A Child-like Faith

A friend (and co-worker) was sharing with her young son that our grandson Ephraim was going to be able to have his kidney transplant.  They have been faithfully praying for him all this time.  “Oh, thank God!” he exclaimed.  Then, in that precious child-like innocence he asked, “What is that, anyway?”

Lord, I want that kind of faith!   Children don’t have to know or understand; they just believe God.  And isn’t that what He has asked us to do, just trust Him?  Unfortunately, our idea of prayer and faith is often like a trip to visit Santa at the mall.  We have our list.  We’ve been good.  Why wouldn’t He make sure we get what we ask for? 

Scripture tells us that his ways are not ours, His plans are best*.  And even though that may be hard to accept, it’s best if we do.  And that is not just a pat answer.  It’s Truth.  God is so good and patient that even when we struggle with that, He understands and holds us in His hands.  And just like a loving parent with a trusting child, He won’t let go. 

“Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”  Mark 9:24

 *Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”  (NCV)

"Fruitful in the Land of my Affliction"

Our youngest son Seth and his wife Rebecca have been on an incredible journey.  Their oldest child, one of our precious grandchildren, Ephraim Josiah, was born with….wait, first things first…he was born, and he lived.  He lived beyond what anyone had thought possible from a medical perspective.  Ephraim will be four years old on the 18^th of May. 

What a bright, beautiful child he is.  He has been through so much in his four years.  God has seen fit to sustain him with very minimal kidney function.  And even though there have been surgeries and procedures, medications and treatments, he has survived major setbacks, and thrived.  Now it is clear and a decision has been made to begin moving him through processing for a kidney transplant.  Seth, his daddy, is the first donor candidate and will soon begin the process as well. 

Rebecca emailed me today with a preview of Ephraim’s logo with COTA (Children’s Organ Transplant Association) that will be ascribed with the message “fruitful in the Land of my affliction”.  My thoughts went immediately to the Scripture in Psalm 119.

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.”  “I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.  Let Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort.”  Ps. 119:71,75,76

Good? Good to be afflicted?  What a paradox.  But God specializes in those.  And I am so glad.  I would not want to even consider accepting the truth of it otherwise.  He is faithful, so I can trust Him.  I do that through faith, not dwelling on how I feel.  Knowing God is altogether Good, and that all He does He does with divine kindness that is beyond my ability to even understand, is the comfort that sustains. 

It is not just possible; being “fruitful in the land of my affliction” is a reality.  Ephraim is.  And he is not the only one.  God is great and God is good.  When we are confident that we are walking with Him, we can be confident He is with us in any and every affliction.  There are no accidents or mistakes with our loving Creator God and Savior, only divine appointments. 

Rest in Him.                                

 

 

Regrets, we all have them.

I opened my devotional this morning to read, “None of us can say that we have no regrets.”  Oh the weight of those words.  They ring so true.  Past sins, past failures, mistakes; words and actions we wish we could take back; things we wish now we had never done; things we wish we had done differently.  If we dwell on these things though, it can crush us, keep us discouraged and defeated as we try to live this life of faith. 

 But God…don’t you just love those words?  I do.  They are two that are most precious to me.

                “But God who is rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4);

                “But God meant it for good”( Ex 50:20);

                “But God shall be with you” (Ex 48:21);

                “But God is the strength of my life and my portion forever” (Ps 73:26);

                “But God commended His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners Christ

                                 died for us” (Rom 5:8);

                “But God is faithful” (I Cor 10:13).

 

I can do nothing about my past regrets but give them to God in repentance and faith.  He promises to forgive and cleanse.  Yes there are often consequences to handle, “but God"!  He does not leave us to walk alone.  When others might say, “you made your bed now go lie in it!”, Jesus says, “take up your bed and walk!”  Living in regret will cripple. 

Instead of saying “if only”, get in the habit of saying “but God”!  He heals, He forgives, He restores!  Instead of allowing discouragement and defeat to keep you bound to the past, claim God’s promises for a bright and beautiful future. 

With Christ, life’s a beautiful thing!

               

'Streams in the Desert'

It was December of 1986, my last ladies Bible study. Shortly after Christmas we would be packing for the move we would make in January. So much had changed in those few years since coming to New York; Rog and I had changed. God had grown us, stretched us, and brought us to the realization that He had plans for our future that we would never have dreamed of. This small group of ladies had become so dear. I was the young wife and mother in the bunch, and they had mentored and encouraged me in ways I had not expected.

It was here I began to write for our church newsletter. It was here I began to lead the Ladies Bible Study. It was here I began to teach Sunday School and work with the teens and children in the church and Christian School. It was here I began to reach out into the community, visiting families and bringing their children to church on a church bus. I was like a sponge, soaking up all these godly women were pouring into me. The foundation had actually been laid earlier in Virginia with a Bible study I was involved in there, but it was in Saratoga Springs that I began to put into practice some of the things I had begun to understand about what it meant to really live for Christ.

As we sat around the table that snowy December morning in my friend’s kitchen, there were mixed emotions. Some people have lived in one area their entire lives. They live and work and worship with many of the same friends and family they have grown up with and known all their lives. I’m beginning to get a sense of what that is like. We have been here in West Virginia now going on 20 years! We have strong ties and bonds here now. And I enjoy this, seeing the roots go ever deeper as the years pass. But I also treasure the memories of these earlier days in my “growing up years”, spiritually speaking, as a young wife and mother. Roger had not long come to the realization that God’s desire for him was to serve as a preacher, and probably as a pastor. That of course meant that I would be a pastor’s wife!! Not in a million years would I have seen myself in that role just a few short years prior. There was much education and training before us, but after much prayer and counsel we were convinced of the direction we would be going. I was excited, but yet overwhelmed with thoughts of where this decision might take us. But God had prepared us and brought us to this point; He was going before us, and we were embarking on this journey together as a family.

Our goodbyes said in the midst of hugs and tears, we prayed together, and they prayed for me and Rog and our young family, that God’s hand of blessing would be on us. Lynn Greene, one of these sweet ladies, then gave me a gift that I use to this day. It was a copy of Mrs. Charles E. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert, a daily devotional, now a classic. How many times have the Scriptures and the articles in this collection brought to me ‘a word in due season’…at crucial times in my walk with the Lord, ups, downs, highs, lows. Even though I have used a number of devotionals through the years (in fact, I collect them!) I would find myself going back to this one over and over again on some certain, some random days. The wisdom of saints in these pages! Men and women that have gone before me that have seen the faithfulness of God in so many ways, it just always speaks volumes to me. I also will often read the note Lynn wrote to me in the front cover:


Dear Angela,
May the Lord bless you and your Bible Study. May he continue to use you in the lives of other
ladies. May He be with you and help you to uplift your husband an d family in His great work for
the Lord. May you in “all ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path.”
Love In Him,
Lynn Green, Ps 107:29


With the Lord’s great grace and His enablement, I am trying to continue to do this, Lynn! God’s Word is even more a treasure to me now than it was then. I continue to make myself available to other ladies both old and young to encourage and teach and minister with (though I am still learning so much from so many!); I continue to strive to be the help my husband needs as a loving, supportive wife; my children and my grandchildren are still my priority and my joy to love and serve; and I continue to trust the Savior to guide and direct my every step. He has directed our paths to this point and I know He will be faithful to see us safely to His desired place for us as we keep following hard after Him.

And that Streams I was given? It is still a favorite and a faithful companion, not only in my devotional time, but any time I need the wealth of wisdom and inspiration it provides.

I leave you with some of my favorite thoughts from its pages. BE BLESSED!



The problem of getting great things from God is being able to hold on for the last half hour.-----selected
March 5, on Hebrews 3:14

He has kept you hitherto; do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. ----J. Hudson Taylor, February 8.

“Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was” (Ex. 20:21). God has still His hidden secrets, hidden from the wise and prudent. Do not fear them; be content to accept things that you cannot understand; wait patiently. Presently He will reveal to you the treasures of darkness, the riches of the glory of the mystery. Mystery is only the veil of God’s face. Do not be afraid to enter the cloud that is settling down on your life. God is in it. ----selected; March 14

For the Love of a Mom

My daily devotional called for “trust in God’s greater plans as He does His far better work in the history of our lives” (Joe Stowell, Our Daily Bread, February 9, 2013). It suggested that rather than be annoyed by “anything that diverts me from my routines and plans” (and that sometimes the diversion can even be “unsettling and painful”), we should consider them “divine diversions”.

I not only can say a hearty “Amen to that!” I know personally the difference it can make when we step back and consider all that God may be doing and simply trust what we do not understand or cannot see. And for some reason, this directed my thinking to being a mom (like so many things do!).

What beautiful things have been a part of my experiences, and I am forever grateful to the Giver of all good things. I know and understand, to the depth of my limited understanding, the love and grace of a forgiving God. I am His, and He is mine. I enjoy a relationship that is personal, and it is real. My relationship with the God of the universe through the undeserved death of His Son Jesus, has awed me since my young heart first grasped this great and mind-boggling truth. And even though still, I wonder why or how, I embrace it and cherish it. I think of the many “diversions” that have come my way to direct me and lead me down the path I have taken and I have to just step back and with a huge sigh of relief, say “Thank God He has been in charge and not me!”

That’s not to say I have always been the willing and obedient child. I’m grateful that He is as patient as He is forgiving! And I think of all the people that have built into my life. Some of them have no idea of the impact they have made as our paths crossed for a moment or a season. They each have a place of meaning and significance in my life. Every role I have been allowed, from daughter to sister, to granddaughter and niece, to cousin, to friend and neighbor, from aunt to daughter-in-law to mother-in-law and sister-in-law, to wife, mother and now grandmother, they represent a very full and good life.

But this mom thing…being a parent, I don’t know. I’ve spent the greater part of my life now doing it, parenting. It’s such an honor. It’s such hard work! The funny thing? It’s not just my own biological children that call me, or have called me mom. I’m not so sure it is what I am called that matters as much as what I do with a gift I am given. The Scripture says that “children are a gift from the Lord”. I can’t imagine having tossed my “gifts” aside like they were worthless. What a treasure my children have been, and still are for that matter. But this mom thing has taken a few turns as well. There have been a few “divine diversions” along the way, things Rog and I didn’t expect, didn’t plan for, weren’t sure how to always deal with. But what we did have was God’s Word. And He is the great example of a parent. He became our model. And He said, “whosoever will may come.” He made His love known. It is unconditional. We didn’t have to become His perfect children first before He chose to love us and accept us with all our problems. And He doesn’t force His love on anyone. He just gives it, and keeps giving it even when it is rejected.

That is so like God. It’s much harder for me. I love people, maybe because so many have poured themselves and their love into me. I’m sure for someone that hasn’t had the benefit and blessing of knowing God’s love, or anyone else’s…I mean love the way it is supposed to be: unselfish, unyielding, unimposing, the kind of love explained in I Corinthians 13, that it might seem impossible to experience.

But it is possible.

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it
does not seek its own, is not easily provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in
unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things. Love never fails.”

Did you catch that? Love never fails. People fail love. There’s no denying that some people are harder to love, sadly even some children. They can provoke irritation, frustration; they can even be hateful, hurtful and dare I say, revolting. But I remind myself often that “love is not easily provoked”. And I can genuinely love the children and young people that God directs into my path because I know He loves them dearly and they need to know His love.

As to what they decide to call me when they’re not my own? I’m ok with ‘Mom.’ if that's what they comfortably or naturally choose. I’m not going to take that away from them. Am I privileged to bear the title? Yes, but it’s not about me really. It’s more about the fact that perhaps they’ve come to enjoy the compassion and nurture and teaching and training and all that a mom is, the way God intended. Just maybe they start to see themselves differently because a mom values them, believes in them, prays for them. And it does not take away from how dear it is to me to have my own children call me their version of Mother: “Mom”, “Momma”, even “MooMoo”! It’s about the relationship that is developed, the love, the trust, the mutual respect and appreciation.

These are my “divine diversions”, children other than my very own that maybe I did not expect to have a part in rearing. Instead of being annoyed by it or avoiding it, I have welcomed it. Not because of who I am, but rather because they are gifts from God to be cherished. Even the rotten, provoking ones! Who knows, but for the love of a mom that just wants them to know Jesus’ love, they would have no chance at the life God has planned for them.

I'm a mom. I don’t know what role God has placed you in, what opportunities He has given you to love others through Him in a way you didn't ask for or expect. Maybe it's Dad, aunt, mentor, friend. Don’t run from it, embrace your “divine diversions”, to His glory and your blessing.

“Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God”. Mark 10:14

The View from the Mountaintop

In 2010, I wrote a piece about a chalk artist and the impact the drawing and the message had on my life. It was a beautiful, but sad picture of Moses on Mount Pisgah looking out over his beautiful promised land. He was given a chance to see it, but he could not go in. Why? Because he had disobeyed God’s command to speak to a rock rather than strike it. Angry and irritated with the very provoking and demanding group of people he was leading, he once again struck the rock to provide water in the wilderness when God had instructed him to simply speak to it. God in His great mercy, provided water once again to the thirsty group, however ungrateful and complaining they were. But Moses should never have struck the rock this second time.

Moses did not know at the time all that the rock represented. The New Testament explains in I Corinthians 10 that the Rock in the wilderness was Jesus who would be smitten for the sin of the world. And he would be smitten once only. Moses struck the rock twice. He didn’t need to know the details of these future events concerning Christ the Rock in order to obey. Yet in that moment, he allowed his frustration over the people’s ungrateful demands to get the best of him.

For many years I only saw in this situation what seemed to be so unfair. But the anger I experienced early on in my walk with the Lord at the thought of this apparent unfairness has long been replaced with love and trust in a Sovereign God who always acts with our good in mind and for His glory. There was still something about it all I didn’t fully understand, but I had let it go. And until Rog spoke on this very subject Sunday evening, I hadn’t really thought about it again. He presented a different perspective on the whole situation. And for the first time I saw God’s mercy at work in Moses’ life rather than judgment. And what a difference a change in perspective can make.

God had told Moses that because of his disobedience he would not be allowed to enter the land of promise. How terrible it would have been for Moses to remain on this side of Jordan knowing that the people he had led were living on the other side. Instead, God lovingly took him home from this mountaintop. Rather than focusing on what Moses had missed out on, I realized what he was given! He was given a view from the mountaintop, and that view must have been amazing. He caught a glimpse of all that was in store for those that would come after him. He had made a difference, and others were going to be blessed because of him and his willingness to be used of God as their leader.

What a revelation! And how humbling! How easy it is to focus on what I am not getting to do, what I don’t have, what I think I’m missing out on…and miss all that God has for me in the process. No longer do I feel sorry for Moses, or feel he was treated unfairly. I just can’t see any regret or longing on his face when I think of it now; only a deep contented peace and a joyful acceptance of God’s plan for him. He climbed that mountain, took in the view, and went home to be with his God.

And what a view it must have been.

Deuteronomy 32:48-52; 34:1-8
Questions to ask:
Am I making a difference for those that will come behind?
Am I content with all God has done and is doing in my life, or grumbling about what I think it
should or could be?
Is my life about acceptance and joy, or resistance and resignation to what I can’t change?

Death...it keeps life in perspective.

I’ve been mulling over a Daily Bread devotional that was very thought-provoking. It spoke volumes to me in several ways, and not just because I’m on the other side of 50 rolling downhill, even faster than usual these days it seems (Is it really the first day of 2013?)! The devotional offered a look at death from something other than the doomsday drama that has surrounded much of recent months. After surviving the end of the world a couple of times now due to miscalculations, or something like that, (was it May 21st, or 26th; no, Oct 21st)? Then the end of the world as the Mayan calendar expired (perhaps they planned on continuing at a later time and just never got around to it, who knows?). Not to mention all the talk about ‘wars and rumors of wars’ (which have been from the beginning of time practically) and all the terrible natural disasters and ‘acts of God’ (as they’re called by insurance companies that don’t cover the losses).

Depressed yet? Well, don’t be. The main idea of The Power of Terminal Thinking (David McCasland, ODB 12/31/12) was not to encourage morbid or unhealthy thoughts of dying, but rather to present the idea that a proper understanding of death and its certainty should provide a ‘dynamic approach to living’. It can, and it should.

Still not excited? I must admit I had all but forgotten the initial impact, especially of the Scripture cited with the devotional, until today:

“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am…Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor” Psalm 39:4-5.

Today I talked with my mom on the phone and learned of the death of one that at one time was a close friend of my brother’s. They grew up together and had kept in touch until recent years. This man in his late 40’s went to Florida “on vacation” over Christmas, and jumped out of a thirteen-story hotel window.

That news shook me, as has the news of other tragic deaths, some even closer to home than this one. But this one bothered me in a different, less emotional way. It was just sobering. Maybe because while I was on the phone, the television was blaring about the fiscal cliff we had just apparently gone over. At one time at least, finances and financial status had meant a great deal to this fellow, and my brother too for that matter. I don’t know if that had anything to do with his decision to end his life, especially in this awful way, but I couldn’t help but think as I listened to the news commentator that we may likely hear of much of this during this next year. I remember hearing stories from my grandfather about ‘people jumping out of windows’ after the 1929 Stock Market crash and the days of depression that followed. His thought was that people just lost all hope of ever recovering. My thought? It is perfectly understandable, though terribly regretful, if their only hope of a continued existence was in their financial holdings.

Yes, we are frail and but a vapor, and it does us good to be reminded. But only if it turns our thought to the love of our God that created us and desires to sustain us as we place our trust and hope in Him.

You have taken hold of my right hand.
With Your counsel You will guide me and afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my
portion forever.
Psalms 73: 24-26

Thoughts of death and dying are undeniably troubling, and they should be to an appropriate degree. But the right view of death known to the believer is to give us the healthy and abundant perspective of life God wants us to have.

He wants us to truly live.
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

Have a Happy 2013 in all the ways that really matter!


For additional insights on this and other subjects, may I suggest you visit the Radio Bible Class web site? It is one of many valuable resources I have enjoyed over the years; www.rbc.org .