Two Hearts in the Hands of God

Jacob said, No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. Genesis 33:10 (New American Standard Bible)

Jacob’s reunion with his brother, Esau, is the Old Testament equivalent of the New Testament story of the Prodigal son. Unexpected favor. Unexpected acceptance. Unexpected change. Astounding picture of the heart of God! It follows a time of Jacob wrestling with his own fears, perceptions, and limited knowledge. After 20 years of separation from his family, Jacob feared meeting up with his brother again and understandably so. He had not left him on the best of terms. Hatred and a desire to see him dead were Esau’s attitudes. Yet, the reception Jacob got was far from what he hoped for or even dared to dream. He expected the worst but Esau “ran to meet him, and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” Apparently, in the midst of Jacob’s thoughts he never entertained the thought that God was working on Esau as much as He had been working on him.

Do you have an Esau in your life? Someone you fear coming face to face with because of the way things were the last time you saw them? You live with a certainty that all has been lost and remains irreplaceable and irreparable. You can’t imagine a favorable reception like the one described between these two brothers. It is beyond your realm of thinking.

If so, I want to encourage you to do what God is leading me to do with my Esau person, and that is to believe Him for change. Believe that all the while He has been working on me, He has been working on the other person. As I have been changing, she has been changing. Believe that God is right now continuing to make all things new. Believe that if there ever is a reunion in this life, preparation is being made for that reunion. It is a looking forward with anticipation rather than holding on to the past. It is basing my thoughts and feelings on what God is doing rather than on how things were at one time.

I don’t want to spend another day with fear, dread, or hopelessness. Instead, I want to rejoice in the fact that God’s ways are higher than my own and His thoughts are too. Jacob’s reunion experience has become my new perspective as I enter a time of trusting God to do what He has been doing all along in both our lives. His ways are the epitome of multi-tasking!

Father, my thoughts are lining up with You today. What a joy to know that NONE of us are who we use to be. I needed this assurance and choose to embrace it. Amen.

God Will Make a Way - Janet Paschal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAz7K72a8ks

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

When We Have It All Wrong

When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance. Joshua 22:10 (New American Standard Bible)

When the children of Israel had settled in the Promised Land, two and half tribes were allowed to return to the other side of the Jordan River. Their first act was to build an altar and thus an incredible account of false accusations and assumptions nearly led to war. The children of Israel assumed the altar had been built out of rebellion when in fact it was built for future generations to see that they were a part of God’s chosen people. When the truth was heard, the people were pleased and the thought of war was destroyed instead of lives. The altar itself came to be called Witness because it was a witness between them that the LORD is God.

Have you ever assumed the wrong thing about another person and were ready to take action based on those wrong assumptions? If so, you and I can relate with each other. It happens to me many times this and this account in Joshua 22:10-34 is a glaring spot light on this issue for me. I have come to call it having a spirit of suspicion and I can attest to how much damage it will cause if left unchecked, unchallenged, and unreceptive to the truth.

I will not list specifics here but let me suffice to say this spirit of suspicion is usually awakened in me when I don’t get what I want, hear what I want, or possess what I want. It usually has to do with relationships and although I do not position myself for war I do yield to the temptation of retreat and shutting down my heart. Surely the enemy of my soul delights when I have put myself and another person in the worst possible light. Not a pretty picture and not one I enjoy admitting to others, but transparency is a necessity in my walk of faith. Others will allow the truths of their heart to surface if I dare to admit my own. Too many have commented on this for me to think otherwise.

So what am I learning? That my false assumptions are usually based on my own insecurities and wounded places within me. It is imperative that I hold off personal judgments until I know the truth. I have delighted in the times I have told myself, “Your thoughts and feelings are not based on truth,” and then within a day or two the truth is revealed. It is helping me to hold off my self imposed retreats. May God continue to grow me up in this area through His Word and His Spirit!

Father, I praise You for showing me the basis and harm of my own suspicions. Help me to be discerning and teachable at all times. Amen.

Draw Me Close - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgQJVfUQLho

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

The Great Robber

And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Luke 12:25,26 (New American Standard Bible)

The King James Version asks if you can add a cubit to your height by worrying. Whether we are talking about adding time to our life or height to our stature the point is this…..worrying NEVER adds….it always takes away. It robs us of the very things we need like sleep, peace of mind, clear thinking, trust, faith, confidence, security, and health. Just look at the synonyms for worry: to fret, be anxious, lose sleep, excessive concern, troubled-spirit.

I found it interesting to see a definition for worry that I had never realized even existed. Believe it or not, a dog can worry a bone which simply means to treat it roughly, as with continual biting. Is that not a good picture of what worry does to our insides? It is remarkable how the worrying can go on in our head while the churning is going on in our gut! The next time I am worrying, stewing, fretting, or being perturbed over something, I want to picture that “dog” gnawing away at me!

I know one thing, worry and faith cannot co-exist. Only one can be experienced at a time. Worry tells me my problem is bigger than God, I am on my own, improvement of the situation is impossible, there is no hope for relief, and I will never be able to handle what is coming. Faith on the other hand says my God is bigger than ANY problem, He will NEVER leave me, He is working ALL things for my good, my hope is IN Christ, and I can do all things THROUGH Christ. I also know that worry and faith both have the potential to shut the other down. It comes down to this question….to what am I yielding my thoughts?

I will admit, some people are more prone to excessive worrying than others. But the same antidote is applicable for both. Voice out loud your true feelings. Admit to God what you are really thinking. Then find Scripture to contradict what you are believing about yourself and your situation. Counter the worry with truth. It will flee every time! Worry is an option. Faith is a necessity!

Father, I need not worry when I keep in mind all the truths You are teaching me about Yourself. Nothing is impossible for You! Amen.


You're Still God - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvclzwpAMxg

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

The Length and Depth of Grief

And when the days of his weeping and deep grief were past. Genesis 50:4a Amplified Bible

In the past I have witnessed vast proportions of grief in the lives of dear friends. Loss of parents, loss of pregnancies, loss of children, loss of relationships, loss of jobs, loss of health. Their pain was profound and worked through in the privacy of their own thoughts and hearts. While friends and loved ones sought to comfort, they were still left with many hours of solitude. Some are still in the throws of their grief and loss wondering if they will ever experience life as “normal” again.

Sometimes the most difficult part of pain is our misunderstanding of all that it entails. Uncertainty of what our feelings should be and how long the whole thing will take, leave us floundering.

I found comfort in Joseph’s example today. Today’s verse followed a 70 day long mourning for the death of his father. 70 days! That is a little over 2 months. And I noticed it was simply the deep grief that was past. That is not to say the grief was entirely gone. After a life time of loving someone, years of being separated, and then the joys of being reunited, how could anyone think he would walk away from grief after a mere week or two? And yet I hear account after account of people who think it should be that easy and that quick.

Grief is a process and God accomplishes much through it. We learn a lot about ourselves and about Him during that time. The deeper the grief the more profound the lessons and the greater the possibility of future ministry that will stem from it. But it takes time! The loss of my mother in February of 2000 led me into a grief process that lasted a year. The grief from the loss of a mentor in the spring of 2006 took several years to subside. While both were extremely painful they yielded rich treasures from my Father’s hand.

Today I share Isaiah 51:3 with all those who are presently experiencing their own valley of grief. “The LORD will surely comfort Zion, and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”

Father, I trust You to make the joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and singing as profound and deep as the grief has been. Embrace my friends! Amen.

Help Me, God - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-wL7KWO8Ys

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Callings and Desires

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. Romans 1:1 (New King James Version)

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. Psalm 73:25 (New King James Version)

I want Paul’s ability to identify himself according to God’s description and Asaph’s desire for God above all others. Did it mean a perfect life for either? No! Did it mean struggles ended and bliss marked their every waking moment? Absolutely not! They each had their own set of difficulties, weaknesses, and failures but those things did not define them or consume them. If I were to put these verses into my own words they might read something like this. “Pam, enslaved to Jesus, called to teach, and singled out for God’s message of salvation to others. No one but You, O, God!”

My first thought after reading both these verses was a strong awareness of how far short I fall of the reality of both. I am aware of my own actions and attitudes that do not portray the fact that I am His called and separated servant. I know all too well those desires that compete with my desire toward God. I am humbled and broken by the truth. But I am also aware of God’s desire and ability to bring me to the place whereby these verses mark my path and my life. My failures and shortcomings are not the end of the story. It is not too late for me to turn these verses into my own prayer request! God is still in the process of transforming me.

Sometimes we convince ourselves that we cannot possibly live up to the walk of others. It is like they have an inside track to God and godly living and we keep missing it. Comparisons are dangerous and deadly. Change comes when I become more enamored with the Creator than with His creations. Appreciate them? Yes! Learn from them? Yes! But my patterning, dependency, longing, trust, and focus must be primarily on Christ. If I am trying to get needs met through people, fulfillment out of opportunities, and pleasure out of circumstances I am only living on the scraps of what God offers me. I end up living with a frustrated, deprived spirit. But if God is my desire and the One I long after, then being His servant becomes my daily reality. When I walk in agreement with God and have my strongest desire toward Him I am on a path with no comparison!

Father, be my desire above all others. Help me to fully live out my calling as Your servant! Amen.

With All I Am - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0AyxEMFRbI

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

What I Do and Don't Know

Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. Joshua 23:14 (New King James Version)
　
Joshua’s words to the children of Israel as he came to the close of being their leader, are words full of assurance for me. They are reminders to me of the faithfulness of God. I need those reminders as a close friend of mine goes through some foreboding circumstances in her life. As she shared those circumstances with me I found myself becoming fearful for her and deeply concerned. It didn’t take long for the “what if’s” to start cropping up in my mind. That is when I had to begin acknowledging what I did and didn’t know.

I don’t know how her story will end. I don’t know what her future looks like. But I do know what God has spoken concerning her and I know not one word of His promises will fail. What has He spoken? He has promised to meet all her needs, to never leave her, to guard and guide her, to fulfill His purposes for her, to glorify Himself in everything that transpires in her life, to uphold her with His grace, to strengthen her, to protect her, to give her beauty for her ashes, to be her constant companion and wise counselor, to equip her for what is ahead, to establish her goings, to do a good work in her, and to hold her in His arms like no person is able to do. God knows her story from beginning to end and this is simply a chapter in comparison to the whole.

I know too that He loves her deeply and has not allowed anything into her life that has not first passed through His hands. Her circumstance took her by surprise but it was no surprise to God. Although people were involved in the process God has been and will continue to be in control.

These are the truths I will ponder in the weeks and months ahead. They are the truths I will continually share with my friend. They are the truths I will voice in prayer on her behalf. And they are the truths I will let sink deep into my bedrock of thoughts in preparation for the day I face circumstances that cause me to press in harder on God.

Father, keep reminding me and my friend of the kind of God You are and the kind of promises You have made. Amen.

Still - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXywFuTf65I&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Seeing the Promises

For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. Ezekiel 36:24-26 (New International Version)

I claim the promises this morning! Many were the times I could not read Scripture and see that what God was saying to His people in the Old and New Testaments He was saying to ME as well. It was like reading someone else’s mail. That is no longer the case. Now when I read His Word I know what He is saying to me and what area of my life to appropriate His words.

Much like the children of Israel, I have spent years trying to walk in someone else’s land and make their journey my journey. It was easier to copy their ways and thinking rather than allow God to bring me into my own, unique place within His kingdom. I had my idols. While the children of Israel had their idols of wood and stone, I had my idols of flesh. With the acknowledgement of that, God has been in the process of bringing me into my “own” land and place with Him and also freeing me from my idols and propensity toward idolatry.

I have been influenced by significant people and my life will always bear their marks and fingerprints, but God’s intent is that I become and remain an individual of authenticity and originality. To be known as the One He rescued and redeemed for His own name’s sake. That which had a profound hold on me, is loosened only by His hand. To put it quite frankly, He WILL finish every work He has started in me. I have His word on it! I embrace His promises to me.

People often give up or live with a sense of resignation when there is no hope. They can’t see changes in their life or their circumstances so they conclude there are no changes. Often the processes of God are drawn out over years and that which is able to keep us hopeful of a complete story are the promises found in the Bible. His Word is meant to be personal and to be approached with expectancy. Each time I open it I know that He has a word for me. This morning was no exception. His promise tells me the end of my own story and the hope of that promise renews my strength and stride. In moments like this I have no trouble seeing His involvement and interest in my growth and development as His child. That which eluded me for years has now become very clear and very present.

Father, the way You are carving out a path for me to walk is beyond words. Thank you for renewing my hope and my spirit. Amen.

Ancient Words - Michael W. Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vmTkXNpwzs

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.