God's been in the providing business since the beginning of time, however, sometimes His providing looks a little different than what we'd expect it should.
Take Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Now, that's what I call provision. Yet when they sinned, God cast them out of that perfect place to work and scrounge for food for the rest of their lives. That doesn't seem like provision to us, but if you notice, even in the painful act of eviction, God brought provision.
For you see, Adam and Eve had already eaten of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They had already tasted it's fruit and found it delightful to the palate. It was at that point the Tree of Life became a forbidden tree. If Adam and Eve had stayed in the Garden in their condemned state and then eaten of the Tree of Life, they would eternally be bound in sin. They would live forever in their darkened state, and so would we. God's provision was their eviction. It was different than what they expected, but better than what they could have imagined.
How 'bout Jonah? You know, I thought for most of my life that Jonah was being punished by God when that giant of a fish swallowed him whole. Imagine the stench of rotting fish AND of your own body as it sat decaying in the stomach acid. Death by acid...not a way to go!
Yet, once again, my idea of God's provision is much different than reality. For if Jonah hadn't been swallowed by a giant fish, he would have drowned in the sea, never to be heard from again. Ninevah would probably have been wiped off the face of the earth and all the people of the city condemned...if it hadn't been for Jonah's nights with the fish! God's provision was different than what Jonah expected, but better than what he could have ever imagined.
I'll give you one more example, and this is the Mac Daddy of all! Jesus Christ, the King of kings, entered our world as an infant wrapped in pieces of cloth and laid to sleep in a stinky cattle manger, all for our salvation. He lived a poor man's life and died a convicted man's death. God's provision - different than we'd expect, but better than we could ever have imagined.
How 'bout you? Do you have a "different" provision testimony, as well? Can you remember a time in your life when you prayed and prayed for something to happen, and it didn't...only to be grateful later on down the road that it didn't? Or are you in one of those moments right now when you are struggling to see God's provision in your circumstances? Let me encourage you...sometimes God doesn't provide in the way we want Him to or think He should, but that doesn't mean that He's not providing. He is in the midst of your circumstances, giving you the best He has to offer. He knows what you need and when you need it. He's aware of your painful struggle and wants to help heal you through it. My friend, He is good. He is trustworthy. He is able.
Oh, and yes, sometimes His ways of providing for us are a little different than what we'd expect, but I can promise you, they are far better than we could ever imagine.
Lord, I pray for the person reading this that you would reveal Yourself to them in a very personal way today...that You would shock them with Your reality and that You would provide more than they could ever imagine. Give them strength to wait. Give them patience as they trust You. We thank You, God, that You are our Provider. We praise You Father...praise You.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The Turning Away of Wrath
My Grandpa Vardaman must have been an amazing man. He passed away when I was small, so I don't remember much about this tall, hard-working man, but I have heard stories. Evidently, Grandpa had "a way" with people, animals, and yes, even insects. As a matter of fact, he kept many beehives at his home, and gathered honey from them on a continuous basis. It is said that my Grandpa could rob a hive of honey bees without any protective gear at all, and NEVER be stung.
Just from that tid-bit of information, I gather that Grandpa must have been, at least in some ways, a gentle man. Otherwise, he would have never been able to steal honey from his hives without being the victum of a few bee stings. If he was hasty or impatient with his little winged-workers, I'm sure they would have let him know of their unhappiness with his harsh behavior. It probably took a few tries before he mastered the process, but evidently, he found that gentleness, instead of harshness, pays huge dividends in honey - and in life, too!
Unlike Grandpa though, I'm afraid sometimes, we're not such quick studies when it comes to learning lessons. I know I'm not. I usually end up learning them the hard way. And learning to be gentle with my tongue, is no exception.
Proverbs 15:1 says "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." This Truth has been played out in life more times that you and I can count, and probably more times in our own lives more than we can count. But which part of the verse exemplifies you? Are you the one who always speaks with gentleness, or are your words characteristic of the latter part of this verse? I find that more times that not, that sharp tongue of mine seems to rise to the occasion, and incite wrath when it could have otherwise been avoided.
How crazy would it have been for my Grandpa to rush up to the beehive, jerk the lid off, and start treating the bees with anything other than gentleness. He'd come away from that experience sore, poisoned, and rather guarded from any future contact with the hive. He'd also come away empty-handed.
Sounds a little crazy doesn't it?
And yet, we do that kind of thing all the time, and that result becomes my reality. Lack of sleep and stress get to our weary bodies, and rather than being gentle with those around us and showing them the respect they deserve, we run "ramshod" over their feelings. Those we love walk away emotionally sore, poisoned, and guarded from any future contact with us. And as for us, well, we come away emotionally empty-handed.
But what about when we are the offended ones? Does this Truth still ring true? Of course, it does. For instance, if someone chooses to "bite" at me, and I fight my instantaneous reaction to fight back, wrath can be avoided. The gentleness in my words and actions can diffuse not just my anger, but that of the other person, and it will keep the situation from escalating further.
Can I just ask, how much better would our lives and our relationships be if we put this simple little verse into practice? There's no reason not to, so, let's do it. Let's remember to act in gentleness, when we feel like being harsh. Let's remember to check our retaliations at the door when we feel unjustly accused. Let's choose to be gentle and respect the other individual as precious in the sight of God...our King.
Dearest God, I need help with this today. Help me give the gentle answer...to be the one who diffuses an intense situation...to be Christ-like when I don't feel very Christ-like. Thank You that You will do this for me. Thank You that Your Word is so true and that You are wisdom for me. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You.
Just from that tid-bit of information, I gather that Grandpa must have been, at least in some ways, a gentle man. Otherwise, he would have never been able to steal honey from his hives without being the victum of a few bee stings. If he was hasty or impatient with his little winged-workers, I'm sure they would have let him know of their unhappiness with his harsh behavior. It probably took a few tries before he mastered the process, but evidently, he found that gentleness, instead of harshness, pays huge dividends in honey - and in life, too!
Unlike Grandpa though, I'm afraid sometimes, we're not such quick studies when it comes to learning lessons. I know I'm not. I usually end up learning them the hard way. And learning to be gentle with my tongue, is no exception.
Proverbs 15:1 says "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." This Truth has been played out in life more times that you and I can count, and probably more times in our own lives more than we can count. But which part of the verse exemplifies you? Are you the one who always speaks with gentleness, or are your words characteristic of the latter part of this verse? I find that more times that not, that sharp tongue of mine seems to rise to the occasion, and incite wrath when it could have otherwise been avoided.
How crazy would it have been for my Grandpa to rush up to the beehive, jerk the lid off, and start treating the bees with anything other than gentleness. He'd come away from that experience sore, poisoned, and rather guarded from any future contact with the hive. He'd also come away empty-handed.
Sounds a little crazy doesn't it?
And yet, we do that kind of thing all the time, and that result becomes my reality. Lack of sleep and stress get to our weary bodies, and rather than being gentle with those around us and showing them the respect they deserve, we run "ramshod" over their feelings. Those we love walk away emotionally sore, poisoned, and guarded from any future contact with us. And as for us, well, we come away emotionally empty-handed.
But what about when we are the offended ones? Does this Truth still ring true? Of course, it does. For instance, if someone chooses to "bite" at me, and I fight my instantaneous reaction to fight back, wrath can be avoided. The gentleness in my words and actions can diffuse not just my anger, but that of the other person, and it will keep the situation from escalating further.
Can I just ask, how much better would our lives and our relationships be if we put this simple little verse into practice? There's no reason not to, so, let's do it. Let's remember to act in gentleness, when we feel like being harsh. Let's remember to check our retaliations at the door when we feel unjustly accused. Let's choose to be gentle and respect the other individual as precious in the sight of God...our King.
Dearest God, I need help with this today. Help me give the gentle answer...to be the one who diffuses an intense situation...to be Christ-like when I don't feel very Christ-like. Thank You that You will do this for me. Thank You that Your Word is so true and that You are wisdom for me. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You.
Monday, January 9, 2012
God is Big, Really, Really Big
Sometimes I get so wrapped up in life that I have a tendency to forget the "bigness" of God. I forget that He ...wraps himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of His upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds His chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants. (Ps. 104:2-4). It just doesn't get much bigger than that.
That is, unless you read Job 38...
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels[a] shouted for joy? "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’? “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken. “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth? “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together? “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?
I don't know about you, but just reading those few verses causes a deep sense of awe in my spirit. That's why I cut and pasted the whole chapter. If you skipped any of it, because it's too long, I challenge you to go back and read it. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe the words, much less the God they represent.
God IS big...really, really big. Seriously, He's more powerful, more knowledgeable, more able, more capable, more everything than we could ever completely understand this side of Heaven. His awesomeness is humbling, exciting and downright scary when you think about it.
Yet, this same BIG God - Who appointed the moon for seasons and the rising and setting of the sun (which by the way, keeps us alive!) - this same God Who carved the mountains and valleys with His fingertips - this same amazing, awe-inspiring, unbelieveably HUGE God, isn't TOO BIG for us.
In all honesty, we should be too small for Him. We should be mere ants on the HUGE scheme of His existence. Who am I kidding...we shouldn't even be on the scheme of His existence! Yet, He calls us His cherished and prized possession...His children...His friends. The God of "Bigness" dances over us with joy and quiets us with His love (Zeph. 3:17). He enjoys our company. He desires communion and fellowship with us. He wants us to be His own...His very own.
Talk about BIG...
Dear God, I praise You that You are BIG...bigger than anything I can comprehend, and yet, You are my God, my Companion, my Love, my Friend. When life happens, remind me of Who You are and how You love me, even in Your "bigness." I praise You, Jesus. I praise You.
That is, unless you read Job 38...
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels[a] shouted for joy? "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’? “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken. “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth? “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together? “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?
I don't know about you, but just reading those few verses causes a deep sense of awe in my spirit. That's why I cut and pasted the whole chapter. If you skipped any of it, because it's too long, I challenge you to go back and read it. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe the words, much less the God they represent.
God IS big...really, really big. Seriously, He's more powerful, more knowledgeable, more able, more capable, more everything than we could ever completely understand this side of Heaven. His awesomeness is humbling, exciting and downright scary when you think about it.
Yet, this same BIG God - Who appointed the moon for seasons and the rising and setting of the sun (which by the way, keeps us alive!) - this same God Who carved the mountains and valleys with His fingertips - this same amazing, awe-inspiring, unbelieveably HUGE God, isn't TOO BIG for us.
In all honesty, we should be too small for Him. We should be mere ants on the HUGE scheme of His existence. Who am I kidding...we shouldn't even be on the scheme of His existence! Yet, He calls us His cherished and prized possession...His children...His friends. The God of "Bigness" dances over us with joy and quiets us with His love (Zeph. 3:17). He enjoys our company. He desires communion and fellowship with us. He wants us to be His own...His very own.
Talk about BIG...
Dear God, I praise You that You are BIG...bigger than anything I can comprehend, and yet, You are my God, my Companion, my Love, my Friend. When life happens, remind me of Who You are and how You love me, even in Your "bigness." I praise You, Jesus. I praise You.
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