Archives

What, Exactly, is His Grace Sufficient For?

May4

One of the go-to verses for Christians in pain is 2 Corinthians 12:9. In it God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Of course, the context is important. So bare with me while I rehash that for us.

Corinth was a city of wealth, commerce, and depravity. Sexual immorality was rampant, with prostitution being part of idol worship. Apparently, the Corinthians had a hard time separating themselves from these cultural practices. Paul tried, somewhat in vain it seems, to encourage Corinthian believers to higher standards – godly standards. Second Corinthians was actually his third letter (at least) to the group, after several lengthy personal visits to try to steer the church in the ways of the Lord. To put it mildly, Paul was frustrated and desperately wanted these believers to desire to be the Church – those called out of the world and into the Kingdom.

In chapters 10 and 11, Paul felt the need to answer a question the Corinthians seemed to be asking themselves – why should we listen to Paul?  Paul acknowledged their grumbling, reporting his awareness that “…some say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing,’” (2 Corinthians 10:10). The Corinthians were feeling a bit rebellious, and they weren’t afraid to say it… when Paul wasn’t around.

Paul did his best to respond calmly the rest of chapter 10 and the first half of chapter 11, but he eventually decided sarcasm and mockery were the way to go. (Have I mentioned I love him?) He was infuriated the Corinthians were choosing to elevate false apostles’ teaching above the true Gospel he had introduced to them (2 Corinthians 11:5-6).

While defending himself, though, he didn’t want to give the impression the Corinthians should listen to him because there was something special about him. It was important they realized it was not Paul he wanted them to submit to but Christ in Paul. Paul told the story about his infamous thorn to illustrate his humanity and frailty and to emphasize only the existence of an all-powerful God could explain how a man with such a restrictive condition could be so successful.

Within this context, Paul recounted how he asked God to take away his thorn three times (2 Corinthians 12:8). And God had responded this way, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The first part of the sentence intrigues me. “My grace is sufficient for you.” What does that even mean? We Christians are quick to quote it to someone in need, but have we really nailed down what’s going on here? I haven’t.

What, exactly, is God’s grace sufficient for?

I took the verse apart in the Greek last night to try to answer that question, and you’re never going to believe what I found out. What God really means is, “My grace is enough for you.”

If you’re paying attention, you’re realizing I discovered absolutely nothing new. So I took it apart in the English and came up with this.

Grace can mean favor, approval, or blessing, typically unmerited. Enough means occurring in such a quantity as to fully meet a need. So God’s favor and blessing will fully meet our need. The question is begged, our need for what? Some needs? All needs? Specific needs?

Before we can transfer the idea to ourselves, we need to get back in Paul’s shoes to understand the original intent of the Lord.

Paul had some needs.

In the most immediate context, he had a thorn of some sort causing him some agony. God likely would have been intending to communicate His favor was enough to get Paul through that agony. God’s blessing was enough for Paul to live  for a lengthy amount of time in spite of whatever physical, spiritual, or emotional pain he was experiencing.

Zoom out a smidge, and the wider context is that Paul was defending his credibility as an apostle to the Corinthians. In the midst of their doubting his authority to speak on God’s behalf, God tells Paul, “My approval is enough.” The power behind Paul’s ministry resided in God’s approval and favor, not the Corinthians. Nothing else was needed. Even without the Corinthians’ okay, God’s approval was enough for Him to accomplish whatever He willed through Paul.

I’d also like to think the Father-heart of God wanted to remind Paul that He loved Paul. He wanted Paul to feel confident of that love and to find his identity in that love, no matter what others were saying about him. God approved of Paul, even if others didn’t, and knowing that should have fully met Paul’s need to feel secure and valued. 

Step back even farther, and we realize Paul had a nearly impossible task – to take the Gospel to the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles also (Acts 13:46). The Jews thought of Paul as a traitor preaching sacrilege and would’ve rather killed him than listen to him try to convince them Jesus was the Messiah they’d been waiting on (Acts 9, 13). The Gentiles didn’t know what to do with Paul. Some were scared of him (Acts 9), some tried to worship him (Acts 14:11), some stoned him (Acts 14:19), some believed his message (Acts 14:20), and some, like the Corinthians, believed Paul initially but got angry when he held them accountable. So when God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you,” the widest application implies God’s favor was all Paul needed to successfully fulfill his life’s calling to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15, Eph 3:8).

Back to the original question. For today’s believer, what is God’s grace sufficient for?

God’s grace is sufficient…

1) To survive pain. God’s blessing is enough for us to make it through any kind of physical, spiritual, or emotional pain, no matter how long that pain exists. God’s grace – His favor – is enough, all by itself, to sustain us until He determines that pain should end.

2) To empower us for ministry. God’s Kingdom purposes are accomplished by His endorsement alone, not human approval, ability, or ambition. We all have a ministry, and His grace – His blessing and approval – is enough, all by itself, to make our ministries flourish.

3) To establish our security. We all wonder, to varying degrees, if we are loved, valued, appreciated, accepted, approved of, desired, etc. Too often we look to others to affirm our worth. God’s grace - His approval – is enough, all by itself, to solidify our true worth.

4) To fulfill our life callings. We’re all here for 2 reasons: to know God and to make Him known (Exodus 9:15-16). How we make Him known, and to whom, may vary, but, ultimately, we’re all called to the same thing. And the calling is not for the feint of heart. But, God’s grace – His favor and blessing and approval – is enough, all by itself, to empower us to do what we’re supposed to be doing.

So I guess to put it succinctly (1100+ words later), God’s grace is sufficient for everything.

All is Grace

Jun19

Ann Voskamp has a favorite saying, “All is grace.”  There is something good about everything, namely that everything affords us the opportunity to grow closer to God.

Even the bad things that happen have a good component.  Extreme tragedies, for example, are our invitations to deeper intimacy with the Lord as we wrestle in conversation with Him over His allowing the tragedies.  We are drawn to Him out of anger over the event, demanding answers and explanations.  But as we pursue Him, He reveals His tender, personal love for us in a way we cannot see when we don’t come to Him.  And we are changed by His love.

All is grace.

Psalm 145:8-9 says, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

All.

Even those who do not accept His existence.  Even those who worship His nemesis.  The Lord is gracious to all.  Because all is grace.  Unbelievers experience blessings every day, not the least of which is they haven’t been eternally judged yet.  He is patient, not wanting any to perish but everyone to understand their need for His love (2 Pe 3:9).

James says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father,” (James 1:17).

I typically only believe this verse applies to BIG gifts.  My husband, by children, my salvation – these are from the Father, and I am thankful for them.

But the little gifts I take for granted, not noticing that I am literally surrounded by sweet nothings from the Lord, day in and day out.

My 2 yr old’s little hand resting on top of mine.

My 5 yr old’s laugh.

My husband’s freshly-shaven face.

The aroma of cookies baking.

All is grace.  All is a good and perfect gift from the Father, meant to draw me closer to the Giver.

Lord, help me to see these gifts all around me, and use them to deepen my affection for You, the One who spoils me so with His infinite love.

A Change Would Do Me Good

Apr20

God has been hard at work trying to teach me about perspective lately.  My default perspective is hopelessness.

Is something in my life changing?  Despair!

Is something in my world unpredictable?  Insecurity!

Is something in my environment not exactly (or not at all) how I want it to be?  Kill me now!

Yes, these are my ingrained responses to life.  But God says to me, much like I say to my young daughters, “Oh, no, ma’am.  My children do not respond this way.  This is unacceptable.”

(Or as my 2 yr old says, “Unasseptible”.)

Children of God are supposed to be joyful!  (Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:16)

Those who have Christ are supposed to be hopeful!  (Romans 15:13; Ephesians 1:18; 1 Peter 1:21)

Joyfulness and hopefulness are not lofty, unattainable things the Bible describes.  They are realities to be enjoyed and displayed in the hearts and lives of believers.

To get more/some/ANY joy and hope in my life, God is reorienting my perspective.  He is changing the ways I view a lot of things.  He is showing me how I’ve worried far too much about details that are momentary and have no bearing on eternity.

For instance, why do I get so worked up over my children dawdling?  Will we not still get to wherever we are going?  Why not allow them 10 extra seconds (!) to stop and smell the roses?  Why allow my blood pressure to rise, my jaw to tighten, and barking commands to HURRY UP come out of my mouth?  The Lord is using Ann Voskamp‘s One Thousand Gifts to make me stop and smell the roses…  notice the details…  enjoy the details… and control my emotions like a rational adult – like Christ – rather than a stressed-out train wreck.

Yes, God is changing my perspective on the little things to recalibrate my heart.  I must recognize what is little so I can also recognize what is big.  There are big things in life – times when we experience big emotions – that God wants me to respond appropriately to as well.  If I cannot control my emotions and actions regarding dawdling children, how then can I expect myself to remain in check – in joy and in hope – when I experience a major change or loss?

I am learning to chill out.

Frustrations aren’t as frustrating when you’ve been practicing thankfulness.  Bad things don’t seem as devastating when you’ve begun to view things with eternity in mind.

Perhaps the thing I dread most in life is being separated from loved ones.  If someone in my family died, I would dwell on having to live the whole rest of my life without them.  But what is that, really?  Fifty, sixty years…  If we both love the Lord, we’ll be with each other eternally…  And that truth would make the present separation bearable.

Second to a loved one dying is a loved one moving.  Sure, there is technology to keep us in touch, but it’s just not the same…  Not being able to “do life” with those I value most hurts, especially if the separation is indefinite.

I think of our church’s pastor and his family.  They are moving to Ethiopia in 2 months, and our church body is rocked.  They’ll be over there at least 2 years, and who knows where they will go after that.  I’m not as close to them as some, but I will miss them, and the idea of NEVER seeing them again can be depressing.

But God is flipping that for me with this phrase – “partnership in the gospel” (Philippians 1:5).

Paul is overflowing with thanks and praise for the church at Philippi, gushing love over them and for the Lord.  He is excited that, although they are physically apart, they are partners in the gospel.

And aren’t we all?  All believers are called to spread the gospel where they are.  That is our chief purpose in life.

It is so neat to me to think that my friends will be spreading the gospel in Ethiopia at the EXACT SAME TIME I am spreading the gospel in Memphis.  We may be physically separated, but we are united in advancing the Kingdom.

And that is a purpose for which I can joyfully let go of my friends, no matter who they are or where the Lord calls them to go.

A Little Help Believing

Feb1

On Sunday our pastor preached on Genesis 12.  Verse 1 reads, “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’”

(The previous Thursday I taught on the same passage.  It appears the Lord was really trying to get something through my thick skull.)

The gist of these verses is God calls Abram to move.

Away.

From his family.

To an undisclosed location.

My dad was in the Air Force for 20 years, so I know a thing or two about moving to an unknown land.  By the time I was 13, I had lived in 6 states and 3 countries.  Every time my parents informed my brother and me that we’d be moving, the same anxiety took up residence in my stomach.  I knew from experience that each move offered adventure, excitement, and opportunities that I would never otherwise have been exposed to.

But I also knew that each move meant having to learn how these new people did things in this new land.  The learning curve a new kid has to navigate can make for some painfully long and lonely months/years.

No doubt, Abram and his family felt these same emotions in their guts the day God told Abram to leave his country (Genesis 12:1).

Abram was to physically leave his country and his relatives, but, of course, this leaving concept can be applied a lot of other ways.

God calls us to leave churches, friendships, relationships, jobs, schools, sin habits, and the list goes on.

And, often, when He calls us to leave something, He has not yet showed us where we are going.  That was the case with Abram.  And that can be the case with us.

“Leave this job,” God might say, “and go to the job I will show you.”

“Leave this church, and go to the church I will show you.”

“Leave this friendship, and go to the friendship I will show you.”

So, at the very least, we have someone in the scriptures to whom we can relate when we are being called to leave something behind.

I don’t know about you, but that’s not enough to encourage me.  If I am to be uplifted in my circumstances of having to leave something, I need more than just the knowledge that other people have had to leave stuff too.  Misery may love company, but miserable company doesn’t offer hope or encouragement.

Lucky for me, God knows I need more than empathy.  Insert verses 2 and 3.  God says to Abram, “‘I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all people on earth will be blessed through you’” (Genesis 12:2-3).

In short, God promises Abram that his leaving will result in great blessing.

And that was enough for Abram.  Verse 4 begins, “So Abram left…”  He didn’t “pray about it” for a month.  He didn’t consult his closest friends for their opinions and interpretations of what God was calling him to do.  He didn’t read a few books on the subject to become better informed concerning this calling.

He just left.

Abram believed God would honor His promise, so he obeyed.

That’s pretty bold faith.  That’s faith I can admire and desire to emulate when I am called to leave something.

But that’s not enough to convince me to trust God.   If I am to step out in faith, I need more than an example of someone who did just that.  I need to know that it worked out well for them.

And God knows I need that proof.  So He provides it.

As we keep reading in Genesis, we see that God leads Abram to Canaan, and God promises Abram, “‘To your offspring I will give this land’” (Genesis 12:7).

But when Abram and barren Sarai (as opposed to fertile Sarai, who was someone else’s wife) failed to produce children, Abram began to doubt there would be any offspring to whom the land could be given.  So, again, God appears to Abram, revealing more of the plan this time, and says, “‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.  But I will punish the nation…and in the fourth generation your descendants will come back here [Canaan]‘” (Genesis 15:13-16).

And then you know what happens?  Everything God said would happen.

The Israelites are enslaved in Egypt.  The Exodus goes down.  They return to Canaan, the Promised Land.  Oh, and they leave Egypt with gold, silver, and clothing.

So, to recap, God tells Abram to leave the comfortable known for the completely unknown, promising blessings for obedience.  Abram obeys, by faith, and God keeps His promise, blessing Abram and his offspring with land, numerous descendents, and wealth.

As I soaked up this story last week, it finally hit me, “Hey, this is the proof that obeying God – leaving whatever we’re called to leave – can really work out.  God can really be trusted.”  And I finally became okay with the concept of leaving.

If God is the one asking us to leave something, it really will be in our best interest to trust Him, even if we don’t know where He is taking us.  The story of Abram helps me believe that, even when my feelings and circumstances don’t.

Discipline is a Blessing?

Dec26

I don’t often have never thought to myself, “I’m so thankful the Lord is using this event in my life to correct foolishness in my heart.  What a blessing!”

I’m just not a take-discipline-with-a-smile kinda girl.  I prefer to whine and complain like my two-year-old when she doesn’t get to have candy canes for breakfast.  I like to thrash and fight against the Disciplinarian instead, hoping to shirk Him off before any correction can be administered.

But Job’s friend, Eliphaz, offers a different take on discipline.

He says, “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty,” (Job 5:17).

Two ideas here.

“Blessed is the man whom God corrects.”  Correction is a good thing.  By definition, correction teaches me how to do something better than I am currently doing it.  Better for me.  Better for those affected by me.  Better for God.  Win-win-win.

When I remember that, I begin to see correction in the correct light – a beneficial light.

The second idea comes from “so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”

That phrase tells me that it is possible to despise the discipline of the Almighty.  And my flesh only confirms that is true.

I have to intentionally guard against having a spirit that despises the often painful work the Lord does in my heart to mature me.

But why shouldn’t I despise God’s discipline?  It hurts!  It requires me to change.  I am totally justified in hating divine discipline…

Back to the first phrase.

I should not despise God’s discipline because correction is a blessing.  

Oh.  Yeah.  We already established that.

Lord, I know Your correction and discipline in my life are for my good.  Help me keep that perspective and cooperate with You as You make me more like Christ.

It’s Called “Flexibility”

Sep8

I didn’t realize I was a control freak until my first child was born.  Or maybe that’s when I became a control freak.  Either way, I was bound and determined to do everything in my power to be the best and provide the best for my baby.

That’s a noble goal, but I was forgetting something.  I’M NOT IN CONTROL.

My daughter, Lexi, liked to sleep on her stomach.  GASP!  The first week of her life, she would not sleep on her back.  That was not in the plans!  All the books said she had to sleep on her back.  Had she not read those books?!

To ensure that she wouldn’t suffocate in her crib, she slept on my husband’s chest or my chest every night.  We are not back-sleepers.  But we were willing to sacrifice our own shut-eye for our baby.

After a week of waking up with back pain, we decided something had to give.  I bought this monitor that comes with a sensor the baby is supposed to sleep on top of.  If the baby doesn’t move for 10 seconds, the monitor goes off like a smoke alarm, rousing the parents and the baby.  In theory, this is a nifty invention to prevent SIDS.  In reality, no child is going to stay on the sensor all night, resulting in many false alarms that the child is DYING!

Who needs that kind of stress?  Not me.  I returned that monitor unused.

I mentioned our sleeping situation to our pediatrician, and he gave me the best parenting advice I’ve ever heard.  “God made this child, and, if He wants to take the child back, He will.”  Some parents might be offended by this kind of bluntness, but I needed to hear it.  Yeah, I need to do everything within my power to keep my children safe and healthy.  But not everything is within my power.  Parental wisdom is recognizing what I can control and what I can’t.

That night I went home, put Lexi in her crib on her back and left whether or not she would die from SIDS up to God.

Sometimes it’s hard to find the balance between “making a plan” and “trusting God”.  We are called to do both, but “trusting” God has to trump “the plan” if need be.

One morning Simon (a.k.a. Peter), a fisherman, was cleaning his nets after a hard night of fishing.  He hadn’t caught anything all night.  Simon was putting his gear away when Jesus asked him to take Him out on his boat.

I imagine Simon was exhausted from working all night.  I imagine he was also frustrated he had nothing to show for it.  And, if he was living pay check to pay check, he may also have been worried about providing for his basic needs that day.

By this time Jesus had caught the attention of a lot of people.   Simon had certainly heard of Jesus – why else would he have willingly taken this guy out in his boat?  And Simon probably supported Jesus’ message – why else would he have enabled Jesus to teach the crowd from his boat?  And Simon definitely respected Jesus as a rabbi, as is evidenced by Simon calling Jesus “Master”.

So Simon obliged Jesus.  He shoved off from the shore and let the teacher preach to the crowd for awhile.

When Jesus was finished teaching, He said to Simon, “’Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch,’” (Luke 5:4).

I can sense Simon rolling his tired eyes at this point.

I imagine him thinking, “Really, Jesus? Really?  I’ve already been fishing these waters all night.  The fish aren’t interested.  Besides, you’re a CARPENTER.  What do you know about fishing?  Nothing, that’s what.  This is a total waste of time, and I’m not doing it.”

We may never know what Simon was actually thinking, but we do have his surprising response to Jesus’ instructions.  Luke 5:5 reads, “’Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.  But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’”

I wonder how long the pause was between those two sentences.

Simon’s plan was to fish all night, bring in a great haul, sell it at the market, and go home.  But that’s not how the day had gone for him.  Quite literally, God had stepped in and asked Simon to change his plans.  Not only that, God had asked Simon to change from a logical plan to an illogical plan.

At that point, Simon had a choice: continue with his original plan or yield his plan to God’s.

If Simon had just gone home and slept, he would have missed the financial blessing of catching so many fish that his nets broke.  But he also would have missed the spiritual mind-blowing that Jesus gave Him that day.  Undoubtedly, Simon’s faith increased tremendously because of that experience.

Like Simon, maybe you’re doing what you are supposed to be doing, but you aren’t seeing any results.  Maybe God is calling you to trust Him and change the plan.  Maybe God is testing you.  Will you let down the nets one more time just because God says to?

Take a page out of Simon’s book and obey, even if it makes no sense.  You never know what life-changing, faith-increasing blessing may be waiting for you.

Believe

Sep2

The Bible is full of all kinds of promises for believers.  And as soon as I became convinced that the Bible is completely true, I immediately bought into all those promises.  Never again did I struggle with believing things that were untrue.  Not once since I was 16 years old have I lost track of who I am in Christ or how God delights in me or the fact that God has great plans for me and will bring those plans to pass.

I hope you’re hearing the sarcasm.

On the contrary, learning what the Bible says takes time.  I didn’t “get saved” and immediately gain the knowledge of the Bible.  Little by little, sermons and small group studies and personal studies and conversations with other believers and truth-laden Christian lyrics add up.

And now that I have 12 years of biblical knowledge in my head, everything is butterflies and sunshine.

Well, maybe not everything.

I still have this problem that I forget a lot of what I’ve learned over the years.  I graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies and Theology almost 6 years ago.  And I’ve probably forgotten 90% of what I learned.  Hence the need for continuing to attend church and study on my own.

But what I haven’t forgotten about the Bible, that’s the stuff that I totally believe, understand, and apply each and every day of my life.

There’s that sarcasm again.

Even the stuff I know I often struggle believing.

It’s hard to live like I believe “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  I lose track of promises like that when life happens.  Stress and turmoil set in, and I start living out of “Why is this happening?” instead of living out of “I believe in You, Lord.”

Jesus’ mom was strikingly different than me in this regard.

She was probably younger than 16 when an angel appeared to her and told her she was going to be impregnated supernaturally with a son who would save the entire world from their sins.  Talk about a lot to take in.

Don’t get me wrong, Mary was freaked out.  To be more accurate, she was “greatly troubled”, confused and fearful (Luke 1:29-30).  But instead of letting these emotions drive her into a frenzy, here is how she responded to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant…may it be to me as you have said” (Luke 2:38).

WHAT IN THE WORLD?!

How was Mary able to respond so courageously?  How was this preteen able to keep her wits about her?  How was she able to respond with “My soul glorifies the Lord…the Mighty One has done great things for me” (Luke 2:46, 49)?  Her life had just been turned upside down!  Her engagement was at risk.  Her safety was at risk.  Her future was at risk.  And she praised God?

I don’t have an answer for how she was able to do that.  Maybe she was empowered by the Holy Spirit to respond uprightly to the angel’s decree.  However it happened, she was strong enough in her faith in God’s goodness and power that she was able to choose to believe Him despite her fear and confusion.

When Mary went to visit her relative, Elizabeth, God confirmed to Mary that everything the angel had said was trustworthy.  The angel had told Mary that old, barren Elizabeth was pregnant, and that turned out to be true.  And before Mary ever told Elizabeth about her own encounter with the angel, Elizabeth expressed that she already knew Mary would be the mother of the Lord (Luke 2:43).

But the best part of the account of Mary and Elizabeth’s visit in my mind is the last verse.  Luke 2:45 reads, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

I WANT THAT BLESSING!

Just like Mary, you and I will be blessed by believing that what the Lord has said in scripture will be accomplished.  He does know the plans He has for us; He will finish the good work He has begun in us; He does delight in us; He is with us always.

We may not be experiencing personal revelations from angels, but the promises in the Bible are promises for us, and blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!

How to Forget the Lord

Aug7

Chapter 13 in the book of Hosea is a classic example of an Old Testament rant from God.  He rails against Israel because they’ve forgotten about Him despite all He has done for them.  He lists their sins and voices His intense anger. He took care of them; He provided for them; He loved them.

And they repaid Him by worshiping idols.

How does this happen?  How can people walk so closely with the Lord, experiencing His provision and witnessing His miracles, and then just turn against Him or set Him on the back burner?

In verse 6 God gives insight into the situation: “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.”

What a simple, subtle progression from hungry – seeking the Lord – to forgetful – unconcerned with the Lord.

First, God feeds us.  We have to cooperate on this and be seeking spiritual food from Him.

If we don’t desire the food, He can’t feed us.

It’s like trying to feed a baby food he doesn’t want.  You’d think an adult could overpower a 20 lb infant and muscle food in, but it’s just not true.  They clamp their jaws shut, steel their wills, and it becomes physically impossible to get those strained peas in their mouths.  Just like a baby, unless we are willing to open our mouths, God can’t  feed us.  (I cringe every time I write that phrase, “God can’t”, but in this case I think it is true).

So we start with a cooperative spirit, eager and willing to receive from the Lord.  And He feeds us.

He feeds us so well we become satisfied.  Naturally.  Nothing wrong with that.

It’s our response to feeling satisfied that is crucial.

We should praise the Lord with a thankful, humble heart.  And we should keep our face toward Him, continuing to seek Him with an eager spirit.  Then we’d be in good shape.

But most of us don’t respond to feeling satisfied that way.

You know what we do after a big meal?  We fall asleep.

And that happens to us spiritually as well.  We get enough from the Lord that we feel like we will never need to eat again.  We close our Bibles, we stop praying, and we relax.  We feel blessed, and indeed we are.  We begin to think how pleased the Lord is with us.  We’ve been seeking Him, and He has responded with blessing.  How wonderful we must be in His eyes for Him to extend His favor to us!

In the midst of our blessing, we change our diet.  We stop seeking the Lord’s food, and we begin to nourish ourselves with sweet pride.  Our bellies extend.  We feel full, not of the Lord, but of ourselves.

Once our focus shifts from the Lord to ourselves, we slowly, but surely, forget the Lord.

We forget that we ever needed or wanted His nourishment to begin with.  We become satisfied with ourselves and our pride, forgetting that we are not to credit for any favor we’ve enjoyed.

In times of spiritual satisfaction, we must guard against deceptive pride, lest we lose sight of the Source of our satisfaction.

Until

Aug5

It’s not often I can squeeze two articles out of one verse in scripture, but here goes.

Last week I wrote about Hosea 10:12, which says, “…break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord…”

I stopped there not because I like to take verses out of context to use them for my own agenda but because the rest of the verse packs it’s own punch and warrants an examination all by itself.

“…for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”

See?  I told you it was fantastic.

A lot of us seek the Lord.  We may even ask Him two or three times for something if it is super important to us.  But then we stop.  We get tired of asking.  We get frustrated at His less than instantaneous response.  Or we simply forget.  This happens to me most often when I am praying for someone else.   Typical self-centered me says, “That person’s request has nothing to do with me.  Therefore, as soon as I pray for it this one time, it is out of sight, out of mind.”

Hosea confirms there is a time for ceasing to pray.  It’s just not usually as soon as we think it is.  We are to pray until the Lord comes.  If He hasn’t met us on the subject yet, we are to keep praying.

This reminds me of Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:22-32).  As confusing and odd as that passage of scripture is, verse 26 is clear.  In it Jacob says to the Lord, “I will not let you go until you bless me.”

There is that until word again.

Hosea and Jacob both charge us believers to pursue the Lord with everything we have until we reap the blessing and experience righteousness.

I think it is of utmost importance to emphasize that doing so does not require the Lord to answer our prayers exactly how we think He should.  Pursuing the Lord with this vigor guarantees a blessing and some righteousness, but they will probably take much different forms than we anticipate.  In fact, if the blessings He chooses to bestow are different than what we want, it is only because God wants to give us blessings that are much better than what we had desired in the first place.

So, pursue the Lord until he comes and blesses you.  The blessing might not be what you had anticipated; it will be even better.