"no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." - psalm 84:11b (amp)
God challenged me with these words recently...
"My 'no' is as much of a reason for you to celebrate as My 'yes'."
it is easy to praise, rejoice, fill out a good report card, post to social media and "give all glory to God" when we get a YES for the things we've been asking.
but what about when we are answered with "no" or "wait." are we as quick to be grateful and praise and get excited?
it's easy to be discouraged when we don't get what we want - and i do believe that there can be warfare and the enemy can resist our breakthrough (another post for another day!) - but when God says no or when God says wait, why do we not see that as a WONDERFUL thing?
if God will not withhold any good thing, then would it not stand to reason that if He DOES withhold it, it must not be good?
His no can be protection.
His no can be because He sees the future while we can only see the now.
His no can be to make us better people.
His no can be to reveal our true nature to ourselves so we can see where our faith is.
His no is good. His no is trustworthy.
His no is as much a reason to dance and shout and sing as His yes.
there's a song made popular recently that says "when Jesus say 'yes' nobody can say 'no'." amen to that!
but what happens "when Jesus say 'no'"??? do we have songs for that?
when a child asks his father for something that seems SO GOOD to his little understanding - say, for example, he asks to eat nothing but candy for dinner - it is unfathomable to him why his father would say 'no'... does Dad not see why i need this candy? does he not understand that this candy is all my heart desires? does he not notice how long i've been waiting for this candy? why am i being denied? why doesn't Dad really care about me?
it seems laughable because, at our age, we understand that eating candy for dinner is clearly not a good idea, but in a little boy's mind, it is hard to grasp why his father would say no.
it boils down to this question - do i really trust my Father? do i truly believe that He understands more than i do, He sees more than i see, He knows more than i know, and if He says no, then it is a no i can trust and rely on, a no i should embrace and be grateful for?
look back over your life... if God had given you every thing you had asked for, where would you be now? don't you look back at some relationships, some jobs, some opportunities that, at the time, you were so SURE would be right for you... yet now, you see God's good hand directing you away from something or someone that would have been harmful or unhealthy or less than His best?
may our hindsight give us insight into our present situations...
no good thing will He withhold.
God... thank You for every time You, in Your loving kindness and mercy, directed me as a Good Shepherd by holding me back from the things i wanted that i didn't even see would hurt me. forgive me for so easily letting go of my faith in Your goodness.
thank You for every "no" and every "wait" You have spoken over me. thank You, Lord.
help me, in days to come, when i am convinced that i know best and my plan is solid and my ways are sure, to trust that if You hold me back or redirect me or keep me waiting, it is because something GOOD is being prepared for me... or that i am being prepared for something GOOD.
help me, in moments of doubt, not to behave like a spoiled child, bent on getting my way and insisting on my desire...
help me, in times of testing, to praise You in the waiting, to worship in the "no" and to TRUST and OBEY.
amen.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
still my chosen road...
i should probably start with some kind of explanation as to why i haven't blogged for the past two-ish years... :)
well... life happens...and over the hills and bumps and valleys and rocky paths of my chosen road, some of that life has been heartbreaking, hurtful, disappointing and i've faced rejection, defeat, frustration and desperation. but it has also had it's share (more so in the last year) of victory, joy, happiness, love, healing and revelation.
in january of last year (2014) i went on a 40 day fast (43 days to be exact). i'd just reached a place where i needed an encounter with God, i needed freedom, i needed deliverance and i needed healing like never before. so for 43 days, i fasted food (only water, and a small serving of fruit or veggies a day), i fasted social media and entertainment... i read through the entire Bible (chronologically) and read 12 books. i prayed continually through the days. i let God dig deep into the places that hurt, the places i'd rather keep hidden from Him and from myself. i looked long and hard in the mirror of my soul and allowed myself to see the truth reflected there. i worshipped and sang my heart out. i cried a heck of a lot.
and somewhere in that process, healing and freedom found me.
tho freedom, i've found, is a continual choice. it's a daily walk. it's a never ending process.
the enemy is crafty, cruel and subtle... if i don't keep my guard up, my eyes open and my spirit sensitive, those old chains can be ever so coyly slipped back over me.
this road i've chosen - it's narrow and i'm constantly seeing massive eight lane highways of compromise and convenience on the left and right...
but this is the road i've chosen...because the destination is worth it.
and who i become in the travel is wonderful.
Monday, July 9, 2012
...don't worry about missing out...
"steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.
don't worry about missing out."
- matthew 6:33 (the message)
i've been frustrated with myself lately - i don't know if anyone reading this will relate, but so often i try so hard to be so good at everything that i end up having a few days of amazing results and then, inevitably, something starts slipping and falls through the cracks and then i struggle with discouragement which leads to justification which leads to acceptance which leads to frustration which starts me off again. i get all geared up to be perfect, check off everything on my list and do it all with a beautiful smile, gracious spirit and unsmudged mascara. family, friends, work, ministry, my team, my dog, my nails, laundry, exercise, prayer time, soul-winning, grocery shopping, communicate......life!!!!
this scripture in matthew's gospel is helping me focus...
the word 'steep' means 'to thoroughly saturate or immerse.'
immerse your life in God-reality - whose reality consumes me?
whose reality am i basing choices and priorities on?
saturate your life in God-initiative - would Jesus walk the paths i'm choosing?
would He be involved in the projects i'm involved in?
would He see what i see as important?
when i see things from the perspective of His reality, i'll easily be involved in His initiatives. for example, there are these kids i often pass on a route i use to drive home - precious kids begging for their next meal. the other day, a friend of mine and i took some time to buy some groceries to give to them.
the look on their faces when going through the bags of food? priceless.
the intensity of one of them looking up at us and genuinely saying, "may God bless you"? powerful.
when i see things in His reality, i will get involved in His initiatives, and when i do that, i will live in His provision.
this is helping me live each day with the right priorities...
another translation of matthew 6:33 says "seek God's kingdom first, then He'll give you all you need."
i want to make a difference.
i want to make an impact.
i don't want to miss a thing...
His reality.
His initiative.
His provisions.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
interpretive dances and such...
it's 12:43 a.m. and i can't sleep... just an f.y.i. :)
in church last sunday, my dad preached an awesome message titled "next." (you can download it HERE) amazing to me how i get excited over that one word. next. if you are in a season anything like mine, next offers hope, interest and relief! next holds within it the potential for change...
dad made this statement "God will only have me stay in one place because of my doings or my not doings." a powerful statement. to further quote him, he has also said many times in the past "application is the foundation of fruitfulness."
all of this came together for me a couple of days ago - i've been doing a study of the book of james and so much of what i've been dwelling on in that book ties it all together...
"you can't pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God's law and ignoring others...do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? do i hear you professing to believe in the One and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? that's just great. demons do that, but what good does it do them?". - james 2 (the message)
whether i move to the next level, the next season, the next opportunity, the next whatever is based on my doings. or not doings. shouting "AMEN!" when dad preaches about the "next," singing israel houghton's "moving forward" or "another level" with all my vibrato, journaling scriptures about "see, I am doing a new thing"....these are all well and good - but will they usher me into the next phase? on their own, i'm thinking probably not.
what am i doing? merely acknowledging the need, desire and determination for change will not bring change. a good starting place, but that has to develop into doing. making a daily schedule for myself detailing the particulars of a new course of action to bring me into the next level of whatever is great...but until i JUST DO IT, i'll have only scheduled potential, not reality.
i believe in the principle of tithing - i acknowledge it's truth.
but am i tithing?
i believe in the cause of the Kingdom, winning souls and making disciples.
but am i actually telling people about Jesus?
i believe in good health and staying fit.
but am i still drinking four cokes a day and eating six chapati's for dinner?
i believe in showing the world the love of Christ.
but am i being kind to my family, my co-workers, the waitress who's too slow?
i believe in the power of prayer.
but am i praying?
i believe in the power of God's Word.
but am i reading it? studying it? obeying it?
this is what God spoke to my heart two days ago...
"rebekah, I cannot bless what you believe...
I can only bless what you do."
if i am given seed that is GUARANTEED to be good quality and sure to produce good fruit and i shout about it, write down rhema's in my journal about the best farming techniques, read the accounts of great farmers who have gone before me, write an album full of songs about how grateful i am for the seed, how excited and willing i am to go into the field and sow it, choreograph an interpretive dance using ribbons and lots of ballet jumps and minister it in church, write the most eloquent and moving spoken word and make a youtube video of it that goes viral, declare every day the power that it has, command abundance to come forth out of it, fast and pray for the overflow of harvest from it, host a workshop and then a conference about it, start a ministry called "guaranteed seed heavenly harvest ministries" and tell my friends that they should get some of this seed too.....will any of that bring fruit?????? as wonderful as my motives, excitement, passion, faith, expectation and demonstrations of belief may be, will any of that turn into fruit????
unless i till the soil, plant the seed, water the ground, uproot the weeds...unless i do that, i would have only built monuments of make-believe, turned into a hero of hypocrisy and gathered followers of fantasy.
the scripture says that "knowledge puffs up...".
we often have a false sense of security because we KNOW.
we say, we teach, we talk, we shout hallelujah...
but are we doing what we know to do?
i don't know about you, but i'm ready for the next,
i'm hungry for the harvest,
and i'll do what i gotta do.
in church last sunday, my dad preached an awesome message titled "next." (you can download it HERE) amazing to me how i get excited over that one word. next. if you are in a season anything like mine, next offers hope, interest and relief! next holds within it the potential for change...
dad made this statement "God will only have me stay in one place because of my doings or my not doings." a powerful statement. to further quote him, he has also said many times in the past "application is the foundation of fruitfulness."
all of this came together for me a couple of days ago - i've been doing a study of the book of james and so much of what i've been dwelling on in that book ties it all together...
"you can't pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God's law and ignoring others...do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? do i hear you professing to believe in the One and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? that's just great. demons do that, but what good does it do them?". - james 2 (the message)
whether i move to the next level, the next season, the next opportunity, the next whatever is based on my doings. or not doings. shouting "AMEN!" when dad preaches about the "next," singing israel houghton's "moving forward" or "another level" with all my vibrato, journaling scriptures about "see, I am doing a new thing"....these are all well and good - but will they usher me into the next phase? on their own, i'm thinking probably not.
what am i doing? merely acknowledging the need, desire and determination for change will not bring change. a good starting place, but that has to develop into doing. making a daily schedule for myself detailing the particulars of a new course of action to bring me into the next level of whatever is great...but until i JUST DO IT, i'll have only scheduled potential, not reality.
i believe in the principle of tithing - i acknowledge it's truth.
but am i tithing?
i believe in the cause of the Kingdom, winning souls and making disciples.
but am i actually telling people about Jesus?
i believe in good health and staying fit.
but am i still drinking four cokes a day and eating six chapati's for dinner?
i believe in showing the world the love of Christ.
but am i being kind to my family, my co-workers, the waitress who's too slow?
i believe in the power of prayer.
but am i praying?
i believe in the power of God's Word.
but am i reading it? studying it? obeying it?
this is what God spoke to my heart two days ago...
"rebekah, I cannot bless what you believe...
I can only bless what you do."
if i am given seed that is GUARANTEED to be good quality and sure to produce good fruit and i shout about it, write down rhema's in my journal about the best farming techniques, read the accounts of great farmers who have gone before me, write an album full of songs about how grateful i am for the seed, how excited and willing i am to go into the field and sow it, choreograph an interpretive dance using ribbons and lots of ballet jumps and minister it in church, write the most eloquent and moving spoken word and make a youtube video of it that goes viral, declare every day the power that it has, command abundance to come forth out of it, fast and pray for the overflow of harvest from it, host a workshop and then a conference about it, start a ministry called "guaranteed seed heavenly harvest ministries" and tell my friends that they should get some of this seed too.....will any of that bring fruit?????? as wonderful as my motives, excitement, passion, faith, expectation and demonstrations of belief may be, will any of that turn into fruit????
unless i till the soil, plant the seed, water the ground, uproot the weeds...unless i do that, i would have only built monuments of make-believe, turned into a hero of hypocrisy and gathered followers of fantasy.
the scripture says that "knowledge puffs up...".
we often have a false sense of security because we KNOW.
we say, we teach, we talk, we shout hallelujah...
but are we doing what we know to do?
i don't know about you, but i'm ready for the next,
i'm hungry for the harvest,
and i'll do what i gotta do.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
the up-side of being thrown into a furnace...
first blog of 2012 - it being april, that is slightly pathetic...
but the last couple of months have been, how shall i describe them...
horrible? amazing? purpose filled? embarrassing? exciting? all of the above...??
it's hard to describe how the worst things can turn out to be the best things in disguise...
like the torture of going to the dentist to remove the tooth that's been making life miserable for weeks, but at the same time, the SWEET JOY of relief when the pain is finally gone.
it's the pain of removal that leads to the freedom of pain...
does that make sense to anyone but me? :)
in daniel 3, there's a story we all know. the three boys, shadrach, meshach and abednego (props to the parents for seriously unique names)... they decide not to give into peer pressure (the whole nation bowing to an idol, thousands upon thousands of people except for them) and as a reward for their unwavering commitment to righteousness, they get bound and thrown into a fire so hot that men simply standing close to it died.
as i've been walking through challenges the past few weeks,
i've been thinking about this story a lot.
a lot a lot.
so much in this story speaks to me, but the crucial part for me starts in daniel 3:19...
"nebuchadnezzer (again - unbelievably creative naming skills from the parents) ... ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. he ordered strong men from the army to TIE THEM UP, hands and feet, and THROW THEM into the furnace. shadrach, meshach and abednego, BOUND HAND AND FOOT, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire."
(emphasis added - also the part about creative parental naming skills)
later, the king freaks out when he looks in and sees four men in the fire. he double-checks with his staff to make sure how many were thrown in, then says "'but look! i see four men, WALKING AROUND FREELY IN THE FIRE, completely unharmed! and the fourth man looks like the son of the gods!" (vs.25)
he calls out to the men and the next verses are BEAUTIFUL... "shadrach, meshach and abednego WALKED out of the fire. all the important people, the government leaders and king's counselors, gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn't so much as touched the three men - not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them!" (vs.26b-27)
the up-side of being thrown into the furnace...
#1. freedom is found in the fire...
it amazes me, every time i read it, that strong men tied them up, hands and feet,
and threw them in.
they were thrown in in bound.
they were thrown in helpless.
they were thrown in with the things the "strong men" had put on them.
they were thrown in for doing the right thing.
they were thrown in after standing in faith.
YET...the king saw them "walking around freely in the fire" and they WALKED out.
thrown in bound, walked out free.
the fire wasn't allowed to touch them. they came out without even a hair singed (and from a fire that could kill people at a distance, that's pretty unreal).
the only thing that was there before the fire that was NOT there after??? the bondages.
the only thing the fire consumed?? what the strong men had put on them.
the only thing the flames burned??? the ties that kept them from moving freely.
#2. the Fourth Man is in the fire...
notice, not before and not after.
in the place that was meant to destroy them, they found the Deliverer.
in the place meant to hurt them, they found the Healer.
in the place intended to finish them, they found God.
#3. faith is furnished by the fire...
those who had just invested massive amounts of money into an idol were suddenly converted into believers by what they witnessed. the testimony of those men, the miracle of them walking out without even the smell of smoke confounded the wisest, humbled the proudest and persuaded the leaders that THIS GOD was worthy of worship and allegiance.
so... i think God let me get thrown in to my "furnace" for several reasons...
He wants to deal with the things that are binding me.
He wants to reveal Himself to me in a way i can only see in the fire.
He wants the outcome of the fire to be a testimony to those observing.
and it's been happening... like a dentist's appointment, the place i really didn't want to be has turned out to be where i'm finding freedom, deliverance, purpose, miracles,
grace, and JESUS like never before.
i'm not coming out scarred and wounded and bleeding and dying... oh no...
i may have been thrown in, but i'm WALKING out! FREELY!
so if you're in a fire too, from one furnace-dweller to another... it's SO worth it!!
go in knowing, "you will walk through the fire and NOT be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze." isaiah 43:2
but the last couple of months have been, how shall i describe them...
horrible? amazing? purpose filled? embarrassing? exciting? all of the above...??
it's hard to describe how the worst things can turn out to be the best things in disguise...
like the torture of going to the dentist to remove the tooth that's been making life miserable for weeks, but at the same time, the SWEET JOY of relief when the pain is finally gone.
it's the pain of removal that leads to the freedom of pain...
does that make sense to anyone but me? :)
in daniel 3, there's a story we all know. the three boys, shadrach, meshach and abednego (props to the parents for seriously unique names)... they decide not to give into peer pressure (the whole nation bowing to an idol, thousands upon thousands of people except for them) and as a reward for their unwavering commitment to righteousness, they get bound and thrown into a fire so hot that men simply standing close to it died.
as i've been walking through challenges the past few weeks,
i've been thinking about this story a lot.
a lot a lot.
so much in this story speaks to me, but the crucial part for me starts in daniel 3:19...
"nebuchadnezzer (again - unbelievably creative naming skills from the parents) ... ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. he ordered strong men from the army to TIE THEM UP, hands and feet, and THROW THEM into the furnace. shadrach, meshach and abednego, BOUND HAND AND FOOT, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire."
(emphasis added - also the part about creative parental naming skills)
later, the king freaks out when he looks in and sees four men in the fire. he double-checks with his staff to make sure how many were thrown in, then says "'but look! i see four men, WALKING AROUND FREELY IN THE FIRE, completely unharmed! and the fourth man looks like the son of the gods!" (vs.25)
he calls out to the men and the next verses are BEAUTIFUL... "shadrach, meshach and abednego WALKED out of the fire. all the important people, the government leaders and king's counselors, gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn't so much as touched the three men - not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them!" (vs.26b-27)
the up-side of being thrown into the furnace...
#1. freedom is found in the fire...
it amazes me, every time i read it, that strong men tied them up, hands and feet,
and threw them in.
they were thrown in in bound.
they were thrown in helpless.
they were thrown in with the things the "strong men" had put on them.
they were thrown in for doing the right thing.
they were thrown in after standing in faith.
YET...the king saw them "walking around freely in the fire" and they WALKED out.
thrown in bound, walked out free.
the fire wasn't allowed to touch them. they came out without even a hair singed (and from a fire that could kill people at a distance, that's pretty unreal).
the only thing that was there before the fire that was NOT there after??? the bondages.
the only thing the fire consumed?? what the strong men had put on them.
the only thing the flames burned??? the ties that kept them from moving freely.
#2. the Fourth Man is in the fire...
notice, not before and not after.
in the place that was meant to destroy them, they found the Deliverer.
in the place meant to hurt them, they found the Healer.
in the place intended to finish them, they found God.
#3. faith is furnished by the fire...
those who had just invested massive amounts of money into an idol were suddenly converted into believers by what they witnessed. the testimony of those men, the miracle of them walking out without even the smell of smoke confounded the wisest, humbled the proudest and persuaded the leaders that THIS GOD was worthy of worship and allegiance.
so... i think God let me get thrown in to my "furnace" for several reasons...
He wants to deal with the things that are binding me.
He wants to reveal Himself to me in a way i can only see in the fire.
He wants the outcome of the fire to be a testimony to those observing.
and it's been happening... like a dentist's appointment, the place i really didn't want to be has turned out to be where i'm finding freedom, deliverance, purpose, miracles,
grace, and JESUS like never before.
i'm not coming out scarred and wounded and bleeding and dying... oh no...
i may have been thrown in, but i'm WALKING out! FREELY!
so if you're in a fire too, from one furnace-dweller to another... it's SO worth it!!
go in knowing, "you will walk through the fire and NOT be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze." isaiah 43:2
Monday, November 14, 2011
yes...you SHOULD be here...
last week, as i was traveling home from a couple of weeks in the states, i had a frustrating and eye-opening experience.
my first flight was nine hours of massive discomfort trying to sleep in an economy seat cruelly designed for people much shorter and skinnier than myself. my chair didn't recline and the armrest had broken piece that kept digging into my hip. the gentleman sitting beside me was about 6 ft. 5 in. so, together, we were both trying to "politely" get as much leg room as we could to keep circulation going down to our feet... not easy.
definitely not comfortable.
having dozed through the in-flight meal, i arrived in amsterdam hungry, sore and frustrated. i had a nine hour layover. i started walking around the airport trying to think of how to pass nine hours...
being a true-blue matheny, food was first on my agenda... i headed upstairs to a food-court and paid WAY TOO MUCH for a burger and a coke. only partially satiated, i continued to walk around. only 8 hours and 20 more minutes to go.... sheesh....
i walked and walked, browsed in the stores, watched people, drank from the water fountain, walked some more.... only 20 more minutes gone by...
i went back up to the restaurants to find coffee and somewhere to chill and out of the corner of my eye, i saw this...
beautiful, inviting, warm... and somewhere in the back of my mind, i thought i remembered my dad telling me something about my ticket and a lounge i could rest in... am i allowed in there??? as i contemplated walking in to ask, the magical glass doors open and out walk a group of business men in expensive suits. at the same time, a couple of ladies from behind me walked in... they had super high heels and expensive smelling perfume. i stood there in my jeans, t-shirt and $3 body spray from walmart, watched as they were greeted by the hostess, and feeling sufficiently assured that i would not be allowed in, turned around and went to search for my coffee. for which i paid $9 (like, 800/=!!)
i found a place to sit and i waited and waited. as time went by, i started to feel the effects of the way-too-expensive caffeine wearing off and my long night of battling the tall guy for leg space coming on.
i contorted myself in my chair to try to get some sleep.
then it got cold.
really cold.
and i didn't have a sweater or jacket.
finally, exhaustion, cold and tearful frustration meshed together to create a desperate boldness. i went back up to the lounge.
the crown lounge.
i walked in and hesitantly went to the ladies behind the desk.
"i'm not sure i should be here," i said to one of them.
she asked to see my ticket, which i sheepishly handed over, fully expecting her to turn me away.
but she looked up at me, smiled, and said these words...
"yes. you should be here."
i walked around the desk and what did i see? a buffet. soups and salads. bread. stew. fruit and cheese and .... oh my gosh!! a cuppucino maker!! all for FREE! all for me!!! huge, big chairs!
places to rest comfortably! warm carpets on the floor... it had been here for the 8 hours i had been suffering downstairs...
it was all just waiting for me to claim it!!
i felt relieved and FOOLISH at the same time!
HOW could i not have had the boldness to ask before?!?
well... i enjoyed my one hour in the crown lounge, then onto my next flight.. :)
here's what i thought... my wonderful dad has spent YEARS travelling in uncomfortable seats, spent hours on long layovers in freezing airports... he's done it all, and as the result of the price he paid, i now get to enjoy the benefits of all the miles he's travelled.
he paid the price - i get the reward.
i'm not the rich businessman or the ladies in high heels and designer perfume.
i'm the chic in jeans and walmart body spray.
but i belong here too. why? cuz dad made the way.
i just have to walk in and enjoy it.
if i remain outside because i'm intimidated and not sure i qualify... well, that's sad. and that's how SO MANY of us are as believers... we're outside, cold, hungry, being "ripped off," when the free-flowing cuppucino is just WAITING for us! our DAD has paid the price for us to enter the "crown lounge"... we are royalty! we qualify!!
so... in case you are tired, sore, hungry and frustrated from the journey... you need to remember the price has already been paid for you...
yes... you should be here...
my first flight was nine hours of massive discomfort trying to sleep in an economy seat cruelly designed for people much shorter and skinnier than myself. my chair didn't recline and the armrest had broken piece that kept digging into my hip. the gentleman sitting beside me was about 6 ft. 5 in. so, together, we were both trying to "politely" get as much leg room as we could to keep circulation going down to our feet... not easy.
definitely not comfortable.
having dozed through the in-flight meal, i arrived in amsterdam hungry, sore and frustrated. i had a nine hour layover. i started walking around the airport trying to think of how to pass nine hours...
being a true-blue matheny, food was first on my agenda... i headed upstairs to a food-court and paid WAY TOO MUCH for a burger and a coke. only partially satiated, i continued to walk around. only 8 hours and 20 more minutes to go.... sheesh....
i walked and walked, browsed in the stores, watched people, drank from the water fountain, walked some more.... only 20 more minutes gone by...
i went back up to the restaurants to find coffee and somewhere to chill and out of the corner of my eye, i saw this...
beautiful, inviting, warm... and somewhere in the back of my mind, i thought i remembered my dad telling me something about my ticket and a lounge i could rest in... am i allowed in there??? as i contemplated walking in to ask, the magical glass doors open and out walk a group of business men in expensive suits. at the same time, a couple of ladies from behind me walked in... they had super high heels and expensive smelling perfume. i stood there in my jeans, t-shirt and $3 body spray from walmart, watched as they were greeted by the hostess, and feeling sufficiently assured that i would not be allowed in, turned around and went to search for my coffee. for which i paid $9 (like, 800/=!!)
i found a place to sit and i waited and waited. as time went by, i started to feel the effects of the way-too-expensive caffeine wearing off and my long night of battling the tall guy for leg space coming on.
i contorted myself in my chair to try to get some sleep.
then it got cold.
really cold.
and i didn't have a sweater or jacket.
finally, exhaustion, cold and tearful frustration meshed together to create a desperate boldness. i went back up to the lounge.
the crown lounge.
i walked in and hesitantly went to the ladies behind the desk.
"i'm not sure i should be here," i said to one of them.
she asked to see my ticket, which i sheepishly handed over, fully expecting her to turn me away.
but she looked up at me, smiled, and said these words...
"yes. you should be here."
i walked around the desk and what did i see? a buffet. soups and salads. bread. stew. fruit and cheese and .... oh my gosh!! a cuppucino maker!! all for FREE! all for me!!! huge, big chairs!
places to rest comfortably! warm carpets on the floor... it had been here for the 8 hours i had been suffering downstairs...
it was all just waiting for me to claim it!!
i felt relieved and FOOLISH at the same time!
HOW could i not have had the boldness to ask before?!?
well... i enjoyed my one hour in the crown lounge, then onto my next flight.. :)
here's what i thought... my wonderful dad has spent YEARS travelling in uncomfortable seats, spent hours on long layovers in freezing airports... he's done it all, and as the result of the price he paid, i now get to enjoy the benefits of all the miles he's travelled.
he paid the price - i get the reward.
i'm not the rich businessman or the ladies in high heels and designer perfume.
i'm the chic in jeans and walmart body spray.
but i belong here too. why? cuz dad made the way.
i just have to walk in and enjoy it.
if i remain outside because i'm intimidated and not sure i qualify... well, that's sad. and that's how SO MANY of us are as believers... we're outside, cold, hungry, being "ripped off," when the free-flowing cuppucino is just WAITING for us! our DAD has paid the price for us to enter the "crown lounge"... we are royalty! we qualify!!
so... in case you are tired, sore, hungry and frustrated from the journey... you need to remember the price has already been paid for you...
yes... you should be here...
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
kill or keep??
one of the most famous stories in the Bible is the story of abraham offering isaac... but let me take a few minutes to point out some interesting things from this story that stand out to me...
i'm sure you're familiar with the story... abraham had been promised generations that would number as many as the stars in the sky... all of these were to come from the one son that he had miraculously been given: isaac. his wife, sarah, gave birth to isaac when she was far past child-bearing years. isaac was the promised child. he was the prophecy fulfilled. he was the joy of sarah, the hope of abraham.
then, one day, God speaks to abraham. "take your son, your only son, isaac, and go to the land of moriah - sacrifice him there as a burnt offering." (genesis 22:2) what sounds totally absurd, and even cruel, abraham responds to with immediate obedience.
he takes isaac on the greatest journey of faith - they travel to the region of moriah, to the mountain God showed him. once they got close, abraham said to the servants, "stay here with the donkeys. the boy and i are going over there to WORSHIP..." (gen.22:5)
first thing to note: this is the first time the word "worship" is mentioned in the Bible. it's not related to music, singing, a band, lyrics, dance... none of the that. the first time worship is mentioned, it's referring to obedience, sacrifice, trust, total faith. WOW!!!
when isaac and abraham are walking up the mountain, isaac says, "dad, we've got the wood and the flint... but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?" (gen. 22:7 paraphrased)
second thing to note: isaac was abraham's flesh and blood - his offspring. when you are on the path to obedience, many times your flesh will speak up and start pointing out what is missing... or try to talk you out of what you're going to do. i don't think isaac was intentionally doing that (to be honest, though scripture doesn't say, i don't think isaac knew what was coming... he was just making observations). still, the point is... this was a dad going to sacrifice his child - and on the way up, his beloved son spoke up and pointed out the very thing that was breaking his heart - there was no sheep. isaac was to be the sheep. how tempting it must have been for abraham to just turn around and forget what God had said.
once they got to the place God showed abraham, he prepared the altar, laid out the wood, and then tied up isaac and laid him on the wood. again, the Scripture does not go into much detail here, but i absolutely cannot imagine a young boy eagerly and happily laying on the altar of his own death. even if he was submitted and willing to obey, you know there must have been fear, tears, amazing conflict to trust. imagine what it must've been like for abraham - looking down at his beautiful son, seeing the struggle in isaac's eyes to trust that his father know's what he's doing...perhaps doubting abraham's love, maybe crying out, maybe struggling against his father... oh my gosh, it must've been such an emotional moment for them both. for abraham, having to fight his will and his understanding and his reasoning - struggling with submission in the moment of sacrifice.
and at the greatest moment of the test, the climax of conflict between his spirit and soul, when abraham raised the knife to slay isaac....
"just then an angel of God called to him out of heaven, 'abraham! abraham!' 'yes, i'm listening.'" - genesis 22:11
third thing to note: in the most emotional, stressful, challenging moment of his life, abraham was still able to hear God's voice. he didn't let his emotions override the moment... he was still sensitive, still listening, still attentive... he heard the "now word" of God.
if abraham had gotten swept away by the feelings of the moment, he would've missed out on what God was saying...
he would have killed what God intended for him to keep.
i want to challenge you today - what is God saying to you NOW?? abraham WAS indeed walking in obedience to what God had said... but he was also tuned to the fresh word, the "now" word. are you? are you letting the emotions, the sacrifice, the pain, the questions, the frustration override your choice to listen to God? what is He telling you to do? listen out for what He's saying... over every voice of fear, doubt, anxiety, hurt... listen for the voice of God!!
i'm sure you're familiar with the story... abraham had been promised generations that would number as many as the stars in the sky... all of these were to come from the one son that he had miraculously been given: isaac. his wife, sarah, gave birth to isaac when she was far past child-bearing years. isaac was the promised child. he was the prophecy fulfilled. he was the joy of sarah, the hope of abraham.
then, one day, God speaks to abraham. "take your son, your only son, isaac, and go to the land of moriah - sacrifice him there as a burnt offering." (genesis 22:2) what sounds totally absurd, and even cruel, abraham responds to with immediate obedience.
he takes isaac on the greatest journey of faith - they travel to the region of moriah, to the mountain God showed him. once they got close, abraham said to the servants, "stay here with the donkeys. the boy and i are going over there to WORSHIP..." (gen.22:5)
first thing to note: this is the first time the word "worship" is mentioned in the Bible. it's not related to music, singing, a band, lyrics, dance... none of the that. the first time worship is mentioned, it's referring to obedience, sacrifice, trust, total faith. WOW!!!
when isaac and abraham are walking up the mountain, isaac says, "dad, we've got the wood and the flint... but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?" (gen. 22:7 paraphrased)
second thing to note: isaac was abraham's flesh and blood - his offspring. when you are on the path to obedience, many times your flesh will speak up and start pointing out what is missing... or try to talk you out of what you're going to do. i don't think isaac was intentionally doing that (to be honest, though scripture doesn't say, i don't think isaac knew what was coming... he was just making observations). still, the point is... this was a dad going to sacrifice his child - and on the way up, his beloved son spoke up and pointed out the very thing that was breaking his heart - there was no sheep. isaac was to be the sheep. how tempting it must have been for abraham to just turn around and forget what God had said.
once they got to the place God showed abraham, he prepared the altar, laid out the wood, and then tied up isaac and laid him on the wood. again, the Scripture does not go into much detail here, but i absolutely cannot imagine a young boy eagerly and happily laying on the altar of his own death. even if he was submitted and willing to obey, you know there must have been fear, tears, amazing conflict to trust. imagine what it must've been like for abraham - looking down at his beautiful son, seeing the struggle in isaac's eyes to trust that his father know's what he's doing...perhaps doubting abraham's love, maybe crying out, maybe struggling against his father... oh my gosh, it must've been such an emotional moment for them both. for abraham, having to fight his will and his understanding and his reasoning - struggling with submission in the moment of sacrifice.
and at the greatest moment of the test, the climax of conflict between his spirit and soul, when abraham raised the knife to slay isaac....
"just then an angel of God called to him out of heaven, 'abraham! abraham!' 'yes, i'm listening.'" - genesis 22:11
third thing to note: in the most emotional, stressful, challenging moment of his life, abraham was still able to hear God's voice. he didn't let his emotions override the moment... he was still sensitive, still listening, still attentive... he heard the "now word" of God.
if abraham had gotten swept away by the feelings of the moment, he would've missed out on what God was saying...
he would have killed what God intended for him to keep.
i want to challenge you today - what is God saying to you NOW?? abraham WAS indeed walking in obedience to what God had said... but he was also tuned to the fresh word, the "now" word. are you? are you letting the emotions, the sacrifice, the pain, the questions, the frustration override your choice to listen to God? what is He telling you to do? listen out for what He's saying... over every voice of fear, doubt, anxiety, hurt... listen for the voice of God!!
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