Sifted Like Wheat

A few words about the Living Proof Live conference in general, and then I want to share one of the main lessons I brought home in my heart.

First of all, before we even sat down in our seats, I was fighting back tears. To see an assembly of so many thousands of women (14,500 to be exact) who wanted to worship God and learn about Him was awesome. There aren't really good words to describe it. I can hardly imagine the glory of worshiping God in Heaven with people from every tribe, tongue and nation crying out "Holy, Holy, Holy is our God!" Whew! Talk about chill bumps!

Second, it is was plain old fun to get away with three other girlfriends and just be together. We talked and chatted and then talked some more. We also managed to make every single wrong turn possible in navigating around Jacksonville. All of us agreed that it was a good thing our husbands were not with us. They would have been terribly frustrated by our lack of navigational skills.

Third, you can count on getting a good message from Beth Moore. I knew that much was certain. But aside from the inspiration and meat of her message, she is just such a delight to hear speak. She is so funny and engaging and silly one minute, and then pounding you over the head with deep truth the next. She took off her shoes and was barefoot on stage during the last session. I can't think of any other speaker I know who could get away with that. And not only did she get away with it, in her own way it added to her appeal. You really do feel like you are her girlfriend. She is walking around her kitchen barefooted telling you about her life and what God has taught her; you are sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee (of course) and just soaking it all in.

The main scripture she spoke on at all three sessions was Philippians 3:7-14. One of my favorite passages of scripture. In fact, on Wednesday night, I told my husband that if there was one thing that motivated me to serve God, it was the idea expressed in Philippians 3:8-9.

"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,"

That kind of statement could only come from a person who has found fullness and freedom in the redemption of Christ Jesus. I'm probably going to do a separate post just about that verse, maybe several posts, but not today.

Today, I want to share a little bit of the pride and arrogance that got wiped off my face on Saturday morning. I am being very harsh on myself, I'll freely admit. But I think the caution that Beth gave us could very well have saved me from a whole heap of trouble. She said, (and of course you know this is a paraphrase, I wasn't secretly recording her) "be very careful about this idea that you love Jesus more than the people around you. Some of you are even convinced that you love Jesus more than your pastor. Certainly more than all the other Christians you know. Nothing will demand to be dealt with more than that kind of arrogance. That is such a problem that it will hinder all kinds of work for God. Humility must cover every aspect of your service to the Lord."

I felt like I had a bullseye painted on my forehead and she had just thrown a big fat dart into the audience, aiming straight for me. Well, the dart hit home, let me tell you.

I have to admit that there are times when I look around me and wonder what the matter is with all/most of the other Christians I know. Where is their passion? Where is their joy? Where is their freedom in Christ? Because I think I have a double portion of those things. But here is the catch. I have those things ONLY because God has dealt them to me. They are not a product of anything inside of me. I absolutely and without exception do NOT, do NOT, do NOT deserve any of it. Just trust me on that one. I don't have time to detail all of the reasons why.

In fact, I would venture so far as to say that if you knew me very well 5 years ago, and you knew me very well today, you would know 2 completely different people. And all of the change has been due to God's intervention in my life. NONE of it came about because I chased after God. He chased after me. I would have snorted in laughter if you had suggested to me 10 years ago that I would wake up every morning and hurry to get out of the shower because I was so excited to READ THE BIBLE! (But its true.)

So, Beth gave the example of Simon Peter, the disciple. Who, when Jesus foretold that all of the disciples would be made to stumble, replied, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble." Then Jesus told Peter that before the rooster crowed he would deny Him three times. And Peter replied, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" (Matthew 26:33,35)

In other words, Peter thought he loved Jesus more than the other disciples. We all know what happened. Peter did deny Him three times. I have such a welling of compassion when I read in Luke 22:62, "So Peter went out and wept bitterly." I can hardly think of anything that would make me weep more bitterly myself.

This was the point that tied it all together. Beth pointed us to Luke 22:31.

"And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

The first "you" in that verse is plural, it applied to all of the disciples. But the second "you" is singular, it applied directly to Simon Peter. Jesus was saying that Satan had asked for permission to test all of the disciples. But Jesus had given specific permission for Peter to be tested. Why? Because Jesus could see directly into Peter's heart. He could see the arrogance that needed to be peeled away so that Peter could serve Him from a place of humility.

Serving God from a place of humility is vital! God will not share His glory with another. When you or I, or Peter, are trying to serve Him from a place of our own strength, our own ability, or our own pride, we are not giving God the glory that is due to Him. And sometimes God will allow us to be "sifted like wheat" to reveal to us how very dependent on Him and His strength we must always be.

I can tend to make statements to my close friends like, "I just wish everyone had the passion and freedom I have in Christ." Now, that can sound very exclusive, can't it? My good friends know when I say things like that, I understand fully how little I deserve any of it. They knew me before God "arrested" me. (Another great point Beth made which I am not going to elaborate on today.)

And there are even times when that passion and freedom in Christ make a crooked turn and become, "I have more passion for Christ than anyone I know, I understand the grace of God much better than other people, I am more driven to read the Bible than others, I must LOVE God more." Hmph. As if. This is where I should be falling on my face in humility. And I needed to be reminded of that. So thank you, Mrs. Moore. I heard you loud and clear.

And you know what else I realized this morning as I sat in church? No matter how I do or don't serve God, His love for me doesn't rise or fall because of it. God's love for me, and for His church, is constant. In John 21:15, Jesus says:

""Simon, son of Jonah, so you love me more than these?"

He said to Him, "Yes Lord; You know that I love you."

He said to him, "Feed My lambs.""

Jesus loved Simon Peter, and yes, Simon Peter loved Jesus. He would eventually be martyred on the cross because of his great love for Jesus. But Jesus' love was not just reserved for the one who would willingly sacrifice his life. Jesus loved His lambs, too. That is us, the church. We are Jesus' lambs. And Jesus extends mercy and love to the lambs as well as the martyrs. His love for them does not vary or correspond to the sacrifices they make for His sake.

Even if I do love God more than the person next to me in Sunday School, which I have no way of knowing anyway, God loves that lamb just as much as he loves me. I just needed to be reminded of that.

Living and Active

Oh, I bet you already guessed what my verse is!

Hebrews 4:12

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

I am off this afternoon to a Living Proof Live event in Jacksonville, Florida. I have been looking forward to it for weeks. That verse from Hebrews is the basis for Beth Moore's ministry, and in case you don't know, she is the one who speaks at Living Proof Live.

I'm anticipating a big dose of that living and active word over the next 24 hours. I'll let y'all know all about it when I get back. (Well, maybe.)

The "S" Word

No, not that "S" word! The one that is genuinely nasty and foul--sin.

Now that I think about it, I probably hear the four letter "S" word more often than I ever hear the word sin mentioned. I have a great story, by the way, of coming home from school in the second grade and announcing the four letter "S" word at the dinner table. I had literally never head the word before, and had no idea what it meant. But I knew that it was against the rules to say that word at school for some reason. (As a very helpful and newly made friend informed me in the bathroom.) And I wanted to be sure that my grandmother knew what all the rules at school were. I'm pretty sure she didn't appreciate my explicit detailing of said rules.

But anyway, back to that sin word. I didn't notice until very recently how rare it is to hear anyone, Christians included, talk about sin. You hear a great deal of talk about "poor decisions" and "bad choices." Girls, a bad decision is wearing a sleeveless t-shirt to the park when it is 40 degrees and windy outside. And a poor choice is eating that 5th piece of birthday cake.

Sin is a weighty issue. Its seriousness can't even compare to weak phrases like "poor decision." But we seem intent on downplaying sin. Maybe this does not apply to you personally. Maybe you have a real understanding of what sin is and the consequences of it. I hope so. In my experience, seeing the vastness of my sin was the starting point of massive spiritual growth. I'm not talking about making a list of every bad thing I ever did and then feeling really guilty about it. No, I am talking about understanding my total unworthiness to be forgiven and accepted by God. Only when I "got" that, did I begin to comprehend the awesome grace that God extended to me. And only when that reality sunk into my bones did I find myself truly free in Christ.

Psalm 130: 3

"If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?"

"But wait!" you are thinking. "Aren't we supposed to be jewels and treasures and precious possessions and brides and all that? And aren't we supposed to relate to God on those terms?" Well, yes and no. Scripture does compare us to all of those things. Here are two examples.


Malachi 3:17

"They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts,
"On the day that I make them My jewels."

Isaiah 62:3

"You shall be a crown of glory
In the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem
In the hand of your God."

Heady stuff, I know. Who doesn't want to be a jewel or a royal diadem in the hand of God? But here is the thing: you are nothing like a jewel or a diadem in and of yourself. You require transformation and redeeming by the blood of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. If you spend all of your time trying to "believe" that you are a jewel, you will find yourself very frustrated. You know yourself too well. You can see all of your own imperfections and flaws. And somehow all of that knowledge doesn't quite square with being a jewel of God.

You can't skip ahead to the jewel part. You have to KNOW and ACCEPT that you are a sinner deserving the wrath of God. You have to SEE it and BELIEVE it. Calling your sins poor choices is not going to bring about that kind of understanding.

You are not a royal diadem in the hand of your God because of who you are. You get to be a royal diadem in the hand of God because of what Jesus did on the cross. One view is all about pumping up that all-important self esteem (please note heavy sarcasm intended here.) The other view is the truth. Truth is real, you can really believe truth. You can relish being a jewel and a royal diadem if you understand those things in light of God's amazing grace. If, on the other hand, you spend your energy trying to conjure up feeling like a jewel without focusing on God's total responsibility for it, you have a big recipe for confusion on your hands.

Because girls, there are days when being a jewel seems like the farthest thing from reality imaginable. I had one of those days recently. But instead of wondering where all of my sparkling jewelness had gone, I got to praise God that I am indeed a shiny treasure because of HIM. Not because of ME.

So, that is why the real "S" word is so vital. Our sin is what makes God's grace so unbelievably amazing. I don't know how else to say it. All of my words are failing me right now. If you find yourself constantly frustrated and confused, and wonder why you just can't seem to accept that you are God's treasured possession, I'd like to suggest that you might not have a clear understanding of your sin. That seems backwards, I know. But how can your socks be blown off by the reality of forgiveness if you don't see how badly you need it? How can you be stunned and awed by the grace God extends to you if you haven't seen how little you deserve it? And how can any of that happen until you see your sin for what it is?

Isaiah 54:11-12

"O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your pinnacle of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And your walls of precious stones."

Did you see it? Did you see WHO did all of this magnificent crafting? That's right-- God. Not you. Amen.

Death Be Not Proud

John Donne's famous poem, Death Be Not Proud, expresses exactly what I have been thinking about all day. Because just as Christ rose from the grave, in a bodily resurrection, so will we all who have faith in Him.

"Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so"

Or how about the Corinthians 15:55?

"O death, where is your sting, O grave where is your victory?"

We spend a lot of time at Easter thinking about Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, and justifiably so. But I'm not sure I have ever heard an Easter sermon that elaborated on the fact that because Jesus rose again from the dead, we will as well. Imagine the comfort of that. Of knowing that your loved one, if he or she belonged to Christ, will rise up in a glorified body one day. Of realizing that even more than ascending to Heaven to be in the presence of God, there will be a time when each of God's children will be given a new incorruptible body that will never die.

1 Corinthians 15:13

"But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised."

Stated in the positive, what that verse means is if Christ was resurrected from the dead, than so will we all be resurrected from the dead.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus."

Don't be confused by the word sleep in that verse, it is just a way of referring to death that was common among the people who lived at that time.

The point of this blog has never been to frighten people with the prospect of Hell, but I feel like today is an appropriate time to mention the reality of its existence. I'm like most of you. The idea of it makes me very uncomfortable. I feel a strong urge to cover up the stark reality of Hell. It just seems too naked to trot out in polite company sometimes. But you should know that the Bible is explicitly clear about its very real existence.

Matthew 25 talks about God separating the sheep (believers) from the goats (non-believers), and in verse 46, their respective fates are summed up this way.

"And these (the goats) shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life."

The words in parenthesis are mine.

So as we wind up this Easter weekend, take heart, fellow Christian. Death has been defeated. It has lost its ability to terrorize and consume us. Again in the words of John Donne,

"One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more, death, thou shalt die."

I seriously couldn't have said it better myself.

Good Friday

I literally do not have the time to write a post this morning. But I read something during my quiet time today that is too good to keep to myself. So, forgive me if I misspell a word or use incorrect grammar. I've just got to share this!

Today Christians worldwide celebrate or observe Good Friday, the day that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and took upon Himself the just wrath of God. By taking the wrath and punishment that WE deserve, He provided the only way that any of us could ever come before the Most Holy and Most High God, and not just come before Him, but dwell with Him in peace for eternity.

Before Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and taken to the cross to die, He observed the Passover meal with all of the disciples.

That is what I read this morning that is so cool! My reading was Psalm 113. I always read the footnotes in my Bible before I delve into each Psalm, because they hold a wealth of knowledge that I am woefully ignorant of. Here is the footnote that I read this morning.

"Psalm 113-118 were sung during the Passover, so it is likely that Jesus and His disciples sang them during their last evening together."

How amazing to have come to the songs that Jesus likely would have sung the night before He was to endure the cross. Consider these verses from Psalm 113, verses 5-9.

"Who is like the LORD our God,
Who dwells on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
That He may seat him with princes--
With the princes of His people.
He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children."

Two things I want to point out. First, we know that Jesus was not just a man, but was also God Himself, one part of the Trinity. Did you see that God, who dwells on high, is even practicing condescension to behold the heavens and the earth? That is how high and how holy God is. Even to consider the heavens and the earth are an act of humbling for God. Now contrast that with how amazing it is that Jesus, God Himself, would come and be born on earth, would walk around and experience all that we experience, hunger, cold, weariness, poverty, etc...

Whew! How can we ever accuse God of not loving us?

Second, it is almost more than I can wrap my mind around to imagine what Jesus must have been thinking as He sung the words describing the poor, the needy and the barren. Do you realize that He was singing about us? We WERE the poor, the needy and the barren. And by the work accomplished on the cross we were raised and lifted above our natural condition. We were able to become joyful mothers, who had been barren women.

And of course, it is so like our loving and gracious God, that it gets even better. He doesn't just lift us out of the dust and ash heap. No, He goes that extra step further. He seats us with princes. We go from sitting in the dirt to being seated with royalty, to eating at the table of the princes of His people. (I don't have time to look up the verse right now, but maybe I will add it to this post later. There is a verse that describes us as not just being with Christ in eternity, but of reigning with Him as brothers, or more specifically, as joint heirs. So in essence, we become the princes of His people!)

**Here is the verse:

Romans 8:16-17

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

So today, as you consider the suffering that Christ endured on the cross, in order to receive us as His people, also think about the humanity of Jesus, who sang the words of Psalm 113, knowing full well the trial that was immediately before Him. But because of His overwhelming love for us, He faced it willingly, so that we could be lifted and raised.

Hebrews 12:2

"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."


One more thing. Today is the one year anniversary of an amazing lesson that God taught me about prayer. If you are new to this blog, I encourage you to read it. It's a bit long, but I hope you will think it is worth it. Just click here.

Praise the LORD!

I'm off to take a nap, because I am dead tired. I kept waking up last night, afraid that I had overslept and was going to miss the chance to share my testimony.

But I'm also so full of joy that I don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep. Maybe I'll just pray instead. My testimony went really well, even better than I had hoped. I'll have to take some time later and write more about it, but for now...my bed is calling my name.

Thank you to those of you who prayed for me. I know it made a difference.

Prayer Request

For any of you who log on to this blog between now and Wednesday morning, March 19th, would you say a prayer for me?

I am sharing my testimony with my MOPS group. I'm very excited about the opportunity to share what God has been working in my heart and life, but the problem is, I have too much to say. I have spent weeks thinking and praying about what I need to share, and what I need to leave out. I thought I have figured it out pretty well, and I finally got an outline down on paper.

Then, I decided it might be a good idea to do a practice run and actually say everything in my outline. It took about an hour and a half to get through it, which is problematic because I can only speak for about 30 minutes!

So, obviously, I am going through everything again and trying to determine what really needs to be shared and what might best wait for another opportunity.

Its a good problem to have, that God has done so much amazing work in me that I can hardly explain it all in half an hour. But I want to be effective in sharing parts of it, so please pray that I will be able to whittle it down to an honest and concise testimony.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Not Just the Heavens

There is nothing quite like an azalea bush heavy laden with flowers.


Psalm 19:1-4

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world."

General revelation, that is the 25 cent word which means it should be obvious to all people who observe the glories of nature that an intelligent, majestic and mighty Creator must be responsible. I know that some people who fancy themselves very intelligent look at the same creation I do and see only the hand of random chance. Phooie. That's what I have to say about that. I don't care how many degrees you have. It's as plain as the nose on your face, which by the way is an amazing testament to God's creation all by itself, that chance could not have provided the glorious earth we inhabit. But, I digress...

Around here, regardless of the fact that spring should not begin until next week, it has sprung. There are buds and blooms and pollen rioting all over town. There is something specific that I always look for every spring, and to me, it is like a show-off signature of God Himself. It is found in the bloom of the azalea. Now, as far as plants go, I am not all that fond of the azalea plant. It's not a particularly attractive bush, it has plain leaves that are kind of fuzzy, and really sticky sap. But this time of year, I can't get enough of the azalea. The blossoms are gorgeous, and there is such a variety of vibrant color. Few things thrill my heart like an azalea bush that has been transformed from plain jane to dazzling, breathtaking beauty.

And every azalea flower that I have ever seen, has an amazing leopard-like print inside of it. As far as I can tell, this little flourish serves no evolutionary purpose. And every time I see it, it seems to me that God is showing off a little bit. As if to say, "the brilliant petals of this flower are mighty impressive, but look closer and you will see my glory displayed just a bit more."

Here are a few pictures from my backyard, including some close-ups that show the leopard-like pattern I am referring to.



You can see it best in the last picture of the light pink azalea. The neat thing is, in every different shade of flower, there is a corresponding shade to the pattern inside. The light pink flower has a dark pink print, the white flower has an almost green pattern, the hot pink flower has an even bolder pink printed inside. The combinations are as endless as the shade of the flower itself. I love it.

So, yes, clearly the heavens declare the glory of God. But they aren't the only thing, not by a long shot. Take a look around you and find something that is not so obvious to admire in God's beautiful creation. I hope it will bless your soul like it has mine.

It Shall Not Come Near You

Psalm 91:7

"A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you."

This verse immediately sprung to mind a few weeks ago while I was watching the movie Letters From Iwo Jima with my Dad. Normally, I avoid war movies like the plague, but I love my Dad, and I will usually watch whatever he is watching. I was visiting my parents with the kids, and he said it was a good movie, which it was, but much, much, much too gory and tragic for my usual taste.

There are a few scenes in which soldiers must run across open areas that are being riddled with bullets and explosives. Most of them never get to the other side, but are struck and killed as they attempt to make the crossing. Really, with all of those bullets flying around, it's almost impossible to imagine that any of them would make it across. The scenes were very similar to that scene at the beginning of the movie Saving Private Ryan. Again, a movie I did not particularly want to watch, but this time it was my husband who did.

Look at that verse at the beginning again, "it shall not come near you." What exactly is it that won't come near us? In verses 3-6 it is described this way:

"Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday."

According to those trusty footnotes in my Bible, this Psalm was probably written to describe the realities of life for a soldier at war, who would be in fear of literal arrows and pestilence that might sweep through the camp. But most of us are not in a literal, physical war. We are however, faced with a very real war every day of our lives. A spiritual war.

We are constantly surrounded by arrows and threats of destruction and pestilence. Some of the wars we deal with might seem quite harmless on the surface. That television show that glorifies adultery. That magazine that worships beauty. The music that romanticizes things we should view as evil and corrupt. There are also the threats that we know are dangerous, the kind of thing that catches us off guard and threatens our safety and well being. An unexpected attack of some kind, a loss of job, an illness, the threat of financial ruin. You get the idea.

All of those arrows carry the threat of danger to our spiritual well-being, and in some cases our physical well-being. They are very real.

I Peter 5:8

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

But again, back to my original question. What does the scripture mean when it says that "it will not come near you?" This is just my opinion, but I think that scripture taken as a whole bears me out. It does NOT mean that bad things won't happen to you. I know there are people who believe that and even preach that. But, don't they live in the same world that I do? Don't they see very real tragedy and pain in the lives of people around them? Don't they read verses like James 1:2, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,?" What about verses like 1 Peter 4:12, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;?"

So, I don't think that "it shall not come near you" means we will have a pain and trial-free life. But there are some things that it does mean. In the midst of our spiritual warfare, we are assured of very real help and comfort. God is described as a refuge and fortress in verses 2 and 9. We are told that He will be with us, deliver us and honor us in verse 15. In verse 11 we are told that He will give His angels charge over us, that these angels will keep us and bear us up. All of it is a very descriptive way of saying: We are not alone! God goes with us! He will take care of us! We do not need to be afraid!

The very best of all these victorious promises comes in the last verse, verse 16:

"With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation."

The greatest hope of all, eternal salvation. I believe that is ultimately what is meant when verse 7 says, "it shall not come near you." Eternal death and destruction will not come near us. It won't even get close.

So picture with me that battlefield full of flying bullets and bombs. In a sense, our lives are like a dash across that open field so full of peril. There are trials to endure, temptations to avoid, and even a roaring lion stalking about. (Interestingly, in verse 13, we are told that we will tread upon and trample underfoot the lion. How cool is that little tidbit?) But we can walk through it all with a head held high and a confident stride. We have no doubt about getting safely to the other side. We know that despite the dangers, it will not come near to us who have known the name of the LORD.

Even when the fighting is fierce, when the shrapnel is flying and bullets seem to be grazing our ears, we have the shield of God's truth. We know truth! We do not need to be vulnerable to lies about God, that He doesn't love us, that He won't take care of us, that He will let us slip away from Him in the heat of battle. No, the truth is that we are tucked up under the downy feathers of His all-powerful wing. (verse 4)

Psalm 91:2

"I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.""

Even the sparrow

I overslept a little bit this morning. This used to mean that I would be rushed to get everyone in the house ready to get out the door, but now, it means that I have lost a chunk of my personal Bible study time. I hate it when I do that.

So, I sat down at the kitchen table, opened my Bible, glanced at the clock and groaned inside as I realized I probably only had 15 minutes of peace before the whole house woke up and needed my attention. I began to read Psalm 84, what Charles Spurgeon refers to as the "Pearl of the Psalms." I have to agree with him.

Psalm 84:1-2

"How lovely is Your tabernacle
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

At this point in my reading I get distracted. A tiny sparrow has been spending a great deal of time in the basket of a dying house plant that is sitting on my back porch. (I'm notorious for killing plants, despite coming from a long line of green-thumbed women.) I think this little bird must be building a nest. For some reason this morning, he or she, I can't tell which it is, was just a singin' at the top of its little lungs. I stood up and walked over to one of the windows to get a better look at the joyful little bird. It saw me standing on the other side of the glass, probably less than 4 feet away, and it flew to the table that sits on our back patio to continue its song.

Its beak pointed straight up into the air. Its little tail bobbed with each exuberant chorus. Its chest swelled and the feathers on its back puffed in and out as this tiny creature poured out his joy. It sounded to me like his song declared, "Do you know? Do you know? Do you know?"

I just stood and watched him for a few minutes, enjoying this special close-up glimpse of the beauty of creation. Then I sat back down to continue my reading. Here is exactly what I read in verses 3-4.

"Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young--
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You."

I was stunned. It really felt like I just got a big wink and grin from God!

The 84th Psalm is deserving of a much more in-depth post, and maybe I'll even get around to writing one, but just for this morning, it was all about that little sparrow, and the treat it seemed God planned just to set my day off on the right course.

Praise Him all creatures here below!

By the way, if you have any similar stories, I'd love to hear them. Just leave me a comment!

Psalm 73

In case you can't tell from my recent posts, I have been reading through the Psalms. Some of them are so relevant and applicable to my life, and to our culture in general, that I am left in awe of how true it is that God's word is living and active. (Hebrews 4:12)

I have literally underlined almost the entire 73rd Psalm in my Bible, with notes like "Wow!" and "our culture to a T" written out in the margin. The Psalm is written by a man who has struggled with how unfair life seems. He sees wicked people prosper, living lives of ease and richness, oppressing those around them, and seeming to get away with all of it.

Here is how he describes these wicked, but prosperous people:

Psalm 73:4-9

"They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
they are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth."

Yikes! These people are: prideful, violent, callous, full of iniquity, evil, conceited, scoffers, speakers of malice, arrogant, oppressive and boastful. And what reward do they receive for living such lives? Pretty ample reward it would seem. They have no problems, they are healthy and strong, free of burdens and human ills. That hardly seems fair does it?

I see people who fit this description almost every day of my life. If not in person, there are plenty of them on TV. Gorgeous, gifted, wealthy, selfish people. People who seem to have everything, and deserve none of it. I, like the Psalmist, used to really get hung up on what seemed to be totally unfair.

Here is how he describes the contrast in verses 12-14

"This is what the wicked are like--
always carefree, they increase in wealth.

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning."

There you have it. The wicked seem to get everything, those who are innocent and pure in heart only get a raw deal. The Psalmist didn't like this contrast much either, in fact, he tells us in verse 2 that it almost caused him to slip and lose his foothold. In other words, lose faith in God.

Ahh, but then a change takes place. Our Psalmist does a very wise thing. Instead of relying on his own sense of right and wrong, he seeks to understand the situation from God's point of view. I love the way it is described in verses 16-17:

"When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny."

He enters the sanctuary of God, and then he understands what the real outcome for the seemingly prosperous wicked will be. He goes on to describe it in verses 18-20, and believe me, it is not a pretty picture. You certainly would not be envious of these people anymore.

So what does this mean for me, and for you? Are we supposed to take some kind of sick pleasure in knowing that wicked people will eventually "get what's coming to them?" Hardly. The idea of anyone perishing should never cause us to gloat. It should cause us to feel exactly the opposite, grieved and stricken at what awaits them. But that can be hard to do if you look at them through the eyes of this world.

Instead, try to see them as they really are. Not rich and healthy and beautiful, but impoverished and barren and doomed to destruction. The sexy blond driving a convertible Mercedes? A wasting corpse. The star athlete with the world as his oyster? A shriveled beggar covered with sores. If you can see them through those eyes, you will not struggle with envy. You will feel exactly what you should feel--great compassion. And hopefully, that compassion will motivate you to reach out, and offer them true prosperity, and true life.

Psalm 73: 23-26

"Yet I am always with you;
You hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

I Will Cry To You

Psalm 61:2-4

"From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings."

Maybe I notice things more when I am sick, or maybe there really is a lot of pain and sorrow going on in the lives of those around me right now. I'm not sure which one it is, but I can hardly think of anyone I know without running straight into a wall of tragedy. It seems like everywhere I turn someone is going through a horrible time. And I don't mean minor ordeals, I'm talking about life shattering situations.

So what do we do with all of this pain and suffering? For the non-believer, I honestly don't know. There is no way to make sense of it. Pretending it isn't happening or somehow doesn't matter will only get you so far. Shutting down your heart and refusing to feel pain only works until the pain strikes directly at the center of your own life. Shaking your fist at God and complaining that life is unfair might make you feel better, but it still leaves you stuck in the same position. Like I said, I honestly don't know what the answer is for the non-believer.

But for the Christian, the answer is very clear. God is in control of the situation. That doesn't mean that there will be some kind of fairy tale ending, at least not in the eyes of the world. Christians still lose children, Christians still go bankrupt, Christians are deserted by their spouses, they lose jobs and homes and health. They get robbed and picked on and treated unfairly. They watch parents lose their mental health, becoming cruel and angry strangers. They see their children suffer with incurable diseases.

Psalm 62:8

"Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."

The only thing that we can do is cry out to God, pour it all out before Him, and trust. Its tempting to do exactly the opposite--to wallow in our situation and stubbornly refuse to seek God for comfort. But if you are a Christian, God promises that there is a higher purpose. He doesn't just put us through misery for the sake of seeing us suffer. No, God always has something good in store for His children.

Psalm 66:10-12

"For You, O God, have tested us;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment."

Don't miss something crucial about this passage. It is God who has done these hard things. That may seem hard to swallow, but if it wasn't from God, then that means He was not in control of the situation. So yes, God did put the author through terrible tragedy, but did you see the purpose at the end? Rich fulfillment. My Bible footnotes offer the alternate translation of rich abundance. Either way, that is what God has in store for His children.

So while we are never promised an easy life, we do have two things to hold on to in the midst of difficulty. First, that God will be our refuge and strong tower if we will run to Him. He will shelter us under His wings. Second, that we will emerge from the fire as silver that has been refined, brilliant and shining, purer and more precious than before the refining took place.

And overriding both of those promises is an even more comforting promise. All of this pain and confusion is temporary. In retrospect it will seem like a vapor. Because in eternity we will enjoy perfect happiness, perfect peace, perfect joy, perfect health, pure perfection all around. That is our ending, or rather, our lasting beginning.

I'm Just Sick

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Although I did spend 4 days at Disney World, and that is kind of like the same thing, isn't it?

I'm back now, but I'm plain, old-fashioned sick. Like, really really sick. I have a sinus infection that is the stuff of urban legend. I even had to go to the doctor yesterday, which I hate, and get a shot, which I hate, and get on some antibiotics, which I really hate. But hopefully I will see some light at the end of the tunnel soon.

So, since I don't have anything profound or spiritual to say in my current state of health, I will just wait until I feel better to even attempt a real post.

In the meantime, I hope all of you, dear readers, are feeling much better than I am. And that's all I've got to say about that.