A Change of Heart

And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been. Genesis 31:2 (NIV)

Have you ever had a “Laban experience” in your life? It is hard when you realize someone you once felt close to no longer looks at you in the same way. Where once you enjoyed friendship and favor you now feel left out and unwelcome. Conversations are strained and warmth is no longer felt when you are together. Jacob knew that feeling with Laban and David knew that feeling with King Saul. God is helping me to come to some understanding as to what brings about such changes.

I can think back to various relationships that turned sour. Some of the changes were due to my own actions. Through something I did or said the relationship dissolved. Sometimes I was aware of what I did and sometimes I wasn’t. But when it was all said and done, the person chose to step out of my life and we just went our separate ways.

For the longest time, I thought anytime a relationship fell apart I must have done something to cause it. If it was a highly significant person in my life the loss would be quite painful. Not only would I spend time grieving the loss of their friendship but I would continually kick myself for having blown it plus torture myself trying to figure out how I had blown it. I don’t have to tell you the enemy of my soul took great delight in my misery. It never occurred to me that the problem might not be me after all….at least not in every case.

Recently, God was gracious enough to enlighten me on a truth I was missing. Sometimes the relationship falls apart because of something that is going on in the life of the other person. It could be a character flaw, a personal change, or a withdrawal that they have initiated for their own personal reasons. Laban’s and Saul’s change of attitude came out of jealousy. Whatever the reason, this can be the most painful way to see a relationship change.

If I was the one who damaged the friendship I must be willing to do what I can to make things right. But if the other person has just had a change of heart toward me, I will need to trust God to redeem what needs to be redeemed. In the mean time I must begin looking to God for the acceptance and approval I have been craving from them.

Father, thank you for having an unchanging heart toward me. Amen.

Claiming or Proclaiming the Promise

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)

For the believer, both aspects of this verse are theirs to experience in life. Weeping is a reality for each one of us and joy is the promise we know will come to pass. If I had the opportunity to visit with any one of you, I know that you would be able to share with me many nights of weeping that you have faced. Some of you may be experiencing them even as you read this devotional. If so, I give to you the promise of coming joy! Some of you are experiencing that joy right now and you are attesting to the truth of that promise. Which ever the case may be, David has an exceptional list in Psalm 30 that can be our proclamation of praise! We can say it with anticipation of the coming joy or with gratitude for the present reality of that joy. Will you join me as I express to God the truth of what He HAS done or the truth of what He WILL do? For we are either seeing what’s coming or experiencing it right now! Either way we glory in Him. With that in mind, let’s review the list.

I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up! You healed me! You brought my soul up out of the grave! You have kept me alive! You have made my mountain to stand strong! You have turned my mourning into dancing! You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness! Therefore, I will give You thanks forever! Oh, how I would love to hear the stories behind those proclamations!

And for those of you who are still in your night of weeping, your list would be spoken in the future tense. I will extol You, O LORD, for You will lift me up! You will heal me! You will bring my soul up out of the grave! You will keep me alive! You will make my mountain to stand strong! You will turn my mourning into dancing! You will put off my sackcloth and clothe me with gladness! Therefore, even in the midst of my tears, I will give You thanks forever! How precious that some of you will express those thoughts with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes. May your joy be soon forthcoming!

Like you, I have known the weeping and the joy! In the midst of both He is worthy to be praised and I trust Him still.

Father, You have walked with me through sorrow and danced with me in gladness. I desire no other Partner but You! Amen.

Our Hiding Place

But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself. I Samuel 19:2 KJV

Where do you resort to when your world is turned upside down? Maybe like David, you are experiencing a devastating change in a close relationship. Maybe you have been handed a medical diagnosis that felt more like a death sentence. Maybe everything that is dear to you has been suddenly ripped out of your life. Whatever the case may be, Jonathan’s words to David are meant for you as well….abide in a secret place and hide thyself.

David eventually penned words that revealed where he learned to safely abide. Psalm 91:1 says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Jesus urges us to abide in Him and in His love.

Abiding has the idea of making a certain place your abode. A place to sit, rest, and dwell. It is the equivalent of a spiritual Calgon commercial! Although we may not be able to physically remove ourselves from a certain place or situation, our spirit can always choose to resort to a secret place under the shadow of the Almighty. To draw in close enough to God that His presence, peace, and person overshadows you and all that is affecting your world.

Throughout Scripture God gives us visuals of being that close to Himself. A mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings. An eagle hovering over her young. Other pictures come to mind of this tender aspect of God. A mother or grandmother cradling an infant in their arms. A person of strength and compassion embracing and holding a grieving friend. The hushed tones, gentle touch, and caring eyes all directed toward a person in need.

But God is also a fortress, stronghold, shelter, and bulwark. A place that is completely safe and unable to be disturbed. One that keeps all storms at bay and hinders them from completely destroying our internal world.

Strength and tenderness! Two aspects of our God who desires for us to seek refuge and comfort in Him.

Father, may my place of hiding and abiding always be in You! Amen.

Deliverance or Defeat?

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)

My mind is centered on three scenarios from Scripture this morning. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lions den, and Peter walking on the water. All five were in life threatening situations and needed God’s intervention and deliverance. The flames did not have an effect on the first three. Not even the smell of smoke was on them when they were removed from the furnace. Daniel was removed after a night with the lions without so much as a scratch on him. And then there is Peter. After a few successful steps he sank. And yet when he cried out to Jesus, his deliverance came. What made the difference in these situations?

I believe part of the answer lies in the focus of each person. It is my belief that the three Hebrews and Daniel were more focused on their Deliverer than their dilemma. This was going to be the case no matter what the outcome was. Peter, like so many of us at times, looked away from His Savior and focused on the storm. What could have been a walk of victory quickly became a harsh lesson in the law of gravity.

Two days ago, God showed me some specific steps to take in order to obtain freedom in a certain area of my life. As He revealed what needed to be done I was overjoyed to cooperate with Him because I knew it would lead to my deliverance. What will be the conditions for success? Continued obedience, reliance upon Him, and keeping my focus on Him. You see, I can spend my days looking at the very things I am stepping away from and focus on the ache that still comes at times, but that will only lead to discouragement and defeat. God has a better plan! Keep looking to Him and remembering the goal! Keep reminding myself it will lead to the freedom I desperately want and keep picturing what that freedom will eventually feel like. He will equip me with everything I need to get through this time of adjustment. The desire for freedom has finally become stronger than the fear of letting go.

Father, You knew when my cry for help went from being a mere desire to stop experiencing pain to an actual longing for freedom. Keep the view of Yourself and the promise for deliverance astutely in front of me at all times. Amen.

Partial Obedience

Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” I Samuel 15:10,11,13 (NIV)

The instructions were clear (I Samuel 15:1-26). Saul was to destroy the Amalekites and their animals because of their treatment of the children of Israel when they left Egypt. But Saul didn’t do that. He destroyed everything except the king, the best of the animals, and all that was good. His partial obedience was noticed and condemned by God. Hence, Samuel was told two very different things by God and Saul. God said Saul had not obeyed Him and Saul said he had obeyed. Upon hearing Saul’s statement, Samuel had one question for him. In essence he said, “If you have truly obeyed God, why am I hearing bleating sheep and lowing cattle?” Samuel and Saul were within hearing distance of his disobedience. The eventual consequence of that disobedience was his loss of position as king.

Partial obedience is no obedience as far as God is concerned. Every part of His commands to us are significant and necessary. But we often approach His Word with a smorgasbord mentality. Picking and choosing what appeals to us and ignoring what doesn’t. How our selective, partial, incomplete obedience must grieve the heart of God as well. Are there consequences? Absolutely! They may be in the form of missed opportunities, loss of position, withdrawn blessings, or even shortened life. Although we live under grace and not under law, this principle still applies. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But there is encouragement in the midst of what seems harsh.

David was called a man after God’s own heart even though he had a trail of sin behind him that included adultery and murder. How can that be? Because when he was confronted with his sin he repented and always sought reconciliation with God. When Saul was confronted with his sin he always made excuses and minimized the offense. Repentance opens the door for restoration and reinstates God’s hand of blessing on a life. Refusal to admit the wrong, blocks the return of blessing. It is that simple.

Father, may I grieve at my partial obedience as much as You do. Help me to completely obey and fully follow You. Amen.

Unrealized Options

Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” Luke 9:12 (NKJV)

The disciples had spent the day with Jesus and were witness to a multitude of healings. At the close of the day they looked at the crowd of 5,000, knew they did not have the means to feed them, and presented Jesus with the only solution….send them away so they can take care of themselves. Now Jesus could certainly have done that and no one would have thought anything of it. But instead, He once again chose to intervene and do what only God can do…the impossible.

The disciples must have stood in a place of confusion as they were told to seat people in groups of 50 and then watched as Jesus blessed the five loaves and two fishes and proceeded to tell them to set the food before the crowd. The awareness would have hit as they watched the bread and fish multiply right before their eyes with twelve baskets remaining in the end. Once they saw the miracle take place, do you think they would have dared to think their original plan was still the best? I doubt it. But rather maybe Isaiah’s words came to their mind that God’s ways are higher than our ways and God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

How easy it is to look at our circumstances, resources, limitations, and location, calculate our options and decide there is only one thing to do. We approach God with the view that He is as limited as our list of possibilities. We simply cannot imagine that there could possibly be a better way let alone a miracle. How generous of God to hold out for His plan even in the midst of our tears, confusion, and questions. How gracious of Him to display His ways and thoughts while He whispers, “O, ye of little faith.”

This morning I sense His longing for us to see that He still does the impossible and knows if we could see what He has in mind we would choose His plans above our own. He has given us the miracles of the Bible to show us how often He did things no one even thought of let alone considered possible. He implores us to trust Him fully and to stop depending on our own understanding. Will we dare to do it?

Father, You are aware of the options I am focused on. My view is so limited. Help me to turn my eyes and my trust toward You! Amen.

In Need of His Help

But I am poor and needy; yet the LORD thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God. Psalm 40:17 (NKJV)

This is one of those verses I so often want to slip my name into and live with its realization in my life. When I am spent, confused, hurt, discouraged, or in tremendous need, I must allow this verse to wrap itself around my spirit. When everyone else’s life seems to be moving on and I am feeling so alone, I take comfort in the fact that God is thinking of me. He is fully aware of the depth and length of my pain. When I feel helpless and no human help is forthcoming, He is my help and my deliverer. Those are the words that assure me I will make it through whatever I am facing. He even allows for my plea for speed. While David said, “Do not delay,” my version would be, “And hurry up! I need Your intervention now!” It is not spoken out of demand but rather out of desperation.

I am thinking of several dear friends this morning whom this verse fits as well. Some have been given a medical diagnosis that has turned their world upside down, some have just buried a loved one, some are facing the heartbreak of a child’s choices, some are facing an unwanted divorce, and some do not live a day without extreme physical pain. My heart breaks for them and my tears fall for them as I pray this verse over their life and situation. When I struggle to find the right words to tell them or the right way to show them how much I care, I once again entrust them to their only real Helper and Deliverer. While I cannot even begin to scratch the surface of their pain or loss, God is able to reach to the very center of it. Where He allows me to be His hands, feet, heart, and mouth to them I will certainly be that to them in the ability He gives. But when it is all said and done, His direct ministering to them one on one will be what sustains them each step of the way. I am looking to Him to deliver, preserve, and strengthen each of them in ways that only He can do.

It is true that we no longer live in the Garden but the Gardener of our soul has not deserted us. He is tending to our every need, cultivating growth in us, and landscaping our lives with His Word. None of this is said to minimize the pain and suffering but rather to maximize the view of God’s abundant grace!

Father, in the midst of our sorrow we look to You to carry us. Strength, healing, and redemption will only come through You. Amen.