Crying Out to God

Suggested Scripture
Psalm 34

Key Verse
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. -
(Psalm 34:18, NIV)

Of all the different things in life that have the potential to affect us, the things that carry the most weight tend to be those that affect the heart. The Bible refers to the heart as the "wellspring of life", and to to guard it above all else. With that in mind, it is little wonder that when the heart hurts, the rest of the body aches as well.

The Psalmist writes that God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A person's heart, in the emotional and spiritual sense, is a place where secrets and dreams are kept. The pain of a broken heart is as unique as its contents. We can take comfort in the fact that a God who is so large and powerful demonstrates his love on such an intimate and personal level when He mends those brokenhearted ones among His creation.

When we hurt, we can cry out to Him. We can lay our souls bare before Him without the fear of shocking Him or making Him uncomfortable in any way. Where friends fail, God is faithful. When our own emotions overpower us, God draws us near to save us from ourselves. Time and time again, we can run to Him with our heartaches, knowing that He will never hesitate to wipe our tears and tell us that He loves us. We can find peace in knowing that He is the best one to heal a broken heart.

Reflecting Pool

How has your heart been broken?

What ways have you tried to heal your brokenness? Did it work?

When you are crushed in spirit, do you find it easy or difficult to cry out to God?

Searching the Heart

Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. --Psalm 139:23 (NIV)

Although we may be able to conceal our innermost thoughts and feelings from other people, we cannot hide them from God. For me, that is a comforting reality. I like knowing that even when my closest friends or family members are unable to understand my thought processes, God knows me better than I even know myself. From every tangled emotion that throws me off kilter to wordless prayers of inexpressible joy, God is present in all of it. He sees me and knows my heart at all times.

When I come before God in prayer, I am willingly standing before him exposed and vulnerable. This used to make me uneasy, but not anymore. I know that nothing he finds in my heart is surprising or shocking. He knows my anxious thoughts, the cares of my heart, and everything else that gets stored up internally in me. When I surrender my thoughts to him and ask him to test my anxious thoughts, he always brings about a feeling of peace and calm.

One of the ways God has tested me in the past with regard to my thoughts, is that he challenges me to trust him completely. He prompts me to respond faithfully to his offer to take my weighty load upon himself. No matter what is going on in my life, God can handle it. Unlike anyone else I lean on, God can completely shoulder the burden of the things that I let bother me. My heart's anxious and murky thoughts are skimmed away, leaving only a clear pool in which God's reflection can be clearly seen.

Spiritual Remedy

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! --Psalm 119:103 (NIV)

As flu season spreads its sweaty blanket over most of the country, the local drugstores are filled with people looking for a soothing remedy. Even on the internet sites I frequent, suggestions for beating the symptoms and discomfort of the flu are traded back and forth as though they were tissue boxes. How's the old maxim go? Feed a cold, starve a fever? I don't know. What I do know is that periods of illness are when the body needs good nutrition the most.

The side effects of spiritual illness can be just as troublesome as a physical ailment. When we fall out of the pattern of good "health", we deplete our spiritual reserves. Decreased church attendance, infrequent prayer, and limited periods of scripture reading can render us helpless to fend off the attacks of the enemy. Our frail hearts can quickly succumb to spiritual "germs" that prey on our weaknesses. These give way to deeper problems of sin.

The solution? Proper spiritual nutrition and diet!

What are you doing these days for spiritual food? More importantly, how is your spiritual appetite? I know mine can go downhill in a big hurry when I'm not feeling well. It's so easy to get frustrated, especially since God isn't there with us face to face in a tangible sense. I have to remind myself that it's far more beneficial to spend my limited energy on a simple act of prayer, rather than wasting it being bitter. I love it when God gives me a taste of his sweet spirit. Even the tiniest morsel of it satisfies a weary soul.

Praying in the Bathroom

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. -- Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

Each morning, with bleary, half-open eyes, I open the bathroom cabinet and begin placing my medications in order on the counter. For all of my adult life I have been doing my best to take all of my pills, inhalers and vitamin supplements, as well as perform chest physiotherapy (a way of "jump starting" my wimpy lungs) as fastidiously as possible.

It is in my own best interest that I comply with my doctor's orders, even when it means getting up early and taking more than a dozen medications. Although some days I would much prefer additional sleep, I know that my physical well-being depends largely on my medications. Without them I am prone to infection and fatigue.

Similarly, my spiritual well-being is deeply rooted in making the effort to spend time consistently with God. When I start my day with prayer and reflection on His Word, I am strengthened inwardly. During those times when I let myself become lackadaisical about spending time in prayer, I run the risk of allowing sinful thoughts and a negative attitude to take root in my heart.

Like a persistent cough that leaves me hoarse, failure to spend time with God wears out my spiritual resolve. Only when I return to a pattern of engaging in a meaningful, consistent prayer and devotional life, do I find my spiritual health being restored. In the last eighteen months, God has used my morning routine to get me to focus on him. As I sit quietly in the bathroom, letting my nebulizer fill my lungs with fortifying medication, I open my heart as I read God’s Word and let him fill my soul with His presence.

I am thankful for the ways that God meets me in my weakest moments. Parts of my life as mundane and time consuming as managing cystic fibrosis, can become precious and uplifting when they are spent with God. My morning prayers may originate in the bathroom, but I am confident that they find their way to the throne of heaven.

Stepping Stones

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. –Psalm 119:35 (NIV)

A curly-haired cherub sat in the seat of the shopping cart, offering toothless smiles to other shoppers; just beyond the infant’s kicking range, a sticky-faced toddler clung to her mommy’s shirttail, sucking a thumb and whimpering on occasion. Halfway down the cereal aisle, a little boy, seven years old at the most, was leaping from one floor tile to the next, clearly enjoying himself.

As I pushed my cart around the corner, I smiled to myself remembering the days when I used to play the same game with myself at the store and how much it annoyed my mom. I remember the challenge of leaping from tile to tile. Sometimes they were close enough that all I had to do was place one foot directly in front of the other. Other times, the gap in between was so far that I needed to summon up my energy (and courage if mom happened to be watching!) and take a long, flying leap in an attempt to land on the preferred floor tile.

The days have long passed since I’ve played the tile-game in the grocery store. But the underlying goal of the game is ever-present in how I live my life. I strive to make every decision I make align with God’s will. He has already pointed out which “colored tile” I need to aim for. Determining how to get from tile to tile is up to me. Sometimes it is easy to figure out how to get there. Other times the distance from my current position to the goal seems formidable.

God’s plan for me and that path I must take to follow it is not broken down into milestones. Milestones are evenly spaced and really nothing more than a tick mark along a route. Unlike milestones, stepping stones are creatively and artistically spread out. They offer firm footing in an area that is otherwise unsuitable to walk. The path of my life is not delineated by mile markers; it is strewn with the stepping stones that my Maker lovingly and creatively placed in my life.

Freedom of Movement

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. --Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

Free will is one of the most incredible things that God has given to us. So incredible in fact, that I sometimes have difficulty grasping the concept. How is it that a God who knows beforehand my every decision, thought and action, still permits me to do that which is possibly detrimental to my personal and spiritual well-being? Wouldn't an all-powerful, all-loving God step in to keep me from making foolish decisions?

Despite my failure to completely comprehend this aspect of how God deals with his creation, I have learned that free will is an extension of his love for me. By allowing me to make mistakes, he is allowing me to learn that my will and my choices don't always bring about the best results for my life. I have learned that the best choice is to surrender my will and my desires to his.

God did not create us to be puppets on strings. His Word, the Bible, gives us commandments and laws, but we always retain the freedom to disobey. God will never twist our arms, forcing us to comply. However, he will leave us to the consequences of our worldly misdirection and poor choices. Even when we are in the midst of making overwhelmingly disastrous decisions, God is still with us. He promises to never leave us. Our choices may disappoint him, but there are very few instances in which we will be completely separated from God. He is with us all the time--a fact we easily forget.

When we come to God and humbly ask him to help us live in ways that are pleasing to him, not only does he show us which direction to start walking, but he walks alongside us. Every step of the way he is with us. He offers wise counsel; all we need to do is ask. Even when we have grown accustomed to walking the right path and are no longer tripping over our own feet, God is still there. God will never drag us bodily in the direction we should be going. When we conform our will to his, we are able to experience unexpected freedom.

Life apart from him may seem like it has fewer restraints, but that is not so. However, no matter how far we wander in any direction, we are never more than a prayer away from returning to the blessings of his love, and the freedom that is found in his perfect plan.

Climbing Higher

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. --Psalm 18:33

When I was a college student I had an opportunity to visit Death Valley National Park with my geology class. The field trip was a requirement for the graduate students, but extra credit for me. I signed up for the adventure thinking that it would be a good way to garner favor with the professor of the course. To this day I consider the experience valuable in many ways. That weekend I was challenged intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Whenever I read this verse I am reminded of the ten-mile hikes across the desert, and the way that our professor urged us to climb ever higher to gain fuller appreciation of the landforms he was describing. One climb in particular was breathtaking. It took our group more than half an hour to climb up to the place where we were to be given a lecture about ancient shorelines. The higher we climbed, the more I was reminded of this verse. The view of the setting sun was stunning from that height.

God wants to show us incredible views as well. When God takes us on the heights, it is to give us an opportunity to see things as he sees them. Here on earth, our vantage point is severely limited. We let ourselves become so entrenched in the busyness of the small things that we forget how to take in the panoramic scene that God lays out for us each day. When we trust him to lead us to new heights, we are able to see the greater picture of his plan for our lives.
Once we have scaled the heights and glimpsed life from God's eternal perspective, our lives are changed.

Because it was a geology course, I learned a lot of details about God's creation. But that's not all I learned. God used that trip to Death Valley to make an indelible imprint on my heart. I will never forget the desert's painted sky, or the way the ground seemed irridescent in the moonlight. Even if I never go back there, I have beautiful photographs that help lock in the memories from that weekend. I also have the words of Psalm 18 to remind me of what the view looks like from the heights.

Praising with a Joyful Heart

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. --Psalm 150:1, 6

A decent singing voice is not one of the gifts that God has given me. My friend Kate, however, has a beautifully clear soprano voice. My mother-in-law also has wonderful vocal abilities. I used to feel lackluster around people whose gifts far surpassed my own in such a way. This was especially true when those people were using their gifts at church.

I used to think that making a joyful noise meant praising God in a way that made other people stop and take notice. I equated praising God--as is described throughout Psalm 150--with musical gifts and vocal talent. This was certainly not the proper attitude with which to praise my heavenly Father! How could I possibly make a joyful noise when I was preoccupied with my joyless thoughts? The fact that I was dissatisfied with the gifts God has given me severely impeded my ability to worship wholeheartedly. I had taken my focus off of Him and centered it on myself instead.

When we offer up a joyful noise to God, we are praising Him. Praising Him should be one of our main goals on this earth. God blesses us with the talents of His choosing. He is the giver of all good things. For this alone He is to be praised.

As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Determining whether our gifts are adequate for praising God is not up to us. To honor and glorify Him, we need to use the gifts He has given us, and we need to use them joyfully. When we worship and adore Him in this way, we may influence others to praise Him as well.

It doesn't matter if I can't harmonize as well as my grandpa or my mother-in-law. God doesn't care that I can't improvise on the piano like my husband can. God doesn't feel let down because I haven't recorded a CD like Kate did. What He cares about is my attitude. God wants and deserves praise from me for who He is. This means taking the focus off of myself and looking heavenward.

Reading David's Journal

Glory in his name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. --Psalm 105:3-4

My husband makes a point of reading a portion of the Psalms every morning as part of his devotional time before he heads off to work. Since I have had absolutely nothing competing for my attention throughout the last week or so, I have been doing some reading in the Psalms myself. It's amazing how many songs come to mind whenever I read them. How can I help but want to sing praise songs when I read verses like this? Songs with lines like "Oh Lord, your beautiful, your face is all I seek"; or what about "I will seek you in the morning, and I will learn to walk in your ways...".

Another thing I've noticed while reading Psalms is that David, who wrote the Psalms, certainly had some mood swings when he was writing! That only made him seem that much more real to me. As I read what he has written during some very distinct periods in his life, I almost feel like I'm reading his journal, or spying on him during his times of personal meditation. The fact that he expresses every emotion on the spectrum while still being considered a man after God's own heart, encourages me.

I always used to think of the people in the Bible as being so completely in tune with God all the time that they were nearly perfect. Well, obviously they weren't! David cried out to God on several occasions. It reminded me of my own writing and how I tend to write poems, journal and post to my web pages when there's a lot on my heart. As I write, I reflect. My words become more than just a creative outlet or a problem solving session. The words eventually stop flowing to the paper and instead leave my lips as a prayer. Like David, I keep coming back to the same conclusion that I need to give everything over to the Lord.

Like this verse says, we need to seek His face always. Not just when we feel like it...not just when things are going well and we have things to be praising God for, and not just when we need things from Him. We need to seek Him always and in all ways. In doing so, our hearts rejoice. Over the last few weeks I have been so totally encouraged to draw nearer to the Lord, and as a result, I almost always have a song in my heart. Even this afternoon when I was completely exhausted, I had reasons to praise Him in word and in thought.

It is my prayer that rejoicing hearts will occur as a natural result of seeking the Lord. Those of us who call ourselves Christ-followers must strive to seek him always. He's always there, so why not take advantage of that fact? The only thing we stand to lose is the weight of the burdens we so willingly but unneccesarily carry around.

Pecans, Peanuts and...Potatoes?

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.-- Psalm 34:8

I'm a "foodie". Not only do I enjoy eating, but I pay a lot of attention to how things taste and what the ingredients are. Last night I prepared a hot fudge sundae for myself after dinner. As I was sprinkling on some granulated mixed nuts, I read the label. Serving size 2tbsp; calories 100 etc. When I got to the ingredients list, I was amused to discover that in addition to pecans, peanuts, filberts, Brazil nuts--which incidentally are a type of seed and not a nut--the nut topping contained potato.

Potato?

If I had to decide whether I wanted to use those mixed nuts as a topping for my ice cream based on ingredients alone, I think I would have declined. In my mind the foods potato and ice cream do not mix. In fact, they are so different in flavor that I almost gag just thinking about a hot fudge sundae with potato-nut topping. It sounds ridiculous doesn't it?

There are times when our life is sprinkled with some very unappealing ingredients. God has a way of using the things that are bitter or unsavory and making them into a more appetizing blend. All of us go through periods where life makes sense for the most part. Things go smoothly and we are able to experience a satisfying peace.

When we least expect it, the status quo can change on us. The important thing to remember is that the challenging parts of life are nothing more than a different ingredient being tossed into the mix to add flavor. At first we may not like the way it tastes, especially if it is initially overpowering. Over time, God gives us the appetite we need to be able to taste and see that the things He allows --as part of the flavor of our lives-- are good. When we put our hope in Him and trust Him as our constant refuge, even life's stomach-churning recipes can be salvaged.

Delighting in God

Shout with joy to God, all the earth! --Psalm 66:1

Our church's youth leader, Jon, plays percussion with the worship band on Sunday mornings. He and his wife have three beautiful girls, two of whom are infant twins. His family usually sits on the side of the church where he plays the drums. Yesterday, when he took his place beside the piano, one of his baby girls squealed with delight and made the most precious, adorable baby noises as she recognized her daddy's face. I looked at Jon and saw that he was positively glowing with exuberant joy to be recognized by his little one. It was a beautiful moment, and one I hope I do not soon forget.

That brief experience got me thinking about how we interact with our heavenly father. Do I take the same delight and joy in recognizing who He is? Does His face radiate his love in my direction simply because I am His child? I certainly hope so.

We are God's most treasured creation. We are of great worth to Him, and He is worthy of our recognition, praise and worship. There have been times when I have rejoiced because of the things He does for me, but so often I fail to delight in who He is, regardless of what He does for me. At all times, my attitude should be one of utmost, exuberant joy, simply because I recognize His face. His character is worthy of my praise, and His attributes are beyond description. He was, and is, and is to come. His mighty works, incredible though they are, are completely secondary to who He is. This Christmas season, I will focus my heart on delighting in Him, and not in the things that He does.

Greener Grass

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. --Psalm 23:2

"The grass is always greener on the other side..." so the saying goes. Many of us play the comparison game, looking at the lives of the people around us and wondering why God permits some things and disallows others. Jealousy, envy and self-pity abound when we find ourselves feeding our discontented thoughts. We allow our emotions to determine the basis of our self-worth rather than realizing and accepting that God's plan is not the same for everyone. In all likelihood, even if we were to be given that which we feel we are entitled to, we still wouldn't be completely satisfied or happy.

God does not desire that any of us compare ourselves to others. No matter what stage of life we are in, if we are following God earnestly and whole-heartedly, we are completely within His plan. Finding peace and contentment in our present situations can be a difficult thing. It starts by training our eyes to look heavenward, rather than be distracted by the things of this earth.

Whenever I'm struggling with envy or an overblown sense of entitlement, I remind myself that every good and perfect gift comes from above. God's blessings are measured qualitatively, not quantitatively. The life I live may be quite different in many respects from the lives my friends are living, but that doesn't mean that they have gotten a better deal, or that I have been handed the short end of the stick. Everything that God has ordained for me is exactly as it should be.

I would imagine that Mary and Joseph were envious of their friends who got to experience an uneventful betrothal. It couldn't have been easy for Joseph to be engaged to a woman who, as far as appearance was concerned, seemed to be unfaithful to him. It couldn't have been easy for Mary to undergo the public scrutiny and shame of being an unwed mother and having people not believe her explanation. However, we know that all the conditions of the Christmas story and the events leading up to Christ's birth were exactly as they should be. Even so, I bet the young couple was eager to find a patch of greener grass.

The same God of Mary and Joseph, God the Father of Christ Jesus, is our shepherd. The greener grass we seek is found when we rest in Him. He leads us where we need to be, even if the road to get there is unpleasant. No matter where He takes us, we need to be ever mindful that He leads each of us individually. He has my own special custom-landscaped bit of green grass picked out for me. I have to keep trusting Him to get me there.

Thanksgiving and Freedom

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. --Psalm 95:1-3

This Thursday, millions of people will gather with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. To the non-Christian, this day is little more than a kick-off to the holiday season, a short vacation from work, or a long weekend filled with NFL games and huge sales at the malls. To Christians, however, Thanksgiving is more than just a large meal followed by a nap on the couch. It is a time to reflect on God's provision for His people, particularly the way He protected and provided for the first colonists to settle in this country.

What I find quite interesting about the origins of our country is that, in order to experience freedom, one of the first things the occupants of the Mayflower did was establish a framework for how they were going to live. Governor William Bradford wrote the words below in 1606 as part of the Mayflower Compact. Before he and the others had even set foot on solid ground, they signed their names in agreement with the following:

"...for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience."

This country was founded with the distinct purpose of advancing the Christian faith. This means not only sharing their faith with others, but by growing in their own personal relationships with God by living a life obedient to His will and calling. I believe strongly that the colonists' survival through the harsh first winter was a testimony to how God preserves His people. Without God, our country would not be the great nation that it is today.

I am thankful to live where I can worship freely. I am thankful for the daily opportunities I have to share my faith with others. I am thankful for God's continued involvement in my life, even when I have been forced to withstand harsh winters in my spiritual life. Most of all I am thankful for the freedom I have been given through the gift of God's grace. Because of His mercy, I am freed from the tyrannical reign of sin in my life and its effects. I look forward to living the rest of my life as a pilgrim, always mindful of my eternal home in heaven.

God's Signature

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. --Psalm 19:1

My handwriting is nearly identical to my mom's. The notes we leave by the phone, the birthday cards we send, even the checks we write--all are emphatically neat and legible. I can recall only one time when my mom's handwriting was almost impossible to decipher, and that was about five years ago when she had broken her right hand.

I recognize my mom's writing because I have watched her for many years. She applied her lovely handwriting to many things as I was growing up. Christmas cards, instructions for babysitters, reminders for Dad, checklists of chores on the chalkboard, notes to the school secretary to excuse me for doctor appointments; all of it bore evidence that my mom had etched necessary and meaningful words that were important for me personally, or our family as a whole.

In the same way that I have become familiar with my mom's handwriting and also emulate it in my own, I have spent time learning how to recognize God's handwriting. For several years I have seen evidence of His hand in my life. I have learned to discern which things are from Him, and which are not. The works of His hands are beautiful--even the ones I don't understand. He applies His signature to everything that is required to protect and provide for His creation.

Many people are not familiar with what God's handwriting looks like. They mistakenly attribute horrible things to Him. Natural disasters, crimes against children, even personal losses--although allowed by God are not directly caused by Him. When bad things happen, we ned to look at the bigger picture and determine whether they truly had God's signature on them, or the signature of the world.

God rarely keeps things hidden from us. When He wants us to know that something is from Him, it will be obvious. The book of Romans tells us that because of the parts of nature that He set in place, mankind is without excuse when it comes to knowing that God exists. Additionally, I think that our responsibility as Christians includes teaching others how to recognize what God's handiwork looks like. We can also take this a step further and work at making sure our own actions and character imitate those of our Heavenly Father's. Namely, we are to love one another with the same type of love He extends to us.

Life Swap

I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. --Psalm 119:19-20

Last night I turned on the television for some brainless stimulation while I noshed on a late-evening snack. I happened to catch one of those so-called "“reality" shows called, are you ready for this… "Wife Swap." Two wives from very different--in fact, nearly completely opposite—backgrounds live in each other's family for a time. Each wife leaves a set of instructions about how her household is run. For the first part of the show, each wife must follow the host family's rules. During the second half, each wife is permitted to make new family rules.

Each wife thought that the other's way of doing things was ridiculous. Each wife insisted that her way of doing things was better, even to the point of refusing to play by the rules and participate fully in the host family's lifestyle. I considered this show an interesting experiment in social behavior. The lesson learned is that very few people are willing to give up a lifestyle that is familiar and comfortable, even if that lifestyle is not necessarily the best one.

This reality is not a new one. Throughout the Bible we see examples of people who are more willing to stay in a pattern of sinfulness rather than make changes. To them, the effort required to change is less appealing that staying in a comfort zone. Consider Pharaoh during the plague of frogs; Moses told him how he could be free of them, but Pharaoh decided to sit it out. And what about the rich young ruler who asked Jesus how he could get into heaven? Jesus told him that he should give all his possessions to the poor, yet at this suggestion, the young man was crestfallen, because he couldn't bear the thought of giving it all up. The things of this world, even when they are less than ideal, are still a source of comfort and familiarity to many.

Deciding to live a life wholly centered on Christ is deeply contrary to our personal nature. We are all loathe to relinquish control to anyone, let alone an unseen Spiritual Being. Much like the wives in "Wife Swap", we find ourselves constantly frustrated by the idea of going along with something foreign and dissimilar to our usual preferences.

This struggle does not only pertain to those who have no yet decided to accept Christ. It extends to those of us who are already Christians as well. Because we know that our true home awaits us in heaven, we are constantly at odds with our temporary host home here on earth. We look around and see that the rules that the world follows are quite often in direct opposition to God's rules. Unlike the television show, however, we are not required to assimilate into this world. In fact, we need to continually ask God to give us the courage and boldness to reflect His kingdom to those who think that this life is their home.

Land of the Free

The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord...--Psalm 33:10-12a

Today we honor our veterans--those who have served selflessly to advance the cause of freedom at home in the United States, and abroad. Veterans no only have defended our country's honor in the face of strong opposition, they have been afforded the blessed of witnessing the outcome of their efforts. I have a deep respect and admiration for our military men and women. I am proud of the strength and determination they exhibit under extremely trying circumstances. I am proud to have family members and friends who have served this country in the past and who continue to do so.

We live in a world where evil runs rampant. This can be disheartening, especially when it affects us on a close and personal level. Corrupt nations do unspeakable things to one another, all for the sake of feeling powerful. Only God is all powerful. Kings and kingdoms fall. Nations that rise to power will one day collapse under the weight of God's absolute authority.

I think that our honorable veterans, especially those who have witnessed the defeat of this century's most notorious leaders and their despicable regimes, are experiencing, at least to some small extent, the taste of victory that we all will one day share.

Upon completion of God's purpose for us here on earth, we will stand before His throne. Battle weary and shell-shocked from a lifetime of fighting against the darkness of this world, we will be welcomed into a post-war era. Those of us who call on the name of the Lord will get to spend eternity as veterans of the greatest war ever waged--the war between good and evil. After the final battle, when Christ returns, we will truly be living in the land of the free.

Hovering by the Heater

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. --Psalm 119:50

I like being warm and comfortable.

When I was growing up, my parents had a space heater that we kept in the bathroom. Whenever I took a bath, I would set it up a few feet from the tub and let it run for awhile. Upon climbing out of the bathtub, I would wrap myself in a pre-warmed towel, and sit curled in front of the heater until I was warm enough and dry enough to finish putting on my pajamas and go to bed. The time that I spent sitting there was not only functional (I was able to dry off more quickly) but relaxing and calming.

To some extent, each of us craves comfort and security. Much to our dismay, we go through times where life isn't as warm and comfortable as we would prefer. In times of trial we may find ourselves practically immobilized, shivering uncontrollably, and unsure of where to turn. No matter what the situation, God is always near to His people. He is never far off. In our most helpless state, we can hover in His presence and gradually be renewed in strength and comfort.

Each of us is unique, and so are the circumstances of our lives. God has planned our individual paths and the time frames required for accomplishing our purpose within His will. His promise--the promise of salvation and the hope we have in knowing that sorrow only reigns for a time--preserves our lives. We don't ever need to feel ashamed or embarrassed if it takes us longer to "dry off and warm up" than it does for our friends. We are all equipped differently with our spiritual strengths and weaknesses, and as a result, we all respond to trials in a manner that is consistent with our personalities.

Being warm and comfortable is nice, but what's even better is the knowledge that I have a place I can go to when I start to shiver. God is able to fill me with a sense of peace and contentment even when I find myself left out in the cold. His promise to sustain my life is as welcoming and appealing to me as the thought of flannel pajamas on a winter night.

Barbie Doll Feet

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. --Psalm 118:13-14

Last month the guest speaker at our church's annual Women's Retreat talked about how we are to survive our failure as Christians. She said that unless we are being supported by God, we fall flat on our faces. As a poignant visual aid she brought along her "Pastor's Wife Barbie" and proceeded to try to make the doll stand on its own. Naturally, Barbie wasn't up to the task. This is because Barbie's feet are ridiculously molded into what looks to be a rather painful position. As the speaker (whose name, incidentally, is Barb) talked about her own personal struggles, we watched "Pastor's Wife Barbie" fall face first each time Barb let go of her. In her personal testimony, Barb confided that she usually did well with self-discipline for about 3 days before she grew complacent and forgot to ask for God's continual support in her efforts.

I find that the same is true for me. I could give you every excuse why I had trouble getting up and starting my day on time today, but the fact of the matter is that I let my personal feelings take precedence over my behavior. I was lazy. I didn't let God have full control of the situation, and predictably I fell on my face.

Inevitably, we all fail as Christians. We fall miserably short of living blamelessly and obediently. For each of us, this happens on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. I don't like to admit how weak I am. I like to believe that I am a self-motivated, self-disciplined person. This is how the world teaches us to think. The enemy would like us to believe that we don' need God for much of anything, let alone the mundane aspects of daily life.

We need God as much as we need air, water and food in order to survive. Surviving our failure as Christians does not mean that we throw up our hands in defeat. We make be able to offer ourselves and each other convincing excuses as to why we are disobedient, but no excuse is good enough for God. Daily we must repent of our selfishness and come before Him with a humble heart, asking him for a measure of His grace to help up stand once again. Even with Barbie doll feet, we are able to stand so long as we ask God to hold us up. Because Christ is our salvation, we don't need to be discouraged when we start to stumble.

Fulfilling My Vows

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. --Psalm 116:13-14

On July 5, 2003 we stood before God, our family, and dear friends as we repeated those familiar words that bound us together in holy matrimony. We exchanged vows and rings--verbal and physical evidence of our lifelong commitment to one another. In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, until death parts us, we will continue to honor our vows and take them seriously. Our vows were not just "warm fuzzies" that we said to each other as we grinned from ear to ear up in front of church that day. They are a deep-seated commitment that we exercise in every day, every moment of our marriage.

Although the specific words that we spoke took place only once in front of many public witnesses, certain aspects of my daily actions as a wife should be further public proof that I belong to my husband. If I were to say "I love you" each morning but never treated my husband with respect, I would not be honestly living out my vows. If I flatter him to his face but complain about his minute imperfections to my girl friends, I'm not truly loving him.

The same goes for our relationship with God. When God gave his people what we commonly refer to as "The Ten Commandments" what He was really doing is making a vow with His people. Since marriage is commonly used as a metaphor for God's relationship to His church, it is fitting to think of His commands as a sacred covenant, much like wedding vows. Our obligations to God should be taken as seriously and reverently as wedding vows. For us to claim to have a relationship with God but not behave in such a way that evidences such a relationship, we are walking a dangerous line. It would be as if I had taken off my wedding ring and gone out to some singles venue to flirt with any guy who happened to look my way twice.

God wants and deserves more than just lip service from us. He wants a growing, deepening, meaningful relationship with us. He also wants our loyalty and respect. Because He is the Lord of my life, I need to be as committed to my relationship with God as I am to my husband, if not more so. And, just as in my marriage, I need to behave in a loving manner even and especially when I don't think I have to.

Ground Level God

Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? --Psalm 15:1

This past weekend my church had its annual Women's Retreat. For months I had been excited about the event and was filled with the anticipation of experiencing God on a larger-than-life level just as I had so many times when I had attended church camps and youth retreats when I was younger. As the weekend progressed, I realized that the "mountaintop experience" that I had expected was not what God had in mind for me.

The speaker's message was entitled "Amazing Grace: Surviving our Failure as Christians." She spoke about the fact that all of us, even those who are walking with God on a regular basis, still fall into patterns of what the Puritans called "besetting sins." Because we are human, descended from Adam, we live in a fallen state. Our besetting sins will continue to plague us for the duration of our life on earth. These are the sins we struggle with day in and day out despite continuous confession and repentance. It is the situation described by the apostle Paul when he said that his spirit was willing but his flesh was weak and the things he didn't want to do he still ended up doing.

As I contemplated the magnitude of my failure as a Christian and listed my besetting sins before the Lord during a time of personal reflection at the retreat, my heart sank. If I'm such a failure, then how can I ever hope to make progress toward spiritual maturity? How could I come to God if I'm so unworthy? Clearly I am not one who could dwell in His sanctuary or ascend His holy hill.

Fortunately, I do not have to come to God. He has come to me. He sent His Son, Jesus, in order that the gift of grace may be extended to me. I do not have to be on my best behavior or get all my spiritual ducks in a row before I am worthy of pursuing a relationship with God. The truth of the gospel is that God pursues me. While I was and am still a a sinner, Christ died for me.

Understanding my failure as a Christian is not a particularly savory topic, but it is vital as part of my spiritual growth. I am humbled to know that I serve a God who was willing to come down to ground level in order to save me. In the words of Robin Jones Gunn, "God loves us just as we are but He loves us too much to leave us that way." God's plan for me is not thrown off kilter by my flaws, rather, my besetting sins serve as a reminder that He is always working to the good of those who love Him.