Faith, Hope, and Promises

We got some discouraging news this last week. We’d been struggling to even HAVE hope about this situation, waffling between resignation and a thin thread of hope and determination. But, short of a miracle, it’s done. Kaput. I don’t see how we can ever see the positive outcome we’d been watching for. We’ve run out of “one more step to try” options, and we recognize that, in human terms, there is no hope.

There are a few people in the Bible who might be able to relate. Have you ever thought about what life must have been like for “The Inbetweeners”? Yes, I made up that word. It is especially used to refer to the people who lived on that one blank page in your Bible – that page between the end of Malachi and the beginning of Matthew. Trusted scholars say that Nehemiah was probably the last OT book to actually be written, so this isn’t a strict definition, but hang with me. When Malachi (or Nehemiah), rolled up that final scroll he’d been writing on, put up the ink, and went on with his work for the Lord, what happened? Next thing WE know, Rome has charge over Israel, Jews are hired as tax collectors, priests must answer to the Roman government, and… Jesus is born, lived, died, and lived again. The Savior has come!!! Yay! God’s promise was kept!

But what about all those people who lived BEFORE God’s promise of a Messiah was kept? Technically this starts way back at Adam, as we have generations of those who had been promised a Savior. However, after Malachi, I don’t find any indication of prophets, written text, etc. It doesn’t mean they didn’t have those things, but WE have no record in our Bibles. So, the question in my mind is this: how did they keep the faith? How did Mary, 400 years later, still believe the promise of a Savior? Think about where Mary sat: the Roman government has been ruling for longer than she’s been alive, and though the Jewish leaders talk of a Messiah, it sure seems like He should have come a long time ago. Looking at human circumstances, it would not be easy to believe that the Messiah really was coming. 400 years without the promise kept – 4,000 years since Adam, and no answer.

If you were Mary, or Joseph, or John the Baptist, or Peter, James, or John… would you even believe God’s promise, anymore? The government had harsh restrictions, and their “Godly” leaders weren’t any better. Their main leadership in worshiping God was a corrupt old-boys club that demanded ridiculousness, rather than heart-felt worship. Did God even see what they were dealing with? Did God actually even make that promise of a Savior, or was that just made up by their leaders, too? In human terms, there wasn’t any reason to believe in a Savior, much less live a life of faith.

I’m sure that many lived that way – gradually giving in to the culture around them, succumbing to the civic responsibilities and corruption around them. Hey, you’ve got Zacchaeus and Matthew, examples of Jews who were working for the Romans – and they don’t seem to be like Mordecai in days past, who still served God. The more your “Godly” peers began to give in, the harder it would be to stand for God. What would you do?

What DO you do? I don’t have to tell YOU how crazy our culture is – abortion, homosexuality, greed, lust, all accepted in the name of “tolerance”. It seems hopeless. But let’s bring it home: culture aside, YOU may have a crazy situation that seems hopeless. Maybe the bills are piling up with no way to pay them. Maybe it seems like everything you touch seems to crumble around you. Maybe family or work relationships are stressful to say the least. Maybe you battle depression or your health is sliding fast. Looking at the situation, it must feel how the Inbetweeners must have felt. “God, are you SURE you’ve got this? Are you REALLY sending a Savior?”

This is the moment of truth. The moment you get in your own face (tricky, I know), and demand an answer: Will you trust God? Will you still have hope? Will you still live like his Promises are true?

Are you going to be a Zacchaeus, trying to solve your problems your own way? Or are you going to be a Mary, trusting God, finding favor with Him?

How do we do that? How do we find hope, when it all seems hopeless? Perspective. An ETERNAL perspective.

We get stuck in our own perspective – the car won’t start, that bill came in, that person’s a jerk. And though I have a suspicion it’s just human nature, I’ll say that especially in today’s culture, we want it fixed NOW! But the inbetweeners didn’t have that liberty, and neither do we. God’s plan is still in motion. Even while no one could see how God was preparing a Savior, you see that there was still a lineage of the line of David even during the in between time. Matthew and Luke could look at it later, and piece it together for us to see in the New Testament (Matthew 1, and Luke 3), but Heli couldn’t know that his son would care for the Messiah as his own child. Nor could Ezekias know that it would be through his line that the Savior would arrive. All they knew was what a mess the Jews were in, and how miserable to be under the Romans.

We have little but their names, so we don’t know how they handled their perspective. Did they trust God? Did they rebel against God? We don’t know. Do you think they might have lived differently if they had seen their position in the line of Christ? Would that have made a difference in their circumstances? It certainly wouldn’t have brought the Messiah any sooner. But it would have given them HOPE.

Is that where you’re stuck? Hopeless?

I’ll tell you what: When we got this news last week, our first reaction was not to praise God, to recount his promises, or to rejoice. At all. Really it was more of a grief of things lost. It’s not easy getting that news.

But as I sat and wept before God, journaling my heart out to Him, He began to whisper hope to me. Not hope that the situation will change, but hope, nonetheless. Hope, knowing that “my God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory”. Hope that “no eye has seen, nor ear heard… what God has prepared for those who love him”. Hope that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us”. And hope that God hears me when I “let my requests be made known to God” and that He provides “peace… which surpasses all understanding.”

As he spoke these whispers to me, the resolve grew in me to live like they’re true. Because they are. I may not see the answers in my lifetime, even, but they’re true.

The inbetweeners didn’t get to see the fulfillment of God’s promise. Some chose to live like it was true, some didn’t. Some had God’s strength to live on in faith. Some doubted and gave themselves over to the world’s ways. Some received God’s promised Savior with joy. Some didn’t recognized His promise when He came. Some had hope, others didn’t.

You have a choice. Trust His promises, sight unseen, live by faith, and get the bonus of hope. Or cling to your own strength, live your own way, and lose hope.

Moment by moment, you get to make this same choice again. When that devastating news comes, you have a choice. When things are going hunky-dory, you have a choice. Decide now to decide then to trust His promises.

Philippians 4:6,7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:9

But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Romans 8:18-19

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Praying the Promises

As a kid, whenever my parents said we were going to go do something fun, I hung on their every word: If we were stopping at Dairy Queen after church, I was watching for Dad to turn on the turn signal as we neared the driveway. If they said we were going to Grandma’s house for Christmas, I started packing. Funny how I wasn’t that excited for the spanking they promised if I did x, y, or z… but that’s another topic altogether. Anyway, if Dad didn’t turn the signal on to go in to Dairy Queen, I was quick to remind him, “You SAID we were going to Dairy Queen after church!” He would either quickly turn in at the next driveway, or tell me he had changed his mind, but I sure wasn’t going to let simple forgetfulness be the cause of my suffering the loss of an ice cream!

This week I stumbled on a story in the Bible of someone who reminded God of his promises. Considering the rest of his recorded, Jacob was not at the top of my suspect list for an example of a man of faith. Despite his presence in the line of the famed threesome “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”, most of what we know of Jacob’s life involves treachery and deceit. Of course, God chose him for the line of Christ, and the Hall of Faith, so he can’t be all that bad, but in this one passage we get a glimpse of a vulnerable man’s conversation with God.

Genesis 32 picks up as Jacob and his entourage have left Laban and were heading back “home”. As they neared the home country, messengers reported to Jacob that Esau was approaching. And he wasn’t out on a family vacation: he had 400 men with him. I don’t know what Esau’s original plan was when he left home for that journey, but my guess is that this didn’t start out as a friendly neighborhood welcoming committee. I may never know. All that matters for our purpose today is that Jacob was “greatly afraid and distressed”. HE seemed to believe he was in danger from this man that he had wronged years before.

So how did Jacob respond?

First he divided his one huge camp into two smaller camps, thinking he could at least save SOME of his family. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall for THAT conversation? “Hmmm…. Which half of the camp do I love the least and should put in the FIRST camp Esau would come to?” Yeah, that’d go over good. But I digress. Point is, he took immediate action to protect his family.

As soon as he had a chance, he stopped for a good heart-to-heart with God, though. Here’s how his side of the conversation went (emphasis mine):

⁹ And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ ¹⁰ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. ¹¹ Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. ¹² But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”

I love what he did here. Like a kid reminding Daddy of the ice cream run (with at least a little more desperation), Jacob approached the God of the universe and pleaded with Him to remember His promises. There is a big difference here, though: when I was little, I would remind my Daddy in hopes that it would change his behavior. For Jacob to remind God of his promises, though? I would offer that it wasn’t so that GOD would change his behavior (he ALWAYS keeps his promises), but so that Jacob would see his heart changed to faith, rather than fear. Requesting God to do something is part of prayer. But if He’s already said he would do something, it WILL happen. Maybe not in my timing or by my methods, but it WILL happen. It’s already a fact, it just hasn’t happened yet. With this in mind, let’s see what Jacob’s prayer looked like.

First, he acknowledged who this God was that he was praying to. Maybe in human terms, he was trying to drop names “God? Do you remember that great relationship you had with my Grandpa, and how he walked by faith? Oh and of course you know my dad, Isaac, that man that was basically offered as a sacrifice to you? Well we’re pretty tight, me and them, so maybe you could do me a solid for their sake?” But I don’t think that’s what this was. By acknowledging His prior relationship with his Dad and Grandpa, Jacob was reminding himself of God’s track record. Abraham had walked in faith. God had called him out, promising to make a great nation of him, promising a Savior through his line (and in turn through Isaac and Jacob). This was the same God that he’d wrestled with at Bethel. As believers, when we find ourselves in a jam, we can remember who God is, and his track record. For me, it might be, “Oh God that brought my Dad to salvation in time to meet my mom so they could build a Godly family… Oh God that brought me to yourself when I was only three, saving me from so much… Oh God who rescued me from being kidnapped as a child (true story, but for another day)… Oh God who has comforted me through heartache… Oh God who has loved me despite my wicked heart…” You get the idea. Think of it as one more opportunity to remember your Ebenezers! Remember who this God is that you serve!!!

Next, Jacob goes back to the instructions God had given him. He reminded him that indeed GOD was the one who had told him to return to this country. This was a humble thing – you notice that he followed it up with “I am not worthy…”. It’s not a conversation of an indignant, snobbish “I’m only here cuz you told me to be. I told you it wasn’t a good idea.” Go back humbly to His word, and make sure you’re on the right track: ARE you doing what he told you to do? Remind yourself of that (and correct things if you’re just going off on your own!). Are you being obedient to his Word? Are you being obedient to His calling? For me, this pray may look something like “God, you’re the one who called me into CEF, this marriage, or this home…”. Or “you’re the one who told me to love my enemies” Or “You’re the One who told me to tell the truth even when it’s hard”… It’s an opportunity to remind yourself of WHY you’re in this situation: because you’re serving God who wants you to be where you are right now, for whatever reason He has.

The other part of checking back in with God should be a gratitude for what He HAS done: Jacob recognized that God had blessed him greatly, and all undeservedly. Seriously, what part of God’s astronomical blessings do we actually deserve? Stop and remember how he’s taken care of you so far. Thank Him for those!

In verse 11, he finally makes a specific request: “Please deliver me from the hand of my brother…” Notice how vulnerable he is. He admits to God that he is afraid of his brother. It’s okay to start out with the wrong attitude (fear), but it’s not okay to stay there. He calls it what it is. “God, I fear him.” What? He wasn’t already fearless and living in perfect faith? How do we get to the point where we can have faith as our first response? It’s a process. And it seems to me that sometimes we have to verbalize what our attitudes are so we can face them head on. I don’t know about you, but my tendency is to “stuff” things when I start to get overwhelmed. Last night I couldn’t sleep because I had so many little things running around in my head, so I got up and wrote in my journal for a bit. I “blurted out” everything that I was frustrated about or trying to remember, then looked at it. By verbalizing it, I was able to see how foolish I was to worry about the stuff I was worried about, and ready to start to fix it. Until then, I was just losing sleep, getting increasingly frustrated, and generally spiraling. And, at least for me, personally, that doesn’t stop by praying silently: my brain gets distracted mid-thought with yet another worry. So if writing’s your game, write it down. If you need to talk things through, find some place you can talk to God out loud (maybe the library isn’t the place for you!). If singing to Him is an easy way to articulate your thoughts, then go for it! Face your fear. Give it words so you can realize what you’re dealing with. The trick, though, is to not just leave it at the “verbalized” stage. Look for what GOD’S answer is to your fear or other issue. Not your friend’s answer, not what your whiney self would answer, not the self-help book’s answer, but GOD’S answer.

Notice what Jacob’s NEXT sentence was! “BUT YOU SAID…” This is gold, People! The answer to his fear was to remind himself of God’s promise. “I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude”. He couldn’t have known how God would keep his promise, but he figured it would be nigh unto impossible for God to keep that promise while letting him and his family get wiped out by a vengeful brother, Esau. And that was the end of his prayer. His heart seemed to be settled. After all that tizzy, it was settled in that single sentence that started with “But you said”. We don’t all get the liberty of a personalized promise from God Incarnate to hang on to, but we sure have a lot of God’s promises to go back to. When dealing with fear, my first recollection is that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (1 Timothy 2). But whatever your situation, God has promises. Keep digging til you find one. Remember, there are also promises that we’ll have trouble, so the promise you may cling to may be that “He has overcome the world”. But remind yourself of it. And let that settle it. When your brain fights back and says “but He COULDN’T have known about how bad THIS problem would be”, remind yourself of the promise yet again. And when your emotions battle it, and remind you of how sorry you are for yourself, and how terrible this situation is, remind yourself again of the promise. And when others DO feel sorry for you, and empathize, justifying your fear, and you want to go back to wallow in it a bit longer, remind yourself of the promise! Often, it won’t be an instant change – it’ll even be a battlefield to keep trusting God. But it’s worth it.

By the time Jacob brought his gifts to Esau the next day, they met as brothers and friends. I don’t think that Jacob had freaked out in vain – it seems to have been a dangerous situation. But had God kept his promise? Of course. One way or another God would have, anyway. But Jacob had been comforted by His promise and had “stayed there that night”, rather than flee in terror, deceive his brother again, or whatever other concoction his panicked human brain might have come up with to deal with this situation.

Trust God. Pray His promises back to him – not to change Him, but to gain that peace that passes understanding. Even as a kid, I knew that my Daddy, in his humanity, could change his mind, or even (gasp!) break his promise. My God? Not a chance. 

A Little Experience Trusting His Promises

Hi Everyone!


The faithful few who check every week for each new post will have noticed that, contrary to the best laid plans, I wasn't able to post anything for a while now. It seemed my focus had to be on the life at hand as we dealt with the craziness God saw fit to bring into our lives.

First we had a car fire, which in just a few moments' time rendered our car totaled. Thankfully we have Duane's pickup, which still allows us to get around, but there have still been challenges associated therewith. When Duane has had to work, there has either been someone else to ride with TO work (about 45 minutes away), or I have been able to take the bus, since I didn't have to drive for work that day. God is so faithful! I hope one day I can just take his faithfulness for granted (then my struggle might be to remember to praise Him for it!), but in the mean-time, we've been so grateful on a day-by-day basis for his faithful provision.

Meanwhile, we've had a couple major events with CEF ministry that I've had heavy involvement with, we welcomed two new staff-members to the CEF team, we've been surprised and blessed by an amazing opportunity and have moved the CEF office to a new building, more central to the area we serve, and I've been traveling across three counties to meet with prospective students and to train them for summer ministry. All of these things have come with great joy, but also with no small amount of stress. Many of you know that my health quickly drains with any amount of stress, so that's left me with very little energy left over to invest in Duane and our home, much less this blog. I'm still not back to full strength (even for me), but thought I'd take a few minutes to check in and at least share a bit of what I've been meditating on lately.



"Be strong and of a good courage: be not afraid! For the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9" I can still distinctly remember belting out the words of that verse in a tune I had learned at Good News Club as a child. Though I was only 8 or 9 years old at the time, I can actually remember at least three different times I was quoting that during that season of life. Sometimes for the fun of it, sometimes for the challenge of it, but sometimes because I was afraid and enjoyed the comfort it brought as I faced a path through a "scary" dark wooded area.

(It would help to read Joshua 1:1-9 - you can read it at this link)


It's always important to consider the context of a promise before seeking to apply it to yourself, so consider this: Joshua was likely in his late 80's when he got this message from God, had been born in slavery, had personally seen the amazing miracles and leading of God for his people, Israel, and had been one of the brave spies who had stood up to the fear of the other spies to encourage the population to go boldly into the promised land. Now, 40 years later, he stood at the cusp of actually going into the promised land, but HE was now the leader. For some reason, though, God knew that this courageous man would need his enCOURAGEment to face what was before him. Four times in the first chapter of Joshua, God told him specifically to "be strong and courageous" or to "be strong and VERY courageous" (emphasis mine). That phrase itself isn't so much the promise. The promise comes in where God gives the REASONS to be courageous. He told Joshua to be strong and courageous for two reasons, both of them spectacular ones at that.

First, he tells Joshua to be brave because "you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them." He had promised his people he would get them into this land, so Joshua had no reason to cower in fear. No matter how scary the future looked – giants, rivers, walls, soldiers, or, worse, whiney travelers, he would end up in the promised land. The result was certain. No need to waste energy worrying or figuring out how to shrewdly maneuver ahead – God's got this covered (yes, planning is wise – I'm just referring to the human worry that often goes WITH that planning). God was telling him that since He had promised he would get there, he could be strong and courageous. Hmmm… I wonder if that would somehow apply to us today?

God has promised us so many things – wisdom when we ask for it (James 1:5), that when we seek him, we will find him (Jeremiah 29:13), that we will have everlasting life when we believe on Him (John 3:16), the list goes on. Can WE be brave and courageous when we have those promises? Knowing that he gives me wisdom when I ask for it, I can courageously act on the wisdom that he DOES give me. Knowing that I have everlasting life allows me to face even death (or the fear thereof) with confidence and do things that I might otherwise shrink from.

Keep going, though, because there's a promise right here in that verse that's for us. Even in the New Testament, Hebrews 13:5 references this: "…for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" In Joshua, he says "Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." If God is with me, what do I have to fear? This word "with" has a connotation of more than just a physical "standing next to you" idea. Rather, it is an "I am standing beside you in this battle, when you're in battle, I'm there with you, when you need encouragement I'm right here" kind of an idea. Not that he just sits at our beck and call to be our servant, but that we are not alone going through these challenges. We are not separate from the almighty God of the Universe who knows all and loves us just the same. Can you imagine being Joshua hearing these words as he faces the uncertainty of his duties? Are YOU hearing these words for yourself?

There are two REASONS to be courageous in this passage, but there are also two COMMANDS from God of what Joshua's role is (and our job too). Job number 1 was for Joshua to meditate on God's Word day and night. Job number 2 was to obey it. These are our jobs too. In his times, all he had was the books of the law, and obedience to that law was part of a life of faith: a requirement for "salvation". For us, we have all of God's Word on which to meditate and obey – our salvation doesn't come from obeying the "Law", but from believing on Him as our only Savior from sin. However, if I DO believe, I want to honor God, and that happens as I do what He tells me through his word.

The last few weeks I've been struggling with some different decisions or habits to change, and I was seeking God on how to handle these. What seemed so complicated at first came down to these same instructions: Prioritize spending time in His Word, and then obey it. As we do, we are all the more in tune with the Holy Spirit, and we get to follow His leading through the day as well. But if I can just follow those two steps, look at the confidence I can have – the strength and courage as I face the craziness life throws at me. I don't know how to explain it, but it works. I'm freaking out about stressful events? Put down the electronics (or insert favorite time-wasting idol here), spend time in the Word this morning, then obey it. My health is collapsing and I don't know what to do? Put the electronics down, spend time in the Word, then obey it. I don't know how to handle a difficult conversation? Put down the electronics, spend time in the Word, then obey it. I'm in the midst of a spiritual battle? Put down the electronics, spend time in the Word, then obey it. Just because I have problem "X" when I go to His Word doesn't mean I'll find a "Thus sayeth the Lord, here's how to solve problem X" reply. I may not actually find any of the answers I thought I was looking for. BUT. I obey what I DO find, and with that, I have done my job. I can trust that God is right beside me, keeping His promises. And with that knowledge, I can be strong and courageous.

 
And here's a freebie "side thought": God allows the struggles in life so we WON'T take his faithfulness for granted, lest we forget to praise Him.

 

Despair!!! Please don’t linger there!!

Welcome to another guest post! You'll enjoy this post from Melanie Tucker, my sister-in-law! We both married into the Tucker family in the same year, and became fast friends. We also conspire together to figure out how to handle the crazy Tucker men in our lives, and as often as we're together, you'll probably find us sitting and chatting as we do our nails together. 

“For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

Despair!!!  Please don’t linger there!!

  Merriam-Webster’s definition of despair: “to no longer have any hope or belief that a situation will improve or change”.  Have you ever been there? Have you had that hopeless, helpless feeling?  I want to share with you my journey into the pit of despair and how Gods wonderful promises brought me from that place into a world of hope and joy!!

     Almost three years ago I began on a downhill spiral into the muck and mire of physical illness.  It began with eye surgery that left me night blind.  Then I lost ¾ of the volume of my hair in three months and began developing what I call leprosy- but by rights is just skin rashes- on my face, hands, and body. I was diagnosed with more adult onset allergies than you can even imagine: my kidney and liver were compromised, and I was laid low with a debilitating back issue!  Anyway, you get the idea- I was a mess!!  I was in a downward spiral into the pits of despair and I was sinking fast!!

     Needing to have a good cry and needing some empathy, sympathy, and compassion, I called my beloved sister-in-law, Cora - our mentor on this amazing blog - she had me come to her house and it was there she introduced me to the world of hope and joy – the  world of God's promises!!

     My first step was to understand that in my physical weakness, Satan has a much easier time getting into my head and messing with my thoughts, so the strength of this verse helped me to focus:  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”   Ephesians 6:10    

    The next step was to capture my spiraling thoughts-analyze them and act accordingly!  And boy, oh boy, was I convicted here – yes, I was going through some trials but I was wallowing in it!!  I wasn’t even trying to find a way out!!   So with some serious prayer, repentance, and mentoring, this wonderful promise began to replace my ‘woe is me' with little sparkles of light in the tunnel!   “For he himself has said ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).  How can we not have hope with a promise as strong as that?!  Cora has taught us that Gods promises are real and unbreakable so with strength pouring forth from his promises he has given us the power to be strong and brave and have hope!  “Wait for the Lord's help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lords help” Psalm 27:14.   

     I cannot say that it was a short process turning to Gods promises rather than despairing each day. I started by writing on bright colored note-cards whatever promise the Holy Spirit had placed on my heart near me for that day. Then I put those cards wherever I was going to see them the most – on the mirror, the refrigerator, on the computer, in my purse, you name it!!     To this moment I still have bright colored promises everywhere but I also have them buried in my heart where they are always working and filling me with light when the darkness tries to come in!!

     Yes, many of my days are still full of pain, and I am still working towards healing but I don’t travel my path alone anymore as it is paved with Gods love, his blessed promises and his never ending hope!

    “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he will dwell among them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be among them, and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said,” Behold, I am making all things new.”  Revelation 21:3-5 

- Melanie Tucker

This is a post to tell you why I'm not posting.

Hi everyone!
I want you to know that I have not forgotten to post on here, it's just apparently been more of a season to practice TRUSTING his Promises, rather than to be talking about them. Last week we had family in town, so things were crazy (in a great way). This week we had more ministry happening, and then today (the day I was planning to begin recovery from the stresses and hopefully start this week's blog) our car caught fire, and is totalled. As you can imagine, there's a lot to process, and when I can finally process, my health condition demands that there's resting to be done. In the mean time, you'll be blessed by a guest post next Monday, and hopefully by the following week, I'll be back with part two of the more in depth look at 2 Peter 1:3-4. Thanks for your patience! I guess it's just one more reminder that as humans, we may not always be dependable, but we can always trust GOD!
Blessings on you, and THANK YOU for checking in!
Cora

Membership Privileges

Recently I had to do the unthinkable: shop for health insurance. As I evaluated each program, I looked at the price and checked out what I'd receive in return. Some offered lower minimums, others covered more hospital and less doctor visits, others covered more doctor vists and less hospital care, and still others made the deal sweeter by offering "free" gym memberships. Today we get to look at the membership privileges of our great salvation!

As threatened before, I took some time this week to review 2 Peter 1:3,4 on a deeper level. What I found blew my mind. This is a passage that has already had dynamic impact on my life, but as I delved in, I found even more. Allow me to recommend listening (and reading along) to the sermon by John MacArthur called Our Precious Faith, Part 3. It is so powerful and appropriate for this series, that if you were to listen to that, I wouldn't have to do this blog. But since you might not read it, and might not get all of the impact that I received from it, I'll take a spin at challenging you with what I've learned.

First of all, let's look at what the passage says.

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him ^fwho called us to³ his own glory and excellence,^4 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become^gpartakers of the divine nature, ^hhaving escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

His divine power could be - and probably will be - an entirely seperate post. For the moment, though, pause and think: what does his divine power entail? This is the power of God we're talking about. You know, the sovereign God of the universe. 

Has granted to us - this is a gift of God! I hadn't realized how much God WANTS to be generous. As John MacArthur pointed out, you're not going to find His generosity on a typical list of the attributes of God. But he LOVES to shower on us amazing things. I think one of the reasons that conservative Christians don't spend much time focusing on this is because of how far some HAVE taken it. God is Love. But so many have translated that in to meaning that he's just this grandfatherly figure in the sky, just there to hug us, give us treats, spoil us, and generally do whatever WE want him to do (which is also why they're so surprised when bad things happen).
While we have tried to, rightfully, focus on the Holiness of God, we've done so to the exclusion of the truth that He first loved us and sent his Son. That Christ died for us "while we were yet sinners". Realize that this is a GIFT to us! And this gift - this "granting" to us is a past AND continual action. It will keep going! He's already set it in motion, with no plans to stop this provision. 

What has he given us? "All things that pertain to life and godliness". So just a few things? Just our salvation? Or maybe he's given us enough for our salvation, and a tiny bit of sanctification? Or maybe he's just given us what we need for a hard trial once every ten years? Or maybe he's just given us enough skills to do a small part of the ministry to which he's called us? Rather, he has given us ALL THINGS. 

Again, MacArthur likened our faulty assumptions to us thinking that we were born again as a Christian Polliwog: We're just this little squiggle with a tail that only gradually grows "arms", legs, long tongue, etc. That assumption leaves us flailing around with no purpose or direction or abilities or gifts, until they are gradually added to our spiritual toolbox. Instead, this verse is saying that he HAS given and IS giving us continually everything we need for life and godliness. 

I believe that it was Martha Wright, then the VP of Education for Child Evangelism Fellowship, who said that "there's no Junior Level Holy Spirit". In context, at the time, we were talking about a child growing after salvation. So many assume that children just can't understand spiritual truths, or that they can't be expected to be convicted of sin, or empowered for witness, or... My question, though, is this: Do we sometimes think that we have a Jr. Level Holy Spirit when we look at the Super-Christians on TV, or radio, or in the pulpit, who must have the SuperChristian Holy Spirit? As I have entered each new challenge of ministry, I have had to fight to remember this truth that God HAS given me the same power, by the same Holy Spirit. That he has given me everything I need for life and godliness - including this new phase of ministry that he has asked of me as I serve him in life and godliness. Forgive me if I keep repeating the same phrases: I just want this to be really clear. As a believer, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SERVE HIM!

Why would it be important to know this? Because often we doubt. We give in to sin because we feel we don't have the strength to say no. We turn away from the calling or opportunity that God is giving us, because we think we CAN'T do it. We settle for a lesser ministry because it's our comfort zone, rather than trusting God to strengthen us through the stretching. We get discouraged because we compare ourselves to others who seem to have it all together and to be that Super Christian we look up to. What faulty thinking have you allowed yourself to believe?

God may be needling the edges of your faulty thinking, but our first excuse is that we don't know how to access that gift. His answer to that? We are able to connect with that "through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence." 

Do you know him? I ask this question first in regards to your salvation, as that is the main question here: Are you saved? Then this applies to you! But assuming that we are believers here, can I challenge you a bit? If you're saved, you have access to this power, but how's the connection? To summarize a point that John MacArthur was making, the power is there, but are you plugged into it? 

How close are you to him?  I listened to a great message provided by Carol Johnson, speaking at a CEF Headquarters Chapel service.* She reminded me (and God convicted me) that even doing the expected bible reading and devotions and blogging, and church attendance doesn't make me close to God. It's a question of where my priority is - where my heart is. Are you going through the motions? I know that's enough of a struggle in itself, just to get into those habits! But is your heart in it? Are you in conversation with him throughout the day? Are you meditating on his Word? Are your decisions based off of "what the good Christian ought to do", or based on a passion and love for God, WANTING to do things His way? 

"Who has called us" - We know that our salvation isn't something we could instigate. But did you realize that since these gifts came in the "benefits package" of our salvation, even these are provided only by his grace? You haven't earned - and CAN'T earn these gifts. You'll definitely be better at using them with more experience, but Billy Graham didn't EARN the ability to preach. God provided it, along with everything else he needed to live a godly life at salvation. I will clarify here, that Billy couldn't necessarily preach powerfully in front of crowds the moment he was saved, but 10 minutes after he was saved, he had everything he needed to live a godly life, and ten YEARS after he was saved he had everything he needed to live a godly life. I hope this makes sense!

And one last phrase for today: "to his own glory and excellence". One purpose for that phrase is this: to let us see that it's through knowing his glory and excellence that God even brings us that calling to salvation. As we share the gospel, a powerful tool in partnering with the Spirit for conviction is to point to the awesome glory and excellence of our Creator. Think of those Bible Characters - Peter, Paul, Abraham - how did they come to God? By seeing his glory and excellence, which resulted in conviction, repentance, and belief. 

This phrase has another impact on our walk, too, but you'll have to wait for next week when we continue to consider the membership privileges that come with this great salvation!

Won't you share this blog with a friend? Maybe God would want to use it to challenge them in their walk, too!

*Available on the CEF app under resources/chapel messages.

Here I Raise My Ebenezer

(You don't KNOW how many times I sat down to work on this blog post this week! The last few days have been crazy-busy, so despite my best efforts, it is now Wednesday as I post this, rather than Monday… hopefully next week will be better!)

I love the soulful melody of the hymn "Come Thou Fount". This hymn was written in the 1700's by Robert Robinson, and has recently been making a comeback in many churches. Its lyrics offer a heartfelt, honest expression to God of our relationship with him. It humbly offers the confession that our hearts are prone to wander, yet pleas for God to "tune my heart to sing thy grace". And in the middle of this poem, there's a powerful sentence that gives us the "key" to living victoriously by faith, coded in a reference to an Old Testament word that few have heard much less understand.

He says

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.

Have you ever wondered what an Ebenezer is? Ebenezer is actually a PLACE where God gave a great victory to the Israelites, but the song refers to a specific stone that was erected. Ebenezer means "stone of the help". In 1 Samuel 7:14 we're told "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, 'Till now the LORD has helped us.'"

For a little context, the Israelites had found themselves in such a jam with their enemies the Philistines that they'd finally realized they needed God's help (what a novel concept!). After begging God, repenting of sin, and asking Samuel to plead on their behalf to God, they found themselves rescued in a dramatic way. Verse 10 says that "…the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel" (1 Samuel 7:10 ESV). Lest they forget what God had done for them, Samuel erected the stone to remind them in a very visible way.

I know some of you have some great long-term memory, but I think human nature is truly prone to short-term memory, especially when it involves lessons God has taught us. If you doubt, just read the book of Exodus, or any of the "First and Second" books in the Old Testament (1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, etc.). The Israelites would humble themselves, bow, worship God, destroy their idols, repent in sack-cloth and ashes, and in the next chapter they'd be back to worshipping idols again. God knew that, and has found many ways to help us remember things that are important. Sometimes it's through repetition, other times through instruction, but very often through visible and tangible reminders.

Think of all the celebrations God established for the Israelites – each one was a vivid picture of one or more aspects of their relationship to God – they were celebrated annually as a reminder. Passover, while also a picture of the coming Sacrifice, was a vivid reminder of His powerful rescue from the Egyptians. I mean, after all of those amazing plagues and the angel of death, how could they EVER forget THAT rescue? And yet they did – even with God's annual Passover reminder.

In Joshua, we read that after they had crossed the Jordan, Joshua ordered them to set up twelve conspicuous stones. Joshua 4:6,7 tells us why: "When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' 7 then you shall tell them… So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever." From one generation to the next, they were challenged to pass on these lessons and the great acts of their rescuer to the children, lest they forget and serve other gods. Not that they would EVER forget and serve other gods… oh wait, they did.

But of course you and I would NEVER forget what God has done and turn to sin or disbelief! Of COURSE not! Oh wait… we do.

For our context in this blog, let's think about this: How do we learn to trust God? We KNOW those promises God has provided, but so often we struggle to live like they're true. I smile as I think about the patience God has with us: Like training a toddler, He so gently and graciously provides us with so many Ebenezers: tangible evidences of his promise keeping. Then the next time around, he is able to use that Ebenezer as a foundation for our next lesson. Pause for a moment: Has God ever kept a promise to you before in a recognizable way? He keeps his promises whether you recognize them or not, but think about the ones he's given you the privilege of witnessing.

For me, my favorite Ebenezer is my dog, Molly. When I first accepted the calling to be a CEF Missionary in Klamath Falls, I was daring to trust that it truly was his calling, but not so sure. From the time I was 16, when I met a cute long-haired dachshund named Olly, I had prayed for one of my own. By 2006 I was living in an apartment that wouldn't even allow pets if I wanted one. However, the day I announced my decision to move to Klamath Falls in faith (and thus, move out of the apartment!), I was given not an Olly, but a Molly – also a long-haired dachshund. She has now been with me through thick and thin, (she even decided that "we" were marrying Duane!). Now, if I ever doubt my calling, or wonder what in the world I'm doing in ministry (and believe me, that has been a daily occurrence at times), all I have to do is glance at the wagging tail that reminds me that GOD called me here, and by his strength I will remain. She's my "stone of help", my reminder that "Till now the Lord has helped [me]."

Sometimes those Ebenezers are traumatic or intense times in our lives. I remember one particular traumatic experience for me, when I couldn't imagine life going on because of how intense it was. As my friend encouraged me to embrace that opportunity for growth, I DID. I clung to his promises of faithfulness, his presence, and of growth, and I survived. And now, as other trials come, I again look back to that Ebenezer, and recognize that if God kept his promises to me in that time, he will keep his promises to me now.

If you struggle to trust his promises (don't we all?), stop right now, look back, and see the times that He HAS kept His promises. Maybe even pick out a rock. Or a plaque. Or a journal. Or set up an annual celebration or anniversary. Or some other tangible reminder. Put your Ebenezer on display where you can see it, and be reminded frequently of how he HAS kept his promises, and plead with him to help you continue to trust him.

In my own words, and with no poetic premise, that song at the beginning might go something like this:

I dedicate this tangible reminder, my Ebenezer, to you, God. Let it be a reminder of the help you've provided and the promises you've kept thus far. I've only come THIS far by your grace, and your provision. And by your grace, you will continue to provide and keep your promises til my earthly life is over. Please use this Ebenezer to strengthen my faith so I don't just survive until then, but THRIVE, trusting you.

Amen.

God’s Promises – Our Way

As a teenager, I knew God's call on my life… in general. I knew that I was called to missions, I knew that I had a heart for Africa, I knew that I wanted to travel the US in a semi, and I knew that I wanted to tell kids about Jesus. In my mind, I had it all figured out – mostly. I would travel cross-country full-time in that semi with a trailer modified to be a fold-out stage with puppets and my piano, and have kids rallies, telling them about Jesus. I wasn't quite sure how Africa would fit into it, so I thought maybe that was the alternative. I'd met ladies that were "lifers" in Africa as missionaries, so figured it would either be after my cross-country travels, or instead of my cross-country travels. But let me tell you, I loved to dream about it all. I even mapped out how I would design the trailer I would use, had assigned my siblings parts of the ministry team, and even started working on the puppet scripts I would use.

Funny thing is, God apparently had a different idea. I mean, imagine that!

Though God could still do anything he wants in my life, I can already use hindsight to see the humorous twists that GOD used to accomplish many of these same things – just not using my carefully planned methods.

I've been to Africa now – I spent a month there, with Child Evangelism Fellowship, teaching thousands of kids about Jesus and how they can spend eternity with him.

I'm a missionary, and have been for 13 years (officially – unofficially, it's more like 16 years).

I get to tell kids about Jesus all the time – and train others to do it.

Oh, and I HAVE been cross-county in a semi – that happened when I was on sabbatical, and got to go with my husband – who happened to drive truck! I still tease him that I just married him for the truck that he drove. Now that he doesn't drive truck anymore, I'm stuck with him. :-)

Now let's throw in a bonus, I get to teach – children, teens, and adults. My poor younger brothers were the brunt of my passion to teach, evident from a young age. I still remember at the age of 6 or 7 writing out math sheets for Seth to do as we played school!

When God makes a promise, or places a call on our lives, all we really HAVE is our imagination to try to figure out how God might fulfill it. And we can come up with some pretty cool ideas for how God should/could keep his promise. But it can't compare to GOD'S imagination, and how HE orchestrates our lives.

Abraham got a front-row seat to this. Remember how God made a promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations? God made that promise first when he was a young fighting man. But Abram and Sarai were childless, and remained so for many years.

My brief count shows at least FOUR times that God made the promise to give him abundant offspring. On the one hand, God must have seen that Abraham needed the reminder. On the other hand, we're told that Abraham believed God. So it wasn't a matter of Abraham not believing God… it was just that Abraham seemed to have his own ideas of HOW God would keep that promise.

At one point, Abraham suggested that the only possible offspring he had was a slave of his, that did great at running things for him. Another time, Sarah talked him into taking her servant, Hagar, as his wife, so he could have descendants that way. It wasn't until Hagar's son Ishmael was 13 years old that Abraham finally realized that God intended to fulfill His promise through a child that Sarah would bear. Being in her late 80's, Sarah did NOT present a great prospect for motherhood. Though Abraham bowed before the Lord at that time, he also laughed at the impossibility.

When Sarah was 90, SHE laughed when the LORD told her she would bear a child within a year. She was incredulous that such a thing could happen. She probably seriously doubted that this even WAS the LORD making such a promise.

Do we ever do that? God makes a promise, and we say "yeah, right, God!" Or maybe we doubt that God even made that promise?

We are limited by our human imaginations, and so we try to explain away how God should keep his promise. When He says He will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory, and we find ourselves without a job, how do we respond? Do we rush out and get the first job that crosses our path, even if it's not His best? Or on the other extreme, do we sit there and wait for God to start dropping money in our lap. Either way, we're presuming that God will keep his promise to provide in the way that WE want him to provide.

Sometimes we get in a hurry, thinking God will answer in our timing: Do you realize Abraham and Sarah had to wait about 25 years for his promise to be fulfilled to have even one child of the many offspring God had promised?

Especially during trials, we wonder how God is keeping his promises, since life doesn't match up to how we imagined life SHOULD be if he's keeping his promise.

Musical artist, Laura Story, came out with a song in 2011 called "Blessings". It talks about this concept. Listen to the music video as you read the following lyrics.

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?


What a beautiful way of describing that dichotomy.

I'm encouraged that Abraham DID seem to learn that lesson. By the time God asked him to sacrifice Isaac on the altar, Abraham didn't hesitate to obey, even though this son was the way he THOUGHT God was keeping his promise, and there didn't seem to be any other options that his imagination could provide.

Can WE have that faith? Will you choose to trust God to keep his promises even when it doesn't match up to YOUR imaginations?

Our Promises to God

Well, with the best of intentions, I had hoped to have this week's post up on/by Monday, but it just didn't happen. Good thing I didn't PROMISE to write every Monday!

We've talked about THE Promise Maker in a different post, and how we can trust HIM to keep his promises. I thought that today we might pause for an evaluation of OUR promise keeping.

Several years back, there was a major push, complete with rallies, books, and other literature/media, focused on challenging men to be Promise Keepers. I was just a young lass when it had the emphasis, so I don't pretend to know or remember all the details of it, but the general idea was challenging men to keep their promises, especially to God, their wife, and their family.

Others have had near-death experiences and in that frightful moment have made promises (or more accurately "bargains") with God, promising that "if you let me live, I'll do X, Y, or Z for you". Some have followed through. I'd guess that most have not.

Most of us have also, at one time or another made some promise to God in the passion of worship offered to God a heartfelt offer of EVERYTHING. Whether it was the words of a song saying that "I Surrender All", or a sermons call to a particular act of sanctification, most believers have made some kind of promise to God. It was likely a commitment that it wouldn't be sin to NOT do it, but rather a promise to go above and beyond status quo. 

And… here's MY confession. Recently, out of gratitude for something that God had done, I had promised a full month without extra-curricular activities on my computer or my not-so-smart phone. For some of you this would be a relief, rather than a challenge, but with my habits, this would NOT be easy. I did great for the first week, and MOSTLY great for the second week. I enjoyed using the time to spend in the Word, develop my other hobbies, and generally not be bombarded by social media. By the third week, though, I was really starting to slide. By the time I reached the date that should have been my "I made it a month, God! See how grateful I am!?", I was instead trying to ignore it lest I feel the wave of guilt for not finishing out the month.

We all do it. And that thought might be a comforting thought on some level: "At least I'm not any worse than so-and-so!" But when we think about it, it doesn't matter if I'm better, worse, or the same as so-and-so! What matters is what GOD sees when he looks at my heart. Have I… have YOU… made a promise to God that you haven't kept?

God takes promises pretty seriously. Just look at how serious he is about his OWN promises! And how grateful I am for that seriousness!

Here's something to challenge us, though: Have you heard the story of Jephthah? He was going into a major battle, the odds were not in his favor, and he was desperate for God's help, so he promised God that

"whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering." Judges 11:31 

I'm not sure what he thought would be coming out of his door when he returned (what or who else would it be!?). Or if he was just so sure that even GOD couldn't give him victory in that battle that it didn't matter? I still don't get that. Lesson Number 1: Don't make a promise to God that you don't intend to keep! Lesson Number 2: Making a promise to God is a serious thing. Even Jephthah's daughter knew that it was important to keep a promise to God, even though SHE was the sacrifice! She told him

"My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites." Judges 11:36

Woah! Her only request was that she have two months to go away with her friends and mourn first – personally, I would have just wanted it to be over and done with!

So… what have YOU promised to God? Hopefully it doesn't include sacrificing your only daughter!

Honestly, I think many promises that have been made should not have been made at all. I'm going to go out on a limb here. And I reserve the right to be wrong - in fact, I hope someone wiser than me will help to sort out any confusion. I believe that some promises, after evaluating them based on the Word of God, must be denounced – particularly promises that involve sin. But if it's NOT a sin, and you're just ready to dismiss a promise made because it was made rashly, in the passion of the moment, or some other excuse, I'd think twice, no, three times before shrugging off a promise to God. But talk to HIM about it! Good thing for all of us that I'm not the judge here!

So what about those promises that God has already been reminding you of as you read this? I would guess that God's reminding you of them for a reason.

Can I challenge you with this? James 4 reminds us that "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." It may not be a sin for me to not do that thing that you've promised God, but for you, who knows that God has challenged YOU to [fill in the blank here], it IS sin.


Talk to God, confess to him, and ask for fresh strength to do what you know he wants of you.

And as for making promises in the future? I'll close with the surrounding passage in James 4, but starting with verse 13.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:13-22

Blessings on you!


(all passages are from the English Standard Version, my personal choice for Bible study)

Promises and Sin - how are they related?

The OTHER Promises

Not all of God's promises are for great and wonderful-sounding things. Ya know that promise that says "…take heart; I have overcome the world"? It sounds so victorious! But it also comes right after a promise of troubles. John 16:33 says "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (emphasis mine). In fact, The New Living Translation describes it as "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." Oh GOODY! Sign me up for THAT promise!!!

Or not.

What do we do with promises like that? What do we do when it feels like that's the ONLY promise he's keeping?

Ya know how you don't ask for patience, unless you want trials? Don't ask to trust God in the tribulations unless you're ready for some tribulations! Even this week, as I knew this was a topic I wanted to tackle, there were some things that came up at work that felt like tribulations – the enemy shaking his fist at what we do to make sure boys and girls get to hear the Gospel message. In the scheme of things, it's quite trivial. I haven't had to know the pain of losing a child, or walked through an excruciating divorce, or survived the abuse of someone who was supposed to love me. And maybe some of you can join me in that status. But not one of us has survived (or will survive) life without trouble. It's promised. Sometimes I wish He'd have kept that promise out of the Bible. Even a "MAYBE you'll have tribulation" would have been better. Instead, we live in this world fraught with evil and, as a result, rampant pain. So let me say here, this promise is true, no matter the degree of your tribulation that you're going through right now. There is hope to come, in connection with this promise, so don't shut IT out, even if your tribulation is a hang-nail. Okay, well, if a hang-nail is stressing you out, we may need to sit down and have a DIFFERENT conversation, but hey…

There are some basic truths that we can know about God… things that we USUALLY learn first in the middle of a trial that is more akin to a hang-nail than the loss of a spouse. Things that God teaches us through the first few trials that we can start to realize will apply to more difficult trials at a deeper level. As I remember going through one of the trials I've been through, I was seeking the counsel of my good friend. She's the kind of friend that will tell me what I NEED to hear, even if it isn't what I WANT to hear. She told me that this trial was helping to mature and grow me for the future. I remember telling her "if THIS is preparing me for what comes next, I don't WANT what comes next!" But her comment challenged me. I could either embrace the training that God was providing for me, or I could simply survive the experience. I chose to embrace it, despite the pain. Any bitterness or efforts to "demand" to understand WHY God would let this happen to me faded away, and I chose to draw closer to my God. There have even been some tangible evidences later of how God chose to use that trial in my life. But we don't always get to see that evidence this side of heaven. And that's where we have to believe his promise. Both the promise that there will be trouble, AND the promise that He has overcome the World.

Have you ever thought about the story of Esther as anything other than a sweet story about a princess being brave and God rescuing his people? I've been listening lately to Alistair Begg's sermon series on Esther, and there have been some mind-blowing things to learn in the process. First, though, if you really put yourself in the sandals of Mordecai, or the slippers of Esther, you can see how they might relate to this promise from John 16:33. Knowing that they were facing the annihilation of their entire race on the appointed day, knowing that they were facing death at varying times for honoring their commitment as God's people more than their allegiance to the king, they had an idea of what it meant to be facing tribulation. Begg said "The providences of God are seldom self-interpreting and it's usually wrong for us to try and understand what's going on in the immediacy of the moment." We often feel that all we have is the immediacy of the moment. We try and figure out what God might be doing through this time, as a small comfort to WHY he would "MAKE US" go through this trial. We don't have God's eternal perspective, we don't understand His purposes. And we might NOT ever understand that. But it doesn't change the fact that He IS God, He IS Sovereign, and it's his right to deal with us frail sinners, saved only by his mercy in the first place. But another quote that grabbed my attention is this: "God is sovereign in all of those details, and most of our understanding will be seen by looking in the rear-view mirror rather than looking through the windscreen."

 
I DON'T understand. I DON'T have the rear-view mirror perspective YET. But I can trust the God who promised there would be troubles. Because He is ALSO the God who said the REST of that verse: "But take heart; I have overcome the world". TAKE HEART! The Amplified Bible says "but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]!" Why can we have that courage and confidence? Because he has "deprived it of power to harm you and [has] conquered it for you." I read the back of the book, and HE WINS! Does that mean I won't have any problems in the here and now, since, of course, He won the battle already? Nope. He JUST made the promise that you WILL have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration. But in the end HE WINS!

 
So what does that mean for me right now, in the middle of my trial? I cling to his promises. I remember that this won't last forever, because He HAS won. I remember that My God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory. I remember that I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength (if you want a good place to find a few promises, check out Philippians 4!).

 
I love this meme that came across my screen a few weeks back:




 

So I come to the question we must face whether it's a nightmare situation, or just getting slightly uncomfortable. Am I going to embrace God, and value this training he is bringing me through? Or am I going to waste all my time begging him to take away this trial that he already promised would come? How about you? Don't worry, it's still okay to ask God to take it away, as Jesus did in the garden, but we usually get stuck at that spot, and keep kicking and screaming all through the trial, when all the time He wants to draw us close.

This is such a deep topic that has taken VOLUMES for others to fully develop: I would love to explore this even more in your comments. For now though, let's "bring it home" with one last passage to dwell on.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

* For comforting music during trials explore Sovereign Grace's album "Come Weary Saints". Most of the songs are available on youtube as well. 

The Promise Maker

 
Let's ponder a hypothetical situation for a moment. Let's say I call you up on the phone, and tell you that you didn't realize it before, but I had sponsored a drawing between all readers of this blog. Let's say I had chosen a random reader to receive a lump-sum gift of one million dollars. Though there might be a flash of hope and a temptation to start dreaming of how you might spend that million dollars, the more sensible you would quickly start doubting. If you know me at all, your first question would be "where did YOU get a million dollars to give me?" If you REALLY knew me, you'd expect some kind of prank. Though I might be teasingly offended that you would doubt my offer, neither one of us would truly believe my "promise".
Why would you doubt my ability to follow through on my promise? Because you know me, my capabilities, and my character. In truth, if you really know me and my scatter-brained-ness, you'd probably have reason to doubt the promise of a simple phone call!
We learn from experience with people in our lives to be skeptical of promises. If someone has done more to earn my trust, I may actually count on them to keep their promises. After a disappointment, though, I'm reluctant to fully trust – I make sure that I have a back-up plan, just in case their best efforts fall short. Sometimes I reserve my hopes until more evidence is disclosed that their promise really WILL be kept. I'll admit, sometimes I'm actually quite jaded in my outlook on life. Having been gullible one-too-many times, I try to protect myself by not fully trusting (just wait til my brothers are around, and I don't even walk around a corner without checking to make sure they don't have a surprise waiting for me!).
These are mostly healthy responses to life and the people in it. But how often will my responses to humans be identical as my response to God? When GOD says he will always be with me (Hebrews 13:5), do I project the same qualities onto Him, as I do to my friend or family member? Maybe my friend said she'd be there for me no matter what, but when I need someone to talk to, she has family obligations that demand her attention, and my needs are (rightfully) placed behind theirs on her priority list. Do I then subconsciously assume that when God says HE'LL be there, HE really means that He'll be there for me unless someone else with a bigger need or higher on his priority list needs him more? How does that change my actions? Will I neglect prayer at a time of trouble, because it's not THAT big of a deal? Will I try to solve those "little" problems by myself and in my own power? How else might this change my behavior?

A promise is only as good as the promise maker.

Who IS this God who makes these promises? Who is the one who says He will never leave me nor forsake me? Who is the one who says he will supply ALL my needs according to his riches in glory? Is this just one more person who will let me down?
Let's think about this God for a moment.
This God is the same one who introduced himself to Moses and the Israelites as "I AM".
This is the same God who isn't even mentioned in the book of Esther, yet is the main character, having rescued an entire nation using a beauty pageant and sack cloth.
This is the same God who stopped time for three hours so that he could provide victory for the Israelites.
This God is the same God who challenged Job with the question "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" in Job 38.
This is the same God who used an earthquake to preserve the lives of his apostles in prison.
This is the same God who used kings, shepherds, and prostitutes to keep his PROMISE of a Messiah.
So… ya wanna tell me again why you don't think he can handle keeping his promise to provide for all your needs? Oh yeah, and while you're at it, why can't he handle being "there" for you 24-7?
I ask these questions tongue-in-cheek, as it's a challenge to me, too. It's easy to SAY that God is powerful enough to do anything. I mean, what are the first "Sunday School answers" that you learn? "Who does God love? EVERYBODY?" Then, "what can God do? ANYTHING!!!!" But how do you apply this in your own life? Here's my challenge for you. Go through the promises that he brings to mind (use our small list on the side bar as a starting point), and make a confession to God. Tell him that "I know that you CAN handle this." Oh, and here's a bonus for you: Read through your worry list… er, uh, prayer list (just kidding – I KNOW that not all your prayers are worries). The catch is, that after every prayer request, have a heart-to-heart with God, confessing "I know that you CAN handle this". No, it doesn't mean he's gonna handle it that way that you want him to handle it, but have you been limiting God, and then acting on that limitation? Don't worry, I'm not one of those self-talk, name-it-and-claim-it promoters – if you got THAT out of this challenge, I've messed up big time! Rather, this is your challenge to take those doubts that you've had, whether consciously or otherwise, and face them – REPLACE THEM with the truth. This week as God brings to mind another promise or two, ask him to help you to truly trust Him to keep that promise.
Maybe this has challenged you. If you're really honest with God, you'd confess that you DON'T know that He can keep his promises. Maybe someone has hurt you before in such drastic fashion that you don't think that you CAN trust him. Here are two things that you need to know. 1. He still keeps his promises whether you can trust Him or not. And, 2. You can be honest with him – admit that you don't trust Him – but don't stop there: ALSO ask for his help TO trust him. I'm thinking that's a prayer to which he'll answer a hearty "yes!"
I'll wrap this up with a song that Duane and I have obsessed over on occasion. I believe the lyrics come heavily from the book of Job, where after all of the struggles of Job and his friends, God finally answers them. He answered with even more questions than I'VE proffered today, but as we sing these words, it can't help but culminate in heart-felt worship of the greatest promise maker AND keeper of all time. Would you watch this video and worship with me?