Used

"Now this man Micah had a shrine,

and he made an ephod and some household gods 

and installed one of his sons as his priest.

In those days Israel had no king;'

everyone did as they saw fit."

Judges 17:5

He and his mother were forced to move away from their home, settling instead in Bethlehem within her clan of Judah.  People had forgotten the ways of the Lord, neglecting to tithe. Therefore, this young man who had been set aside for service to the Lord by birthright could not provide for he and his mother (Numbers 18:20-24). Instead of staying put, then, they decided to return to the home of her youth.  Life there was difficult without the provision of the people's required offerings. 

So, one night, the young Levite crept away.  Telling no one, he started his journey, looking for adventure and somewhere else to stay.  Soon he came upon a man in Ephraim who had set up his own shrine.  When the man living there in the hills found out the young wanderer was a Levite, he was ecstatic. 

Micah used God by forming his own personal religion, employing the wandering Levite who was willing to be bought off.  Both men received what they sought; the young sojourner found a home where his Levitical heritage was respected, and the homeowner was given the opportunity to legitimize his religion.  I guess you could say it was a win-win arrangement.

Unfortunately, neither sought God's will in this situation.  Instead, both were a kind of lone-wolf, using God to fulfill their own visions.  While I may not go so far as to set up my own religion, I am in danger of going out on my own in some ways.  Therefore, I would be wise to remember the characteristics of God.

Sovereignty of God

I make my plans then ask God's help to carry them out.  I justify this risky way of living by telling myself that God must have given me these plans, or that the aspirations I have come from Him, or that He wants to help me make my dreams come true.  After all, I rationalize, God wants me to be happy, doesn't He?  

Unfortunately for me, I have a low view of God.  He is not here for my benefit, to cater to my desires or to make me look good.  How could the created lead the Creator (Isaiah 29:16)?  Instead, God is sovereign over all things.  He has a plan of which I know nothing, necessitating my connection to Him.  If I don't seek Him out, I'll have no idea what He wants me to do (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Living with a respect for God's sovereign nature means I'll recognize His lordship over every part of my life, hindering my natural tendency to do what seems right to me.  Instead of following my own instincts or common sense, I'll seek out God in an effort to honor Him as King of my life (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Honoring God as sovereign also means I'll accept my place, embrace my calling and acknowledge the importance of the position in which He has placed me.  While its easy for me to complain about my current circumstances, compare myself to others and come up short or yearn for something more, I will show respect for God's dominion in my life by making the most of who He has made me to be, right where He has placed me (Romans 9:19-20).

Revering God as the One who is in charge of all things means I'll remember how He can use every situation to bring about good.  I can be sure He is right there with me, looking out for my own best interest, even when it doesn't feel good (Romans 8:28).

I honor God's sovereign nature when I let Him serve as Lord of my life instead of using Him as some kind of magic talisman that can get me what I want.

Holiness of God

The colors found in the desert rock formation reminded me of a sunset.  Sudden movement off to the side caught my attention as a chipmunk scurried up a large stone, perching there while munching on a nut like a spectator watching a sporting event.  A vulture circling above looking for prey gave me the impression of a car salesman making the rounds in his lot, trying to make a sale.  

Everything in all of creation can be compared to something else with which I am familiar.  Understanding comes when I measure the strange and unique against the common and recognizable.  In this way I can comprehend what seems difficult or just plain different.

When I try to use this same exercise to help me understand God, however, I get myself in trouble.  I attempt to compare the triune nature of God with the three forms of water: liquid, gas and solid.  Unfortunately, this contrast is not perfect.  Similarly, I may assess the fatherly nature of God as compared to my own earthly dad, leaving me with an inadequate description.  Hearing that God is my Shepherd, I try fitting Him into the mold of one who leads sheep.  While this gives me a good start to understanding His role as my Guide, it falls short of reaching the fullness of His nature.

Instead of trying to compare God to something in His creation, I must accept that I don't need to understand Him fully in order to follow Him.  His ways are higher than mine and His thoughts far superior to anything my mind can drum up (Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, there are some things about God that I must accept by faith, reminding myself of His holy nature.

I recognize the holiness of God when I embrace Him and His ways as He teaches me, resisting my tendency to want to understand before I'll accept.

Relational Aspect of God

It wasn't so much that he didn't understand that bothered me.  Rather, it was the fact that he didn't seem to care enough to try to find out what made me tick.  When I was going through that marriage crisis, it was my husband's desire to grow closer to me that I craved the most.

I think we can all agree that the desire to be known and loved is as basic as the need for sustenance.  For instance, while a baby may survive without being held, it will not thrive apart from some kind of affection.  We all need connection with others who care for us.

Being made in God's image, it is apparent that this need for connection comes from our Maker.  He desires relationship with me as His child and He wove this longing for Him within each one of us, although I often seek to fill this void with lesser things (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  His desire for me is that I would share my heart with Him, depend upon Him to fulfill my every need and to love Him as He created me to love, seeking to know Him more each day through His holy Word.  

This is apparent in the life of David who was known as a man after God's own heart even though he committed the worst of sins (Acts 13:22). It was his desire to do as God had commanded that drew Him closer to God.  God knew that He could trust David with important missions, but also with tender truths that fall close to His heart.

Obedience is the outward manifestation of one's heart.  If I am bent on doing things my own way, I will forsake the leading of the Lord and go off on my own.  If, however, I am mostly concerned with my relationship with Him, I will be careful to do as He says, being unwilling to sacrifice my connection to Him just so I can get my way.  In other words, preserving my relationship with the Lord weighs heavily on every decision I make.

I show my understanding of God's heart when I place my relationship with Him above everything else, seeking to grow closer to Him more and more with each passing day.

In the same way that Micah came up with his own form of religion, I am guilty of doing the same, using God to try to get what I want, thinking I can completely fathom His ways, and seeking to impress Him with my dependable service.  If I want to guard against these common mistakes, I must remember God's sovereign and holy nature as well as His highest desire for me to build my relationship with Him.  In these ways, I'll avoid the pitfalls of Micah and cease using God for my own benefit.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to do what He says even if I don't understand what He's doing.

When do I place my desire to get something out of God above my desire to grow closer to Him?

How do I use God like a magic talisman, hoping He will supernaturally make things work out to my benefit?


Originally Published on April 1, 2014

Trust God Enough

"But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

'Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites,

you will not bring this community into the land I give them.'"

Numbers 20:12

They had been there before and would probably be there again.  When they were slaves in Egypt, treated unfairly and beaten on a regular basis, they cried out to the Lord for salvation.  When God delivered them from bondage, setting them free from the cruel hand of the Egyptian taskmasters, they rejoiced for a time, that is until things didn't seem to be going the way they imagined they would go.  

As soon as the going got tough, the Israelites got to whining.  "We would have been better off if we been struck down with Korah's rebels! (Numbers 16)  At least they've been delivered from this suffering.  Even Egypt was better than this.  At least there we had grain, figs, grapes and pomegranates.  Out here in the desert, we don't even have water to drink!"  They complained to Moses and Aaron, blaming their leaders for bringing them out into the desert to die.  

Despite their bad attitudes, God heard their cries and instructed Moses to gather the people together and speak to a rock.  As soon as the words came from his mouth, God would bring forth water like a spring, supplying the people with a source of fresh water.  Instead of following God's instructions, however, Moses said, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock?"  In a show of dramatics, Moses then struck the rock twice.  Water gushed out and the people and livestock drank.  (Numbers 20:1-13)

As humble as Moses was, he did not take God's command seriously in this instance.  Out of frustration with the stiff-necked people under his care, he forgot the perfection and holiness of God.  As the Lord pointed out, Moses did not trust God enough to take Him at His word, instead trying to do things the way he thought was best.  Instead of doing it God's way, Moses obeyed using his own way, which is no obedience at all.

As clear as this rebellious spirit may be to me as I read the account of this event, I may not realize that I am often guilty of the same.

My Credit

I work hard, try to do the right thing and do my best to take good care of myself.  When things go well, then, it's easy for me to take credit for my promotion, the impact of a good deed, or a clean bill of health.  After all, I think to myself, I did try pretty hard; shouldn't I enjoy a pat on the back?

In reality, all good things are from the Lord. (James 1:17)  There is nothing good within me that is even capable of bringing about a result that is worthy of praise. (Romans 7:18, Jude 1:24-25)  Therefore, how can I honestly take credit for what God is doing in my life?

When Moses brought the people before the rock at Meribah, he did this very thing by taking credit for the miracle God was about to perform in bringing water out of an ordinary rock.  He said, ". . .must we bring you water out of this rock?" (Numbers 20:10)  Instead of acknowledging God as the source of the life-giving liquid, Moses tried to take credit for creating a new spring.

How often do I do the same?  I may think my financial security is due to my shrewd planning and frugal living. In reality, God gave me the ability to climb to the point where I now find myself, protecting me from ruin so I could enjoy the fruits of His grace and mercy.  

Other times I fool myself into thinking I've dodged the bullet of major health problems through exercise and good nutrition.  If the truth were told, however, my good health has more to do with genetics and God's sovereignty than with my efforts.  

Sometimes I try to take credit for my abilities, thinking it was my dedication and hard work that developed the talent and skills, completely ignoring the fact that God equipped me to do what He called me to accomplish in life.   

Whenever I am tempted to take credit for God's blessings, I would be wise to turn the praise back to the Lord, acknowledging Him in all my ways.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

My Way

Most people are familiar with the story of Robin Hood who stole from the rich to give to the poor.  This popular medieval folk figure could have adopted the precept that, "The ends justify the means."

While my human reasoning may agree with this principle, God does not.  He is concerned not only with the outcome, but also with the method used.  The way I get from point "A" to point "B" is just as important as the fact that I arrived at the intended destination.

When Moses took matters into his own hands and decided to strike the rock instead of speaking to it as God had instructed, he decided that his way was better than God's.  He may have thought,  as long as the people are supplied with water, does it matter how I brought it about? (Numbers 20:11)

God's focus is consistently on the heart of His people.  When I insist on tweaking the method to fit my vision, I am betraying a lack of trust in God's approach.  Instead of trusting God enough to buy into His way of doing things, I am essentially telling God that I don't think His plan will work.  God may be gracious enough to bring about the same result despite my disobedience like He did with Moses, but there will be consequences for insisting on using my own method.  

For Moses, this consequence was that he would not be allowed to lead his people into the promised land.  For me, it could be the loss of a certain blessing, or the lack of trust, or a broken relationship.   True obedience pays attention to the means used to reach the intended goal.   

Whenever I am tempted to do things my way, I would be wise to pay attention to both the method as well as the outcome.

My Own Understanding

As a military wife, I came to the conclusion long ago that I would have struggled as a soldier.  There are many times when my husband was ordered to do things that simply did not make sense to me.  I could have come up with a dozen reasons why I would not obey, but my husband dutifully complied, trusting in his chain of command.  

In order to be able to follow orders, a soldier must believe that his commanders have a reason for issuing a certain piece of instruction, even if that reason is not understood or even comprehended.  This is where I struggle.  

I think that it is important for me to understand why I am doing things.  If, for instance, I am asked to dig a hole, I want to know if I'm planting a tree, making a well, or preparing for a burial.  To my mind, it makes a difference.

This kind of desire gets me in trouble when it comes to the Lord.  His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts exist in the stratosphere while mine are down in the weeds.  (Isaiah 55:8-9) Therefore, I cannot assume to be able understand why God is asking me to wait, expecting me to love those who hurt me, or humble myself to the point of a servant.  In my mind, it may make more sense if I got what I needed now, if I dished out what was given to me, or if I stood up for my rights.  Instead of doing what makes sense to me, however, I must trust God enough to believe He has a plan of which I know nothing.

Moses made the mistake of not holding God up before the people of Israel as One who is holy and whose ways are too profound to comprehend. (Numbers 20:12)  He did not demonstrate how to obey God implicitly without question.  Instead, he showed his people that God didn't always know what He was doing and that sometimes one needed to kick things up a notch.  It's no wonder that God took away the privilege for Moses to enter into the promised land.  I had better pay attention to the lesson found in Moses' error.

Whenever I am tempted to only obey when I agree or understand, I would be wise to submit to God's unfathomable ways.

I can say that I trust God all day long, but until I prove it by giving Him all the credit for the good in my life, choosing His way over mine, and obeying Him even if I don't understand what He is doing, my faith is not real.  This day, then, I want to take the lesson of Moses to heart and trust God enough to obey Him wholeheartedly.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can prove my faith in God by how seriously I take His commands.

When do I insist on knowing all the details before I'll commit to God's calling?

How do I try to take credit for the good God has given to me?  

Holiness of God

"The LORD gave these instructions to Moses:

'Command the people of Israel to remove from the camp

anyone who has a skin disease or a discharge,

or who has become ceremonially unclean by 

touching a dead person.

This command applies to men and women alike.

Remove them so they will not defile the camp in which

I live among them.'"

Numbers 5:1-3

Completely conquer the inhabiting peoples.

Make no treaties with these nations.

Show no mercy to these people groups.

Don't intermarry with these foreigners.

Destroy religious artifacts and altars of these nations.

God gave this list of instructions to His people before they entered into the land He had promised them but which was inhabited by seven powerful and mighty nations.  When God gave these commands, it was with the intention that His chosen people were to remain pure and true to Him, not because they were special in and of themselves.  Instead, they were only considered to be exceptional because the Lord had chosen them.  (Deuteronomy 7:1-6)

I'm sure the Israelites were not so different from me, sometimes thinking there was something special in themselves that stood out, grabbing God's attention and motivating Him to choose them as His own.  To make it perfectly clear, though, God reminded His people that He had chosen them simply because He loved them and that He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that He would. (Deuteronomy 7:7-11)

Getting back to God's insistence on purity, I have to ask, Why was it so important that God's people be pure?  He didn't want them to be contaminated by disease, foreign gods or anything unclean.  Adherence to such rules could easily make them think they were better than all other peoples.  This, however, was not the intention.  Instead, God wanted His people to practice purity because He as their God, and now as mine, is holy.

Higher

They thought they had God all figured out.  They told Job all about the One who created them from nothing.  Job's friends put the suffering man on trial, treating him like a criminal and trying to force a confession out of him.  Instead of comforting him, they found themselves defending God and lecturing Job on the reasons for what they saw as punishment.

It wasn't long before God responded.  When He did, there was no doubt as to Who was supreme and sovereign.  He asked such questions as, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" (Job 38:4) and "Have you visited the storehouses of snow or seen the storehouses of hail?" (v 22)  The Lord drilled Job with queries like, "Is it your wisdom that makes the hawks soar or spread its wings toward the South?" (Job 39:26)  Job and his friends were definitely put in their rightful place and they came away humbled.

God's ways are much higher than mine.  (Isaiah 55:8-9)  I cannot expect to understand or even fathom His purposes.  Therefore, I must trust Him with my life, knowing that His plan is best yet realizing that I may not comprehend why He is leading me down a certain path.  Instead, it is my job to follow, leaving the "why" and the "how" up to Him.  

So when I am stricken by illness after illness, leaving me feeling like a useless shell of what I used to be, I can look to the One who directs my footsteps and know that He has a plan for the pain.  Or when I go through times of want, struggling to make ends meet, I can look for the lessons He is teaching me in the middle of the desert.  Or when I feel like I am all alone, ceasing to sense His presence despite my searching, I can remember that I stand in the shadow of His Almighty.

The holiness of God reminds me that His ways are much higher than mine and can never be fully understood.

Worthy

"I just want you to know that you deserve the best.  You are beautiful." Lil Wayne

"Timidity keeps people from their good.  They are afraid to say, 'Yes, I deserve it.'" Maya Angelou

"You deserve to be happy.  You deserve delight."  Hannah Arendt

Is it any wonder that we live in an age of entitlement?  We are constantly bombarded by such self-absorbed messages which appeal to our sinful natures.  After all, who doesn't want to be the center of attention and receive the best out of life?

The problem is, however, that God did not create me to get all the things I think I deserve.  Instead, He created me for His own purposes, and He is the only one who deserves anything at all.  In fact, since this is His creation, I would even go so far as to say that I should learn to be thankful that He even gives me my next breath.

Instead, I often adopt the attitude that I've worked hard and I deserve a break.  Other times, I justify my sinful ways by listing all the things that I think I do right.  Sometimes, I even find myself thinking I have earned some kind of benefit or reward due to my effort or attitude.

These are the times when I must remember that only God is worthy to be praised and exalted. (Revelation 4:11)  Even though I want recognition for a job well done, the Lord is the one who deserves all the credit.  Without Him, I would not even have the tools or even the life to accomplish anything.

Even though I think my sin is not a big deal in the scheme of things, God is the only One who can judge my heart.  Even though I've decided that my endeavors have earned me something good, only God is righteous enough to offer blessing or curse.

Instead of focusing on my own value, then, I would be wise to consider the worthiness of God to be praised and exalted above all things.  It is easy to either lift myself up too high, or not see any merit in myself at all.  In the place of putting myself on the scale in the first place, I can keep my attention on the One who created me in His image, knowing that He is the only One who is worthy to be praised. (Psalm 145:3)

The holiness of God reminds me that He is the only One who is worthy to receive praise and honor, keeping my attention fully on Him.

Majestic

The mighty mountain peak towered above the surrounding land, reigning over the plains and valleys.  Everyone who visited the Puget Sound area marveled at the beauty and majesty of Mount Rainier.  

Like a snow-covered mountain peak that can take my breath away, God is similarly majestic in power and authority.  There is nothing God cannot do and no place where He cannot visit.  As Moses and Miriam sang after God delivered them on dry land through the Red Sea, rescuing them from the persistent and powerful Egyptians, "Your right hand, O LORD, is glorious in power.  Your right hand, O LORD, smashes the enemy.  In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow those who rise against you.  You unleash your blazing fury; it consumes them like straw."  (Exodus 15:6-7)

Since God is for me through faith in Jesus Christ, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31)  Who can thwart the plans of the Almighty?  Who can trip up His purposes for my life?  Therefore, I can trust Him to do what is right, to lead me on the path that is best for me, and to protect me from those who want to harm me.  

The holiness of God reminds me that He has power and authority over all things making Him the only One who can be trusted to lead me into the unknown of tomorrow.

God wants me to live a life of purity because of His holiness.  This means that He is a God whose ways are higher than mine, who is the only One who is worthy to be praised, and who is majestic in power and authority.  When I dedicate myself to living a life set aside for Him, I end up glorifying these attributes of my holy God.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can worship the holy God in the way I live my life.

When do I take His holiness lightly?

How do I lower God's status in order for Him to meet my own standards?