Out of the Ordinary

"Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife,

because she was unable to have children.

The LORD answered Isaac's prayer,

and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.

But the two children struggled with each other in her womb.

So she went to ask the LORD about it.

'Why is this happening to me?' she asked.

And the LORD told her,

'The sons in your womb will become two nations.

From the very beginning,

the two nations will be rivals.

One nation will be stronger than the other;

and the older son will serve your younger son.'"

Genesis 25:21-23 NLT

The mockingbird landed on the fern that swung gracefully in the springtime breeze where it hung on my family's front porch.  Spotting the unusual happening through my front window, I perked up.  "Lord," I prayed as I watched the scene unfold before me,  "I've never seen that kind of bird land in our ferns; it's usually the finches that come calling.  What does this mean?"

Soon, I received the sense that something was not right.  As the day wore on, God revealed to me the meaning of the rare sighting:  The mockingbird was targeting the eggs the finches had laid in a carefully-made nest snuggled in the center of the hanging plant.  The Lord was using this scene to warn me that the children in our afterschool program were in some kind of jeopardy.  

As the kids arrived later that day, I saw the threat:  the neighbor's brother who always seemed to be watching our home while he smoked on the porch, openly frolicked with his girlfriend while the rest of the family was away at work and school, and seemed to be generally up to no good was talking to one of the kids as they passed by his house on the way to ours.  Feeling a sense of foreboding, I later talked to my neighbor about the antics of her brother, and soon he was packing up his belongings and moving on.  God had used the sign to alert me to the threat this man posed.

When things happen that are out of the ordinary, it is wise to go to God for enlightenment.

Lesson

I arrived right on time for my weekly Bible study at my friend Karen's home.  Not seeing my usual greeter, their energetic Boxer-Pit Bull mix, I wondered if Buddy might be tied up in the back yard.  Distracted by my thoughts, I opened the door and was surprised by a set of muddy paws scrambling up into my Yukon.  "Buddy, you're all muddy!"  I exclaimed, the anxious tone in my voice only serving to heighten the animal's energy level.  "Sit!"  I ordered in my sternest voice.  My command only seemed to add to his excitement at my presence.  I carefully exited my vehicle and he proceeded to anoint me with mud.  I finally made it to the top of the stairs where I climbed behind the railing erected to keep him off the porch. Just then, my friend opened the door and came out on the porch, "Hi, Cindy!  Oh, what happened?"

After cleaning up, we talked about the incident.  "Usually, Buddy does not act this way.  All the other times I've come to visit, he waits for me to get out of the car before he greets me, and he never jumps up on me."

As we sought the Lord's guidance, He showed us the kingdom lesson found in the muddy Buddy incident;  We often leave the door open for Satan's work in our lives, many times without even realizing it.  Letting anger fester, for instance, gives Satan a foothold in my life, and withholding forgiveness also makes me vulnerable to his destructive work.  (Ephesians 4:27, 2 Corinthians 2:11)  Instead of staying alert and keeping submitted to the Lord, I easily fall into temptation before I even know what is happening, just like I unknowingly opened the door to a waiting muddy dog. (1 Peter 5:8,James 4:7)

Just as God used the unusual incident of the dog jumping into my truck as a sign to teach my friend and I an important lesson about His kingdom, He uses all kinds of things around me to enlighten me about Him and His kingdom ways. (Romans 1:20)  The only questions is this:  Am I paying attention?

Out of the ordinary circumstances can be used by God to teach me kingdom lessons.

Prophecy

Her abdomen erupted as if there was a battle taking place within her womb.  Sleep was nearly impossible since there was near-constant movement within.  I didn't know bearing children would be so disruptive to my normal life!  I can scarcely get anything done with all the commotion occurring within my belly.

Instead of going to a doctor or consulting the older, more experienced women, Rebekah went to the Lord for an explanation.  While a human may have given her a physical reason for her unusual pregnancy, the Lord gave her a prophecy concerning her condition:  There were two rival nations represented by the twins within her womb. (Genesis 25:21-23)

While it has been said by some that God does not give prophecies any more, I tend to disagree.  God's character is unchanging.  Even though I have the benefit of His indwelling Spirit, He is still free to give me a heads up about what is to come using any means necessary. (Acts 2:17-18) Sometimes, like the previously mentioned mockingbird in the fern, He alerts me to a future event using unusual events happening in my life.

Out of the ordinary circumstances can be used by God to warn of upcoming happenings or to reveal what is yet to come.

Understanding

He set off down the road riding his trusty donkey.  Soon, however, the animal seemed to turn against him, veering off into a field.  "What is wrong with you?  Get back onto the road!"  The angry man cried as he beat his beast.

Soon he found himself on a stretch of road between two walls.  Suddenly, his donkey pressed up against the wall, crushing his foot.  "Arrrgggg!  What has gotten into you?  I think you broke my foot!"  he raged as he liberally used his cane upon the beast's back.

The final straw was placed when the donkey simply laid down in the middle of a narrow lane.  "That's it!  I'm gonna kill you!"  No sooner had the words left his mouth than the animal began to speak to him.  "What have I ever done to you that you would treat me so cruelly?"

"You made me look like an idiot!  If I had a sword, I'd have stabbed you dead on the spot!"

"Have I ever done anything like this in all the years I have served you?"

The man's anger subsided and he said, "No."

Then he could see what the donkey had perceived all along:  A mighty warrior angel stood in the roadway, sword drawn, blocking the way. (paraphrased from Numbers 22:21-34)

Just as Balaam didn't see what was really happening to cause his donkey to balk, so there is much in my life that I do not perceive.  Lost keys seem like an aggravation to me but could be the means to slow me down and protect me from an accident that would happen if I was on the road at the wrong time.

Needed surgery being cancelled at the last minute seems like a disappointment but in reality, God is protecting me from unforeseen danger.  A lack of funds necessitating a call to a creditor seems like an embarrassment and hardship, but if I could see with spiritual eyes I would understand how God is using it to put me in touch with the sister in Christ on the other end of the phone line.

Out of the ordinary circumstances can be used by God to provide understanding to the work of His mighty hand in my life.

I can either view unexpected events as a curiosity, or I can seek God's guidance.  When I go to to Him, I may find a hidden lesson,  a warning regarding my future, or a bit of understanding hidden within the circumstances.  For this reason, out of the ordinary events become a window into God's kingdom.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will pay attention to what God is teaching me this day.

When am I apt to ignore the unusual, assuming it's just a quirk?

How do I forget that God is constantly at work all around me?     

Freedom!

"And you, dear brothers and sisters,

are children of the promise,

just like Isaac. . .

So, dear brothers and sisters, 

we are not children of the slave woman;

we are children of the free woman.

So Christ has truly set us free.

Now make sure that you stay free,

and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law."

Galatians 4:28,31; 5:1 NLT

Today is a day set aside in America to celebrate freedom.  Families and friends will gather 'round the picnic table, feasting on BBQ, potato salad and watermelon while children frolic nearby.  Firework displays cap off the evening as the pyrotechnics adorn the night sky with the colors of liberty.  Americans all across the land will ponder the sacrifices made by brave men and women who stood against oppression and gave birth to a new kind of government where people enjoy rights and can live under the banner of independence.

While those in the U.S. focus on what our founding fathers did nearly 240 years ago to light the fire of freedom that burns within the breast of mankind, those in Christ can celebrate a different kind of freedom.

When Jesus died on the cross, taking my punishment upon Himself, I gained liberty from the heavy burden of the law given to Moses.  Instead of these statutes and commandments weighing me down in my failure, they illustrate my desperate need for a Savior.  I can't stick to them; my sin nature is just too dominant!  (Romans 3:23)

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ my Lord who freed me from the law of sin and death! (Romans 7:21-25)

So today I celebrate this liberty:

Freedom from the guilt of sin that can weigh me down because the blood of Jesus makes me clean!

Freedom from the burden of being good enough to meet God's standard because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice so I can be right with God.

Freedom from the stain of sin because Jesus reconciled my relationship with my Father so I can freely enter into His presence.

Yes, today is Independence Day!  Hallelujah, I am free in Christ!

God of Integrity

"On the third day Abraham looked up

and saw the place in the distance.

He said to his servants, 

'Stay here with the donkey while I 

and the boy go over there.

We will worship

and

we will come back to you.'"

Genesis 22:3-4

The future was uncertain.  Death loomed, throwing it's oppressive shadow on the happy troupe as they climbed to the spot the Lord had designated as their destination. The father was so proud of his son and loved him as only one who has waited for the special blessing of parenthood can understand.  How could he sacrifice his only son?  The thought of it sent him into despair.  But how could he not?  The God he feared and followed had spoken; how could he disobey the One who meant so much to him? (Genesis 22:1-2)

Abraham made a choice that day.  He decided to act with confidence based on what God had promised.  Knowing that God is faithful, he chose to believe that he could trust the Lord to bring about His assurance that Abraham would be the father of many nations and that a great blessing would come through his child, Isaac.  (Genesis 12:2-3,  Genesis 15:5, Genesis 21:12)

Abraham didn't know how God would fulfill His promise, but he knew without a doubt that somehow, both he and his son would return from Moriah.  He had every intention of taking the life of his beloved, knowing in his heart that God would bring him back to life.  (Hebrews 11:17-19)

What drove Abraham to act was his understanding of the nature of God.  He knew God as One who could be trusted to carry out what He proclaimed.  I, too, can become a woman like unto Abraham.  Even when things look dismal and beyond hope, I can live in a way that proclaims my faith in a God of integrity.

Actions

By all accounts he was a righteous man who loved God.  When his Lord spoke, he put the plan into action.  This proposal was preposterous and would bring him much grief.  His reputation would be ruined, his home would be one filled with betrayal and pain, and there would be much speculation at the city gate as to his sanity, but Hosea trusted God and did as He commanded.

This prophet of God was used to illustrate the love of God to the unfaithful people of Israel through the circumstances of his life.  Hosea would become an example of the devotion of the Creator to the ones He chose as His own, even though their affections were for other gods.  Hosea was called to marry and cherish a prostitute; an adulterous woman who did not take her marriage vows seriously.

God may call me to live in circumstances which could bring about great pain to myself and those I love in order to bring Him glory.  Maybe it is a job in a far-away place that will mean separation from extended family.  It could be that He has a plan for me that includes living in poverty for a time.  Or, God might bless others through my willingness to share about a stronghold of sin that troubled me for a time.  

Whatever God is asking of me, I can be assured that my obedience will bring about great blessing, no matter how bleak my situation may seem.  Like Hosea, God will use my obedience to deliver a message of hope and love to a world doomed for destruction.

When I choose to obey God's calling despite the consequences my submission may bring, I am saying with my actions that I serve a God of integrity.

Vision

The reports were glowing.  The land was filled with good things to eat and flowing with milk and honey.  Grapes larger than ever-before seen were growing freely, and juicy pomegranate and delicious figs were abundantly available.  This was a wonderful paradise!

Oh, but there was one tiny problem.  The people who lived there were vicious giants who would not easily give up their land to the Israelites.  Thankfully, two men carried a vision of what God could do to those puny monsters!  Caleb and Joshua knew that God would deliver on His promise to guide His people into the promised land.  These two young men could see the twelve tribes living there as if it were already a done deal. (Numbers 14:7-9)

Because of their faith, Caleb and Joshua were the only two out of an entire generation who were allowed to enter into the land God had set aside for His people.  I, too, can live my life like these two men who believed God was capable of slaying giants.

When impossible circumstances present themselves, I can move forward as if God has already delivered me.  For the times the bills are piling high and my pay is dwindling, I can live as if my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  When my child is behaving as if he doesn't know Jesus, straying far away,  I can treat him as lovingly as my Father cherishes me despite my waywardness.  During the rocky times of my marriage, I can treasure my vows, knowing that God will bring us through.

No matter how large the barriers in my life, God is up for the job.  Only He can give me the strength and courage to hang on when the storms of life rage around me. (Isaiah 43:2)

When I am in the middle of the seemingly impossible, I can choose to move forward with the assurance that God will deliver me.

Example

The sun gleamed, reflecting off the blade of the knife held high over his head.  Even though he lay in such a vulnerable position, laid out as a sacrifice to the Lord, his heart beat steadily.  The words of his father ran through his mind, bringing him comfort and the assurance that all would turn out well.  "We will come right back," he had said to their servants. (Genesis 22:5)  Isaac knew he would return home with his father.

As the mother of four daughters, it is hard for me to think about killing one of them in obedience to God's calling.  The more I know about God, however, the more plausible it becomes.  Abraham's faith in God was strong.  As a father, it was his desire to not only obey God, but to demonstrate his faith through the example he left for Isaac.  As one who loved his son as much as I love my daughters, his act of obedience wasn't cruel or unloving.  On the contrary, I would say he probably showed great love and care as he placed Isaac on the altar.

More importantly, though, was the faith he exhibited for his son.  Instead of feeling fear and trepidation at what was to come, then, Isaac only felt peace as his father's faith rubbed off on him.  His father's confidence in a God who could raise him from the dead gave him reassurance to move forward with a quiet sense of calm.

I, too, have the opportunity to demonstrate my faith to those who are following me or simply observing my life.  When hard times come, do I boldly live, knowing that God will provide or do I sink into depression, afraid that my life is over?   When I am asked to do what seems impossible, do I willingly rise to the occasion knowing that God will equip me or do I shrink away from the challenge, troubled by the thought of the test?  When bad things keep happening, do I speak of the hope I have in Christ, or only of the pain I feel in my heart?

However I react, I can be sure that people are watching.  Either they will gain confidence in the God I trust or they will see that my God is really not all that great.

When I speak the vision my faith gives me, all those around me can share in God's mighty acts and will then give Him glory.

What I believe about God is evident in the way I respond to His call.  When I move forward down the path He laid out for me despite the difficulty it brings, live with the vision of what He has promised as if it were a done deal, and leave a powerful example in my speech, then my life will  express a faith in a God of integrity.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can live my life this day as if my God can do anything.

How do I betray my lack of faith in the way I tackle difficulties?

When do I convey a spirit of doubt in the way I talk about my circumstances?

I am a Promise

" Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about."      Genesis 22: 2-3

Obedience  Imagine the scene.  Three men, a boy and a donkey loaded down with wood trudging through the unrelenting heat.  Dust billows through the air as they march along on a mission.  The older man stops, squinting into the sun, straining to see his destination. 

"Isaac, water the donkey please. . .I'll makes sure my men get a drink of water.  We should almost be there, it's been three days since we left home."

"Where, Father?  You haven't told me where we're going."

"Don't worry, my son.  Our Father in heaven has sent us on a mission.  It will soon be made clear."

Promise Keeper  What was going on in Abraham's mind as he walked? Did he doubt?  Did he mourn for his only son?  Did he ask God, "Why?"  He had plenty of time to turn back, but the extraordinary thing about Abraham is that he received the command from God and immediately obeyed.  The next morning.  Abraham knew God was a promise keeper.  He had experienced that time and time again.  He knew now would be no different!  Isaac was the vessel by which God's promise of blessing to all nations would be fulfilled.  Abraham was able to obey instantly, without consulting his advisors, his wife, or any man, because Abraham kept his focus on the Promise Keeper.

The Love of God   We also have received many promises from the Promise Keeper.  One, recorded in Romans 8:38-39, is that nothing can separate us from God's love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   When life gets hard and it seems all is lost, keeping my eyes upon the One who will keep this promise is the key to conquering my own fears and doubts.  Its easy to wonder where I went wrong when life is hard. It's easy to think God has left me and that He doesn't love me any more.  But God is not in the business of making me happy and comfortable.  He is all about furthering His purpose and molding me into the woman He created me to be in Christ Jesus.  Sometimes, His loving hand feels hard upon me. 

More than Conquerors   This same passage of Romans reminds us that, although it seems the whole world is out to get us, we have hope.  "If God is for us, who can be against us?"  He is bigger than all our problems, and since we belong to Him, He will take care of us.  We can boldly obey God as Abraham did if we will only keep our eyes on Him.

I am a Promise  The Gaithers had a children's song* back in the '70s that spoke to a promise. As a child of God, I find the message te be encouraging. 

I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital "P"
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin' to hear God's voice
And I am tryin' to make the right choice
I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be.

I can go anywhere that He wants me to go
I can be anything He wants me to be
I can climb the high mountains
I can cross the wide sea
I'm a great big promise you see!

As I begin this day, my prayer is that I will keep my eyes upon the Promise Keeper, especially when things don't go the way I planned.

Where am I putting off God's calling in my life?

What am I afraid to do that God has called me to do?

* Lyrics from http://www.biblestudycharts.com/CH_I_Am_A_Promise.html