Faith Klein, I mean Herrgesell November 6, 2009

I’ve caught myself saying the above phrase quite often lately.  On our one week anniversary (yes, we count those), we attended our first “marrieds” Sunday School class at church.  We were the first ones there because I had the time wrong, and a friendly man came over and introduced himself, and I proudly stuck out my hand, so happy to be in the “marrieds” class now, I heartily shook his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Faith Klein…oh, no!  I mean Herrgesell, and this is my husband Carl!”  Thankfully my sweet husband did not get his feelings hurt by my mistake.  But this name change is definitely a weird transition…I don’t really know who I am right now  My website, my bank account and all legal documents say I’m Faith Klein, but I clearly heard the pastor on October 18th introduce us as Mr. and Mrs. Herrgesell.  My family calls me Mrs. Herrgesell, and one of my many email accounts has been changed to Herrgesell, but the government does not, yet, agree.  What name you have might not matter to some, but when you are bordering a plane for your honeymoon you better know who you are.  And your passport better match the plane ticket! Knowing your own name matters, but even more than knowing who I am God reminded me of the importance of knowing HIS name!  

This week I was reading thru the story of Abram (Genesis 12-24), whose name was later changed to Abraham, and as I read, I began to notice other names besides Abram’s in this story.  Abram’s wife Sarai also had her name changed.  She is introduced as Sarai, and later God changes her name to Sarah.  In the story we also meet characters with names like Lot, Terah and Ishamel.  But in the middle of all these names I noticed that these men and women were also calling God out by name.  In Genesis 14 God is introduced as “God Most High.”  In chapter 15, Abram recognizes God’s authority and cries out to the “Sovereign Lord.”  And then in Genesis 16, a maid-servant in distress puts her trust in the Lord as she finds comfort in “the God who sees me.”  

God Most High

Sovereign Lord

The God who Sees Me

Which one of these names speaks loudest to you right now?  

Take a few minutes and open your Bible to the very first book: Genesis, flip through until you come to Genesis 12.  Take 5 or 10 minutes and read Genesis 12-16.  As you read notice where these names of God are used and how these titles or names give us a glimpse into the character of God.  As I read the story of Abraham and Sarah this week I was encouraged.  At the beginning we see a couple stepping out in faith, God says “go” and they go.  He doesn’t tell them where to go, so they just start going.  What faith!!!  But then God promises them a family…a family so big God says ” ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars–if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ ” (Genesis 15:5).  But when the family doesn’t happen in Abraham’s time frame he & Sarah doubt God’s means to fullfilling His promise.  And they take matters into their own hands.  Let’s pause a moment here…is anyone relieved to find out that Abraham, THE father Abraham did not only have many sons, but he also had doubts?  I know that I can relate to this story all to well.  There are days I fully trust the Lord with every ounce of my being, and other days I don’t necessarily doubt God’s ability to do what He said He would do, but I often doubt His timeframe.  

It is at this moment of doubt for Abraham and Sarah that we are introduced to Hagar.  (Genesis 16) Hagar is Sarah’s maid-servant and when Sarah realizes that she is getting a little too old to have a baby, she decides that Hagar should mother the sons of Abraham…the descendants who will outnumber the stars!  She convinces Abraham of her plan, and Hagar conceives.  Ishmael is born, and Sarah no longer likes her plan.  (Have you ever been there?) So Sarah, in her regret, begins to treat Hagar so poorly that Hagar and Ishmael flee from Sarah.  But an angel of the Lord finds Hagar and tells her to go back to Sarah.  The angel reveals to Hagar the future for her son Ishmael.  And when the angel is finished talking, Hagar “gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’ ” (Genesis 16:13).  

Isn’t that a great name?  The God who sees me.  He sees you!  I don’t know where you are at today, but for me knowing that God sees me speaks to my heart.  Last week I was walking through the crowded streets of New York City, and one of my dearest friends said, “Isn’t it cool to think that God knows each of these people’s names?” And at the same time we both said, “And how many hairs are on their heads!”  In my head I was thinking about how amazing it is that He knows the details of each of their lives, and He can hear all of their prayers at the same time!  I was overwhelmed.  And then as I read this particular name this week, I was reminded that in all of mess of the world, God sees me!  He doesn’t just look at me from a distance, but He walks beside me through every moment of everyday!  He sees me!  Praise the Lord, I am not alone, but the Sovereign Lord, the God Most High sees me.  And He not only sees me, but He also sees you!

What emotion does knowing God sees you bring to your life?  Spend some time journalling today about these truths.  

Praise Him for being the God Most High.  

Praise Him for being the Sovereign Lord.  

And praise Him for being the God who sees YOU!

Fun Updates! November 6, 2009

Hey Friends!  

I know I have been missing on here for a few months, but it is not because I don’t love each of you…it’s because I GOT MARRIED!!!   God is so good and over the past year and half I have fallen in love with Carl Herrgesell.  He asked me to marry him on September 14th, and we were married in Kansas City, MO on October 18th!  We have had a blast being with family and sharing fun moments with friends.  It was a wonderful weekend, and I promise to share the entire story soon, but for now I wanted you to know that I am still around  I am LOVING married life and have been blessed with the sweetest man!  Praise the Lord that He is so faithful!

Other fun news is that my small group in Nashville is doing a study on the History of Israel…this is a very brief study, it will be eight weeks long, which is not a long time to cover the history from Adam to Jesus, but we’re going to try to fit it in.  We began last Monday night and will continue up until Christmas!  If you’d like to see what we’re studying, I’ll be posting notes and suggested readings on the Home Study pages of SpeakingInFaith.  So check those out…they should be up this weekend!  

I pray each of you is well and enjoying life.  I just took some pictures of the beautiful sunset from the spare bedroom in our house! I was reminded again of God’s creativity and majesty!  How has God revealed Himself to you lately?

God bless, 

Faith

Home Study! August 23, 2009

Hey, Speakinginfaith Friends!!

Today we are launching the new Home Study pages on speakinginfaith!  I am so excited about this new addition to the speakinginfaith blog site!  This is a chance for those of you who attended a Bible study I have taught here in Nashville to take what we we’ve walked thru in a hour and go deeper on your own.  For those of you outside of Nashville, you can use this as a resource to go deeper into the Word and to follow what we are studying here in Nashville. 

In the upper righthand corner there is a page called “Hosea Home Study” which has directions on how to use the study. There is also a page called “Hosea 8″ which is the home Bible study guide for chapter 8 of Hosea.  Later today I will add guides for Hosea 9 & 10.  My prayer is that God will use these studies to refine us and deepen our relationships with Him! 

Love ya’ll!!

 

Faith Klein

“Go Big Red!” and other family traditions August 20, 2009

I love family traditions.  At Christmas time I love hearing people’s stories about their family traditions.  Some families serve at the soup kitchen every holiday, some have the same breakfast every Christmas morning, some have a specific order of events for Christmas day.  Traditions are as unique as the families that participate in them.  I’ve found that family traditions are definitely not limited to holiday events.  There are certain things I do, habits I have and foods I eat that I innately learned from growing up in my family.  Traditions and family characteristics are influenced by a variety of elements such as environment,  financial status, spiritual status, etc.  And many of us have no idea that the traditions our family practices would be seen as strange by someone else.  But these traditions  influence who we are.  Have you ever met a friend’s parents and immediately said, “Ahh, now I get it!”  After meeting one’s family, you begin to understand that person better than you ever had. 

My family doesn’t have as many hard and fast traditions as some, but we definitely have some things that are specific to our family.  One of the main categories that is unique to my family is the food we ate.  To this day salmon patties, fresh corn on the cob, mom’s strawberry pie, bubble loaf and chicken dumplings are favorites among my family.  Outside of food, we are all Nebraska Cornhusker fans!  We don’t just enjoy watching the games, but we LOVE the game!  One of my friends watched the Nebraska-Colorado football game last year with my family, and realized when everyone came to breakfast dressed in red, that this was more than a just a game to us.  Everyone from grandparents on down to babies and even dogs are dressed in Husker gear on any given game day.  We love the comradary that brings not only my family together, but an entire state together.   Many people don’t understand this tradition but nevertheless it is tradition I love.

There is another tradition I’ve learned in my family, specifically from my mom that is more valuable than any other tradition.  And that is praying the Scriptures.  She has taught me to use the Word of God as a guide to my prayers.  She taught me to put my name in the Scripture and pray it back to the Lord.  As a family we have prayed the Word of God  many times for many people, and we have seen God work in amazing way as He answered the prayers of His children.  And so today we are going to look at two simple verses from Psalm 25 that we can use to guide our hearts in prayer.

 

4     Show me your ways, O Lord,

teach me your paths;

5     guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

 

(The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 25:4-5)

 

This is a simple prayer that could have an overwhelming affect on our lives if we pray it honestly.  This prayer simply asks God to teach us His family traditions, so that we can walk in His ways.  Today, we’re going to keep this blog short so that you have time to pray this prayer.  I would encourage you to write these verses down on a note card and memorize them.  Begin to pray these precious words regularly, and please take time to listen to God’s response.  He will show you His ways.  Let Him teach you His truth.  And continue to hope in Him all day long!  Let’s pray.

Wishing and hoping and thinking and praying! August 14, 2009

Do you ever wake up singing?  I cherish the mornings that I wake up singing praise songs to Jesus.  I can’t think of a better way to start my day than to be humming or singing about my Savior, my greatest love, and my best friend!  I love when the song I wake up singing sticks in my head all day and reminds me of my love for Jesus and His love for me.  Sometimes we all need a reminder of how much we are loved.  Some days are so tough that we need to speak the name of Jesus out loud just to get the strength to take another step.  I love that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!!!  (Phil 2:10-11)  He is Lord, and what a privilege it is to serve Him, to find our strength in Him, and to walk through life hand in hand with our Savior!    What a comfort it is to know that He isn’t there just on the good days, but He is faithful to see us through the difficult days, too.  Let’s read the first five verses of Psalm 40 and be encouraged by these words about our Lord!

 

1     I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

2     He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

3     He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the Lord.

4     Blessed is the man

who makes the Lord his trust,

who does not look to the proud,

to those who turn aside to false gods.

5     Many, O Lord my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us

no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 40:1-5

 

This Psalm has such a raw progression that it is extremely relatable.  We can all recall a time when we had to be patient.  A time when life didn’t go our way, and we had to wait for God to show up.  Some of us are there today: waiting, hoping, trusting.  During this trusting time we feel like we are stuck in a huge pit of mud and mire knowing Jesus is our only hope!  Some of us have just been lifted out of this pit and are getting our feet settled on the Rock of our Salvation!  Some of us are singing a new song of praise to our God! 

I love that the Psalmist reminds us that our trials and our reactions to our trials can affect not only our lives but the lives of others around us.  The Psalmist explains that as we cling to the hope of our Savior saving us, others will see what God has done and is doing in our lives and will trust Him.  Wow!  Your trial, your time of waiting patiently could be what it takes for someone else to see the faithfulness of our God!  Your life could be what God uses to draw someone into His arms!  Isn’t that encouraging! 

It can be encouraging to step back and see the big picture, but that doesn’t immediately stop the hurt and pain that we are experiencing today.  When I am hurting I can often turn to a temporary “fix” to try to ease the pain.  But verse four exhorts us trust in the Lord, “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.”  David goes on to encourage us not to take our eyes off of the Lord.  Don’t look to other people who are proud and who trust in false gods. Rather trust in the Lord because God has proven Himself faithful!  David continues:

 

5     Many, O Lord my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us

no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

 

God is faithful!  And His works are wonderful…they are full of wonder!  Do you need to cling to the hope today that God can do something wonderful with your mess?  Dear Friend, not only has He been faithful in the past, but the Psalmist says we can’t even begin to count the amazing things He has planned for our futures.  He says if we tried to speak them “they would be too many to declare.”  Can anybody get excited about that?  Too many to declare!!!!!!  He has more great things in store for your life than you can even count.  Don’t give up hope.  Continue to wait.  Continue to hope.  Continue to trust.  He has great things planned for your life!  Many are the wonders He has done, and many are the wonders He has yet to do!  Hold on!  Hold on with both hands and all your strength!  He is coming to pull you out of your pit!  Praise the Lord! 

Today as you reflect on the words of Psalm 40, Take a few minutes to reflect on God’s faithfulness in your life.  You may want to grab a sheet of paper and a pen, and begin to list all the ways God has been faithful in your life in the past.  As you praise Him for His faithfulness in the past, I pray He gives you the strength and the courage to continue trusting Him with your future.  Please feel free to use the comment section of this blog to share how God has been faithful in your life.  When you share of God’s faithfulness to you, God can use that story to bring hope to others.  So let’s share of the faithfulness of our Father. 

 

Father,

Thank you that you are faithful.  We praise you for what you have done in our lives thus far, and we are excited to know that you have great things planned for our futures.  Lord, I pray that today we would place our trust in You and You alone.  God, I pray we won’t turn to the wisdom of proud men for advice, but that we would hold on to the hope that comes in Christ alone.  Lord, we look forward to the day that we are singing a new song of hope and of joy and telling of the wonders of Your love!  We are excited to see how You use our stories to bring others into a relationship with you.  Praise you Father for Your faithfulness and for the hope You alone can give.  We love you!

Amen.

Hide & Seek August 10, 2009

Hide and Seek.  What a classic game!  Did you ever play the youth group version of this game?  We called it “sardines.”  It was reverse Hide and Seek.  In this game whoever was “it” hid and everyone else would seek him.  When someone found the original “hider” that person would hide there with that person.  As more and more people discovered this hiding place, they would stay there and hide.  The group would get larger and larger.  Everyone would cram into one small hiding spot until everyone was found, hence the name “sardines.”  We played this for hours and hours in my church youth group.  We have many fun memories of hiding in a broom closet or the back corner of a Sunday school classroom.  What fun memories!

As we take a look at God’s word today, we will see Him encouraging us to engage in a similar act to this ever-popular game of Sardines.  Let’s look at today’s Scripture together found in Hosea 10:12.

 

Sow for yourselves righteousness,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the Lord,

until he comes

and showers righteousness on you.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ho 10:12

 

As I’ve spent time wading thru the intense dialog in Hosea, I am encouraged by this verse.  I encourage you to read through Hosea this week; I think you will find that your reading will make this verse come alive.  We are in the tenth chapter of Hosea, and it has been a long journey here.  God’s people have become wicked, rebellious and arrogant.  They no longer obey, and have broken their covenant with God.  In the previous chapters and in chapter ten, Hosea is communicating the word of the Lord to God’s children, and it is not a pleasant message.  They are learning about the wrath of God that is about to take place because of their disobedience.  But tucked into this grim passage is one verse of hope!  Even though they have been disobedient, even wicked, God calls them back.  He offers a promise to them:  If you sow righteousness, then you will reap unfailing love!  God never gives up on His people.  He has to discipline them, but even in the midst of telling them that they are about to be taken into captivity by Assyria, there is still hope.  He uses a very clear word picture in His plea for their hearts. 

“Sow for yourselves righteousness” Sowing or planting is an active verb.  It is something you and I have control over.  Here God is asking His children (you and me) to do something.  He says plant righteousness.  In other words, be active and intentional in the way you live.  Pursue a right relationship with God and with man.  This is our responsibility!  This is our call. 

God is amazing that He often includes a promise with His instruction.  Here He says if you pursue a right relationship with Him and with His children, then you will reap the fruit of unfailing love.  Couldn’t we all use an extra dose of unfailing love?  I would love to be able to love others as God loves them, and I would love for others to love me the same way.  It is possible.  This passage is a doable passage.  It is not a lofty ideal, but a practical how-to guide.  If we desire to love unfailingly, we can begin by pursuing a right way of living with others and with God.  Is that encouraging to anyone!?!?!  I love it!!!

The next part of the Word picture is actually the first step in the process.  Here’s how it breaks down.  If we want unfailing love, then we must pursue righteousness.  But before we can pursue righteousness, we must “break up the unplowed ground,” in other words, “REPENT.”  If you have ever planted anything, you know you don’t just walk outside and throw some seeds on the ground.  First you have to prepare the ground, break it up so that it is soft and ready for roots to grow.  Spiritually, we can’t just jump into the act of right living.  First we must deal with the reality of our sin.  We must repent.  We must have a change of mind…we must turn 180 degrees away from our sin and walk in a new direction toward God our Father.  Repentance is the first step to sowing righteousness and reaping unfailing love.

As we keep reading we realize that we can’t wait for the right time to come along to make changes in our lives, but rather the time is NOW!!  God’s children are told, “It is time to seek the Lord, until he come and showers righteousness on you.”  NOW is the time!  Don’t wait for tomorrow to come, or until you get back to church on Sunday.  Make the choice today to deal with sin and to pursue righteousness.  Seek the Lord.  Not just today, but just like His word says, seek Him “until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”  As you prepare your heart and deal with will, and as you begin to pursue a life of right living, HE will show up in mighty way and rain down His unfailing love on you! Amen?!?!  You are His precious child, and He longs to shower His righteousness on you!

Just like we sought out the “it” person in Sardine’s many years ago, let us commit to seeking the Lord, and let us do it TODAY!!!  To begin, let’s take time to reflect on these questions:

What sin do I need to deal with in my life? 

What choices can I intentionally make today that move me forward in my pursuit of righteousness?

What practical steps can I take today to seek the Lord?

As you honestly answer these questions, take time to write a letter to your heavenly Father, expressing your heart’s desire to Him, and asking Him to reveal the sin in your life that you might deal with it and pursue righteousness.

 

God,
You are so amazing to allow us to have a personal relationship with you.  Lord, I pray today You will begin to reveal areas of sin that we need to turn from.  I pray that as You reveal those areas, we will repent, not next week, not in a month or a year, but today!  And that today, we will pursue a right relationship with You knowing that You will fulfill Your promise and rain down righteousness and unfailing love on us.  Thank you for being a God of unfailing love.  Let us press on to know You that we may look more and more like You each day and that the world will see Jesus in us and be drawn to You. 

In your amazingly awesome name we pray!  Amen.

The Morning Dew August 3, 2009

Every morning, I wake up and immediately take the puppies outside. I’m half awake when I step outside, but by the time I come inside I’m ready to face the day. The puppies are always very anxious to get outside, and seemingly just as anxious to come back in…but I’ve noticed something about the early mornings. When I let the pups out, their paws are nice and dry, but when the puppies come back in their little paws are completely soaked. It doesn’t matter if it has rained or not the night before EVERY morning the grass is covered and dew, and so every morning, my puppies come back inside with their wet paws leaving paw prints on all over my floors. The interesting thing is that if I sleep in late enough on Saturday (which doesn’t happen often enough), the dew is gone and I can let the puppies out without getting their feet wet. The dew doesn’t stay on the lawn very long, especially in the summer heat. In Hosea 6:4, God is a very honest tone, related the Israelite’s love for him to the morning dew.

 

“What can I do with you, Ephraim?

What can I do with you, Judah?

Your love is like the morning mist,

like the early dew that disappears.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ho 6:4

This verse is not a warm fuzzy verse. If you read Hosea, you’ll see God’s honest thoughts about his children. He likes them to an unfaithful wife. Here we see God convicting His children of being before Him one moment, but in the next vanishing…no where to be found. When I read this I was deeply convicted. I began to think of all the mornings that I have woken up early to spend time with the Lord, and by the time I sit down at my desk, I can’t even remember what I read or what He and I talked about. Or all the Sundays that I sat in church half listening and half making my to do list for the day…or listening and walking away unchanged…maybe even criticizing someone that I saw a church by the time I reach my car. This same experience can happen on retreats or in small group…we have an amazing time, feeling like we’ve gone deeper in our faith, but then when we return to the “real” world we immediately fall back into our old routine. A routine that we have created in such a way that we can fulfill all our duties without the assistance of our Heavenly Father. A routine that includes sinful habits that we don’t care to break. God has become a check mark in our to-do list rather than the Father of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.

I know I can relate to the Israelite children here. There are sins that I’ve become so numb to in my life that I don’t notice them anymore. My time with the Lord can even become routine. One challenge I face is reading God’s word and finding what I can teach from it rather than reading it and asking Him to change my heart and my life through it. As I read this passage, I pray that I will not just engage my mind in the moment, but the God would help me engage my heart for a lifetime pursuit of Him! I pray that I as spend time with Him, we would have two-way conversations…that our time together wouldn’t be consist only of my telling Him my agenda for my life and asking Him to accomplish it, but for me to really stop and listen and to surrender my life to Him. To take the time to listen to His voice, and to be quiet enough to hear it. With that said, I want to leave you with time to reflect on your day. Has your relationship with God become more of a business relationship, where you only meet to discuss agendas, or is it a love relationship between the faithful Father and His beloved child? Is your heart fully engaged when you are with Him? If not, what are some practical ways you can practice listening and becoming fully engaged? Are there sins that you’ve become numb to that you need to repent of and ask God to bring to light and develop a sensitivity to? These are questions you can think about as you go about your day, and questions that may require a journal, your Bible and a quiet spot to reflect. So, as we close today, I pray this prayer for you and for me.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you are faithful. You are faithful even when we are faithless. Lord, thank you that you long to have a deep intimate relationship with us, not because we’ve earned it by being good, but because you are our Father. Lord, I pray today that you begin to stir up the fire with us that we may each choose to go deeper in our walks with you. I pray that as we spend time with you that you will engage our hearts; let us not settle for an intellectual relationship. But rather, engage our hearts for an intimate loving relationship with you, the King of kings! I pray that today as we spend time with You that we will walk away changed for eternity and looking more like Jesus whom we love and serve. Thank you for Your Word. Thank you for conviction that leads us into a deeper relationship with you. I love you, Father. Amen.

A Light in the Darkness May 10, 2009

 ⁷     Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?                            

⁸     If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹     If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,                           

¹⁰     even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.                                 

¹¹     If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”  

¹²     even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.                                                                                                                                                           

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 139:7-12

When I got mad as little girl I would try to run away.  Running away for me meant storming out the front door with the utmost attitude and then becoming “invisible.”  After, activating my “invisible shield” I would sneak around the side of the house to the back yard.  Then, while still in stealth mode, I would quietly make my way through the back yard, ducking behind the retaining wall to the swing set.  Once here I would carefully ascend the slight hill to the alcove where the air conditioner was located.  Once here, I would squeeze between the air conditioner and the house and sit and wait.  I would wait as long as I possibly could (which was probably about 5 minutes).  And as I sat there for those eternal five minutes, I felt separated from everyone and everything.  My little girl heart felt alone and extremely far away, but in reality, I was sitting under the bay window of the family room.  My parents were probably less than 30 feet away; I didn’t realize that the distance I felt was in my heart and not my location. 

In this section of Psalm 139 David wrestles with the nearness of God. He is walking through the truth that God is everywhere or omnipresent.  Just as we saw in the first six verses, here David again uses extremes to express the fact that there literally is NO WHERE he can go to escape the hand of God.  We all go through times when we feel alone.  Maybe we have recently moved and we miss the friends we left behind.  Maybe you’ve recently begun to make life choices that have separated you from unhealthy relationships.  Or maybe you have a a great support system, but something in your spirit makes your heart feel distant from those around you.  Whatever the reason, by choice or circumstance, that makes you feel distant from others, you can be comforted in the fact that God is near.  David’s words agree with many other Scriptures that God will not leave you!  In fact, David states in verse ten that even when we FEEL like we couldn’t be farther away from God, His right hand is on us, guiding us and holding us steady. We can have confidence that even in our darkest night, God is there, overcoming the darkness with His light!  I love David’s words in verse 12 “Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night with SHINE LIKE THE DAY, for darkness is as light to you.”  (emphasis mine)  What encouraging words!  Have you felt like the darkness was overwhelming your life recently.  When we get to that place, to the place where you feel like I did as a little girl, stuck between the air conditioner and the house, all alone, take heart and be encouraged…God is there…His hand is on you, His right hand will hold you fast.  He does not leave us to walk through these moments alone, He is near enough to hold us in His hand.  We can be encouraged in the darkest night, that the distance we feel, is just that, a feeling.  But the reality is the God of the Universe, is wrapping you up in His arms of love.  He will be your strength and the light you need to make your way through the darkness.  Notice that David doesn’t say, God makes the darkness disappear, instead he says the Light of the World shines as bright as the day even in the darkness.  Sound familiar?  We see a similar description of Jesus in John 1.

4     In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.                                                                               5     The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.                          New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. Jn 1:4-5

One of the tempations we can succomb to is thinking that the Light cannot overcome the darkness.  This leaves us powerless, emotionally stumbling through the dark, stubbing toes and running into walls.  But there is HOPE!  God’s light shines through the darkness.  His light makes even the darkest night shine like the day.  Are you encouraged?  I hope so.  We live in a fallen world where it is easy to lose hope, or put our hope in something that is not secure, but the HOPE that God will overcome the darkness is a hope that will not disappoint.  Why? Because it has already happened.  It is a promise we can count on, not a wish we hope will come true.  So today, whether you are at a sunny place spiritually or you are in the trenches, please take time to acknowledge the truth that David so eloquently shares with us: God is everywhere, and He makes even the darkest night as bright as the day!

Lord, thank you that even when we FEEL overwhelmed by the darkness, we can stand on the truth that we are not alone.  You are here.  And in Your presence the darkness is made to shine like the day.  Thank You that the darkness in our lives is overwhelmed by the Light of Jesus!  Thank You for the promise over and over in Your Word that You will never leave me or forsake me.  I praise you for your omniscience in my life.  Help me choose to see your light overwhelming the darkness in my life today.  I love you, Lord.

Fully Known and Fully Loved April 8, 2009

 

1     O Lord, you have searched me

and you know me.

2     You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3     You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4     Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O Lord.

5     You hem me in—behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

6     Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 139:1-6

 

 

Have you ever had a friend who can complete your sentences, or someone that you spend so much time with that you say the same things at the same time? My best friend and I have literally known each other our entire lives. She is six months older than me, and her mom brought her to my baby shower when I was born. So we have the ability to say one word, and recall an entire story or stage in life. We can see something on TV or in a mall and know exactly what the other one is thinking as her eye catches the same object. We can finish each other’s sentences or not even say a word and know what the other is thinking. We know just about everything about each other, more than we probably should. And despite all that we know, we still love each other In Psalm 139 the Psalmist begins to understand that God has this type of familiarity with his life. In the opening verses David realizes that God is not only familiar enough with him to finish his sentences, but God know every word before it is spoken. In these verses David begins to understand the omniscience or all-knowing nature of God. He starts by asking God to search him and know him, and then as his understanding grows he is overwhelmed by how well God is able to answer this request. David realizes that God knows him more intimately than any human could ever imagine. David uses extremes to describe just how much God knows. He knows when we sit, rise, go out and lie down. These extremes describe how God knows the activities of our days, our motivations for our various activities and every word that we have spoken and will speak. The New American Standard Version sums up this knowledge in verse three this way, “You are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” This all-knowing nature of our Father is amazing. It is much more than a statistical analysis of rights and wrongs. It is the intimate nature of someone who takes the time to discover everything that makes you uniquely you, every detail of your life…the good and the bad. It is the kind of intimacy that we long for…to be fully known and fully loved. I think most people have a desire to let their guards down, to be known fully and to be loved genuinely. In these opening verses, the Psalmist describes just that. He begins to peel back the layers of this intimate God who knows everything about us, and holds us in His loving hand. God does not merely observe our actions from afar, but he is so intimately acquainted with us that He knows our every thought, motivation, action and word. The Psalmist goes on to describe God’s involvement in our lives with a great word picture. “You hem me in–behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.” (v5) I love the idea of being hemmed into the protection of God’s hand. He is before us and behind us. He has surrounded us with His love. Nothing can get to us without the Father’s knowledge. His hand is on us at all times. He is aware of our every situation. He is indeed intimately acquainted with us. As we begin to grasp this idea of an all-knowing or omniscient God, it can be thrilling and overwhelming all at the same time. It’s thrilling that the God of the universe enjoys knowing every detail of my life, and at the same time my human nature can bring me to a point of fear with this very same understanding. We think God will use His all-knowing power against us, but He doesn’t. His intention is love. He created you, knows you, and loves you. We, like the Psalmist, will never fully grasp how wonderful this intimate love relationship is. We will never comprehend how He can know everything and still love us. But that’s what I love about God. If I could understand Him completely, I don’t think I could trust Him completely. So today let’s celebrate who God is, and let’s take time to relish in His amazing desire and unique ability to be intimately acquainted with our hearts!

 

Father, I thank you for taking the time to fully know and understand me, even when I don’t understand myself. Thank you for loving me so intimately and for hemming me in, behind and before. I am overwhelmed by your extreme love for me and the measures that you take to demonstrate your love for me. This Easter week, I celebrate that you loved me so intensely that you let your only Son die so that I could have a relationship with you. You are so wonderful that I will never be able to comprehend your love for me. And for that I thank you. I put my trust in you because you know me inside out and you have my best interest at heart. I celebrate today the fact that I am fully known and fully loved by You, My Creator and King! I love you, Lord! Amen.

 

 

 

And the Thunder Rolls April 3, 2009

 

Yesterday started out as a gorgeous day. I went for a long run in the morning, and then I met a friend for lunch where we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine. But by 3:30, it was another story. The rain hit; by 4 o’clock the tornado sirens were going off, and the roads were flooded. Lightning and thunder were filling the sky with a dramatic song and dance. The storm came quickly, and left damage in one area of town, but thankfully no lives were critically injured in this storm.

 

As I watched the recap of storm on the news last night, I saw trucks demolished by cement blocks ripped from nearby buildings, walls torn from the sides of storefront, and numerous windows blown out. Thankfully this storm damaged property and not physical lives. However the people dealing with the physical damage of their property no doubt will remember this storm more vividly than those of us whose cars and homes escaped any sort of damage. Having grown up in the Midwest, I’ve lived through many storms. And each one takes me to a place of humility realizing again the power of God.

 

Jesus’ disciples also experienced a storm that left them in awe of the One they followed. The story is found in three of the four gospels, and today we’re going to look at the account from Mark 4:35-41.

 

35     On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”

 36     Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.

 37     And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

 38     Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

 39     And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

 40     And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”

 41     They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. Mk 4:35-41

 

Isn’t this story amazing? In just a few short verses, Jesus demonstrates His unmatched authority. Jesus was sleeping in the front of the boat when the storm hit, and when His panicking disciples woke Him up Jesus did not panic. Instead, He stood up and REBUKED the wind and the sea. He said three words to the sea, “Hush, be still,” and the sea became perfectly still. This story leaves me awestruck. We live in a world where technology and scientific research has given us power over so many things and reduced miracles to scientific code. Yet, with all the research and weather technology, we can’t prevent storms. Technology allows us to calculate all the facts about a storm, where it is, how strong the winds are, where the rotations may come, when it will hit different parts of town, yesterday we could even watch the storm taking place thanks to a brave man with a video camera in his car. I saw map after map telling me all the details of the storm, yet with all this information, no one had the knowledge, power, technology or authority to prevent or calm this storm. Only God has that power!

 

This story personally hits home with me as I face storms in my own life. I often try to reduce my personal storms down to facts and figures. If I can decode the turmoil, then I think I can prevent it or bring about resolution. There are times that my behavior has caused a storm, and thus my obedience to the Lord will bring about peace. But other times we face storms that are out of our control, storms that can only be stilled by the voice of God. In these times we must trust in the Lord. We must know His character and authority. And we must understand that He alone is God. First Timothy 1:17 reminds us of who God is, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” Because He is all of these things He is able to calm the storms in our lives with just a word. He is able to at any moment say to the storm in your life, “Hush, be still.” And it will happen. If you are like me, you may have prayed for days, weeks, months or even years that God will calm a particular storm in your life. And maybe He hasn’t, yet. But He has not allowed you to walk through this storm alone, and He is not ignorant to the thunder and lightning pounding on your heart and mind. He is aware. And because He knows all, He has a purpose in allowing that storm to continue to wage in your life. I don’t have easy answers to why He allows storms to carry on longer than we ever expect or why He allows times in our lives when we are so emotionally beaten down that we think we can’t go on. But I know in these times, we must cling to the truth of His Word! I know that we must place our hope in the fact that “He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Eph 3:20) I know in times of storms we must place our faith in the ONLY ONE who is able to calm the storm. So I encourage you today rather than be overwhelmed by the wind and the rain, look into the face of Jesus, celebrate His authority over the storm, and continue to seek His face.

 

 

Lord, you know the storms in my life. You know there are days that I can’t see thru the rain pouring down on my heart. But despite my limited vision, I look to You knowing that You alone are able to say to my storm, “Hush, be still.” Today, I place my hope in you, the King eternal. I pray that You will calm the storm I am facing in Your perfect timing, and that as I walk through it each day, I will keep my focus on You and not the storm. I pray that when this storm calms, I will look more like You. I know that You are more concerned with my holiness than my happiness, so please use this storm to make me holy. I love You, Lord. In Your precious Son’s name and authority I pray. Amen.