God

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Surviving Trouble

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A few years ago my family was going through an extended crisis.

My sister wrote the following letter to me on one of her handmade paper cards. I have kept it as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and care. I ran across it again this past week and wanted to share it with all of you that find yourselves in discouraging and/or impossible circumstances.  Now, a few words from my sister, Nancy.

“Dear Karen,

I’m writing to tell you that I am praying for the safety and well-being of you and your family. Today I was reading I Kings 18 & 19. Elijah had just defeated the 450 false prophets by calling down fire on his sacrifice. But then he got scared off by Jezebel and “ran for his life.” He was in the wilderness asking God to let him die. Did God give him a sermon? No. He sent an angel with fresh hot bread and a jar of water, and gave him a good sleep. Then the angel came a second time with food and drink. After that Elijah was able to go on in strength for 40 days and nights.

Karen, I am praying for those 40 days and nights for you.

Love, Nancy”

My family and I survived the crisis. It wasn’t easy, but as I look back the only explanation was that God helped us. God didn’t just give us strength for 40 days and nights, but God gave us strength for months that turned to years. He can do the same in your life.

Whatever circumstance you find yourself in today. God sees and hears you. I pray you would receive the supernatural help you need each day you walk this path.

“’Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.

You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.

For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”

Isaiah 41:10-13(NASB)

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When Miracles Don’t Happen

It has been a difficult decade. There have been many sleepless nights. There have been many tears. I have prayed believing. I have prayed even though I didn’t believe. I have prayed when i didn’t feel like praying. My prayers have been whispered, spoken and shouted. They have been written down on my laptop, leather journals and scraps of paper. Often my prayers have been wordless. Having said all I could think of to say I left the words to the Holy Spirit who promises to “intercede for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)

We are instructed to pray, and yet what is our response when we don’t see an answer? We want to hear about the miracles and the happy endings. We don’t want to hear about the financial struggles, the sexual abuse, people dying of cancer, prodigal children or broken families. The church speaks loudly in its silence. Like Job’s silent friends who sat and watched. (Job 2:11-15) When they finally did speak it was to blame Job for the trouble he was in. (Job 4 etc.)

We delight to look at Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. It is full of miracles. God doing great things through ordinary people because of their faith. The words “by faith” are used 19 times in that chapter. But there are others mentioned in verses 35-38 that we tend to ignore. They were tortured, stoned, sawn in two, put to death etc. They were not living the miracle life. Their situation was more of a nightmare variety, but in verse 39 it says “all these, having gained approval through their faith…”

I was startled when I read Genesis 15 the other day. It records a conversation Abraham had with God. God was again repeating his covenant promises to Abraham. Then comes verse 13. God wanted Abraham to know something…to know for certain…

“Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.”

That doesn’t seem like the kind of thing anyone would want to know for certain. Yet, I believe that we need to know for certain that life will be hard. Things won’t always go as we planned. Sin will continue to corrupt this world and our lives. We need to prepare for the ugly in our life so we don’t loose our hope. Someday it will be different. Someday the trouble we have gone through will be over. The trouble is not an indication of our lack of faith. The trouble is not an indication that God is mad at us.

The good news is we have a God who promises to always be with us in the midst of that trouble (Matthew 28:20; John 16:33) As we learn to cling to Him we understand His worth. He is a God that walks through the darkest of nights with us. I believe that those dark nights reveal more to us about who He is than the perfect ordered life, we long for, ever could.

So the next time you hear people talking about the miracles in their life remember that God often does the most amazing miracles in the dark. Some of us will have to wait until we get to heaven to see the miracles revealed, that we so longed for on earth.

(Originally posted January 5, 2015 at Lytroo Retreat.)

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The God Who Forgives

Here it is the start of another year. There is hope for a fresh start, a new beginning. To do better at life than I did last year. But there are old doubts. Can I really begin again?  Can God possibly love and forgive me after what I’ve done?

The simple truth is…”If God doesn’t speak to me in my darkest sin, He doesn’t speak to me at all.” Either he is a God who loves even the most vile sinner and longs for them to turn to him or he doesn’t care for any sinner and will condemn us all to hell.

His love is way beyond anything we can imagine and so we imagine his love is like ours. “Fragile, weak and conditional.”

We love those who are kind to us. God loves those who hate him.

We love those who are worthy of our love. None of us are worthy of God’s love.

We love those who we have the energy to love. God loves with a passion that takes our breath away. It is an unending wellspring of love for the people he has created for one purpose only…to love and serve Him.

And yet we put limits on the limitless God.  We say, “I have gone too far. He can’t possibly forgive this offense. I have sinned too often. He will not forgive me yet again.”

But we forget that he is the good shepherd who leaves the 99 righteous persons to seek and save the lost one. (Luke 15:4-7)

We forget that he loved people like David who were guilty of sexual immorality, betrayal and murder.

We forget he loved the extremely wicked city of Ninevah enough to send a reluctant prophet to preach them the gospel. Jonah tried to get out of the assignment, but God insisted, and the entire city from least to greatest had the nerve to repent. (Jonah 3:1-10)

Such a heart of forgiveness this God has. So at the beginning of this year I bring my past failures to him. I seek His power in changing who I am. I determine to set my eyes on my only hope. The grace and forgiveness of a God who loves me in spite of who I am.

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Windows of Thy Grace

I’ve been overwhelmed with how difficult life is for many  people around me.

They are not dealing with one crisis, but many.

There are the car accidents, house fires, lost jobs, bankruptcy, court cases, prison terms.

There are the handicapped children, physical sickness, surgeries, cancer, deaths.

There are the prodigal children, substance abuse, adultery, broken families, abuses of every kind.

The list is endless, but in the midst of the dysfunction and  trouble I catch glimpses of God. He provides what is needed day by day, sometimes minute by minute. Those crumbs that sustain us through a barren land.IMG_0671_edited-1

Life will continue to be hard. We live in a fallen world that is getting worse not better. The sweetness in life comes from knowing this One who cares for our souls.  He has been there all along, caring for his sinful, wounded children. We catch glimpses if we take time to look.IMG_0673_edited-1

I ran across an old hymn by Isaac Watts that gives such a sweet picture of God. Oh that I would look through the windows of His Grace to catch a glimpse of Him.IMG_0674_edited-1

“I love the windows of thy grace. Through which my Lord is seen.

And long to meet my Saviour’s face, without a glass between.

O that the happy hour come, to change my faith to sight.

I shall behold my lord at home, in a diviner light.

Haste my beloved and remove, these interposing days.

Then shall my passions all be love, and all my pow’rs be praise.”

Isaac Watts 1674-1748