Trampling Locusts

There are times when the lifelong, amazing faithfulness of my God simply stupefies this old girl.

Recently, while sitting in church, listening to a wonderful sermon, designed to urge our church family to greater prayer, fasting, evangelism and discipleship, God brought today's verse to my mind.  Later, during the invitation period, a lady joined the church.  She is a Christian, but had not formally joined our local fellowship of believers.  Those are two separate events in a person's life, although many times joining a church closely follows the decision to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

In my friend's case, however, the latter was not the case.  She had some time ago made that eternal decision, for Jesus.  But, a family situation was holding her back from joining our church. Her husband is of another faith. After our service was over, we were invited to the front to come and welcome the new member into our fellowship.  This is typical of our church.  As I was standing in line, thinking about her situation, God reminded me of His faithfulness, even when we see little hope of things changing for the better.

When my husband and I married, there was no doubt in my mind he was a true believer in Jesus Christ.  He wanted to go to church with me, within our church denomination.  We settled in to a church routine. It was the first time he had regularly attended church in his adult life. We both attended, and I exercised my spiritual gifts.  This situation could have been worse, I understood. Still, I was longing for my husband to realize his own spiritual gifts and use them for God's kingdom.  He was very hesitant.  Years went on (about 17), and it appeared that, well, that's just the way it was going to be.

All during those years, though, God was working!  He was still faithful!  I could not see it, but He knew exactly what he was doing.

Fast forward: today my husband is a deacon, who ministers to widows, goes out weekly on visitation, teaches Sunday School, serves on key committees ... It's just a miracle, truly.  It was, and is, a beautiful work of God to behold, to see His faithfulness on display.  I thought about that, as this dear sister in faith, stepped out in obedience.  When I got my turn to shake her hand, I shared words of encouragement with her.  God is faithful!  

Your faithfulness continues from generation to generation. You established the earth, and it stands firm.

Psalm 119:90

When we exercise our faith, despite our circumstances, we are closely imitating Jesus.  I've been in some excruciating circumstances over the years, but honestly, I've never sweat drops of blood.  Have you?  Yet, that is what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, shortly before He was taken into custody to begin the long, torturous road to the cross and grave.  We are spared from knowing our own futures.  But, Christ knew God's plan.  He knew what He would be facing.  In those Gethsemane prayers, His humanity wrestled with His deity.  In the end, He submitted His will to walk in faith the path His father, our Father, set before Him.

It is when we exercise our faith, hold on to His love for us despite the circumstances that we trample on locusts.  It is only through our faith that God restores what the locusts have eaten.

I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—

    the great locust and the young locust,

    the other locusts and the locust swarm—

Joel 2:25 is such an interesting verse!  Even though the NIV translates the word "locusts" on the second and third lines above, the four Hebrew words used there have an unknown origin.  What seems to be the intent is that, regardless of the varied damage caused by our ravaging enemy, Satan, God can restore.  He can redeem.  He can bring beauty from ashes.  He only asks us to trust Him, exercise our faith in His ability to do it.  He gives us several examples in the Bible of where He has done this.  Here are a few: Abraham, Ruth, Naomi, Esther, Job, Daniel, David, Paul, Peter, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus...the more I've thought about it, there are "restoration stories" in nearly every biblical character. 

So, no roadkill-gazing!  We do ourselves nor anyone else any good to stand and watch the flies buzz over the roadkill of our choices, dreams, relationships, devastating losses. There is a time for regret or mourning.  But, we must move on to grab hold of His forgiveness and peace.   We must repent, if necessary, or if not, at least humble ourselves under the hand of our all-knowing, all-mighty God, put our hand in His, and move forward in faith.

Is this prosperity teaching?  Does this mean that things will always turn out as we wish them to?  No. Often His way of restoring does not look like we think it should.  He is the source of all peace, which surpasses all of our limited understanding.  Regardless of the way He chooses to restore, we can have His peace - - - that He has a plan, and that it is being unrolled for our spiritual good.  Always. Always!

Dear God, thank you for never "letting go" of us, Your children, for holding tight to our hands as You lead us through the valleys and mountain peaks of this life.  Thank you for the encouragement of Your Holy Bible, godly counselors and most of all the the Holy Spirit of Your blessed Son, Jesus, all of whom teach us how to walk in faith, how to trample locusts.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Rice and Refuge

Good morning,

There are times when, even having heard the truth of the gospel, we lose our way.  We get off God's path.  We lose perspective.  It may be a sudden event which catapults us into the briar patch.  Or, it may be a more gradual veer.  Suddenly, we find ourselves in the weeds, or in the swamp, or in the muck and mire.

Last night was a great time of ministry in ATL.  However, it was a late night and at an ungodly hour I climbed into the bathtub with my iPad.  This is part of my evening ritual.  What was not typical about last night was that the iPad got baptized.  I keep it in a combo case-keyboard, which most assuredly was ruined. Still, I was hoping that the case kept the iPad sheltered enough to save it.  With a hopeful heart I tried to use it, only to find that it was flitting around from app to app, blinking, trying to shut down, but then powering back up - - - doing all kinds of frantic didos.  It looked kind of like it was losing its mind.

After taking it out of the case and drying it off, into a Tupperware container of rice it went; and, I headed off to bed.  This morning, I got up, started the coffee and looked in on my little, electronic friend.  Miraculously, it seemed to be normal; so, I plugged it in and am currently sending it through an OS update.  I figure if it can survive that, it can handle just about anything.

Over the Thanksgiving break I was made aware of a loved one who, figuratively speaking, had gotten a dunking.  Those closer to him had despaired of his very life.  I was heartbroken to hear that this beautiful, gifted soul had come so close to total breakdown and destruction.  His closer loved ones are rallying around him, bringing critical resources to bear as they support him through this time of anguish.

One resource is indispensable in times like these: the LORD.  He is "the rice" who will rescue, revive and restore us.  Without him, all other "resources" are of extremely limited value.  Often, our unintended destinations result from our deliberately turning our backs on Him, and refusing to walk in His ways.  Other times, we end up where we don't want to be because of circumstances out of our "control" (or the illusion thereof).

Regardless, the Scriptures tell us that He is our hiding place and our deliverer.  Although there are many verses pertinent to this topic here is one of my favorites, from Psalms.

You are my hiding place;

you protect me from distress.

You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah)

8 

I will instruct and teach you about how you should live.

I will advise you as I look you in the eye.

Psalm 32:7-8 (NET)

He surrounds his troubled children in times of terror, like a blanket of dry rice.  He is a refuge, a place of safety and security.  As soon as we seek Him, the shouts of deliverance joy begin.  Don't you just love that?  He knows the end from the beginning!  Even when we cannot see the end of our troubles, He not only sees them, He shouts for joy as the One who "makes all things new".

I'm aware of another, separate situation in which the "child" going through it may not see ultimate deliverance in this earthly life.  Sometimes, deliverance is perfected in Heaven.  There is nothing to compare to that standard of "making all things new".  Wow, what a thought to contemplate!

Even in those kinds of "hopeless" situations, though, as in all such trials and tribulations, the LORD says He will "look us in the eye."  Most of us have a memory, either as a child or as a parent, of someone taking us by the chin and saying, "Look at me".  Usually, it is before vital instruction is about to be given.  So it is with the LORD.  He takes us by our spiritual chins and says, "Look at me. I will instruct and teach you about how you should live."  Thank you, sweet LORD!

You may or may not be in a situation today where all your circuits are going haywire, where you are blinking and apping all over the place.  You may or may not be in a situation where you are too broken even to flop and flounder, physically.  Regardless, let the rice of the Holy Spirit cover you, surround you.  He is there with you, in the middle of your trouble, grief or terror.  He is waiting for you to call on Him to come and reach you, rescue you, make all things new again.  Your only Savior is waiting; all you have to do is call.

Oh LORD, the world and its rulers are often sickeningly successful at deceiving us into believing we do not need You, that we can handle this on our own, that we are our own gods.  The result of our deception is that we get lost in the weeds.  I am so thankful that You never turn your back on us in those times; all of us have "been there" to one extent or another at some time or another.  When You answer our cry for help and rescue us, in "making all things new" You don't always reverse the consequences of our situations.  You do, however, give us a greater portion of Your Holy Spirit so that we come out of those trials "stronger" in Your incomparable strength.  I praise You for that, LORD.  I praise You for how You bring beauty out of ashes, new growth out of a dead stump, how You restore what the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25).  Father, I pray for those who need for You to take them by the chin this morning.  I pray that they will seek You, fix their eyes on You so that You can do what only You can do...the miraculous!  In Jesus' name, amen.