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Archive for the ‘Trials’ Category

God in a Box

Posted in Bible Study, God, Trials, tagged , , , on January 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Job 6-9, God in a Box. Both Job and Bildad state some things about God today that reflect a limited understanding of who God is. Job says that the pain inflicted upon Him is from God and is unjustified. We’ll see Job return to this theme as he continues to defend himself through the repeated accusations of his friends. The second repeated theme is in Bildad’s discourse as he accuses Job of some sin that he is being punished for. Both men say some things about God that are correct, but they make assumptions from their limited perspective that are not correct. The simplify Job’s situation as a black and white scenario when in fact there is lots of grey in the world… grey that can only be made sense of by trusting God’s got something He can bring out of the current “bad” to be some type of “good”.

Father, forgive me for the times I put you in a box, when I rely on my limited understanding to be the entire picture. Expand my faith to trust you even in the dark and even in the grey. You are faithful and true. I put all my hope in you. In Jesus’ Name.

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Dark, But Not Abandoned

Posted in Trials, worldview, tagged , , , , , on January 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Job 1-5, Dark But Not Abandoned. Before I read the Bible through, Job was by far my least favorite book. In fact, it wasn’t until the third time reading the Bible through that I finally began to grasp how valuable the lessons from Job were and how good God was to give us this dark and painful story. Redemption comes, but not after many chapters and repeated conversations between Job, his friends, and finally God.

These first five chapters are dark and painful. There is an important takeaway that should be of some comfort. Satan, the Accuser, is limited in his malevolent power. We may wonder why God gives him permission to afflict Job but the fact that God has veto power gives us a picture of God’s sovereignty. There is nothing that comes upon us that has not been allowed by God. We know from the rest of scripture that God is good, loving, kind, and just, but all this is on a grand scale that our single point-in-time perspective might not be able to understand. God sees the entire picture. I don’t. My response is to trust His heart even in the midst of my hurt.

Father, in my finite awareness, help me to trust in your infinite goodness. You have blessed us with Jesus to die in our place, the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth, and opportunities galore to spread the good news of you in the world. When difficulties come, when darkness presses in, help us to lean into you even more. May the way we live and love and trust you be a beacon of light to others that the world may know that you reign above it all. In Jesus’ Name we pray.

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Why I Now Like Job – Understanding Suffering and God’s Sovereignty

Posted in Bible Study, Bible Study, God, Spiritual Growth, Trials, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Perhaps a better description of my attitude toward the book of Job is that I appreciate it now. It is still a pretty dark situation. I mean Job is a really good guy and he loses everything… except his wife who tells him he should curse God and die. At least he has that going for him. (Okay, sarcasm is a little harder to pull off in print, especially when you have as wonderful a wife as I do and I by no means am throwing off on wives, because mine is the BEST!)

Context is really important and I suspect that this idea of setting the context correctly will be something I repeatedly touch on this year. The setting for Job was some 400 years after the flood and still sometime before the LORD would call forth a specific person, Abram, and begin to reveal His plan of redemption through his family line. In this time there was an awareness of God or gods, but His progressive revelation of Himself was in an early stage.

As we saw in Noah’s interaction with God, i.e. following His instructions to build an Ark and then offering sacrifices upon leaving the Ark, there is a sense of a moral code that comes from God and some process of appeasing God in case we have broken that moral code. There was even a clear understanding that you could go far enough in breaking the moral code that God would wipe you out. Echoes of the flood remained these 400 years later. (Interesting side note, there are several global flood accounts from other ancient civilizations independent of the one captured in the Hebrew scriptures and our Bible.)

When we look at Noah, we see a man and his family rescued by God from a cataclysmic flood based upon Noah’s righteousness and faithfulness to God. And we also see punishment of wickedness to everyone else because they had devolved to a state of constant sin. With this memory of the flood and the reasons behind it still resident, it is not too much of a stretch to see how Job and his friends had a fairly black and white view of the world and God’s system of justice.

Through the story of Job, God reveals a more nuanced understanding of sin, loss, justice, God’s sovereignty, and His involvement in the lives of humanity. It is a major step in God’s self-revelation of who He is and sets the stage for His plan of redemption. I mentioned that I appreciate Job now, and I think the reason is because reading the stories in the Bible in chronological order as I am this year, it makes more sense how God was deliberate in rolling out His plan over the millennia.

Spoiler alert, we’re going to get to the end of Job and we are not going to be told why God allowed all these bad things to happen to Job. At least Job is not going to be told even though God speaks to him for several of the later chapters. However, the fact that his story is captured in the Sacred Scriptures is the reason. There are many lessons that can be gleaned from Job’s story which in itself is the reason Job had to suffer. A righteous man suffering for the benefit of others for the rest of time, that almost feels like a foreshadow of someone…

A few major takeaways from Job that I struggled to see when I just focused upon his grievous losses to begin the story. Today, they come through clearly.

God is sovereign. Satan, the Accuser, wanted to attack and hurt the righteous man, Job. God did not prevent it, but He could have. He did set limitations upon what Satan could do.

Satan, the Accuser, is malevolent and wants to hurt the righteous. He is a source of a lot of pain and loss in the world. He is restrained, but he still looks for ways to inflict suffering.

Suffering can come from multiple sources. We’ve already mentioned an active enemy, Satan. We also live in a fallen world where the brokenness of this world (think cancer) and the sin of others (think drunk driver taking the life of a loved one) can bring suffering upon us. And, as Job’s friends repeatedly accused Job of, we can bring pain upon ourselves with our bad choices and our sin.

God is relational. It is interesting that God provides quite the discourse at the end of the book. While God speaks to Job, the gathered friends benefit from God’s chastisement of Job as well.

God corrects those He loves. As I read the later chapters of Job, I can picture his head dropping further and further as he realizes how he has put the living God in a box based upon his own very limited understanding. My head droops a little too as I recognize that I am prone to do the same.

God can, and will, bring good out of bad. He does this for Job. He does this through Job to the generations of persons who have read and discerned God’s message through Job’s life. The apostle Paul may have even thought of Job when he penned the words in his letter to the Romans…‘And we know 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

My practical application of Job is pretty simple. When bad things happen in my life, I pause and take inventory, asking the LORD to reveal if there is any sin in me or any bad decision I have made that is bringing this about. This applies in many ways, not just big things. If my beloved and I have a disagreement, this self-reflection is key. And I often find that I do have some degree of ownership of the issue. I repent, i.e. change my mind. I own my part of the problem. And I engage from a place of humility.

After I have taken these steps, I then evaluate whether there is more I need to do. Prayer is key. In some cases, there is an aspect of spiritual warfare taking place and being aligned with the Holy Spirit is essential. In a few cases there is someone who is acting counter to God’s best. If I am to address, then I do so through much prayer and in humility. If I am not to be the person to address it, then I intercede for the person who is.

The bottom line in all of this is that I trust in God’s many promises and I stick as close to Him as I know how. In John 15 Jesus tells His disciples to “abide” in Him 11 times over those first 17 verses. Abiding is essential when loss hits us. There is comfort in abiding even when answers are not immediate. There is alignment in abiding when we are not sure of the direction we are to face. There is healing in abiding because we are with the great physician.

Job is still one of the less enjoyable books of the Bible, but it is so important in giving a balanced view of God and the world we live in. I appreciate Job’s life today and I am thankful for the lessons he can teach me about living in right relationship with my Heavenly Father.

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Is It Optimism or Hope?

Posted in God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, The Father, Trials, worldview, tagged , , , , , , on January 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »

As followers of Jesus, we are uniquely equipped for life in all it’s chaotic messiness. Being connected to the source of life and indwelt by the Holy Spirit gives us a perspective that transcends the loss, pain, suffering, and heartbreak present in this fallen world. It does not mean we don’t experience it or feel it. It simply means that we are aware that this life, all its highs and its lows, are but a precursor to the larger life God has in store for His children.

My boss often corrects me when I use the word hope about future prospects concerning work. I have pushed back lightly telling him that I cannot help but be a hopeful person because of my faith. I haven’t taken the conversation farther than this yet, but I think 2026 will see that happen. Today’s post captures the gist of what I want to say.

I will begin using the word “optimistic” when I am talking about work. Optimism is this recognition that things are trending in the right direction. Optimism is first cousin to hope in that it believes there is a desired final destination and the path we are on leads to it.  There is confidence that the path is correct and the destination will be reached.

Hope is bigger than optimism. Hope is grounded confidence that the final destination is not only desired and good, but that it will be reached no matter what. That grounding is in a person, Jesus, and a path, following Him as revealed in His Word.

There are two key differentiators between optimism and hope. They are 1) what happens when the path becomes difficult and the final destination is in doubt and 2) what is the source of the confidence.

Optimism is largely based upon circumstances being right and things working out in a particular way. Optimism usually includes a good bit of intervention on our part to keep things moving toward the desired destination. Optimism can also be seriously eroded when circumstances wane and turn against us. Because it is based upon reaching a final destination, when that becomes “unrealistic”, optimism can fail.

Hope, at least Biblical hope, is not based upon circumstances. It is based upon God, His promises, and most especially, God’s Son – Jesus. Because we have an amazing record of His life and His words to us, we can learn the path He has called us to. He warns us about the inevitable challenges on the way, but He promises to be with us. He tells us that He who has overcome the world will be with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Hope is not eroded when circumstances seem to fail. If anything, hope shines brighter when circumstances fail.

There are three cardinal virtues Paul mentions in his first letter to the church in Corinth. In chapter 13 we read, ‘And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.‘ This trio of virtues build and strengthen the body of Christ, the Church. They also demonstrate in a powerful way the reality of our final destination – eternal union with God, the Lover of our Souls.

While it is good to be an optimistic “glass half full” kind of person, the true blessing and joy comes from knowing Him and allowing that relationship to fill us with HOPE!

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Out of the Comfort Zone

Posted in God, God Stories, Jesus Christ, Mission to Kenya, Orphans, Prayer, Service, Spiritual Growth, Travel, Trials, worldview, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

In 2019 I traveled to Kenya to support some friends who were serving in an orphanage and Christian school in Nairobi.  It was an awesome trip, and I was greatly encouraged by the Davis family’s faithfulness in serving the Lord and the dozens of young people under their charge.  I told a friend afterwards that the trip was amazing, but somehow that word really wasn’t sufficient.  My wife and I travel for leisure a fair amount and seeing new places, experiencing new cultures, and making new friends is not a new experience for me.  My common response is that a trip is “amazing”.  This was so much more than that.  It was inspiring.  It was hard work.  It was uplifting talking to LJ and Danee about the work.  It was wonderful to hear from the Lord frequently and be able to obey with the encouragement and activity that He directed.  It weighed on my heart to see the poverty, filth, and lack of opportunity that is so much more prevalent than in the USA (or any of the places we travel to for fun).  But as heavy as that was, the light of God’s goodness in the work being carried out stood out in stark, yet highly desirable contrast.  There are many lessons that I have taken from the trip.  Some were fully formed while I was there.  Some are still being processed.  The following are my keys take-aways.

Maturing in faith and becoming a seasoned Christian will always include steps out of our comfort zone. 

Growth as a believer is an on-going series of steps that progressively move us from a place of comfort and ease into new territory that will often be a little scary and uncomfortable.  But it is in stepping into the new that we learn to trust in Jesus’s presence and provision more than our own abilities and strength.  I used to think that the word comfort meant ease and leisure.  The actual root of the term comfort means “with strength”.  Com = with, fort comes from the same root as fortress or fortification – a place of strength.  When we are comforted, we are given strength to endure whatever difficulty, trial, or challenge we are encountering.  Being comforted is a good thing.  Being comfortable is in itself not a bad thing.  However, there are times when the good can become an enemy of the best.  And God wants the best for His children.

The path to intimacy with God isn’t always comfortable.

So, what is the problem with being comfortable and why does God want us to move out of our comfort zone?  The issue is not that God is a killjoy.  Joy, comfort, and peace are great gifts He provides.  But these are by-products not the end product.  The goal is a deepening relationship with Him and a greater intimacy with the lover of our soul.  It is God’s desire that each one of us grow to know Him so well that we live in constant communion with Him.  Prayer without ceasing is more than a pious platitude, it is an accurate description of the life God wants to lead us into.  Which is where our personal comfort zone can become a hindrance rather than a good thing.

The Creator of the universe is without limits.  His love is truly beyond our comprehension, but He wants us to experience it in ever greater amounts.  To do so often means we must let go of our current familiar and comfortable understanding to experience the next greater level of His love.  The same is true of His wisdom, His faithfulness, His mercy, His grace.  Each time we let go of our current state of satisfaction and lean into a holy hunger for more of Him, we will experience a stretching and growth that reveals more of God’s nature, and a lessening of the negatives of the world’s perspective.  For me personally, this stretching often includes a letting go of self-reliance in some area to gain a greater God-reliance.

One family’s pursuit of following God in Kenya.

I saw this in Kenya.  It was evident in my friends LJ and Danee.  It was also true in me.  God’s specific word to LJ was “to prepare the land”.  The orphanage had fallen into disrepair.  Mismanagement had resulted in the loss of the license as a children’s home and much of the 14-acre compound was overgrown with brush and vegetation.  The entire family responded to the call to prepare the land. 

Now for many of us, traveling overseas can be a daunting experience.  That increases when the travel is to a third world country.  Raise it another notch when we are placed next to the 2nd largest slum in the world.  Oh, for good measure, take the entire family with children ages 15, 14, 13, and 9 in tow.  I know very few people who would be able to be stretched that far.  But the path the Lord has led Danee and LJ on has been a path of consistent next steps of trusting God as they go a little further out of their comfort zone, only to see Him provide exactly what was needed after each step.

While I was there, I witnessed LJ assuming the new role of overall Operations Manager for the entire compound.  By his own admission, LJ is a country boy from rural South Carolina.  He did not aspire to running an orphanage and school, but as I witnessed while I was there, LJ and Danee are faithfully doing whatever is required in leading, guiding, and serving the community.  And the land itself is beginning to flourish.  A ¾ acre vegetable garden is up and growing.  Soon it will be a major supplement to the food provisions for the 84 children getting their meals at LifeSpring.  The livestock are multiplying.  The third fluffle of rabbits are being nurtured and rabbit hutches were built while I was there.  Chickens roam the grounds during the day with baby chicks sticking close to mama hen for protection.  Goats graze on grass where brambles once grew.  To support the growing campus, LJ has hired widows and young men in desperate need of employment.   The land is well on its way to being prepared.

LJ’s work as an instrument and controls technician prepared him for some of the work.  I chuckle though because Google has come to the rescue many times as they encounter new situations they have never dealt with before.  (Like letting me know that a group of baby bunnies is called a fluffle!)  In one instance they were talking to one of the widows who had been hired to tend the garden.  In Kenya all the schools are in English, so if you have had the benefit of attending school you are liable to speak decent English.  This widow, who cares for her grandchild in the Kibera slum, knows zero English therefore she has never been to school.  Trying to communicate to her that LJ had bought four tin sheets to replace the plastic she was living under in Kibera was both humorous and deeply touching.  Google translate had to translate into Swahili so the widow could understand that some men would be coming by to help her.  Kenyans don’t cry.  Stoic persistence to survive doesn’t leave room for expressing much emotion, but the emotion flickered on her face when she realized the act of kindness being done for her. 

LJ and Danee went to Kenya following the Lord’s clear leading.  But following the Lord’s leading and knowing all that we are getting into are often two different things.  In some cases, the Father will give us a degree of insight into what’s ahead. 

The Bible’s witness to life outside the comfort zone.

I think of Paul heading to Jerusalem where he would be arrested.  God clearly told him to go to Jerusalem.  And he was also clearly told that difficulty was ahead.  But God gave Paul an assurance that walking this difficult path was God’s will and that God would be with him.  Paul was called out of his comfort zone over and over again.  In stepping into God’s call out of the comfort zone and into the unknown, Paul grew into the apostle God created him to be.  Today the Church is blessed because of Paul’s faithfulness in living outside of his comfort zone since much of the New Testament was written by Paul.

As the Lord opened my eyes to the reality of our growth as believers being tied to stepping out of our comfort zone, I realized that all the saints mentioned in the Bible were taken out of their comfort zone.  Abraham left his family, his land, and ventured many long and difficult miles (and years) to a “promised” land.  There was comfort in the land of Haran, but God’s call was to step out and follow Him. 

Mary was a young teenager engaged to a kind carpenter, when an angel said you have been chosen but it will take you out of your comfort zone.  Mary said “let it be done to me as you have said” and she stepped out of her comfort zone and into God’s plan for the salvation of humanity. 

Jesus was a good Jewish lad, well versed in the law, but God had a plan and a call upon His life.  Jesus was unique.  He was fully God, but at the same time fully human.  Being fully human, He experienced a degree of comfort as a carpenter son, then apprentice, and finally working as a carpenter in His own right.  But when God said step out of your comfort zone and into my call upon your life He did. 

Jesus ministered for 3 years outside of His comfort zone – forty days fasting in the desert, speaking to crowds that wanted signs and wonders, but not necessarily the all-in life with God He was espousing, doing battle with the persons of power and influence who chaffed at His familiarity with God, and finally suffering a painful and humiliating torture and execution at the hands of both Roman authorities and Jewish leaders.  Jesus modeled a life of stretching our human boundaries of comfort in faithful response to God’s call to something better, something richer, to life in union with God and His unique plan for each person.

What next step outside your comfort zone is God calling you to?

Friends I am deeply stirred that God has a call upon every person into a life that is beyond amazing.  He has a call upon you.  But it is a journey that will frequently take us out of our comfort zone.  God will ask us to take steps in faith in Him and not in sight by using our own wisdom and strength.  We will have to rely upon Him.  We will be stretched.  At times it won’t be “fun”.  At times it will even be difficult.  But as we listen and lean upon Him, He will be with us to bring about His good will in us and through us.  And this is so much better than the “good” we might experience in the comfort zone.  Because it is the best.

What burden or desire has the Lord put on your heart that gets shelved because it is outside your comfort zone?

Where do you see injustice, need, or sin that really pushes your buttons, but thus far you have done little beyond complain about it?

Do you get a passion for something the Word says to do, yet thus far you have not truly considered the possibility of you doing something just because?

Take a few moments and ask the Father to bring your next step into clear focus.  Ask with a willingness to take the next step.  Realize these will not usually be huge leaps out of the blue, but a gradual revelation where God draws you to a faith place that makes each progressive step a stretch, but doable with a little courage and trust in the One Who has provided for you in the past.  For the Davis’ it was a few years walking out many progressive next steps into mission work.  For me going over to help them was similar, taking about a year of progressive faith steps.  Having been, my faith is stirred to help even more.  Will I be more comfortable?  Walking in God’s grace and lifted by His love, I reckon I have all the strength a person needs.  So, the answer has to be yes, but in a new way.  When we walk His path, taking new steps into the unknown that He directs, we will be comforted with His great comfort. 

And that is way better than just being comfortable.

Be blessed my friends and be a light of blessing in the places where the LORD has placed you today, and always!

BTW, Danee and LJ are still serving in the same place although it is now called Oasis of Hope, and the Lord has done amazing things. The vision has shifted to rescuing young girls from forced marriages. The school now holds over 110 students, and the ministry is expanding more and more into the slum and areas around the school. The oversight organization is Serving Orphans Worldwide. Check them out at https://soworldwide.org/oasis-of-hope/

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Incredible

Posted in God, God Stories, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Prayers, Spiritual Growth, The Father, Trials, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

It is a day and a half since the surgery.  The nerve block they gave me has worked well, but it is finally wearing off and I am beginning to feel the fact that a portion of my ear is missing.  Not too much pain, but a reminder of something lost.  But this is nothing compared to what I have gained through this.  I can truly say this has been one of the most blessed experiences of my life.  The LORD’s presence has been so real and tangible that I have experienced a peace that has truly buoyed me and a joy that has stirred my soul.

The word that comes to mind as I ponder this is “Incredible”.  Something that is credible is believable.  With the prefix added in-credible means something that stretches belief.  I already had a strong belief in God and a vibrant relationship with the Lord through Jesus, but that belief has been strengthened and stretched in the most blessed of ways. 

One of the things I’ve found interesting is how I have been led to pray.  My prayers for myself have been that the Lord would be glorified.  I have not been led to pray to be healed.  The Holy Spirit told me to share my journey, hence you are reading this post.  From that I know others have been praying for me, many praying for my healing, but I have not. 

There was one night a week or so after we learned I was dealing with melanoma that Lisa and I watched a series where one of the lead characters had cystic fibrosis.  In the final episode she passed away.  Her passing as portrayed in the show played out over a 2-year period.  For both Lisa and I the reality that I could be on the front end of a similar journey really weighed on us as we went to bed.  In the middle of the night I awoke restless and I hesitantly prayed, “Lord Jesus, please heal me”.  Well, the Holy Spirit clearly spoke, “It is not yet the time”. 

I have not prayed specifically for my healing since.  I am fine with others praying for it and I do hope the Lord heals me, but that has not been my focus.  I simply want to walk faithfully through this knowing the LORD said, “Trust Me” at the outset. 

The returns on this approach have been amazing.  I have known a peace through this that has lifted me.  As I already mentioned, I can feel such love and affirmation, that I am truly thankful for this experience.  I have even walked in periods of great joy.  And to imagine this is amid losing part of my body and still not knowing if cancer has spread to other parts of my body.  (Since I am being transparent, not all of my body is still working like I would like for it to, but I attribute that to things done at an earlier age that are now catching up to me 😊)

Friends, I can see how the LORD was preparing me for this journey even as late as this summer.  A theme that played out over several weeks in my studies and meditation was that we are “eternal, spiritual beings living in a temporary, physical body”.  Our time on this earth is truly limited.  These bodies all have an expiration date.  But the part of us that lives on is what we should be nourishing and growing.  Our spirit is where we commune with our Creator.  It is the part of us that needs to know who we are and why we are here. 

We are created to be God’s children and our purpose is to know and love Him even as we are fully known and loved.  While this is the answer, it is only the merest surface of the reality.  The depths of it are only realized when it goes from our head to our hearts and fills our spirit with His Holy Spirit.  We are given one lifetime for this to happen.  I guess my situation has simply given me, and those who have joined me for this journey, an opportunity to consider that my expiration date, and each of theirs, might be closer than we realize.  I believe the Lord’s response to each of us is the same as what He spoke to my heart shortly after I learned I had cancer… “Trust Me!”

Our next medical milestone is December 11 when we learn the results of the biopsy and the genetic testing to see if I am prone to more melanoma.

It has been my honor that you have joined me in this journey.  Hopefully the LORD has taken my posts and used them to encourage you in some way.  That is my desire and prayer. 

Be blessed my friend and be a blessing to someone today!

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Yahweh Nissi – The LORD’s Banner Over Me Brings Joy

Posted in God, God Stories, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Trials, Vision, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , on November 21, 2023| 2 Comments »

The LORD draws us close in our weakness.  I can honestly say I am thankful for a cancer diagnosis because of the Lord’s and the Lord’s people’s response.  I have been buoyed by the prayers and I know the Lord is walking with me.  His presence is real and tangible. 

Three days after receiving the diagnosis, I was in a hotel in Atlanta.  I woke up around 5 and immediately slipped into prayer.  We are commended to “pray in the spirit” and pray with understanding.  I did not have to be at the office until around 9 so I was able to tarry and do both.  Interestingly, one of the Old Testament names of God came to me as I was praying – Jehovah Nissi which is from the book of Exodus when God had saved the Hebrew people from the Amalekites. 

Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. Ex 17:15

I incorporated that into my worship that morning as I gave praise to the Lord under whose Banner I live and move and have my being.  I remember a specific exchange when I said, “LORD, thank you that your Banner over me is love and it is very good, but I was kind of thinking and hoping you would have given me your name, Jehovah Rapha.”  (Jehovah Rapha is the LORD is my healer.)  I said it with a smile and in sincerity.  The Holy Spirit immediately brought to mind James 1:2-4 to mind. 

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

As soon as that scripture came to mind, joy bubbled up within me.  I started chuckling realizing that the Lord has a perfect plan through all of this and that I can trust Him completely.  God’s Word is faithful and true.  He has allowed this time of trial and uncertainty to build perseverance and maturity in me.  From His perspective there is nothing uncertain about this.  It is for my good, and for the good of others around me.  (My fervent prayer is that you, my friend, are one of those God blesses through this.)

Now that alone would have been enough to make my day.  I went to work with a song of praise in my heart and joy percolating within.  I got a call from a previous co-worker that I hadn’t spoken to in several months.  I knew he was a believer so at the end of our conversation I shared the news.  His first wife had passed from a battle with cancer about a decade prior so he could relate.  While he shared a few words of encouragement from his own experience, the blessing came when he said, “Let me pray for you.”  As he began to pray, he didn’t ask immediately for me to be healed, he prayed, “Lord, you are sovereign and in control.  We love you and trust you because you are in this with Dan and you will be victorious…”  When he prayed you are victorious, I saw the LORD’s Banner unfurl and begin waving. 

I didn’t hear the rest of what he prayed because the Lord had given me a clear sign that His Word is true.  I am not alone.  The victorious King is walking with me.  Whatever may come, God is going to get the glory.  And when He is glorified, I am satisfied.

It doesn’t require a cancer diagnosis for us to look to the LORD for His peace.  He desires we walk-in ever-increasing intimacy with Him day-by-day.  Just talk to Him.  Ask Him to illuminate the scripture then read it.  Find a believer and ask them to pray with you.  Friend, I pray the Lord’s encouragement upon you today wherever you are and in whatever situation you are dealing with.  God loves you and He is fighting for you because He is Yahweh Nissi – the LORD is my Banner!

Be blessed and be a blessing!

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Waiting with Purpose

Posted in Bible Study, God, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Trials, tagged , , , , on November 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Waiting is a part of life. We experience it early and we never stop having seasons of waiting.

Christmas always seemed to take forever to arrive. When it did, there was much to celebrate and enjoy. The birth of a child is the culmination of months of waiting. That next promotion… The trip you have been looking forward to… The medical procedure you need…

Waiting is a part of life and waiting is not easy. But it can be good.

Lisa and I have made reading the Bible through in a year a part of our life rhythm. There are important seasons of waiting throughout the Bible that demonstrate the value in waiting. As I await the next steps in our medical treatment, I take solace in knowing that the LORD who created me and is with me in the waiting. I woke at 3:35am this morning and this theme of waiting has swirled around in my spirit as I prayed and pondered.

A rundown of just some of the seasons of waiting that came to mind:

Seasons of Waiting in the Bible

Abraham and Sarah waited for decades for the fulfillment of the promise that they would have a child. Joseph waited years in prison (on false charges) before God elevated him to Prime Minister of Egypt. Moses waited in the desert for 40 years before God called him from the burning bush. The Hebrew people wandered and waited in the wilderness for 40 years before the time arrived to enter the promised land. Jesus waited about 30 years before His time of ministry and revealing arrived. Even then the timing of God’s plan progressed in times of waiting beginning with 40 days of waiting in the wilderness fasting and praying.

The climactic moment of Jesus’ earthly life, His crucifixion included waiting… in the garden sweating blood in prayer… in mock trials with false accusations… in the praetorium as people cried out for His death… and on the cross until the full measure our sin was atoned for.

As I await a surgery currently scheduled for 2 months from now, hoping it will be moved forward, I get this nudge from Holy Spirit that He is here with me in the waiting. With that came the name Yahweh Shamma… The LORD who is present!

Immediately Isaiah 40:31 comes to mind (I chose the amplified version this morning)

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]

Will gain new strength and renew their power;

They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];

They will run and not become weary,

They will walk and not grow tired.

Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Bible

I am lifted up knowing that there is purpose in my waiting. With a new sense of this time being ordained by God and precious I begin praying.

Confirmation of Purpose in My Waiting

Let me close by sharing a gift the LORD gave me yesterday that is really the point of this post. I woke early yesterday too. (Full transparency, waking at 3:30 am is not hard when you’re in California, but your body clock is still in SC!) I slipped into prayer yesterday as I thought of all my friends who commented on my Facebook post. My heart was warmed and I prayed for individual’s as they came to mind. It was a joy-filled time that started my day well.

As I headed out the hotel door, a friend and brother in Christ called me. I hadn’t seen him in a few years, but he called to encourage me. I had forgotten about praying for him as he went through a cancer battle, but he told me he felt led by the Lord to tell me about what I understood as the turning point for him. It was the low point in his battle. He was rail thin at 125 lbs, he couldn’t stand the sight, smell, or even the thought of food. His wife couldn’t cook or even eat around him because he got so nauseous.

He was seated in his chair in misery and the Holy Spirit asked him a question, “Who’s praying for you?” He replied, “I don’t know LORD, who?” and then all these people that he knew came to mind, churches where he had helped out, foreign countries where he had done mission work. Then the Holy Spirit asked, “What are you to do?” Again he replied, “I don’t know LORD, what?” The reply, “Pray for those praying for you!” I was blown away that the LORD had him call me to confirm that how I was being led was exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

God is the ultimate multi-tasker. I know He is doing things in me and in my family through this journey that are for our ultimate good and His glory. I harbor no illusions that this will be a cake-walk, but I know He has a plan and a purpose. Today, that includes a bit of waiting. But as I wait upon the LORD, I will pray with you and I will pray for you. And one day we will see that God had a purpose in all this and we will see that it was good and very good.

I suspect some of you are waiting too. Lean into the LORD and don’t be shy to ask, “Lord, please help me see my purpose in the waiting.” Then trust Him. He is there and He is not silent. It may be a clear word like my friend received. It might be a nudge in your Spirit like I had yesterday and today. It could be a person who comes to mind that you need to call. The key is to ask, trust, and obey. It is as simple as that.

Be blessed today my friends and don’t forget to be a blessing!

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Clarity!

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Trials, tagged , , , , on November 6, 2023| 2 Comments »

Thus far I have experienced many more positives from a cancer diagnosis than negatives.  I am feeling fine… okay at 63 I am feeling fine for being 63, but I have no real complaints.  The rallying of family and friends has been inspiring.  The peace which I know to be from the LORD even as we sit in this “bad news, but how bad” phase is simply amazing.  I am experiencing the “peace that passes understanding” that the apostle Paul talks about in Philippians 4:7 and it is wonderful.  But this morning I want to dwell on an aspect of blessing that is perhaps the most edifying, and that is clarity.

Today I am seeing and understanding my life’s purpose in high definition.  The LORD wants me to live in such deep friendship with Him that the joy, peace, and love that He has for me (and for you) spills over.  God has called me to love with His love.  The time I have left, whether it be 3 months or 30 years, is to be spent immersed in this experience of loving God with all my heart, soul, and strength and loving my neighbor as myself.

This past summer as I was sweating it out at the beach lugging way too much stuff from the beach back to our condo, I was pretty uncomfortable.  To battle my discomfort (and maybe a little frustration from lugging too much stuff) I was focusing upon ”reflecting” God’s love.  The Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “I want you to radiate my love.”  What?  Not reflect?  As I let that sink in, I realized I was trying to put on a smile.  I was trying to think kinder thoughts even in the midst of frustration.  I was thinking about “doing” the right things to be nice even though I felt anything but nice. 

As I examined the difference between reflecting and radiating I realized in my instance it was the difference between doing and being.  If we consider the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42), we get a picture of doing and being.  Martha was busy doing all the things necessary for everyone to be fed and cared for in her home as Jesus was teaching.  Mary was busy sitting at Jesus’ feet listening and learning.  She put the priority on being in Jesus’ presence before doing other things.

Now this is not an indictment of Martha, but it is making the distinction in priorities.  When my life’s priority is to draw close to Jesus, then the remainder of my life falls into place.  This is a daily thing.  This is a moment-by-moment thing.  As I spend focused time on Jesus, the Holy Spirit works this on-going transformation in me that brings about those characteristics that God has purposed for me.  I don’t have to work up the smile.  It just comes without effort.  I don’t have to work so hard to ignore the rude person, but kindness seeps to the surface of my thoughts.  I don’t have to try to be loving.  Love radiates out of me.

These outward manifestations come supernaturally, naturally.  God’s inner working in my soul is making changes in me such that the Holy Spirit has ever increasing sway on how I think and act.  It is less of God’s goodness shining on me and bouncing off and more of God’s goodness doing something miraculous in me that causes His goodness to radiate out of me. 

As I sit on this plane heading across the country, I think back to the mature believers who demonstrated this in my life.  I think of Sandy and Steve, a couple with three young children who took a 23-year-old new believer under their wings and nurtured him.  I think of Larry who encouraged me to go to this retreat and prayed for me to experience God in a deeper way.  I surrendered my life completely to Jesus that weekend.  There are John and Angelique who discipled me in the school of prayer for years as we met in the Prayer Tower in our small town in Tennessee.  I think of my beloved Lisa who put up with (and still puts up with) the person in the process of becoming who God created me to be.  These people and so many more demonstrated God’s love and care in marvelous ways.  And there is my faith community of today – dozens of beloved brothers and sisters in Christ who, like me, are in the process of becoming all God has created them to be.

I hope you will join me in this journey.  I believe in God’s sovereignty; therefore, He knows about this cancer battle and has allowed it for His good purpose.  That first wakeful night I felt the Lord give me a few “To Do’s”.  One was to journal this journey in a totally transparent manner and share it with others.  It is my earnest prayer that God meets you where you are and provides exactly what you need – whether it be encouragement, guidance, or perhaps even the first step in your journey of discovery with Him.

Until next time, be blessed my friend and be a blessing!

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