Forever Blessings

The day broke with the glow of promise: the weather would be beautiful! Cool fresh air filled my lungs; the humidity was gone. Birds and cicadas, the scurrying of squirrels across the top of our wooden fence. I could just stay here forever! So, I spent the morning reading on the deck. 

The afternoon sun warmed my face. Most of our human neighbors were off at work or running errands; animal neighbors took shelter from the heat. An empty quiet settled over the neighborhood. I could just stay here forever! So, I spent the afternoon napping on the deck.

As evening approached, backyards began to fill with the laughter of families resting in the blue-grey of the day; on the breeze was the occasional smell of a barbecue. Light began turning blank windows bright and crickets warmed up for their night song. I could just stay here forever! So, I spent until late in the night listening to the night creatures rustle in the brush. 

The next day, I woke up surly. So much to do. All those things I hadn't done the day before. The pantry was empty. Bills needed to be paid. Laundry had piled up and emails cried out for attention. Mom definitely needed a shower. By late morning, the list seemed to get longer --not shorter; my patience got shorter. The dog wanted in. The dog wanted out. The dog wanted in. By evening, she'd been out thirty-six times and she still managed to pee in the house. Yesterday was such a blessing. What on earth happened?

I reminded myself that today, too, was a blessing. The blessing of work. The blessing of money to pay for groceries and a market every three miles. The blessing of utilities and vehicles and a roof over our heads. The blessing of clothes to wear and projects to do. The blessing of Mom with us. The blessing of sight and a mind well enough to make lists. The blessing of the Holy Spirit in my life whose presence brings patience. The blessing of Tinkerbell, fourteen years old and still our faithful friend.

I could just stay here forever!

Are You Ready?

Are you ready to do battle today? The victory in Jesus is beyond all human comprehension, but it doesn't come cheap or easy. It cost God His Son. Which, while unspeakably selfless and gracious from our vantage point, was something an incredibly magnanimous God was more than willing to do. But, His work doesn't end there. He continues to work for His glory all the time. As life goes on, God peels back the layers battle by battle, trial by trial, to reveal just how capable --and I hate to use that word; it's so inadequate-- to reveal just how capable He is of gaining victory in every situation. He doesn't have to break a sweat or wring His hands or re-engineer a thing! 

However, those God enlists to do battle, they are a much different lot. We, His soldiers, worry and fret. We talk about the battle way too much and, perhaps, even talk about those fighting alongside us. We think we can come up with new ways of winning the war, and spend countless hours wandering to and from each battlefield devising plan after plan to "work all of this out." When we battle emotional infirmities, we seek one doctor after another trying to find an answer as to why we feel like this. When we battle insufficient finances, we rob Peter to pay Paul and consider cutting back on our tithing. We think, we plan, we feel, we see... When do we have time to do battle? The Bible tells us we "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. 6:12) These are supernatural powers with which we do battle. Do we honestly think we can defeat them with a spreadsheet or a week's vacation? 

We need to put on the armor of God everyday. This is not speaking some protection or curse into existence by the word of our mouth; God has wisely designed and given us armor perfectly suited to these battles. It lies in footlockers stenciled with our name, waiting for us until we put it on piece by piece. We must tell ourselves --out loud, if necessary; using hand motions or sketches or song, if necessary-- what we have in Christ Jesus: truth that holds everything together and keeps us upright; the righteousness of Christ that guards our most vulnerable areas; the boldness of the gospel --100% complete in and of itself, with no need for adaptation or abridgement (Check out Peter's presentation of the gospel to Jerusalem!); the exercise of faith (usually worked out in the most painful and difficult of circumstances); the certainty of deliverance that protects our minds from attack as well as during falls; the Word of God that, when saturated throughout our bodies and launched forth from our lips will deliver fatal blows to the schemes of the evil one and our own flesh; and prayer. 

Prayer! Prayer is how we defeat the supernatural. Seeking the face of the God who is sovereign over all. Humbly imploring Him for whatever is needed --grace, mercy, healing, provision-- so that we stand in agreement for what He has already given us at the cross. Petitioning the God who loves us and is working all things out for our good. The more often we come before Him affirming His goodness of plan and purpose for our lives, the more assuredly we believe it; the more assuredly we believe it, the more victories we will experience. There are no cheap seats on the battlefield. There are no casual observers. You're either fighting or you're losing.

So, are you ready to do battle? If you are, be ready for victory!

A Promise We Can Bank On

The very first job Scott did when we began our business was for a friend and her husband. Scott hired a few laborers, purchased the materials, and the job began. The afternoon the job was completed, the couple gave Scott a check and told him how pleased they were with the work. Until they weren't. Monday morning, I had just mailed our laborers their wages and a cheerful little "thank you" to our first customers when my phone rang. They'd stopped payment on the check. I was stunned. Neither of us could fathom what had happened in forty-eight hours. More than a week later we got a very strange but definitive answer: they'd changed their minds about the materials they'd originally chosen. In that time, we'd been compelled to hire an attorney, watch helplessly as checks bounced, and apologize profusely as our word was called into question. One tiny piece of paper --once a promise, now rendered worthless-- caused so much aggravation. Not to mention ended a friendship.

In Genesis, God makes some promises to Abram. He promises blessing upon blessing: land, a multitude of descendants, a reputation and legacy. The thing we need to notice is, Abram had nothing on which to base his belief --at least, nothing of which we are told. Abram was simply doing his thing one day when God begins to speak. And Abram believes! Also, Abram's circumstances don't really affirm the possibility of these things coming to be. Abram is old --seventy-five!-- and his wife is well past child-bearing age. What is the likelihood of having one child, much less many descendants? Then, he gets to Canaan, and God tells him, "This is where your descendants will live." Descendants? But, Abram builds an altar to God and accepts His promise as though it would happen. A little while later, Abram and his nephew, Lot, have a dispute over land and Lot chooses the nicest portion. Does Abram panic? Does he tell his nephew, "Look here, Pal! God promised me land, and He certainly didn't promise me the wasteland you've left me. Find somewhere else to go." Nope, he pitched his tent and worshipped, trusting God to make good on all He promised. On and on it goes, Abram believing God's promise despite the way things appeared. In fact, from the time God made the first recorded promise to Abram (whom He later called Abraham, "father of many") until the promised son was born, twenty-five years had passed! It would be centuries before those descendants actually inhabited the promised land. But, Abraham's reputation of faith lives on and encourages us even today.

How much more should we walk in faith? How much more can we trust the promises of a God who has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness? How much more should we live in obedience to One who has proven Himself faithful time and time again? How much more should we focus on the promises of God who controls the circumstances, and not focus on the circumstances themselves? 

The check Scott held in his hand was a promise: the money existed, the money would be handed over. Abram's child did not exist and yet, he believed. The checks I wrote, standing on a promise, were considered by all to be "as good as cash." Abraham's body, Paul tells us, was as good as dead. We acted in faith, trusting the promises of men, as did those who trusted the promises we made. Abraham acted in faith, trusting God Almighty. Everything in our situation appeared to be okay, until it wasn't. With Abraham, nothing appeared to be okay, until it was!

It's Possible!

Several years ago Scott and I were out for a walk when he witnessed a terrible accident. A car made a left turn into a motorcyclist, sending him sliding into a telephone pole, his bike on top of him. He was not wearing a helmet. A gruesome scene. One of his legs was still pinned under his bike, his broken head was resting on the curb. Scott talked to him, telling him to hang on; EMS was on its way. People had started to gather, and some made sure the occupants of the car stayed put. A man appeared suggesting someone attempt to place a tourniquet on the crushed leg. Together he and Scott lifted the motorcycle and quickly placed Scott's belt around the man's thigh; his femoral artery had been severed. Despite efforts, the situation did not look good. Each time I looked at the motorcyclist, crucial minutes seemed to instantly elapse. When I listened for the wail of the ambulance, it was as if hours had passed. We were all helpless. And, I have to admit, even as I dropped to one knee and began to call on Jesus, it appeared hopeless.  

A friend, an ER nurse at the local hospital, said he'd been taken to surgery the moment he'd arrived; it didn't look good. And, I have to be honest, as I walked our dogs the following morning, I even placed a small bouquet of wildflowers at the scene. I checked the obituaries daily until I found one that seemed to coincide with the circumstances. A man about the same age, a motorcyclist, had passed on the same day as the accident. Scott and I went to the funeral to offer our condolences. 

"How did you know him?" his sister asked.

"We witnessed the accident," I explained.

"What accident?"

We had the wrong guy. And time would reveal, we had the wrong outcome. "Our guy" was very much alive! I had been checking the obituaries for a man who wasn't dead! Where was my hope?

The events surrounding that accident still replay in my mind. When I'm praying for "the impossible," when the evidence points to utter failure, or even, death, I remember that what I see is not necessarily what I get. Helplessness does not equal hopelessness, but is the place we witness all that God can do. Doctors, or accountants, or reporters may tell us what they know, but God will show us who He is. He is not limited by natural laws or by flesh and blood -- He created those things. The wind and waves obey Him. The hearts of men are known by Him and He numbers our days. When we call on the name of Jesus, anything is possible. 

Are you writing your own obituary before you've listened to God whisper, "You are healed"? Are you grieving the divorce before you have opened your heart to God's restoration? Have you forgotten the dream before the day has even dawned? Have you given up before God has told you your race is over? Believe, please believe. All things are possible to him who believes.