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The LORD is my fortress! Don’t say to me, “Escape like a bird to the mountains!” Psalm 11:1 (CEV)
Huddled against a flickering fire, in the darkness of a cold, mountain hillside, a young boy listens to the night sounds while millions of stars flicker above. Alone, but not lonely, his thoughts gravitate towards his God. A song comes to mind and as he meditates on its words a cracking branch in the darkness snaps him back to reality. Taking a torch and his slingshot he goes to investigate. Minutes later, a roar is heard as a lion falls dead just feet from its prey, a sleeping lamb.
Years later, that shepherd boy, now an anointed king waiting his turn in the palace becomes the ire of the current king. His life in danger once again, his friends urge him to flee to the mountains he loved for safety.
The mountains were a place of security and a symbol of strength. The mountains were a place where the oppressed and abused would go because in the mountains it was much easier to protect yourself from your enemies. For David, they held a special advantage. They were home. He knew virtually every cave, every cliff, every hiding spot were danger come. The mountains and his trusty slingshot offered him all the protection he would need.
It seemed logical, to David’s friends, that when Saul began to threaten David’s life he should flee to the safety of the mountains. But when God is involved, logical isn’t the best way. To flee to the mountains would imply two things to David.
Fleeing to the mountains would imply that the mountains were David’s best source of protection. In David’s eyes, it was God that was the source of his protection, not the mountains. The rock on which David trusted was the strength of his God.
Fleeing to the mountains also implied that there was no more safety for David in the palace. To this I imagine David thought back to the day he was beckoned from the hillside to be anointed King by Samuel. David knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that the palace was where he was supposed to be. When you are where God wants you to be in life, you are in the safest place possible.
The enemy of doubt and its accomplice, fear, want us to believe that safety comes by our own strength and our own cunning. The follower of Jesus Christ knows differently. Safety comes when we are where God wants us to be. Will trouble come? Certainly. But in the face of that trouble we can have peace because we know we rest in God’s arms of strength and safety.
To the world a strong bank account offers financial stability. To the world, good health and good medicine offer the best hope of a long, satisfying life. To the world, protection comes from physical strength. All of these are good, to be sure, but we as followers of Jesus Christ know our ultimate protection comes from a loving, omnipotent Heavenly Father. When we trust in him we have NO FEAR!!
PRAYER: Father the future scares me. The financial picture is bleak. The political atmosphere is terrifying. It seems there are more and more things that cause me to worry. Empower me with your spirit to put my trust in you, not necessarily in the wisdom of those around me. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
We are not like those people who turn back and get destroyed. We will keep on having faith until we are saved. Hebrews 10:39 (CEV)
God’s judgment was imminent. Because of the prayers of one faithful servant of God,Lot’s family was miraculously led from ground zero just before destruction fell. In spite of the udder destruction behind them,Lot’s wife looks back. This wasn’t a casual observation like a freeway ‘rubber-necker’. This was a longing for the life she left behind, a longing for a lifestyle that was completely removed from God but all that she knew. Her longing to live in the past is what turned her into a pillar of salt.
The Israelites lived for over 400 years in a foreign land waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Not long into their journey of deliverance, they began to long for the familiarity ofEgypt. The pain of abuse, and the promise of better things ahead wasn’t enough to keep them from longing for their past.
Jesus walked the paths ofGalileehealing the sick, raising the dead, giving hope to the hopeless. The crowds followed him because of the hope he offered of physical life, political freedom and financial security. When his message turned to the pain and death he would suffer; when his message began to shed light on the pain that following him would bring into their lives, they began to fall off, not one by one, but by droves.
We still search for a God of convenience. A God that will grant our every need, make us comfortable in life, and provide for us in the ways WE seek. Our Heavenly Father isn’t a God of convenience. He isn’t a vending machine God that we can come to and choose our blessing. He has never, ever promised that in the midst of our deliverance there would not also be pain.
We are all on a journey. That journey takes us through many life-situations. Some pleasant, some not. But our God never intends for us to stay in one place. His desire is for us to move forward regardless of what lies ahead. Trust comes from a refusal to let life circumstances dictate our belief in a God who is passionately in love with us.
Don’t let your past confine your present. Those things in the past that are positive can be used to build a bright future. Those things in your past that are dark can be used to grow wiser. Whatever the case, never let your past be anything more than a stepping stone to a closer relationship with Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord God, I find myself longing for the good things you’ve done in my past and forgetting the things pain that brought me here. Help me learn from my past as I constantly look forward to a future you have planned for me. Let me never turn back from total faith in you. Amen.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Luke 6:35 (NCV)
Ten lepers approached Jesus one day (Luke 17). There’s more to the story than what is just written in Luke’s account of the gospel. Lepers were forbidden to approach anyone. Those who got close to lepers were considered unclean. But Jesus took a chance on them, he told them to go to the priest and show themselves to him. On the way they were miraculously healed. Only one of the men returned to thank Jesus for all he’d done.
So, what happened to the other nine? We aren’t told but I think I know. They went on their way, just like 90% of the people you may know who never think to say thank you. In God’s kingdom he doesn’t expect anything from those who he shows grace too. We can’t earn his favor, nor can we repay him once we’ve accepted the gift of healing. The only thing we can do is what the one leper did; we can praise God for his free gift.
How does that relate to our lives as Christ-followers? It’s human nature to gravitate towards those who treat us kindly. We may do favors for people with no expectation of return, but we are far more likely to continue to give to those who give back in some way. It’s draining to always give and never get anything, even a thank you, in return. Yet that is precisely what Jesus teaches us to do. Lend with no expectation of being repaid. Notice the wording. Lending implies repayment by its very definition. If repayment isn’t expected it’s not lending, it’s giving.
That’s what grace is all about. Giving with no expectation of return. Grace is being kind to others when you know that they won’t show any gratitude and may even return your kindness with abuse.
Yet another dichotomy in the life of the believer. Giving grace to the undeserving. But grace by definition is showing kindness when it’s not deserved and will never be returned. Your Father did that for you when he sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross. He extended kindness to you when he knew you were undeserving and could never repay him. Yet he reached out to you in spite of yourself.
How can you show grace to someone today? It can’t be done in your own power. It can’t be done with expectation of gratitude or reward. In fact, the opposite is true. Showing grace to those who don’t deserve it is the best way to show Jesus to those who need him.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you for the example you gave us of the lepers. They were completely unable to repay you for the grace and healing to offered them, yet you healed them. Most of them were ungrateful, yet you gave with no expectation of reward. Empower me with your Spirit to show that kind of grace to those who need the forgiveness and healing only you can give. Amen.
Then God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. When you go to the people of Israel, tell them, ‘I AM sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (NCV)
Time changes things. Following is a list of things that have changed over time. It’s obviously not an exhaustive list. Maybe you can think of other things that have changed, some that have changed the course of the world, some that have changed your personal life.
Time has changed how we think about:
- Technology: Who would have thought ‘text-ing’ would be a form of communication and not just a form of print?
- Worship used to be a section of the church service rather than a style of music.
- Marriage was considered to be the relationship of a man and woman. There were no other options and it lasted a life-time.
- Family was a husband, wife and biological children. The concept of a blended family hadn’t been ‘invented’ yet.
- Divorce was rare in general and unheard of in ‘Christian’ circles. Now almost ½ of all marriages end in divorce and there is no difference between allegedly Christian and non-Christian marriages.
- Community was limited to the town you lived in and not a reference to the global relationship we all share.
- Commerce was limited to goods produced in your own country. Items from other countries were considered exports, rather than today when there is little difference between what is manufactured in one country or another.
- Phone messages have changed. 20 years ago the need to choose English (or whatever your native language is) wasn’t an option on answering systems. English (at least in theUSA) was assumed.
- Relationships are changing at a rapid pace. Aging, divorce and career moves (to name a few) make the idea of long-term friendships and relationships more of a rarity than a rule.
- Word meanings have changed as well. Not only is ‘text-ing’ as mentioned earlier, a new word, call someone gay today and, depending on the situation, you may find yourself in an instant conflict!
You may be able to add some things to the list. Things that have changed your life and the lives of those around you. So, what’s the point? Only this. When God introduced himself to Moses and the Israelites he didn’t introduce himself as the God who was. He didn’t introduce himself as the God who will be. He introduced himself as the God who is. ‘I AM’ signifies that he never changes. Time won’t change your God. Circumstances won’t alter his power. Societal changes won’t redirect the impact of his wisdom and his holiness for all of mankind. Unchanged from creation until today. Who or what else can boast of that?
PRAYER: Father God. I can’t wrap my mind around the truth of your unchanging character. My humanity seems in constant change like a ship without a sail. But you, O Lord are my rudder. You are the one who is so sure that you will guide me through the changes ahead. I praise you for being the ‘Great I AM’. Amen
Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:41 (CEV)
When you need to make the winning shot, or score the winning touchdown you look to your ‘go to guy’ the MVP, the one who seems to thrive on the excitement and tenseness of the situation. In most cases you don’t put the rookie into that situation. He doesn’t know the game, he lacks confidence, and he may choke under the pressure.
I remember watching a professional basketball game on TV one time. The underdog team had played its best game of the season and was within a point of tying the game with a few seconds left. They were playing the defending champions on their home court. As you can imagine, the crowd was going wild.
On the free throw line stood the home team’s rookie sensation. He was the one that had been keeping them in the game all night. As he prepared to make that shot to tie the game, a veteran player from the other team walked past him and slapped him on the back. The TV cameras just happened to zoom in at that moment and you could see the veteran smile and say “Don’t choke.”
That’s all it took. The rookie shot the ball, bounced the game-tying shot off the front of the rim, and it was rebounded by the veteran to end the game for the home town team! He listened to the words ‘don’t choke’ and focused so much on what was said he missed an easy shot to tie the game.
When you are in the midst of battle you don’t want someone who is going to choke. You want someone that you know will get the job done. There will be close games. There will be battles and struggles to contend with. But with your ‘go to guy’ in the game you know the outcome is more likely to end in your favor.
In life, my ‘go to guy’ is Jesus. Unlike a sporting event, I don’t go to him because he is my best hope; I go to him because he is my ONLY hope. Unlike a sporting event, putting Jesus on the line doesn’t give me a better chance of victory, it guarantees my victory.
The disciples were in the boat. It was dark. Most of them were fishermen and knew the dangers of the storm. Perhaps they’d even lost a friend or two at sea. As their terror mounted, Jesus slept. He knew the outcome. He wasn’t concerned.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, the storm I’m going through now has me more than a little worried. I’m scared! I can’t fight the battle ahead of me without your help. I need you in control of this situation. Empower me with your Spirit to rely on you for the outcome. I put all my hope and trust in your ability to work all things out to your good. Amen
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 