Category: Scripture

Bigger Than Us

Scripture

The truths that are bigger than us, don’t let them become easy to miss. Don’t doze off. Pondering is a helpful non-waste of time. Just think through the wonder of a small seed that grows into a very tall sunflower plant. According to Wikipedia, the tallest sunflower on record achieved 9.17 m (30 ft. 1 in.) in height. Think about all that had to happen from the time of planting a small sunflower seed, to the time of the plant reaching such a great height.

Psalm 89:27,33-37 says, “And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth…But I will not remove from him My steadfast love or be false to My faithfulness. I will not violate My covenant or alter the word that went forth from My lips. Once for all I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His offspring shall endure forever, His throne as long as the sun before Me. Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Psalm 89 is a Messianic psalm. It speaks of the coming Messiah in the family line of David. It affirms God’s covenant that lasts forever and will never change. It speaks of a “faith-in-God” people group and a “forever” kingdom. A big truth!

The truth of an Infinite Creator God is one of those bigger-than-us verities. God’s character is big and is expressed in many ways, especially revealed in His redemptive plan whereby Jesus, the established King and Savior, has secured victory over sin and death for those who have faith in Him. Failure to ponder this is truly an eternal risk. Not grappling with the Word of God is tantamount to fatal – a permanent oversight that has forever ramifications…

In this psalm, God promises He will not remove His faithfulness, will not violate His covenant, will not alter His word, and will not lie. What He establishes is forever. These “will nots” are big truths. Pondering God’s unchanging character and plan is more than a fruitful pursuit, far beyond the wonder of the height of the sunflower. Just because the truth of God is so big, we should not take it for granted.

Take time. Give thought. Open your mind and heart. Look and see the height and depth of Who God is and what He says. It is big.

Heart Highways

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Photo Credit Anna Christina Fordham

"Going" is what life does. You've heard it said, "Life goes on." The journey doesn't ever stop, even if it is upended by continuous disasters, minuscule and epic.

Psalm 84:5-7 says, "Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion."

The possibility that the heart can move forward when the body is pulling forcefully backward is the present reality of life in Christ on a planet  that is passing away. Believers are assured the journey is toward our heavenly home, an eternity that will never stop, where heart and body finally blend forward in their highways to Zion and arrive there! And then, no more wrenching tears, no more calamitous pain, no more betrayals. No more suffering. No more Valley of Baca...

The Valley of Baca in the Bible can be translated "the valley of weeping." Baca would include any difficult or devastating place in life. Any place of hopelessness. Any place of helplessness. Zion, on the other hand, is the "City of Holiness" or "city of refuge" in the Bible.  It is the place of hope. It is the place where God dwells, where the Lord protects His people. Where suffering ends. Where relationship with God is unhampered and joyful. Where nothing keeps the heart's highways from being Godward. Where nothing prevents the worship of the One True God. Where there is no more doubt. Where there is only certainty that God has kept all His promises. Where God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Where God reigns and all is well.

So how can the springs and early rains even be found in our present "valley of weeping?" Only via hearts that are truly highways to Zion, where Zion is the place of God's presence now and in the future, full of the springs of His life-giving word, packed with the refreshing rains of His mercy and grace, abounding in pools of truth and selfless love. These highways of the heart have no detours, no construction slow-downs, no left-lane sitters. These highways flow unimpeded in one direction - toward Him.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Let the highways of your heart point you to Zion.

God Notices and Cares

Scripture
Photo Credit: Anna Christina Fordham

Life has a way of reminding us that all is not well. We keep picturing how things should be, and we are forever disappointed.

It’s not just the guy holding up traffic in the left lane. It is the constant dribble of new aches and pains, the harshness of meeting deadlines, the dailyness of dirty diapers, dirty dishes, dirty clothes. The incessant need to eat or drink to fill some nebulous void masquerading as hunger or thirst. It’s the obsessive patterns we create to thwart the idea that we lack control. It’s the subtle eye rolls or whispered cuss words when the whiteout spills on the desk, when crumbs fall on the freshly cleaned floor, when papers are lost in various piles. It’s the proverbial rock stuck in your shoe!?!?! Constant.

Luke 12:6-7 (ESV) says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” In Luke 12, both before and after the verse about the sparrows, we are reminded that God notices us and cares for us even more than the sparrows. We are encouraged to trade in our many fears and frustrations and place our security in Christ alone.

God’s providential care extends over the small details of our lives. When I need reassurance, and when I wish to actually see His care of me, He faithfully pulls back the veil so I can see His mercies clearly in my life. I saw His protection last week when I exited the interstate, having to come between a school bus and a semi truck. I saw His provision when a palliative care coordinator just happened to be available at the oncologist’s office. I saw His timing, traveling mercies, and healing power in my husband’s recent shoulder surgery. I heard His kindness when a lady helped me to reschedule an appointment over the phone. I felt His comfort when all my praying friends were quick to turn their attention heavenward to intercede on my family’s behalf. The list is endless…

While all is not well on earth, I remember that earth is not really my home. Still, all that happens to me does not get ignored by God, but instead is orchestrated by God to prepare me for my eternal home. He reminds me daily to release my fears to Him and to find my security in Him alone. Were it not for this great hope in Him, I would feel that the void in my life would never be filled. Remembering His care for the sparrows, I remember that He cares for me in daily detail. Nothing in my life is unimportant for Him to care about. I am surely not forgotten.

Know God, Not Just About Him

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Psalm 119:52-59 says, “When I think of Your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord. Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning. I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and keep Your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept Your precepts. The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep Your words. I entreat Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to Your testimonies.”

The Psalmist is not just watching a child of God from the balcony. He is the child of God. He is the traveler. He is affected. He is comforted. He is not a casual observer.

In his sojourning, the Psalmist is troubled by evil. Life is a “disappointing and unpleasant business” (says J.I. Packer) without the comfort of hope in the Lord. When all seems dark, God’s Word is our refuge and sustainer. God’s Word becomes the song that uplifts the heart and reminds us of Who He is and who we are in Him. We are His children, His saints, His followers. We are different because we know Him personally, not just about Him. We are not “balconeers” looking on, but we are travelers changed by our growing knowledge in Him and before Him.

Indeed, this blessing has fallen to me! What I know about God isn’t paralyzed, it has changed me. I came down from the balcony. I know God. Knowledge of Him has become a matter for my meditation before God. I’m a participant. I’m in the middle of it. I know Him. The Lord is truly my portion. I am transformed and increasingly I want to keep His words. I pray for His favor and grace. I turn toward Him and away from my sinful ways again and again. God is not someone else’s song. He is my song. I turn my feet to His testimonies.

I take comfort! I am a traveler, not a balconeer.

Closeness to God

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I recently reconnected with my best friend from high school years. We met to attend a funeral together on a rainy day in Virginia Beach. Over the last 43 years of my married life, I have only seen my friend maybe 5 times – one or two times when she came to visit me, one time at her dad’s memorial service, one time when I stopped by her workplace, and then this recent funeral.

What struck me about our catching up was that it seemed that no time had passed. We tried to fill in the high school and college memory blanks for each other, but the substance of “real knowing” was still there after all these cumulative years (50 years since high school days). The humor, the lack of pretense, the ease of conversation, and the familiarity were still intact.

God creates intimacy with us by the way He treats us. We may move into or out of fellowship with Him, but when we return to Him, we find that “real knowing” is still there. Isaiah 42:3 (ESV) says, “A bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice.” In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus tells us, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Intimacy with God is a completed circle when we move into fellowship, just like reconnecting with an old and true friend. When we know Him and experience the way He treats us in reality and according to His Word, we find real mercy, grace, slowness to anger, steadfast love and faithfulness. There will be smiles of the heart. There won’t be any pretending. There will be non-obstructed communication. There will be intimacy. There will be rest.

God’s Spirit works to bring us into His precious fellowship. The Gospel lets us know that He will treat us better than we deserve, more lovingly that do our earthly friends, more patiently than our repeated failures should allow, and more gently than are our inept attempts at friendship.

Thank you KP for the reminder of what closeness looks like! Smiles of the heart and no pretense.

Photo Credit: Kim Clayton Lance

Never Out of Sight or Mind

Scripture

Do you ever feel invisible? Do you ever wonder why no one is asking you how you are or what you’ve been doing? Do you ever wonder why no one seeks you out to be curious about you and your life?

Psalm 139:7-10 (ESV) says, “Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”

Loneliness is epidemic in our world full of people. And, social media turns out not to be really social at all. The world works overtime to dehumanize us. Go figure.

Yet, God is there when our self-placed parameters stretch as far as opposites can be, like heaven and Sheol. There is no depth too extensive to be devoid of God’s grip or His power to guide us and hold us securely. The “wings of the morning” hints at the farthest point east where the sun rises. The “uttermost parts of the sea” hints at the Mediterranean Sea far to the west of Israel. As far as east is from west, there is still no hiding from God’s gaze or interest. No hiding from His Sovereign control or love. No hiding from His loving care for His Creation or for His desire to re-humanize us when we are at our loneliest and most invisible points.

We like to think we can escape God’s bubble, but we can’t. We think we are alone and autonomous, but in reality we are still operational in God’s world. Our operations might be rebellious and unbelieving, but we are still hemmed in by God’s permissions and boundary lines. He sees us and He thinks about us. We are never “out of sight, out of mind.”

God sees us, knows our every intention and action, and is so near to us that the minute we call upon Him, there is no lag between our cry and His response. Although He doesn’t respond in sky-writing, He instantly dissolves the spiritual barriers between the east and west of our wandering hearts, as the heaven and Sheol contrast indicates. Even when we hesitate to call upon Him, He stands at the door ready to enter and has been there all along, seeing us and thinking about us.

Job 42:1-5 says, “Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You.”

As we are never out of God’s sight or out of God’s mind, He is faithful to answer when we call to Him. And then we can honestly say in return that God is never out of our sight. God is never out of our minds. Then, we can be truly human again.

Photo Credit: Ro Seaman

Mathematical Musings: Ups and Downs

Scripture

The mathematician in me has always appreciated the concept of inverse variation: if the value of one quantity increases, the value of the other quantity decreases in the same proportion. For example, at constant temperature, as pressure increases, volume decreases. You might remember this from physics or chemistry class.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (ESV) says, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” The inverse variation analogy might be a stretch. But, in the life of a believer, we don’t fret about the inverse relationship between the outer and inner selves. We take heart. While the outer physical self decreases in stamina and vigor, by God’s grace our inner self is increasingly renewed and invigorated for glory. We are embodied souls living with a “both” existence of life and death. As we lament the curse of bodily decrease, we also take joy in the grace given in our hearts being enlarged by a beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Another look at mathematical principles includes the concept of direct variation (the opposite of inverse variation) which happens when both values increase at the same time and in relationship to one another. 2 Corinthians 5:11-15 says, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves (crazy), it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him Who for their sake died and was raised.”

As the Corinthians increasingly mocked Paul as being crazy, the unbelieving Corinthian culture increased in darkness and hard-heartedness. Yet, there was a simultaneous increase in right-mindedness – knowing the fear of the Lord and sharing the Gospel with others. Being sober and crazy at the same time, increasingly. Have you ever experienced that dual reality? Paul exemplified sobriety in his passion for ministry, motivation to please Christ, and priority to persuade others of Gospel truth even while accusations of his craziness increased.

Being in your “right mind” is observed when a believer grows in relationship with the Lord to reveal outward evidence of wisdom, fruitfulness and passion. The world may question the faith upon which these evidences are based as insanity. But taking a page from Paul’s playbook, nothing else matters except that the love of Christ controls us increasingly and that we live for Him. What may seem ludicrous to one group will be eternally life-giving to others.

Here are other valuations that increase in concert by God’s perfect design. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers (and sisters), whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Let these increase directly in relationship to one another.

For the believer, direct variation should be a “both” existence of faith and love. Watch love increase when faith increases. It is direct!

Symmetry

Scripture

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” There is a symmetry described in this promise. To explain, I’ll start with some of my earthly delights. Having breakfast with a good friend. Walking in CW on a 50-degree sunny day. The “it is good” moment in the aftermath of cleaning out a closet. The admiration of a finished quilt. A 5-star grilled salmon dish ending with tiramisu. A compelling novel… True delights.

Delighting in the Lord can be thought of as symmetrical with seeing Christlike desires come to fruition. There is exact correspondence between the two things. Likewise, it’s not about the actual breakfast, but instead about having quality conversation with my friend. It’s not about the walking, but instead about the enjoyment of getting some good exercise corresponding to a lovely environment. It’s not about the task of cleaning, but the corresponding good feeling of seeing the results of the cleanout. It’s not about quilting, but instead about the sense of accomplishment corresponding to seeing a creative idea brought to life.

Symmetry happens when all is rightly paired. For me, this happens with exclusive one-on-one time with my husband, my daughter, my son, my friend, my parent, my granddaughter, my grandson… Quality time when you can just focus on the beloved one. Even if brief, it represents a true connection between two corresponding, but different things. There is a particular kind of symmetry. Those earthly delights I mentioned are only a shadow of the heavenly delights and satisfactions that come from being in God’s grip. God’s peace in the midst of life’s hard places, eternal forgiveness in the midst of deep pitfalls of sin, grace in the midst of heartache, mercy in the face of anxiety or threat. These desirable things are rightly placed in the life of one who delights in the Lord. The symmetry is unseemly, but true in the life of a believer. Even our heartaches and anxieties are tied to the One Who cares for us, in whom we delight.

Earthly delights are fleeting, but delight in the Lord is eternal. Delight in the Lord is a transcendent delight. A deep desire of the human heart is be known and understood and to share hopes, dreams, highs, and lows with someone who is close. In the case of closeness to Christ, my heart cannot just share those things but also reflect the very hopes, dreams, highs, and lows of my Savior, my Rock, my Redeemer. When that Ultimate Someone becomes the Lord Jesus, those shared hopes, dreams, highs, and lows take on new meaning. And there is delight. The desires of my heart become His – the yearning to see the good in others, the joy of a soul securely saved from sin and death, and the deepening love for God and interest in His motives and agenda rather than my own.

Symmetry happens when my heart only desires what Christ desires. When my desires align with His desires. Psalm 37:31 says, “The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.” The longer I spend time with the Lord, the more I want of Him. The more I want to know Him, His thoughts, His intentions, His interests, His passions, His plans for me, His heart. In obedience, I want to be perfectly symmetrical with Him, the exact correspondent. Therefore, I will delight in Him, knowing that my desires will be from Him. Even my desire to trust Him when circumstances cry out otherwise.

Galatians 5:16 says, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” This is symmetry. This is correspondence. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” When I delight in the Lord, my desires will be transformed and reflected by fruits of the Spirit. This is eternal symmetry. This is eternal correspondence.

The Tree Theme

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John 15:5-6 (NKJV) says, ” ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.’ “

My faith in Jesus Christ is the core of my existence. I’m not boasting here. I’m just revealing that I am in a constant mode of prayer – a conscious all-day-long conversation with God. Though I love Bible study and serving in women’s ministries in my church, God doesn’t let me believe that these things form the core of my existence. He has to remind me that they are not. But, that He is.

God will often nudge me to recall that the frenetic busyness of life can easily stunt my spiritual growth. He cautions me that I can traffic in God’s truth, but not be affected by it. I can be prepared for a Bible study discussion without ever partaking in the Word. I can be diligent about reading scripture without allowing it to absorb into my heart and transform me from the inside out.

The Tree Theme comes to mind because branches can be attached to the tree, but dead and in need of being cut off (serving no purpose). Dead branches that are not drawing any sustenance anymore, not bearing fruit. It’s a picture of not being affected. In a recent counseling class I took called Dynamics of Biblical Change, I learned about a model of heart change called the Three Tree Diagram. In the picture there are three trees – one that bears fruit, one that represents the Cross (on which Christ accomplished redemption for believers), and one that is shriveled, empty of fruit, and lacking in sturdy roots.

In the Three Tree Diagram, the good and bad circumstances of life beat down on us (depicted by the sun) and we respond based upon the motives and desires of our hearts. Either we pour out thorny, self-centered responses or we pour out gracious responses that have been shaped by the Holy Spirit through the Cross Tree. I like the visual image of roots reaching down deeper for the power source of the Cross Tree on the “plus” side of the diagram, only to be made stronger and well-nourished so that supernatural fruit-bearing is the result.

What is really reflective of a transformed heart is the spiritual fruit (anti-thorny responses) that flow out of the life of a true partaker rather than a starver, the life of an absorber rather than an abstainer, the life of an all-in-er rather than a boycotter. When I contemplate the great gift of Jesus to conquer sin and death on the Cross through the power of His resurrection, I’m ashamed to not be a partaker, absorber, all-in-er, bearing minimal if any spiritual fruit.

Lord, please prevent me from being a starver, abstainer, boycotter. Do whatever Your Spirit desires in my life to make me changed and fruitful. I hate being thorny, judgmental, rude, self-seeking, prideful, and lazy. Don’t let me stay this way. Conform me into the image of Your Son, the True Vine. Make me a fruitful branch. Apart from You I am a dying branch. Affect me. Grip my heart. Strengthen the connection between me and You. Make my roots stretch down deep. Don’t let me starve with busyness. Attach me to You.

Psalm 1:2-3 (NKJV) says, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

Yes or No Questions

Scripture

I am a retired high school mathematics teacher and a great lover-of-order. I like yes or no questions that have no nuances, no gray areas. Questions that are not really up for discussion. True/false. Right/wrong.

Psalm 77 may look at first like a discussion, but I have walked with the Lord for long enough to know that the Psalm writer Asaph’s invitation is to enter the true/false realm. I am invited to affirm the yeses and nos in my life of faith. Even when God is silent, even when I am greatly troubled and losing sleep, even when waiting on God seems excruciating, I am invited to gaze thoughtfully at God’s work and character…

Let’s start with the “Nos.” Psalm 77:7-9 (NIV) says, “Will the Lord reject forever? (No) Will He never show His favor again? (No) Has His unfailing love vanished forever? (No) Has His promise failed for all time? (No) Has God forgotten to be merciful? (No) Has He in anger withheld His compassion? (No) Maybe rhetorical. Maybe not.

For me these are not timidly spoken “Nos.” They are emphatic “Nos.” These are the “Nos” that lead me to contemplate the “Yeses.” In the remainder of Psalm 77 (v10-20), I remember that God is the Most High Who does miracles and mighty deeds. Amen. Bringing about my salvation was miracle #1! Amen. He is Holy, great, powerful. He has moved mountains in my life, surrounded me with friends, transformed my anxious thoughts, kept me steady in times of turmoil, helped me to see loss as gain, helped me to see His Kingdom spreading on earth, helped me to apply His Word, helped me to help others. Amen.

Because of the “Nos,” He shows me His welcome, His favor, His unfailing love, His kept promises, His mercy, His compassion. Psalm 77:20 says, “You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” I remember how God faithfully led His people like a flock by Moses and Aaron. He still leads today. He is the Good Shepherd.

2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”