Humble Response

Originally published on July 14, 2015

I recently heard it said that our nation is where it's at because the Church has fallen away from Christ.  When we as God's people live as He's called us to live, God blesses.  The responsibility lies squarely on our shoulders.

This post is even more relevant today than when it first published.

"The Lord has spoken out against Jacob;

his judgment has fallen upon Israel.

And the people of Israel and Samaria,

who spoke with such pride and arrogance,

will soon know it.

They said, 

'We will replace the broken bricks 

of our ruins with finished stone,

and replant the felled sycamore-fig trees with cedars.'"

Isaiah 9:3-11 NLT

God was warning His people of their pride and arrogance.  They had lived a pattern that was counter to His ways and refused to humble themselves before Him, submitting to His law and guiding Hand.  Their response to this warning of coming destruction?  It sounded more like determination and selfish ambition, like they were proving their independence and ability to do anything they set their minds to do.  When they banded together, they believed there was nothing they could not accomplish.  Sound familiar?  Sadly, yes.

God is constantly at work drawing His people back to Him, yet do we even recognize His hand at work?  Or do we arrogantly vow to stand firm in our ignorance?  We are the strongest nation on the face of the earth, nothing can bring us down.  We stand for truth and justice, we determine what is best for us.  We bow to no one.  We had better take note of God's warnings found in His Word, for they resonate strongly in this day and age.  We would be wise to take heed.

Discipline?  Hard times hit, both on a personal level as well as nationally.  I wonder why.  Why me, Lord?  Can't I catch a break?  I've tried to live a good life.  I'm involved in church, I keep my nose clean,  work hard to better myself.  Why all the trouble?  Following Jesus is not a religion.  It is a relationship based squarely on the work of Jesus Christ completed on the cross that freely gives me peace with the God I've offended by my sin (2 Corinthians 5:18).  With such work of reconciliation already accomplished, there is nothing left for me to do but to submit myself to Him (Hebrews 4:6).

Still, I try hard to prove myself, to earn points with God, to show Him and others how serious I am about my faith.  Despite my hardheadedness, God loves me wholly in Christ and never gives up on me.  He knows what it takes to get my attention, to bring me to my knees where I realize my own inadequacies, my deficits, my inability to do anything of eternal value on my own.  He wants me simply to rest in Him and trust Him to direct my life.  For many, it takes a crisis of major proportions to teach this lesson of humble submission to His better plan.  If I never consider that He could be using the hard stuff as a tool to whittle away my fleshly resolve, I'll miss out on the sweetness of knowing and submitting to Him as Father.

When hard times hit, I'd be wise to ask myself, "Is God trying to get my attention?  What is He telling me?"

Examination?  I get in a rut, in a groove, and life keeps humming along.  I live as I've always lived and assume I'm doing alright.  Then the crisis hits, the hardship comes, the difficulty slaps me across the face and my rhythm is interrupted.  What now?  I don't get whats happening and I long for the smooth sailing again.

When I look at myself I can't see what God sees.  He is the Master Potter who is in charge of the sanctification process, molding me into the image of His Son (Isaiah 64:8, Romans 8:28-29, Romans 12:1-2).  Only He sees where I'm off in my thinking, what habits and ways are destructive, what sinful patterns offend Him.  While I'm covered by the blood of Jesus which protects me from His wrath, He still desires to purify me for His Namesake.  Therefore, it is good for me to do as David did by asking, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life"(Psalm 139:23-24). Inviting Him to examine my innermost parts, my motivations like David did is an intimate gesture that shows my faith in God, my belief that He will do what's best for me, and that I trust Him wholly.

When hard times hit, I'd be wise to ask God to examine me and show me where I'm off in my thinking and behavior.

Approval?  The first thing they wanted to do was rebuild.  They didn't want anything, even the weather, to get the best of them.  So when lightning destroyed their home by fire, they made immediate plans to rebuild.  This seemed like the logical step to take and most of us would have done the same.

I hate to slow progress and hamper the return to life as usual, but it might be wise to consider God's will in every situation.  Did I run my plans past God?  Did I consult Him?  Did I seek His plan, even if it differs from mine?  Or would I rather just continue on with what makes sense to me?  If God doesn't lead me to rebuild, to repair the damage done, to make improvements on what I've already been given, should I boldly and confidently move ahead?  Or am I just assuming its His intention for me because it is the logical next step?  I'll only know if I take it before the Lord for His approval.  

When hard times hit, I'd be wise to ask God how He wants me to respond.

It's easy to become proud and arrogant, believing I'm the captain of my own ship, the designer of my destiny, responsible for the plan for my life.  Yet, when I gave my life to Jesus by faith, I agreed to let Him lead me wherever He wants me to go.  Therefore, I'd be wise to consider that every hard time I encounter could be His discipline as He attempts to get my attention so He can teach me a lesson.  The crisis that threatens to wipe me out is also a time to ask for His examination of my heart so that I can draw even closer to Him as a result.  And as I attempt to recover from life's latest disaster, I must learn to seek His will for how to proceed.  While it may require that I learn some new patterns, this is more of a humble response to God's warnings compared to how I might naturally respond.  In His hands, every difficulty I encounter is used for my good and His glory!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to submit to His humbling tools. 

When do I assume I should respond to a crisis by rebuilding without ever bothering to consult the Architect?

How am I guilty of keeping God at arms' length?

Growing Deep Roots

This post was originally published on October 1, 2015

"'But blessed are those who trust in the LORD

and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

and they never stop producing fruit.'"

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT

Who doesn't want deep roots so we don't fall apart when facing hard times?  We all do, but how do we cultivate such an advantage?  Here's the answer as God revealed to the prophet Jeremiah.

Trust in God.  It's stamped on our money.  The phrase, "In God We Trust" first appeared on the two-cent coin in 1864 in response to an Act of Congress, followed by the passage of the Coinage Act in 1873 which opened up the way for all coins to bear such a proclamation.  This act was no mindless formality but an intentional attempt to acknowledge God as a nation in response to several letters from citizens across the land during the Civil War.  One such letter stated, in part, that "No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense."  And another claimed that "From my hearth I have felt our national shame in disowning God as not the least of our present national disasters." *  Our leaders at the time recognized the importance of trusting in God.

When I do the same, realizing He is the one Source of strength, power, wisdom, protection, and everything, I'm placing all my weight on Him, resting in His provision and shelter (Psalm 91).  When I think of Him as only one of many supplies, choosing to rely on my own wherewithal or that of others, I am failing to fully trust in God.  Either I place all my eggs in His basket, or I keep my options open in case another offer comes along.  The first shows that I believe He is able to satisfy every need and all my longings, while the second reveals my doubt in His power.

If I want roots that grow deeply, I must fully and wholly trust in God alone.

Hope in God.  It's easy to lose hope in such a dark world in which we reside.  I can become discouraged when trouble comes my way, especially when it seems there is no let up, as if it's my lot in life to suffer.  When enduring such difficulty, I can begin to wonder why I'm here, what is the point of life, what's my purpose.  Then I remember Who is in control of all things (Romans 13:1).

God is a good God (Psalm 136:1).  Everything He does is thoroughly and completely good.  Additionally, He is a God who is always at work (John 5:17).  He doesn't slack on the job, or forget someone's needs, letting them fall through the cracks.  Instead, He is constant and trustworthy.  Therefore, when I keep my eyes on Jesus, I have every hope in the world no matter my circumstances, because I know good things are happening.  The only missing factor, then, is my perception of His beneficial acts.  I often don't notice what He's up to because I'm looking in the wrong place.  It reminds me of a friend who just returned from a trip to New England.  She and her husband were disappointed to see the lack of fall colors but realized that if she looked closely, she could see a kaleidoscope of hues hidden beneath the green.  It only took an eye to see for her to enjoy the show.

If I want roots that grow deeply, I must hope in God, looking for all I believe He is doing.

Confidence in God.  It's easy to doubt.  It's not so much that I don't think God is up to the job, but that I think I will somehow mess things up, or that I see all that could go wrong, or that I've become cynical and jaded, preferring to brace myself for the worst instead of hoping for the best.  Then I waver in my faith, failing to walk forward in confidence with the strongly rooted certainty that God will come through no matter what.  I hold back, indecisive and vacillating between wanting to trust God and skepticism.

I notice a difference when I'm around someone who has confidence in God.  Their prayers are self-assured, as if they are simply endorsing what they believe God is at work doing.  They step out in faith often and speak with boldness, knowing that God is providing the words they need and fully backing them up.  In contrast, those with a lack of confidence result in prayers that are weak and reserved, as if they don't want to bother God or ask too much of Him.  They rarely if ever do anything beyond their own abilities or power and speak timidly, worried they may offend someone.  I'd rather live like the confident Christian.

If I want roots that grow deeply, I must place my confidence in God alone, not doubting in His might.

Life is difficult and I often face hardship.  If I want to learn to cope with the stresses of life, I would be wise to heed God's advice by resting fully in Him, expectantly looking for the work of His good hands, and walking forward with assurance that He's gone before me and has my back.  This is how to grow deep roots that will always reach His living waters.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to place all my weight on Him.

When do I hold back, afraid to let go of some semblance of control?

How do I doubt that God will come through?  

     

* http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx