So many times, we pray and God sends an answer. He heals, he provides and he protects. We depend on God to guide us through the journeys of life and help us find direction. He often surprises us with miracles and with his divine whisper. His answers help us feel loved and secure in the knowledge that he will never leave us.
But what about those times when he doesn’t answer? I had that experience this week. After more than a year when God provided for us financially – often through miraculous means – suddenly this month, we ran out of money. I prayed, I fasted, I expected another check to arrive in the mail. But even the publishers who owed me money didn’t come through. Nothing happened to prevent the checking account landing on the negative side.
When silence answers, I believe God is still at work. He still heals, protects and provides. He still cares about us and wants to send a joy-filled miracle. But he also has reasons for not coming through with a concrete answer. That’s when he sends us back to Psalm 63:8, “My soul clings to you. Your right hand upholds me.”
Silence is not the same as absence. God is still there. He is working behind the scenes to craft a miracle in our souls and push us toward a deeper trust. He has not forgotten how to provide nor has he refused to care. He is just doing a more important work. Caring for the soul and fashioning it to be more like His Son is more vital than placing a check in the mailbox.
When silence answers – cling to God even more tightly. Let him uphold you with His powerful right hand. Let Him love you until the answer comes.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Hope in the Unknown
Every time I turn on the television, pictures are being broadcast from the Middle East. After the revolution in Egypt, other nations surrounding Israel are in the midst of chaos and protest. It seems that volatile region again is embroiled in controversy and instability.
I have never pretended to be a scholar of prophecy, but every time something happens in that region of the world, I wonder…is this another sign of the end times? Is the anti-Christ on the verge of being revealed? Is it time for Christ to return and take his children home?
The Bible reminds us that no man knows the hour when the Son of Man returns, but we can be wise and fervent in our prayers. While we live each day here, our hearts yearn for the safety and security of those heavenly streets – the place where we will be free of all suffering, all despair and all sin.
But at the same time, our hearts break for the thousands of people who do not yet understand their need for a Savior:for those 20 Somethings who are just beginning their careers with hope and determination - yet without God, for those teenagers who are active in school and sports - but not actively seeking the Lord, for those farther along in age who have lived their entire lives without the peace of the Holy Spirit. These are the souls that should be most concerned about the situations in the Middle East.
Whether or not Christ comes back today, we who belong to him live in hope. But we must also live with the mindset of our mission – to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to share His love with the masses. The future is unknown, but our task is not. We must pray and work and live with that focus in mind. The clock is always ticking.
I have never pretended to be a scholar of prophecy, but every time something happens in that region of the world, I wonder…is this another sign of the end times? Is the anti-Christ on the verge of being revealed? Is it time for Christ to return and take his children home?
The Bible reminds us that no man knows the hour when the Son of Man returns, but we can be wise and fervent in our prayers. While we live each day here, our hearts yearn for the safety and security of those heavenly streets – the place where we will be free of all suffering, all despair and all sin.
But at the same time, our hearts break for the thousands of people who do not yet understand their need for a Savior:for those 20 Somethings who are just beginning their careers with hope and determination - yet without God, for those teenagers who are active in school and sports - but not actively seeking the Lord, for those farther along in age who have lived their entire lives without the peace of the Holy Spirit. These are the souls that should be most concerned about the situations in the Middle East.
Whether or not Christ comes back today, we who belong to him live in hope. But we must also live with the mindset of our mission – to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to share His love with the masses. The future is unknown, but our task is not. We must pray and work and live with that focus in mind. The clock is always ticking.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Planted
Who among us can truly understand the mysterious and wonderful workings of God? After all these months, praying and searching and waiting – God suddenly speaks the word and everything falls into place.
This week, I accepted a part-time position at a Christian nonprofit ministry (Check out www.gatewayofhopeministries.org). Gateway of Hope is a place of serenity, of seeking God’s wholeness for women who have been abused or women who just need to rest. The ministries include counseling, healing prayer, mini-retreats and support groups. We provide interesting workshops, a beautiful and peaceful setting and a gathering place where women can find encouragement. I will be the Program Director, working to implement the retreats and groups, managing the communications and helping to grow the organization. I will have the privilege of raising support and trusting God each month to provide the finances my son and I need in order to survive. What an awesome and humbling opportunity.
Because this is a part-time position, I will have time to continue writing and editing. With time, the Gateway position may include more hours, depending on the donations that come in. I am so grateful for all the lessons of faith God has taught me – how to trust him when the circumstances seem bleak, how to praise him when the answer is silence, how to believe that his love for me never ceases.
Isaiah wrote it well, “A planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor” (Isa. 61:3b). God has planted me. May I display his splendor.
This week, I accepted a part-time position at a Christian nonprofit ministry (Check out www.gatewayofhopeministries.org). Gateway of Hope is a place of serenity, of seeking God’s wholeness for women who have been abused or women who just need to rest. The ministries include counseling, healing prayer, mini-retreats and support groups. We provide interesting workshops, a beautiful and peaceful setting and a gathering place where women can find encouragement. I will be the Program Director, working to implement the retreats and groups, managing the communications and helping to grow the organization. I will have the privilege of raising support and trusting God each month to provide the finances my son and I need in order to survive. What an awesome and humbling opportunity.
Because this is a part-time position, I will have time to continue writing and editing. With time, the Gateway position may include more hours, depending on the donations that come in. I am so grateful for all the lessons of faith God has taught me – how to trust him when the circumstances seem bleak, how to praise him when the answer is silence, how to believe that his love for me never ceases.
Isaiah wrote it well, “A planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor” (Isa. 61:3b). God has planted me. May I display his splendor.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Plunder
When the Israelites left Egypt, they asked for gold, silver and jewelry. The Egyptians complied, grateful to be free of those pesky Israelites and their leader, Moses. So God’s people plundered the enemy. Later, in the book of Exodus, the plunder was offered to help build the Tabernacle.
What is the plunder that I have taken away from this time of unemployment? A greater sense of God’s care as he continues to provide for us, a deeper understanding of what trusting God really means, a cadre of people who have prayed for us and sent gifts to sustain us, a purified and honed spirit, plus - published words that hopefully glorify God.
As we march forward, I hope to use this plunder to refurbish another tabernacle – to be an example of the presence of God, alive and active in our world. Perhaps I can encourage someone else who is going through unemployment and help that person to learn more about trust. Certainly, I can praise God for all the people who have prayed and supported us and ask God to bless them in return. I hope to carry with me that purified spirit that stays humble and obedient, always ready to give an answer for the hope that grows within me. My published words? Who knows what will happen there. This blog will continue as we all need to find hope, no matter what trials we are wading through. Someday, a book may tie it all together. Surely the seeds of faith that have germinated via this media will grow.
The best plunder will be shown at a future date when I walk toward my Savior in paradise and revel in his embrace. Hopefully, he will show me how this experience kicked Satan back a few notches and moved the kingdom of Christ forward. Maybe he will tell me why it has taken so long to find an answer, or maybe he will just let me trust his heart for that timeline.
I pray that my dear Jesus will be pleased with the outcome, and I that I will continue to glorify him as I stay in hope. If that happens, then the plunder will be worth it all.
What is the plunder that I have taken away from this time of unemployment? A greater sense of God’s care as he continues to provide for us, a deeper understanding of what trusting God really means, a cadre of people who have prayed for us and sent gifts to sustain us, a purified and honed spirit, plus - published words that hopefully glorify God.
As we march forward, I hope to use this plunder to refurbish another tabernacle – to be an example of the presence of God, alive and active in our world. Perhaps I can encourage someone else who is going through unemployment and help that person to learn more about trust. Certainly, I can praise God for all the people who have prayed and supported us and ask God to bless them in return. I hope to carry with me that purified spirit that stays humble and obedient, always ready to give an answer for the hope that grows within me. My published words? Who knows what will happen there. This blog will continue as we all need to find hope, no matter what trials we are wading through. Someday, a book may tie it all together. Surely the seeds of faith that have germinated via this media will grow.
The best plunder will be shown at a future date when I walk toward my Savior in paradise and revel in his embrace. Hopefully, he will show me how this experience kicked Satan back a few notches and moved the kingdom of Christ forward. Maybe he will tell me why it has taken so long to find an answer, or maybe he will just let me trust his heart for that timeline.
I pray that my dear Jesus will be pleased with the outcome, and I that I will continue to glorify him as I stay in hope. If that happens, then the plunder will be worth it all.
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