God's Plan

"God has no problems, only plans." (Corrie ten Boom).Ihave problems. God has plans. At our house, we had a problem today - fleas! The solution was an exterminator and then I had another problem - 4 to 5 hours out of the house with the kids. Now, if you have money, there are numerous solutions to that problem but I had none. I finally decided to pack a picnic & head to the closest park. But then when I went to the kitchen we were out of bread! God had a plan. He provided money for lunch (at McDonald's - kids favorite!) & gas to drive to the better park. What I thought was a problem turned out to be a pleasant afternoon with my kids & extra time with Him. I was able to do my Bible study lesson while they played. It was so comforting to see that He is still concerned with my life and orchestrates my life for my good and His glory.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Faith

Do you have faith? Could you/would you pray for something like money? I'm not talking about praying for a job to earn money. I'm talking about just praying for money-just because. Last Sunday the pastor's sermon was from Genesis 24. Abraham has sent his servant to get a wife for Isaac. The servant prays that God will grant him a certain scenario so he will know this is the right girl for Isaac. God answers his prayer while he is still praying. Later the servant says that while he was on the way God led him. I got to thinking about that. Would I pray for something specific like that and would God grant that request? The Bible says if we have faith like a grain of mustard, we can move mountains. I guess the US Postal Service can be my mountain. So I prayed. I was honest. I told God that I didn't have enough faith to pray for something big, but I wanted to pray for something small. Since my husband is self-employed in a new business, finances are extremely tight so I asked God to send some money in the mail on Monday to help pay some bills. This was Sunday afternoon so God would have had to answer this before I asked it. Monday afternoon when the mail ran there was a letter for me with money. I laughed out loud. God knew that I needed that little reassurance. He is still there and in control. He will supply my need and some wants,too. Truly, it was a situation of Him answering before I asked.

Be careful what you pray for????

I am a great "worrier." I can worry about anything - real or imagined. And sometimes, I worry about what might happen if A happens and B happens and C happens and because of A, B, and C then D happens. . . . . third and fourth generation worries! My grandfather reminded me recently that if that's what I do I would spend the rest of my life worrying! What a waste of life that would be!

Have you ever heard the saying "be careful what you wish for?" The implication is that sometimes you might wish for something that would have unforeseen consequences you might regret. I have even found myself worrying about how/what to pray for! For example, if I pray for this, will something else worse happen to allow my prayer to be answered or will I have to go through something terrible to get it answered.

Last Saturday God gave me an example that has comforted my heart. My daughter had two baseball games scheduled on Saturday morning. I had half-jokingly, half-seriously said I was praying for rain after the first game so that the second game would get rained out. I did pray that week for rain. The team played well in the first game and only lost by one run. As soon as the first game was over, it began to rain. My prayer was answered! Well, it was a quick shower and they started the second game. But, our team was warmed up and focused from the first game. So, they played exceptionally well in the second game and won!

I thought the best thing for them was a rain-out but God knew it was a win instead. He answered my prayer. It DID rain between games. He also did what was best, allowing them to keep playing and win the second game. I know this seems like a trivial thing but for me it was a "light bulb" moment. I CAN pray confidently - praying for specific requests and trusting God to answer in His wisdom. He will ALWAYS do what glorifies His name AND is for MY GOOD. He is in control, even of my prayers. I can leave my worries at the cross.

Really?!?!?!?!?

In my Bible study this week I was reminded of the foolishness of Amaziah, king of Judah in II Chronicles 25. He has defeated Edom in battle and then he brings their gods home and worships them!! Really?!?!?! The gods couldn't save the Edomites from Amaziah, why would he want to worship something less powerful than himself and definitely less powerful than his God? God sends a prophet to rebuke him but in his arrogance he threatens the prophet.

Think about it, my Christian friend. We serve a living God. A RISEN Savior! Maybe you are not tempted to bow down to a statue; but, do you place your trust in your bank account, or job, or status in the community? We have no need to place our trust in the things of this world. God is more than all of this. We have the assurance from the Most High that we are His children; and as such, are assured of heaven!

Ups & Downs

This week has been one of those weeks! Lots of ups & downs. I am thankful for God's blessing in His timing. A friend brought my son a "hand me down" bedding set and a toy he loves. My husband was able to make some sales at work. God is asking me to continue trusting. I can't see the future but I know He is there.

Today I have realized that it is simply a matter of obedience. I preach o-b-e-y to my kids all day long, but have I learned that lesson? When God says this is what I must do, do I obey or do I complain or whine or suggest an alternate plan to God?

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD,

choose you this day whom ye will serve;

whether the gods which your fathers served

that were on the other side of the flood,

or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:

but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15

Excitement!

Do you ever have a really exciting day? i.e. leaving on vacation, friends coming to visit, etc. What about Sunday? Every Sunday you get to hear a message from a Friend. This Friend loved you enough to die for you and is now preparing your future home. This is exciting!

Try this, attend church today anxiously awaiting His message for you. The God of all creation is speaking to YOU today.

I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go into the house of the LORD.”

Psalm 122:1 (NKJV)

Choose Life

Is it really that simple? Choose life. No, I'm not just talking about the abortion issue. It's something much broader than that. Choose life or choose death.

“For this commandment which I command you today

is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.

It is not in heaven, that you should say,

‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us,

that we may hear it and do it?’

Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say,

‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us,

that we may hear it and do it?’

But the word is very near you,

in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,

in that I command you today to love the LORD your God,

to walk in His ways,

and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments,

that you may live and multiply;

and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear,

and are drawn away,

and worship other gods and serve them,

I announce to you today that you shall surely perish;

you shall not prolong your days in the land

which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,

that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing;

therefore choose life,

that both you and your descendants may live;

that you may love the LORD your God,

that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him,

for He is your life and the length of your days;

and that you may dwell in the land

which the LORD swore to your fathers,

to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (NKJV)

It really is that simple - choose life. Love, obey and cling to the Lord your God and He will grant you life. My fellow Christian, rejoice in the life He has given us today!

Thankful

Today I am thankful. God has been so good to me. No, my financial trial did not just immediately end but God has reminded me of my blessings. He will take care of other things in His timing. He has provided a job for me starting March 30. One that will allow me to take along two of my blessings each day. He is always so very good to me.

But it is good for me to draw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,

That I may declare all Your works.

Psalm 73:8

Thank you, Lord, for times to meditate on Your blessings.

On the Altar

I am tired. I am tired of this trial, this test, this burden. It has been hard to find that joy - that "kick up your heels joy" that Kay Arthur talks about. I'll be the first to admit, it's not easy to always feel thankful and joyful. And then I had to run an errand today and on the cd was "My God is Near" (by Mac Lynch). The lyrics to the chorus are:

When God is near, all the world seems far away.

When God is near, every fear is set aside.

When God is near, how can I stray? How can I falter?

I’ll stay upon the altar, I know my God is near.

God is near all the time but when we are going through a trial it seems we see Him more. When we respond correctly to that trial and submit to His will, we feel Him so close and the world does seem so far away. Then I started meditating on the phrase "I'll stay upon the altar". I'd heard the song before and never really thought about those words. What if that altar is not the altar at church, but the altar on Mt. Moriah where Abraham was commanded to offer his son Isaac to God? (Genesis 22) Would I like Abraham and Isaac, willingly travel to that mountain and STAY upon that altar? God didn't say to put Isaac on that altar for a few seconds. He said to leave him there to offer him as a sacrifice.

The second verse of the song says:

Make me know Your presence Lord, when I feel so alone.

You know each trial and testing pain, the hurt that is unknown.

Oh, why can I not see Your hand so firmly guiding me?

Oh how can I untrusting be, when You are very near to me?

And then it hit me, my trial is like that altar. I want my trial to be over. I want to move on with my life. I want things to be easy again, but God is telling me that I need to stay. This trial or testing pain is my sacrifice to God. My God has asked me to stay upon the altar for now. I must respond with obedience.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,

holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1 (ESV)

So, I can say tonight "I'll stay". For as long as He asks me to, I'll stay. And He will give me the grace to accomplish this task and any others He sends my way.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness."

I Corinthians 12:9

All right, Mommy

Two nights ago when I was putting my 2 year old son to bed, he made one of those deeply profound but extremely simple statements. The conversation went something like this:


Son: I scare.
Mommy: What are you scared of?
Son: Hear dat noise?
Mommy: It's just your house.
Son: Hear dat airplane?
Mommy: It's just your neighborhood.
Son: I scare.
Mommy: Jesus will take care of you.
Son: All right. (He closed his eyes and went to sleep.)


I almost cried when I realized the absolute confidence of his faith and then it dawned on me, I could feel that confidence, too. As adults, we often try to fix our problems ourselves but God says "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28 NKJV). When trials come into our lives, we really can just say "all right" and rest. God will take care of us.

Trials

When I started this blog, we were unemployed and that seemed like a huge trial. Then there were other little things along the way. Then God provided a job and now the trial is catching up the finances. Then today I woke up and thought it was really cold in the house. I checked the thermostat and sure enough it was 59 inside. That's chilly! This was my trial for today. Why is it that things like this seem to happen on Sundays? Count it all joy! God doesn't clarify that and say count only big trials joy. He says all trials, even things like being a little cold. (With the electric heater we are up to a balmy 68.) He will fix the heat in His time. (Repair men are hopefully coming tomorrow.) So I am remembering today God's goodness to us. I am rejoicing in this next opportunity to trust Him to provide and shelter us.

Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens

and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm.

There is nothing too hard for You.

Jeremiah 32:17 (NKJV)

Simplicity & Foundational Truths

Jesus love me, this I know,

For the Bible tells me so.

The Bible is full of knowledge both simple and complex. Yet when it comes down to it, you either believe the truth in the Bible or you don't. It really doesn't matter how deep you study it if you don't believe it is true. It doesn't matter how much you know about God's plan for mankind if it doesn't impact your life. Don't get me wrong, we should most definitely study the Bible. But, it is so easy to get caught up in so much Bible study that you study it as just another book. It is the Word of God.

Think on this. . . .The God who wrote that Bible loves you - personally. He loves you the same yesterday, today and forever. No matter what you do, He will continue to love you just the same.

For God so loved the world

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in Him

should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

A new promise?

Over the past year I have been challenged by several people to really rely on God. I thought I already trusted God but maybe I only trust Him sometimes. Yesterday, my Bible study lesson challenged me to find a promise in the Bible that I hadn't really claimed and claim it. I thought and thought and scanned through several books of the Bible. Finally, I prayed and asked God to show me a promise before class on Thursday. (Yes, I know, I probably should have started with prayer!) Anyway I got up today looking for a "new-to-me" promise from God.

Pastor's message this morning was on Abraham. One of his points was "following Christ sometimes presents challenges that seem humanly impossible." He pointed out Abraham's faith and trust in God even in the face of obstacles like being told he would have a child in his old age or to offer that son as a sacrifice. But Abraham wasn't perfect, there were times he forgot God's power, like when he said Sarai was his sister instead of wife because he feared for his life. I think I am a little like Abraham in that I trust God when I know I can't handle it but maybe not when I think I can handle a situation. Asa is another person in the Bible who trusted God in an impossible situation but trusted himself in an easy one and was punished by God for his decision.

So the promise that God brought to my mind was I Thessalonians 5:24. It comes at the end of a list of instructions - seemingly insurmountable obstacles (pray without ceasing, rejoice evermore, etc.) that Paul gives us and then says - "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." (KJV) A few months ago, Pastor had a sermon on Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (KJV) His point was you can do anything God wants you to, because God makes it possible. He is faithful. So in church tonight I was thinking this would be my promise to share in class and then. . . . .

We had a missionary speaker who in her presentation reminded us of Jeremiah 33:3 - ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ (NKJV) So here is my promise - Call unto God and ask Him to show you His faithfulness. He is ALWAYS faithful.

but I don't want that one. . . .

Have you ever had a child (surely not one of mine!!!!) complain about something they were given? It wasn't exactly the one they wanted and so instead of being thankful, they whined. Often time the other gift was nicer or better for them, but they couldn't (or wouldn't) see that.

I remember one time several years ago - much to my shame - I acted that way. I wanted a silver charm bracelet for my birthday. My husband came home with a GOLD charm bracelet. It cost twice (or more) as much as the silver one. He simply wanted to get a better gift for me and I thought I knew better. I behaved very childishly and have regretted it terribly ever since.

How often do we act that way to God? He gives us so much - family, shelter, protection, friends, HIS SON - yet we often want something else. God knows what is best for us. We say "But, God, I wanted this job, or this cirumstance, or a family like that, or this body type, or. . ." the list could go on forever. But God in His wisdom has given us exactly what each one, individually needs.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,

through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises,

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

2 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV)

God knows what you need today that will enable you to fulfill His purpose for your life. Rejoice in your circumstances today, whatever they may be.

One indiviual life may be of priceless value to God's purposes,

and yours may be that life.

Oswald Chambers

Asking for Trials

I was introduced to a poem this week by John Piper. It is entitled The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God. You can listen to him read it on his website or download and read it yourself. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/2441_The_Misery_of_Job_and_the_Mercy_of_God/
It is a retelling of the story of Job. At the end Job is summarizing his life story and he says:

. . ."To sieze

This moment would, I think, be here

An ample recompense. One year

Of misery, he thought, is not

Too long, to see of heaven what

I've seen, and watch the pow'r to heal,

And loving, feel what I now feel."

Do we stop and think at the end of a trial and actually rejoice in the hardship for the lesson we learned? Later in the poem, Job is speaking to his daughter, Jemimah:

"Jemimah, what I think

Is this: The Lord has made me drink

The cup of his severity

That he might kindly show to me

What I would be when only he

Remains in my calamity.

Unkindly he has kindly shown

that he was not my hope alone."

Is He your hope alone? Jim Berg is his course "Quieting a Noisy Soul" uses the illustration of an emergency room. Just as the doctors and nurses in the ER would help the most critical patient first, God often addresses the most miserable condition first. Our physical trials are usually not our (or someone around us) most miserable condition. Often that is a need for salvation or restored fellowship with Him.

If you're going through a trial, remember that God is at work. Take comfort in knowing that He is with you. Look for the reason to rejoice at the end of the trial!

And again. . .

Today, yet again God provided for our needs in His own way. I have been amazed at the generosity of our friends and family and their willingness to be used by God. While we have work now, sales are always slow to start and it takes awhile to recover from no income. We never know when we go to the mailbox what will be there - rebates/dinner gift cards/money from someone just thinking of us. God is so good to us. We deserve nothing - well, worse than that we deserve eternity apart from God.

But God, who is rich in mercy,

for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins,

hath quickened us together with Christ,

(by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together,

and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come

he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace

in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4

God's kindess to me is evidenced every day by His provision for us but the real kindness is His provision for my eternity - forever with HIM!

Happy New Year!

As I opened my Bible study lesson tonight, God caught my attention with this week's memory verse.

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Genesis 18:14a

As I look forward to the year ahead, I am excited to see what the Lord has in store. There will, I'm sure, be many changes. Some will be planned, others unexpected. (Kinda like this year!) But God is already there. He has the situation under control. He will be with me (and YOU!) each step of the way.