When God Causes Grief

For if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant loving kindness. Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the LORD. Lamentations 3:32, 40 (New American Standard Bible)

There are times I come across a passage of Scripture that speaks volumes to me. Such is the case with today’s verses. I have known grief caused by the Lord…or at least caused by what He has done. I am at a place whereby I can thank Him for it and mean it, but that has not always been the case. For a year and a half He took me through the process of self examination and probing. It was painful, confusing, frustrating, and difficult, but it was necessary in order for me to fully come to Him and return to His ways.

God knows how easily I can seek satisfaction apart from Him. He loves me too much to allow that to happen. Hence, He will remove my props one by one in order to turn my focus and heart back to Himself. It is only in seeing this that I can eventually thank Him for what has caused me grief. For me it has been a process of confronting my idolatry, repenting of that idolatry, and returning to Him. The change has been slow but steady.

The reasons for grief are varied. As I have been reading through the book of Lamentations, grief was a result of sin and rebellion. Even with that, though, God’s desire was the same. He longed for His people to return to Him and live in relationship with Him.

Grief may also come because of the harshness and reality of life. The death of a loved one, difficult health issues, financial loss, unemployment, etc… Whatever the grief, the directive is the same. Know that God will have compassion if He has allowed the grief. We have His word on that and God ALWAYS fulfills His promises. Examine yourself and probe the way you are living. Ask God to show you what things in your life need to change. Cooperate with what He tells you. What you cannot bring yourself to do, ask Him to do for you. The removal of my idol was definitely done by God. I praise Him for doing what I couldn’t do. Finally, know that the ultimate goal is for you to return to Him for restoration of the relationship He longs to have with you.

Remember this, nothing is wasted. There is buried treasure in the caverns of grief and God wants you to discover them. I have recently begun to see the sparkle of those treasures. The joy I thought would never return is making its way into my life once again.

Father, the way has not been easy but it has been worth it. I praise You for the grief You allowed and where it has led me so far. Amen.

Were it not for Grace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3qrFwQOJ8A&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

God Will Make a Way

Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 (Amplified Bible)

God’s principles and concepts must be viewed in the way in which He meant them. Our interpretation of what He is saying must be in line with Scripture. If we are not careful, we can make a verse say what we want it to say and give it a meaning or promise God never intended. Then when what we are sure will happen doesn’t, we wonder why God didn’t keep His word. Truth be told, it was not His word, it was our word. Hence the warning in 2 Peter 1:20 which says that no prophecy of Scripture is of any personal or private or special interpretation. There is a danger to taking a verse and pulling it out of context just so it will fit our preconceived ideas and theology.

Sometimes we can draw conclusions and not even realize they are not accurate. Recently I saw this for myself in a song I have come to love. Don Moen sings the song, “God Will Make a Way” and it is derived from today’s verse. It speaks of God making a way where there seems to be no way. For the longest time I thought that meant God would figure out a way to give me what I want be it in relationships, career, opportunities, etc… I not only wanted His stamp of approval on MY plans but I enjoyed thinking He would carve out a path to bring those plans to fruition. God could see my wrong conclusion and has lovingly revealed His truth to me.

God does make a way but it is His way! That which He has designed and desired to carry out in my life will become possible as He opens and closes doors, makes provisions, guides, and clears obstacles. I don’t have to worry that there is no plan and I don’t have to worry that God will be unable to bring about that plan. I must simply rest in His Word, heart, and character, and walk in obedience to that which He shows me. Scripture is full of examples of God making a way for His people as they followed Him. The nation of Israel, Joseph, David, Ruth, Esther, and Moses are just a few of many.

My way? No, God loves me too much to allow that to be His goal. He knows who to cross my path with and what circumstances to use to glorify Himself and bring about the best. His timing is perfect, His tools are wise, and His ways are unquestionable. He is God. I am not.

Father, if allowed to have it my way, there would be no growth for me or glory for You. Thank you for showing me the truth in Your way. Amen.

God Will Make a Way - Don Moen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hOjYR8UZT8&NR=1

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Purposed and Performed

Lift up a signal against the walls of Babylon; Post a strong guard, Station sentries, Place men in ambush! For the LORD has both purposed and performed what He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon. Jeremiah 51:12 (New American Standard Bible)

As I have been reading through the book of Jeremiah, I am seeing time and time again the specifics of God’s judgments against numerous nations. What God purposed for each was eventually performed. But this truth is not limited to God’s judgment. Everything God purposes He performs. This is a truth I have been gleaning from a Bible study in which I am involved. It is impacting my life in a significant way and I can tell that once again God is profoundly shaping my walk with Him.

Often have been the times I have felt like “one of many” to God. A nameless face in a crowd. While I knew God did special and specific things with certain individuals I did not feel His intervention and personal attention was directed toward me…..or at least not very often. Feelings of insignificance and invisibility marked my path. But those are lies! The truth of the matter is that God purposes and performs that which He speaks concerning me. I may not always know the specifics but I can trust Him to do all that He plans to do in and through my life.

Eternity will be filled with many “aha” moments as the full picture will be clear. But for now I can catch glimpses of His purposes and performances when I look back and review significant times in my life. Not just wonderful times but difficult times as well. It is my opportunity to see how He has woven relationships and circumstances together to bring about life changing lessons for me as well as life defining moments. No detail is insignificant or unnecessary. Romans 8:28 reminds me that all things work together for good and God causes or allows each of the ALL things!

Insignificant or invisible? Not hardly! God is masterfully designing my life on a daily basis and it is changing my perception and view of everything in my life. Every relationship, every circumstance, every trial, every joy! I matter and every detail of my life matters to God. His sovereignty is a security to me and His heart is trustworthy.

Several years ago the truth that God’s love is not dependent upon what I am doing flipped my Christian life upside down! It was the start of my present journey. This truth about God’s involvement in my life via His purposes and performance of those purposes is making as big of an impact on me. What a joy to see life changing moments occur!

Father, I am breathless with wonder over You! Amen.

He Knows My Name by Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Without Sight

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 (New King James Version)

I remember as a 14 year old, reading this verse for the very first time and seeing the personal significance. It was the first time I had read Scripture and knew it was talking about ME because I was one who had believed in Christ without seeing Him with my physical eyes. Now, three and a half decades later, I am seeing a new truth come alive to me as I once again read this verse.

The Bible says that God is good, works all things together for good, and has purposed good things for our life. It also says He makes roads in the wilderness, gives beauty for ashes, and is conforming us to image of His Son. Some of us, like Thomas, live with a “I have to see it to believe it” mentality. We hold out believing with abandon until we actually SEE what God is doing, how things will turn out, why things are happening, where God is taking us, and when whatever we are experiencing will be over with. When we can finally see what God is purposing and doing we then make our proclamations of faith in Him. In other words, we believe He is Who He says He is and can do what He says He can do when we see it with our own eyes.

Today’s verse can be a personal invitation to us if we allow it. Jesus is saying to each of us, “Believe Me even when you don’t yet see all that I am doing and why I am doing it. The blessing comes as you walk in confidence even without the full picture and all the answers knowing that My view is really the only view that counts.”

I joy in the fact that THAT is the kind of God I love and serve. No matter what is transpiring in my life, He can be trusted, depended upon, believed in, and followed whether or not I understand and see everything. He already knows the end of each story of my life and my confidence in Him does not have to be weakened in the slightest by what I do or don’t see with my physical eyes. Eternity will reveal ALL the things I may question now, but I don’t have to wait until then to take hold of His hand and walk with boldness now. As far as God is concerned, it is ALL a done deal now even before it has begun.

Father, You’ve seen the tears, fears, and questions of my heart countless times. Now may You see the kind of faith that brings blessing. Amen.

God Will Make A Way - Don Moen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RmdzX5XPpM

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Platform Living

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33 (New International Version)

Some would read this verse this morning and groan, because the only thing they seem to be experiencing is the tribulation. Peace illudes them, good cheer is absent, and they wonder at the ‘overcoming’ part. If that is you today, may this devotional serve as a lifeline to you. Jesus’ intent is that we experience ALL the promises of this verse. Not to just stick our toe in His pool of words, but to plunge in and saturate ourselves with the hope in which He wants us to immerse ourselves!

This is one of those verses that has a sandwiche principle. The fact of tribulation in this life is sandwiched between the promises of peace and good cheer (taking heart). What does tribulation look like? It comes in many forms. It can be the pressures, hurts, disappointments, afflictions, anguish, burdens, turmoil, persecutions, troubles, or trials of life. Jesus does not want to leave us with the idea that the abundant life He promised would be absent of hardships. If we do not see that truth we will set ourselves up for disillusionment, confusion, and tremendous misunderstanding.

In the midst of the struggles Jesus makes available to us His peace, quietness, rest, and even prosperity. He invites us to live with good cheer, comfort, courage, boldness, and confidence. How? By seeing Him as the Overcomer to all of life. He subdued, conquered, and won the conquest at Calvary. Being in relationship with Him empowers me to live as a conquerer with a quiet boldness even in the midst of life’s difficulties. If nothing else, I stand on the premise that God is able to work all things out for my good and His glory.

As a devotional once reminded me, I can view my tribulations as “a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power.” It is up to me how I choose to live on that platform. I can curl up into a ball of pain, misery, and victimization, or I can accept God’s invitation to live life to the fullest with Him. While there will be tears shed along the way, I want to learn to sing, dance, and celebrate atop the platform!

Father, teach me to not only acknowledge the difficulties of life but to simultaneously proclaim Your Person, power, and presence at the center of it all. May I partner with You in my platform living! Amen.

In The Potters Hand - Hillsong (HQ sound)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6beNoG0H0E0&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

The Whole Message

Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the LORD your God will send you to us. "Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God." Jeremiah 42:5,6 (New American Standard Bible)

What pastor would not thrill to hear his congregation proclaim the words the Jews had spoken to Jeremiah. In essence they were saying, “Tell us what the Lord says and we will obey…no matter what!” In reality, they had already made up their minds to do what they wanted to do. If God’s message to them was not what they wanted it to be, they really had no intention on walking in obedience. Jeremiah 43 reveals they did exactly what God warned them NOT to do….they headed to Egypt! They decided since the message was not what they wanted it to be then, in their minds, it wasn’t from God.

I am astounded! The message was crystal clear. “Stay in Babylon and you will be abundantly blessed and protected. Go to Egypt and you will die!” As clear as that was, they rejected the wisdom and warning of God’s message through Jeremiah.

Does that sort of thing still happen today? Absolutely! The Bible is clear about Heaven and Hell. It is clear about salvation coming through faith in Christ alone. And yet people don’t want to accept that as God’s message. They have their own idea of how life and the after life works and that has become “truth” to them. When the Jewish people chose to reject God’s message it did not change the message. When people today choose to reject what the Bible clearly says, it does not change the message. Unfortunately, many will come to realize that when it is eternally too late.

But it is not just the world that picks their way through God’s Word with a smorgasbord mentality. Christians are often guilty of the same mindsets. Hence, we get a prosperity gospel, all law, all grace, God’s love, God’s judgment. God is a God of balance and His Word is just as balanced. Yes, there is grace but there are also warnings for disobedience. There are boundaries and limits God has established and when we live within them we are within the parameters of blessing and favor.

I have known what it is like to live outside of God’s intended will for my life. It is a place of frustration, loneliness, heartache, and profound sadness. Those are the very things God has used to draw me back into submission and obedience to Himself. I came to the place where my way was too uncomfortable. May I speak the words found in today’s verse with a ready and willing heart to yield to whatever God says.

Father, my ears and heart are open to what You have to say to me. May I walk in obedience even when what You say isn’t what I hoped it would be. Amen.

We Bow Down - Twila Paris
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1rjmBNKk-4w&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

The Purpose for Second Chances

Joseph said to them, It is as I said to you, you are spies; by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here! Genesis 42:14-16 (New American Standard Bible)

The account of Joseph in the book of Genesis has so many layers of truth. A favored son of his father was the despised one by his half-brothers. They could not speak kindly to him due to jealousy and hate. Eventually there came an opportunity for them to rid themselves of him and they took it. They sold him into slavery and led their father to believe he had been killed by a wild animal. Years later, they came face to face with this same brother, only now he was the prime minister of Egypt! They did not recognize him but he recognized them and put them through a series of “tests” to see if they had changed.

I use to read this story and limit the tests to showing Joseph there had been a change in them. Now I am seeing it with a much broader view. The tests were also to show the brothers themselves that they had in fact changed. When I read the entire account I am left wondering if they ever fully realized the incredible work God had done in their hearts. For in fact, they were very different men but failed to fully embrace that truth and enjoy the rich forgiveness and relationship Joseph continually offered them.

God had repeated a scenario in their lives to demonstrate to them and others that He had done a work in them. God still does the same in our lives today. Once He has brought us through a difficulty, weakness, or failure, He will often times allow us to step back into a similar experience in order to reveal that change has taken place. He wants us to realize we are not the same person we were and if we can come to see that, then we can live with a joy and freedom that wasn’t ours in the past.

Tears filled my eyes as this truth came home to me yesterday. Having failed in a former relationship due to huge dependency issues, God has once again introduced significant people into my life and I was left wondering why He would ever trust me with such relationships given my past track record. That is when He let me know He was doing so not only for encouragement but to show me that He in fact has been changing me over the past year or so. His intent is that I would see that deep and meaningful relationships are meant for me and He will continue to help me enjoy them in a balanced and healthy way. I marvel that I have been given a “second” chance at receiving the precious gift of friendship. The heart I felt could not be trusted (my own) is the very heart God knows and is faithfully developing through countless ways. I am both undeserving and grateful!

Father, You have given me something I never thought I would ever see again. I see the change in me and trust You to bring about even more change. What a faithful God You are! Amen.

I'm Not Who I Was - Brandon Heath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3SjCuSkaNs&feature=related