer. Since taking the first step toward God often comes out of a place of emptiness, this might be our first piece of evidence:
A thirst for righteousness.
In the beatitudes given to us by the Lord Jesus on the mountain, He called those “blessed” (happy, fortunate, blissful) who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The deep craving for a relationship with God drives us to the well that both cleanses and fills us. The search to know Him should be relentless and lifelong and revealed in what we think, say, and do.
This search will put us in direct opposition to the societal “norms” imposed today:
The pressure to fit in by dressing and talking like those we want to impress.
The relaxation of sexual inhibitions, mocking of those who choose to remain pure.
The assault on our values though today’s movies, television, social media, and music.
Choosing to run after God forces us to make choices putting our faith on display to others. It will reveal the unseen to the unseeing, and some will not like it. We may lose friends, family members, and more in the process. The first lesson we learn, then, is that faith is not without cost. But the gain far outweighs the price of discipleship.
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.
– Romans 10:7-9
Slightly Obsessed #201 A Portrait of Faith: Thirsty
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God said, ‘Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him.’
– Psalm 91:14
She was well-dressed, beautiful, and accomplished.
She had just flown across the country to teach at a conference and looked fully the part.
Sharp. Witty. Color-coordinated.
And she may have left with that image safely in place, except that she happened to be introduced to a group of women who had been through loss too terrible to imagine: the death of a child. These brave women had come together to write their stories, and as each shared her individual loss, the corporate pain was palpable. The tears flowed freely, and the walls of brave faces came down, heartbreak made holy by the faith with which they faced each day.
The speaker sat and listened, eyes red. It was then she shared the depth of her own pain, the desperation of her own losses exposed by this gentle fellowship of suffering.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Despair, it seems, is a common, if unspoken, condition of the human soul. On the field of pain, we are all equals.
But God has not intended for us to stay there, because we are not meant to lead lives of quiet desperation. Desperation should be, instead, the thorn in the flesh that drives us to our knees in search of God. He has promised that we will find Him when we search Him out with all our hearts. Sorrow turns a complacent heart into a seeking heart.
Despair, as the Psalmist discovered, it is the schoolmaster to lead us to hope.
This concept is so powerful he expressed it three times in the space of two Psalms:
Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence.
– Psalm 42:5,11;43:5
Psalm 62:11 tells us, “Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.” In Psalms 42 and 43 we read not once, not twice, but three times that we should question the power of despair over us. We should fight for hope, look for deliverance, and praise Him in all things.
Are you in despair?
He sees it. He hears your prayers in the night. Power is His, and you are His. Hope in God, for you will again praise Him for His restoration.
Slightly Obsessed #200: God Sees Your Despair
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