This morning, the Lord took me to Isaiah 41:10. This verse has been a favorite ever since I served as a missionary in Honduras. Again, those sweet words brought comfort: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
When I went to the office, I was told that my temp job will end June 30th. Unless something happens in the next two weeks, there will be no income after June – except for the fact that God is faithful. He has told me, in advance, not to fear. He has promised to be with me. He has told me to not be dismayed – upset, frustrated, discouraged – because he indeed is my God. He has promised to strengthen me and help me. And this morning, he upheld me with his powerful and loving right hand.
I don’t know what is going to happen. I only know that since God knows what I need in advance, then he is perfectly capable of helping me today and beyond June 30th.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
God's Timing with Noah
This morning, I read through Genesis 8 and discovered a nugget of truth about Noah. He and his family, along with the animals, had been in the ark for one year and 10 days when God finally said, “Step out of the Ark.”
It wasn’t written as approximately one year or “Some time passed.” It was written in the Amplified Bible as one year and 10 days.
If Noah had stepped out of the ark too soon, the ground would have been too wet and the vegetation wouldn’t have been mature enough to feed the animals. If he had waited too long, their food and water supplies inside the ark would have been depleted. God knew the exact day that Noah was to step out of the ark. Noah waited, listened for God’s instruction and then obeyed.
In my situation, God knows the exact day that I will hear about a new job. It won’t be one day early or one day late. Hopefully, it won’t be one year and 10 days, but it will be the exact day that God already knows. What I need to do is wait, listen and obey.
Then I’ll step out of this particular ark and into the blessing.
It wasn’t written as approximately one year or “Some time passed.” It was written in the Amplified Bible as one year and 10 days.
If Noah had stepped out of the ark too soon, the ground would have been too wet and the vegetation wouldn’t have been mature enough to feed the animals. If he had waited too long, their food and water supplies inside the ark would have been depleted. God knew the exact day that Noah was to step out of the ark. Noah waited, listened for God’s instruction and then obeyed.
In my situation, God knows the exact day that I will hear about a new job. It won’t be one day early or one day late. Hopefully, it won’t be one year and 10 days, but it will be the exact day that God already knows. What I need to do is wait, listen and obey.
Then I’ll step out of this particular ark and into the blessing.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Power of the Word
Ephesians 6 teaches us about the power of the Bible, that it is our Sword of the Spirit and we need to know how to use it. Last night, I had an experience that underlined the truth of God’s powerful Word.
I was asleep when a spirit of fear attacked me. It tried to smother me with anxiety about the job search. So I did the only thing possible – I cried out to God and spoke the power of his word. I repeated Proverbs 3:5-6 until the spirit left: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
That is not the passage I usually speak to fight against fear, but those were the words that came to my lips in the darkness of the night. After a few minutes, the spirit left. But about an hour later, it returned – same spirit, same fear.
So I repeated the exact same verse, and the spirit left. I slept soundly the rest of the night and woke with a sense of peace and joy.
The word of God is powerful, able to defeat strongholds and anything that comes against us. Even when the theme of the verse isn’t exactly appropriate for the moment, God’s word is still powerful. Even when we’re half-groggy with sleep, God’s word dispels the fear. His word within us is greater than anything the enemy can throw at us.
I’m so grateful for the power of God’s Word.
I was asleep when a spirit of fear attacked me. It tried to smother me with anxiety about the job search. So I did the only thing possible – I cried out to God and spoke the power of his word. I repeated Proverbs 3:5-6 until the spirit left: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
That is not the passage I usually speak to fight against fear, but those were the words that came to my lips in the darkness of the night. After a few minutes, the spirit left. But about an hour later, it returned – same spirit, same fear.
So I repeated the exact same verse, and the spirit left. I slept soundly the rest of the night and woke with a sense of peace and joy.
The word of God is powerful, able to defeat strongholds and anything that comes against us. Even when the theme of the verse isn’t exactly appropriate for the moment, God’s word is still powerful. Even when we’re half-groggy with sleep, God’s word dispels the fear. His word within us is greater than anything the enemy can throw at us.
I’m so grateful for the power of God’s Word.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
3 Important Points
Last Saturday, God took me to Psalm 37 and gave me three instructions. I’ve been focusing on them all week:
1.Delight in the Lord. He will give you the desires of your heart. To delight in the Lord means to focus all my energy on him. It means I should stop worrying and scurrying – just enjoy my time with him. He knows the desires of my heart, even better than I, but my greatest desire is to delight in him.
2.Commit everything to him and let him take care of it. It’s so easy for me to plan what I’m going to do, then forge ahead and do it with gusto. But God wants me to relax in his arms and let him be my Husband and my Maker. He’ll take care of the job, the finances and every other desire I have.
3.Be still and wait patiently. It’s been almost seven months since the lay-off. I thought surely I would have a job by now, but it hasn’t happened. For some reason, God has me living in the “pause” button when I would rather be on “play” or “fast forward.” He knows why and he knows where. I just need to be still and wait for him to work it out.
George Mueller once wrote that although the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, so are the stops. So I need to take his advice and focus on the three points God gave me. Then the future steps as well as this stop will be a blessing.
1.Delight in the Lord. He will give you the desires of your heart. To delight in the Lord means to focus all my energy on him. It means I should stop worrying and scurrying – just enjoy my time with him. He knows the desires of my heart, even better than I, but my greatest desire is to delight in him.
2.Commit everything to him and let him take care of it. It’s so easy for me to plan what I’m going to do, then forge ahead and do it with gusto. But God wants me to relax in his arms and let him be my Husband and my Maker. He’ll take care of the job, the finances and every other desire I have.
3.Be still and wait patiently. It’s been almost seven months since the lay-off. I thought surely I would have a job by now, but it hasn’t happened. For some reason, God has me living in the “pause” button when I would rather be on “play” or “fast forward.” He knows why and he knows where. I just need to be still and wait for him to work it out.
George Mueller once wrote that although the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, so are the stops. So I need to take his advice and focus on the three points God gave me. Then the future steps as well as this stop will be a blessing.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
More & More Praise
Discouragement surrounded me this week. It had been a long time since the last interview – no calls, no answers, no job. It seemed as if my life was on “Pause.” I asked God, “When do we get to ‘Play’ or even ‘Fast Forward’?” No answer.
So, in the privacy of my living room, I did a scarf dance. The scarf dance is something I taught several years ago to my women’s Bible study in Lawrence. Each of us had a colorful scarf, and we used it as a tool of worship. We danced around my house to the music of “Celebrate Jesus”, swirling our scarves and swaying in praise.
This time, I was alone, except for the Lord. I sang my own version of the song, draped one of my silk scarves around me and just danced in worship. The discouragement left, and peace enveloped my soul.
The way to stay in hope is to praise God, over and over and over again. As King David reminds us in Psalm 71:14, “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”
So, in the privacy of my living room, I did a scarf dance. The scarf dance is something I taught several years ago to my women’s Bible study in Lawrence. Each of us had a colorful scarf, and we used it as a tool of worship. We danced around my house to the music of “Celebrate Jesus”, swirling our scarves and swaying in praise.
This time, I was alone, except for the Lord. I sang my own version of the song, draped one of my silk scarves around me and just danced in worship. The discouragement left, and peace enveloped my soul.
The way to stay in hope is to praise God, over and over and over again. As King David reminds us in Psalm 71:14, “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
3 Powerful Verbs
“…Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, who is the help of my countenance and my God” (Ps. 43:5b).
Almost every day this week, God has reminded me in his about 3 powerful verbs. These verbs seem to be the action I need to take as I look forward to a job. One verb is Wait. That doesn’t mean I just sit around, eat chocolate and feel sorry for myself. I’m still going to job fairs, looking on the web for openings and making sure my resume is the best it can be. To wait on the Lord means to let him take care of the details, move his puzzle pieces around and open a door for me.
Hope is the 2nd verb. Staying in hope is important, because without it, the enemy throws discouragement down my throat. Hope is the action word for the foundation of faith. Because I know God has a good plan for me and still wants me to be his servant, I have hope that some day that job will appear.
The last verb is Expect. Although I’m doing everything I can to search for a job, prepare for interviews and listen to my network; I fully expect God to surprise me with something only he can do. He is the one who has gifted me and decided which works I would do “…Since the foundation of the world” (Eph. 2:10). I expect him to open doors that no one can shut, to help me be a witness wherever I go and to place me where I can serve him best.
Wait. Hope. Expect. 3 powerful verbs that I’m living with and focusing on this week. The only other verb I need is Praise.
Almost every day this week, God has reminded me in his about 3 powerful verbs. These verbs seem to be the action I need to take as I look forward to a job. One verb is Wait. That doesn’t mean I just sit around, eat chocolate and feel sorry for myself. I’m still going to job fairs, looking on the web for openings and making sure my resume is the best it can be. To wait on the Lord means to let him take care of the details, move his puzzle pieces around and open a door for me.
Hope is the 2nd verb. Staying in hope is important, because without it, the enemy throws discouragement down my throat. Hope is the action word for the foundation of faith. Because I know God has a good plan for me and still wants me to be his servant, I have hope that some day that job will appear.
The last verb is Expect. Although I’m doing everything I can to search for a job, prepare for interviews and listen to my network; I fully expect God to surprise me with something only he can do. He is the one who has gifted me and decided which works I would do “…Since the foundation of the world” (Eph. 2:10). I expect him to open doors that no one can shut, to help me be a witness wherever I go and to place me where I can serve him best.
Wait. Hope. Expect. 3 powerful verbs that I’m living with and focusing on this week. The only other verb I need is Praise.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Caring for Mothers
During the past couple of weeks, I was in Oklahoma, caring for my mother. It was a strange experience, because it was actually my sister who was in need of care. Kris had an extensive back surgery that required a 360 operation – front and back. She was in ICU for a while, in the post-op ward for a couple of days and then in rehab. Thankfully, she has now returned home and will do follow-up rehab from there.
But Kris lives with Mom and helps to care for her. So someone needed to be there, to help Mom with her confusing issues and be her comfort during the evenings. Since I don’t yet have a job, I volunteered.
Why is it so difficult to switch roles? Perhaps because mothers are the strength and the heart of the home for so many years. They are the ones who fix our meals, wipe our tears and bandage our boo-boos. We owe them a great deal of love and respect.
Yet now, my mother is losing some of her short-term memories. Time and space boundaries are disappearing in the fog of early dementia. It takes an incredible amount of patience to just be around Mom, to answer the same questions over and over, to make sure she doesn’t follow her confusion rather than reality.
I do not understand why this is happening to my mother, and I don’t like it one bit. After watching Dad suffer through Alzheimer’s for 10 years, I don’t think it is fair that his care-giver now has some of the same difficulties. But that’s just the way it is.
All I can do is pray for her, continue to honor and respect her, send a card on Mother’s Day and pray like crazy that I don’t do the same thing to my son.
But Kris lives with Mom and helps to care for her. So someone needed to be there, to help Mom with her confusing issues and be her comfort during the evenings. Since I don’t yet have a job, I volunteered.
Why is it so difficult to switch roles? Perhaps because mothers are the strength and the heart of the home for so many years. They are the ones who fix our meals, wipe our tears and bandage our boo-boos. We owe them a great deal of love and respect.
Yet now, my mother is losing some of her short-term memories. Time and space boundaries are disappearing in the fog of early dementia. It takes an incredible amount of patience to just be around Mom, to answer the same questions over and over, to make sure she doesn’t follow her confusion rather than reality.
I do not understand why this is happening to my mother, and I don’t like it one bit. After watching Dad suffer through Alzheimer’s for 10 years, I don’t think it is fair that his care-giver now has some of the same difficulties. But that’s just the way it is.
All I can do is pray for her, continue to honor and respect her, send a card on Mother’s Day and pray like crazy that I don’t do the same thing to my son.
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