Faith-filled Praise

My heart is pounding, I am so excited! Today is the day to give thanks! Whoo hoo! 2020 has been such an awesome year, who isn't excited to sit in front of a frozen turkey dinner and a screen (so you can have a socially distanced Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family) and be grateful? Not feeling it? I think many of us are rockin' in that same boat. But here's the thing, if you serve the risen Christ, gratitude is not optional. Not really. I mean, you can dig in your heels and whine about your poor health or your empty pockets or your lazy husband or whatever you want to whine about, but a Christian (read: "little Christ") should look like Christ. And when we don't, it's not Christ's fault. It's time to get some gratitude in our attitude.

Earlier this year, I felt compelled to study Israel's battles -- how God fought for them, or how they foolishly tried it on their own. Shortly after that, someone suggested I pray the Psalms. The same person later told me, "You are in the middle of warfare, Honey. You need to do a study about being equipped for the fight." Then, this whole thing about the Hallel (Psalm 113-118) came up, and I've been studying that ever since. Fighting and praising, and praising and fighting. All through this year. Praise God! One of the greatest weapons we have against the enemy is our praise! The battles came -- trust me! -- but praise drowning out the noise of enemy artillery, gratitude taking the sting out of wounds, worship pushing its way through enemy ordnance raining down? Whoo! That is some serious counterfire!

And God knows that, in the heat of the battle, it can be a little hard to summon up all that gratitude for the things He's done. God knows we are weak, and our sheep-like brains have trouble recalling the awesome way He watched over us yesterday or the word of encouragement He sent us through a friend this morning. So, God put it in a Book, had men write it down so we could verify it over and over. We could read it each and every day, and be reminded of all He has done. In fact, there is an entire section right there in the middle -- it's called Psalms -- with praises already written out for us to sing and pray. 

I'm not sure if you know, but there's a not-so Top Secret weapon God wants you to have. It's praise for things that haven't even happened yet. Seriously. When we are so embroiled in the fight we fail to give thanks for what God has done, we can give thanks for what He will do. Psalm 118:21 is a perfect example. In it, the psalmist says, "I will praise You, for You have answered me and have become my salvation." The Hebrew word for "salvation" in this passage is yeshua. A study by Arthur E. Glass, "Yeshua in the Tanakh"' reveals that when yeshua is accompanied in Scripture by the word "my", it is a direct reference to Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior. The psalmist wrote this hundreds of years before Jesus came to us. Prophetically, the psalmist is giving thanks for something that hasn't even happened yet! How can he do that? Faith in what God promised through His Word. The same way you and I can do that. The not-so Top Secret weapon we have against the enemy is giving thanks in faith for something God has not even brought to fruition -- yet. In this, we give Him the praise and glory He is due and, at the same time, stand with Him in faith, align ourselves with His purposes by declaring, "I know You will do whatever You say. I see it with spiritual eyes. I speak it and give You thanks before it ever comes to pass!" That is power! That is the stuff victories are made of!

So, I pray our year finishes out with good news and good health and lots of toilet paper on grocery store shelves. But if not, let's keep up an endless barrage of praise and thanksgiving, and in faith, declare what God says will come to pass.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Perfect Day for a Walk

The past couple of years have left me a bit out of shape. So, in an effort to acclimate to our old normal, I've taken up walking again. Today was a perfect day: sunshine, a light wind, and temperatures in the low forties. Perfect! I decided to take Tinkerbell who has also been on a bit of a hiatus. She kept pace with me pretty well -- up until the second half. I slowed it down a bit for her and tried to stick to the grass in case the pads on her paws had grown soft and the sidewalk was too much for her. We neared a field, and I considered cutting across, shortening our walk by a few feet, but her old joints would feel the strain of the uneven ground. We moved to the sidewalk. A bit tougher on her feet, perhaps, but easier on the body. Just as we hit our stride, I saw something glistening in the sunlight up ahead. Broken glass. The sidewalk was littered with it, so I moved Tinkerbell back to the grass, only to realize it was in the grass as well. We took to the street. Cars cruised by at a safe distance, and we finished our walk in pretty good time for two old girls.

So, why the wearisome play-by-play? Well, it occurred to me as we walked, just how trusting our faithful friend is. She and I walked this route everyday for years; she knew it forwards and backwards. But despite today's obstacles, despite a number of changes, from sidewalk to street to field, she was completely unaffected. Not once did she pull or cross paths with me. Not once did she attempt to take the route we'd always taken or remain where it seemed most suitable. She simply stayed near me. She followed my lead from start to finish whether we moved from the presumed safety of the sidewalk or to the comfort of the grass. Even when I led her into the street, the potential danger of passing cars never phased her. She knows I would never put her in harm's way. All of that, of course, caused me to think about the way our Heavenly Father leads us. And, how we follow.

Someone recently put it this way, "We can see down the street. God sees around the corner." We have a limited ability to spot danger, and even less of an ability to stop it. God, however, knows what's up ahead. He sometimes takes us from an area that seems comfortable and safe, like the grass, into a place known for danger, like the street. We can't always see the danger, or the plan, or the logic behind the plan, but we do have a choice. We can tug and pull, get upset and try to go our own way, or we can follow His lead. We can trust that, even though we've been down this road many times before, we can't always see what waits for us on this part of the journey. We can look for shortcuts, or know that sometimes we need some conditioning in the wilderness before we get to go Home. We can believe that God is still in control and He is still watching out for us, or we can lie down and refuse to go another inch (much like Tinkerbell's big-headed brother did from time to time). We can yield ourselves to the tutelage and transformation of the Holy Spirit, or we can remain firmly fixed in a rut from one day to the next. We can demand God give us a life of ease (He probably won't, but we can demand it) or we can pray for the strength to keep the pace. We can worry and fret each time the Lord takes us from the course we are on and calls us to something new, or we can relax and enjoy the walk. 

Will You Take That Call?

Can I ask you a question? Has God ever asked you to do anything you didn't want to do? I mean, think about all the people He called upon throughout history. Take, for instance, Gideon. Gideon had a tough time seeing past all that had occurred and the legacy of weakness that plagued his family. He argued, he made excuses, he asked for sign after sign, giving God every opportunity to change His mind. He didn't. Then there were people who never even made the front page, people God may not have called on by name, but who certainly got caught up in the story. For instance, the Bible makes specific mention of Mrs. Noah in the account of her husband's commission, but what if she didn't even like animals? What if she got seasick? 

Two years ago, God gave us a special call. It was difficult, it was a complete diversion from what we ever saw as normal, and it was wonderful! What a privilege to give two young, beautiful children a home! What a joy to see Christmas through tiny eyes again! What a blessing to hear the prayers of little minds at bedtime! What a delight to work until our bodies ached and our minds were reduced to mush, for the glory of the Lord's purposes! Today, that calling is no longer ours. Today, that calling firmly rests in the hands of two people I pray will obey it wholeheartedly and enjoy it as we did. But what of us? This place where we are right now is not what we want. This place where we are right now is empty. But, who says this is not a call? 

Four years ago, I was in an accident. I searched for a purpose in that accident; it made no sense to me whatsoever. Neither of us was seriously injured, demanding we courageously fight our way, with God's help, through recovery. No story that would make headlines there. Scott and I had just dumped a boatload of money into my vehicle, figuring we'd be keeping it forever. The insurance company only paid us a fraction of that, enough for a down payment on a newer but otherwise comparable vehicle. That hardly tasted of victory. Then, our new commission came, one that rendered our replacement vehicle impractical. If God knew these children were coming, why didn't He provide a more suitable vehicle or -- better yet -- protect my older, family-friendly vehicle from the accident in the first place? What was the point? I still can't say, but I do know the young man whose vehicle hit mine has been on my prayer list since that day. God has never provided me with a neon sign blinking, "THAT'S IT!" but I refuse to concede my encounter that night was without purpose. I refuse to let it be without purpose, and until God shows me otherwise, I will do what I can -- pray.

And as I sat contemplating the last two years, feeling as if our calling was ripped from us, it occurred to me, what if this is our calling? For two years we have loved on those babies. For two years we have tried to teach them all we knew about living life with integrity, and loving others, and the blessing of family, and choosing God above all others. For two years we have surrounded them with people who would care about them, preserve their innocence, and pray for them. For two years we have taught them how to pray and to worship even through the storms of life. For two years we tended to their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. For what? Maybe for now. Maybe that we might have developed such a love for them that even though we are apart, our hearts are so closely intertwined, they are on our minds and in our prayers continuously. Maybe that the love for them kindled in us might compel us to pray for them without ceasing.

I don't want this call. I want our old commission back. It had become comfortable to us. It was crazy and loud, but it was home and family. Everyone was safe and life was normal. It is what our hearts yearn for. But, here we are. With a new purpose. God is calling us to a new chapter, and though He hasn't quite revealed it to us, it's going to be great, a redemption story. Because that is the business God is in, and we work for Him.