My heart has been rejoicing lately. God has been teaching me the true power of prayer, and as I meditate of Him, and His answers to my heart's desires I cannot help but to be overcome with peace and joy.
Psalm 28: 7 says this, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song."
Psalm 30: 11-12 say this, "You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever."
Psalm 34: 1-3 say this, "I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together!"
I desire to worship Him, to rejoice in Him, and to glorify Him. Will you join me?
Will you testify to the power of prayer, and of His grace, faithfulness, and mercy in your life?
Give thanks to Him!
Please leave a comment and let's lift His name higher as we testify to His goodness and glory...
Thank you Father that You have met each of my needs as You have restored our family, and have let Your love and mercy rest on our home.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Facing the Giant
Whenever someone asks me about my husband's job, or his schedule, my answer is almost always followed by them saying, "How do you do that?", or "I could never do that!", or "You must be such a strong woman!", or "That must be so hard!"
My husband is away more than he's home; it's just the way it is, and while there are days, or sometimes weeks, that are really difficult, somehow the kids and I make it through...one day at a time. You see, God has an amazing way of giving us exactly what we need for each and every day. Some days there is nothing left at the end of it, but His mercy is new every morning. For forty years the Israelites awoke to manna from heaven to feed them, so too I awake each day with my fill to get me from sunrise to sunrise. That's how I do it; step by step with faith knowing that today, and only today, is what matters.
I meet with a small group of military wives once a week while our husbands are away. We've been focusing our discussions on the book of James, and for the past few weeks we've been really meditating on faith and deeds; how the blending of our beliefs and actions attest to the faith we have in our Savior. James 2:26 says, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
This doesn't mean that without action we don't really have salvation; it just means that without action we can't produce fruit, we can't sow seeds, and while we are still attached to the body, we're not much good to it.
Throughout this discussion we started talking about examples of faith in the Bible. A question was posed asking what man or woman of faith was our favorite example from the Word. I was stumped for a while, and as the roll call of names started filing through my mind I thought, "How in the world can you pick just one???" Reading Hebrews 11 alone you have more than a handful of amazing examples of faithful men and women to choose from. I was bothered by having to pick one (not that I had to, but the question was out there, and I wanted to answer it), but then I realized that David kept coming to my mind.
In Hebrews 11 David is listed among those the author "didn't have time to tell about...", but as faithful nonetheless. Let me tell you what David means to me, and why he is the answer to my favorite example of faith as it applies to my life.
David was a shepherd boy who was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to one day become the king. God had his hand on David from the beginning, and as David's life unfolds throughout scripture we see that he was very human, and very faithful. I am amazed at David's heart of praise for God; in the victories, in the midst of battles, and in the throes of sin and its consequences David's faith never wavered. There were times that He felt God's face turn from him, but even then he held on and praised His Name. I love it, but my favorite part of his story comes when he was just a boy.
We tell our kids the Sunday School version of David and Goliath; there's a cute little song about it, and there is a VeggieTales version of it where David is an asparagus and Goliath is a big pickle. We down play it and over-talk it, but have you ever stopped to think of that little boy standing in front of that gigantic, fearsome man, preparing to fight to the death? I know for me, I often don't think of these biblical figures as real flesh and blood people; they are stories, and I am so far removed from that time in history that they almost seem like fairy tales, but they're not. Those people in those stories were really; they were just like you and me. They had feelings and fears; they loved and they despised. They felt pain, they felt cold and heat, and they breathed in and breathed out the same as me and you.
In 1 Samuel 16 we read of Samuel anointing David; when Samuel was searching for God's chosen one (David) the Lord said to him, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him (speaking of David's older brother). The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." As soon as Samuel saw David he knew that David was "the one" despite his age or small size.
A short while later the Philistines came to wage war on the Israelites; the two armies occupied hillsides facing one another. Imagine the tension that was building between these two; the hatred, the waiting...
The bible says Goliath was over nine feet tall; he was clothed in armor from head to foot. Goliath boldly paraded in front of the Israelites for forty days, and for forty days he tormented them. They were at a standstill; the Philistines knew no one could defeat Goliath. They had it in the bag, and yet they waited, and waited. The bible says that every morning the armies would line up and face each other; Goliath would step forward and Israel would cower. Here was a people who God had protected and gone before over and over and over again, yet they still feared; they still didn't trust Him.
Who would've known that on the fortieth day David would enter the camp? When Samuel had anointed David the bible says in 1 Samuel 16:13 that, "from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power." With God's Spirit, David was bold in his actions, and he never doubted that he and his people were squarely in the palm of God's hand.
David came to the camp that day to deliver food to the Israelites, and to check up on his brothers; he was too young to join the army, and he had stayed home to tend to the sheep while his brothers were away. He arrived just as the armies were lining up, and in his excitement he ran to the battles lines to see his brothers. It was at that moment that Goliath appeared across the valley, and it was at that moment that the whole of the Israelite army ran in fear from this giant of a man. As David set out to discover who this giant was and just why no one was willing to stand up to him, he found himself in the tent of King Saul: "David said to Saul, 'Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.' Saul replied, 'You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.' But David said to Saul,'....the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear (while tending sheep) will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.'"
David, small as he was, was confident that God would deliver him; while grown men cowered, this young boy stood up.
Saul tried to clothe David in armor, and respectfully David declined; he took his shepherd's staff, a sling and five little stones, and stood before Goliath. Goliath taunted him, dismissed him, and threatened to feed his flesh to the birds. David stood his ground. I imagine in that moment he had fluttering inside of him. I think of the father in Mark chapter 9 who said to Jesus, "I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!" David trusted in the one true God, but he was a human boy with human feelings; he wasn't a fairy tale character devoid of emotion yet he stood there boldly with God by his side. God gave him the power and the belief to overcome fear. Seeing David's boldness Goliath was enraged; in his fury he started to run towards David. David took one stone, put it in his sling, heaved it at the giant, and killed him. He didn't have armor, he didn't have a sword, he didn't have an army with shields and weapons of every kind backing him up; he had a stone, a sling, and the God of Israel on his side...that's it.
I love David; I love that when everyone else cowered away he stood up and fought. He was just boy, but God's spirit was with him, and with that nothing was impossible for him.
My friends and I are facing a giant right now. In just a few weeks our husbands will leave on an extended deployment. What that means is that the usual six month deployments that we are used to is not what we're facing. We're looking at about 9 months without our husbands; while our community has it "easy" compared to some in the military, that's still an incredibly long time to be away from your loved one; that's still an incredibly long time for 3 little boys to be missing their daddy. It's a giant, and it's standing there before us just waiting... We're at a stand still; when our husbands return home next week we will have a short reprieve before we step across that valley and come face to face with the inevitable.
On my own I'm not strong enough, but the Holy Spirit is with me in power, and though I'm small and I'm weak He is more than strong enough to walk me (and all of my friends and our husbands) through each and every day that we are apart.
That's my giant; it's glaring, it's taunting, and it's not going away until we deal with it head on. That's the way giants are; they're ugly, they're fearsome, and they'll overcome you if you let them.
Are you facing a giant right now? Are you confident with where you stand? Is your faith strong enough to enable you to step forward when everyone else steps back? Do you trust that each day God will provide you with at you need?
If not, check yourself, get on your knees and have a conversation your Savior; He is the giver of strength. You may not have an army who's got your back, you may be alone as you stand before your Goliath, and on your own you may be completely under equipped to fight any battle, but when you put your complete trust and faith in the one true God, and step out to fight the fight He has called you to...it's in the bag. Face your giant with the boldness that comes from your God who's power is made perfect in your weakness.
My husband is away more than he's home; it's just the way it is, and while there are days, or sometimes weeks, that are really difficult, somehow the kids and I make it through...one day at a time. You see, God has an amazing way of giving us exactly what we need for each and every day. Some days there is nothing left at the end of it, but His mercy is new every morning. For forty years the Israelites awoke to manna from heaven to feed them, so too I awake each day with my fill to get me from sunrise to sunrise. That's how I do it; step by step with faith knowing that today, and only today, is what matters.
I meet with a small group of military wives once a week while our husbands are away. We've been focusing our discussions on the book of James, and for the past few weeks we've been really meditating on faith and deeds; how the blending of our beliefs and actions attest to the faith we have in our Savior. James 2:26 says, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
This doesn't mean that without action we don't really have salvation; it just means that without action we can't produce fruit, we can't sow seeds, and while we are still attached to the body, we're not much good to it.
Throughout this discussion we started talking about examples of faith in the Bible. A question was posed asking what man or woman of faith was our favorite example from the Word. I was stumped for a while, and as the roll call of names started filing through my mind I thought, "How in the world can you pick just one???" Reading Hebrews 11 alone you have more than a handful of amazing examples of faithful men and women to choose from. I was bothered by having to pick one (not that I had to, but the question was out there, and I wanted to answer it), but then I realized that David kept coming to my mind.
In Hebrews 11 David is listed among those the author "didn't have time to tell about...", but as faithful nonetheless. Let me tell you what David means to me, and why he is the answer to my favorite example of faith as it applies to my life.
David was a shepherd boy who was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to one day become the king. God had his hand on David from the beginning, and as David's life unfolds throughout scripture we see that he was very human, and very faithful. I am amazed at David's heart of praise for God; in the victories, in the midst of battles, and in the throes of sin and its consequences David's faith never wavered. There were times that He felt God's face turn from him, but even then he held on and praised His Name. I love it, but my favorite part of his story comes when he was just a boy.
We tell our kids the Sunday School version of David and Goliath; there's a cute little song about it, and there is a VeggieTales version of it where David is an asparagus and Goliath is a big pickle. We down play it and over-talk it, but have you ever stopped to think of that little boy standing in front of that gigantic, fearsome man, preparing to fight to the death? I know for me, I often don't think of these biblical figures as real flesh and blood people; they are stories, and I am so far removed from that time in history that they almost seem like fairy tales, but they're not. Those people in those stories were really; they were just like you and me. They had feelings and fears; they loved and they despised. They felt pain, they felt cold and heat, and they breathed in and breathed out the same as me and you.
In 1 Samuel 16 we read of Samuel anointing David; when Samuel was searching for God's chosen one (David) the Lord said to him, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him (speaking of David's older brother). The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." As soon as Samuel saw David he knew that David was "the one" despite his age or small size.
A short while later the Philistines came to wage war on the Israelites; the two armies occupied hillsides facing one another. Imagine the tension that was building between these two; the hatred, the waiting...
The bible says Goliath was over nine feet tall; he was clothed in armor from head to foot. Goliath boldly paraded in front of the Israelites for forty days, and for forty days he tormented them. They were at a standstill; the Philistines knew no one could defeat Goliath. They had it in the bag, and yet they waited, and waited. The bible says that every morning the armies would line up and face each other; Goliath would step forward and Israel would cower. Here was a people who God had protected and gone before over and over and over again, yet they still feared; they still didn't trust Him.
Who would've known that on the fortieth day David would enter the camp? When Samuel had anointed David the bible says in 1 Samuel 16:13 that, "from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power." With God's Spirit, David was bold in his actions, and he never doubted that he and his people were squarely in the palm of God's hand.
David came to the camp that day to deliver food to the Israelites, and to check up on his brothers; he was too young to join the army, and he had stayed home to tend to the sheep while his brothers were away. He arrived just as the armies were lining up, and in his excitement he ran to the battles lines to see his brothers. It was at that moment that Goliath appeared across the valley, and it was at that moment that the whole of the Israelite army ran in fear from this giant of a man. As David set out to discover who this giant was and just why no one was willing to stand up to him, he found himself in the tent of King Saul: "David said to Saul, 'Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.' Saul replied, 'You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.' But David said to Saul,'....the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear (while tending sheep) will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.'"
David, small as he was, was confident that God would deliver him; while grown men cowered, this young boy stood up.
Saul tried to clothe David in armor, and respectfully David declined; he took his shepherd's staff, a sling and five little stones, and stood before Goliath. Goliath taunted him, dismissed him, and threatened to feed his flesh to the birds. David stood his ground. I imagine in that moment he had fluttering inside of him. I think of the father in Mark chapter 9 who said to Jesus, "I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!" David trusted in the one true God, but he was a human boy with human feelings; he wasn't a fairy tale character devoid of emotion yet he stood there boldly with God by his side. God gave him the power and the belief to overcome fear. Seeing David's boldness Goliath was enraged; in his fury he started to run towards David. David took one stone, put it in his sling, heaved it at the giant, and killed him. He didn't have armor, he didn't have a sword, he didn't have an army with shields and weapons of every kind backing him up; he had a stone, a sling, and the God of Israel on his side...that's it.
I love David; I love that when everyone else cowered away he stood up and fought. He was just boy, but God's spirit was with him, and with that nothing was impossible for him.
My friends and I are facing a giant right now. In just a few weeks our husbands will leave on an extended deployment. What that means is that the usual six month deployments that we are used to is not what we're facing. We're looking at about 9 months without our husbands; while our community has it "easy" compared to some in the military, that's still an incredibly long time to be away from your loved one; that's still an incredibly long time for 3 little boys to be missing their daddy. It's a giant, and it's standing there before us just waiting... We're at a stand still; when our husbands return home next week we will have a short reprieve before we step across that valley and come face to face with the inevitable.
On my own I'm not strong enough, but the Holy Spirit is with me in power, and though I'm small and I'm weak He is more than strong enough to walk me (and all of my friends and our husbands) through each and every day that we are apart.
That's my giant; it's glaring, it's taunting, and it's not going away until we deal with it head on. That's the way giants are; they're ugly, they're fearsome, and they'll overcome you if you let them.
Are you facing a giant right now? Are you confident with where you stand? Is your faith strong enough to enable you to step forward when everyone else steps back? Do you trust that each day God will provide you with at you need?
If not, check yourself, get on your knees and have a conversation your Savior; He is the giver of strength. You may not have an army who's got your back, you may be alone as you stand before your Goliath, and on your own you may be completely under equipped to fight any battle, but when you put your complete trust and faith in the one true God, and step out to fight the fight He has called you to...it's in the bag. Face your giant with the boldness that comes from your God who's power is made perfect in your weakness.
You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
I do not trust my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
Psalm 44:4-8
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Psalm 42
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
These things I remember as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,
the heights of Hermon - from Mount Mizar.
Deeps calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me -
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"
My bones suffer mortal agony and my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him,
my Savior and my God.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Obedience
Before I had children, I was the kind of person who would judge those who
did have children. I would look at those moms with their screaming, out of control
kids and think, "My child will never...(fill in the blank).." Even
after we had our oldest son, I still had those thoughts because he was so easy,
and I honestly couldn't understand why some mothers just couldn't handle it.
God has a way of breaking us in our judgments, and I learned a big lesson when Micah was born. I have talked about Micah's unique personality in earlier posts, but here's the recap: he was the most difficult child to ever grace this earth (in my biased opinion). When God blesses us with stubborn, strong-willed children all of our judgment of others flies out the window, and we are left wrestling a screaming, thrashing child as we silently pray for God to deliver us from whatever situation we are facing at that moment.
When Micah was younger I left so many places with him tucked under my arm, screaming away; many times tears where rolling down my cheeks as time after time my strength was tested both physically and emotionally. I never gave up trying to do fun things, but more often than not we spent our days at home having left a friend's house or the park early because of a meltdown.
That was the way I chose to handle it; when he melted down down, we picked up and left...there was no reward of the park, or playing with friends if there was disobedience. Did that mean that my older son and I missed out on some things? Yes, but that's what it took to teach Micah, so that's what we did.
As time passed, Micah learned that the good things disappeared when his behavior was bad, and slowly, we were able to do more and more outside of our home. Today, he is an amazing boy, still stubborn and still loud, but kind and generous with his love and encouragement; there are days you can find him sitting in his bed pouting because he lost control of himself and is in time out, but overall he has learned that rewards come when he is obedient.
The journey was long, but the boy that he is today proves that the sacrifices, the tears, and my trusting in God's peace and patience was well worth it.
My journey through Leviticus is winding down, and this morning as I started on chapter 26 I knew that I would have to share it with you. The title of the first part of the chapter is "Reward for Obedience". I loved it, and I am continually amazed at what God is teaching me about himself through His word.
So what does that have to do with us or my strong-willed child? God spoke these words to the Israelites, and they were very literal; when they obeyed Him he sent rain, He fought battles for them, the fruit of their trees and the crops in their fields were abundant. God rescued them from slavery in Egypt and literally broke them free from their bars; they were His people whom He called to live for Him within the frame work of His laws.
Because God can see the big picture at all times, there should be no surprise that He spoke these words for us as well. Many of us don't build alters and bow down to stones, but we do have idols, don't we? We don't always respect His church and we've allowed our sinful nature to invade our worship of Him...we do these things, and more; we struggle within ourselves between this world and His word...we all do. We break his commandments time after time after time… But...if we choose Him, if we take our stand in this world for His glory, He promises to bring rain when we need it, and He promises that our lives will be fruitful, and that He will give us more than enough to meet our needs. Following Him doesn't mean we won't face trouble in this world, but when we obey His commands He will go before us and fight the battles that are impossible for us to fight on our own. When we chose Him, He dwells in us; as our obedience increases His presence in our life increases. We will never be empty; we will all have our fill when we choose Him. I love, I love, I love the last part of verse 12: "I broke the bars of your yoke, and enabled you to walk with heads held high." That's what Jesus did for us. He broke our bond with sin; we are no longer slaves of this world, and we can walk with our heads held high praising Him and giving glory to Him through every blessing and every trial because it all works together for our good when we choose Him.
There is punishment for disobedience; there is separation from His goodness when we choose to turn from Him. Chapter 26 goes on to talk about this, and about what that looked like in the lives of the Israelites; the punishment is the direct opposite of the rewards, but here's the good part: it says that if we confess our sins He will remember the covenant He has made with us. There will be consequences of our sin, but because of Jesus, and through His death and resurrection, our punishment has been paid. Consequences can be difficult, and confession is so hard to do sometimes, but we will miss out on His blessing if we choose disobedience. He promises to love us and forgive us, and little by little when we begin to choose Him again we can start to see His rewards, and see that He is good.
We are all strong-willed, stubborn children at times; we all kick and scream and fight with the Father who loves us so much. We want our way, and we want it on our own terms; little by little we learn that life just doesn't work that way. We are called, just like little children, to a life of obedience; many of us learn the consequences of disobedience over and over again, but God calls to us and says, "Choose Me! ... My yoke is easy, and burden is light!" With Him we can hold our heads up high, knowing that He dwells with us, and that we are more than conquerors with Him by our side.
As I think back on the early years of hardship, training and raising Micah, I see myself as a child of God. I’ve been stubborn, and I have turned from Him in the past; in those moments the lessons were hard, and the reward was not there. Choosing Him is a choice, and the more we buck His commandments, the farther we get from Him; choosing the world is deliberately not choosing Him.
I was thinking about how this lesson can be applied individually and collectively in our lives. It really speaks to every level of life. God is the Maker and Creator of all; individually we are to choose Him, as families we are to choose Him, and as a nation we are to choose Him. Disobedience on any level has consequences for us all. I am so saddened by the condition of our nation…a nation who at its core was founded on Biblical principles. That’s another blog for another day, but as our leaders kick and scream and turn their faces from our Creator in the name of protecting rights that were made up by men and abhorred by our Lord, we shouldn’t be surprised that the reward has left us, and that we are missing out on the great blessings that are set aside for those that choose Him.
If we choose obedience as individuals, maybe we can start to change the disobedience in our nation, and maybe, just maybe, as our obedience increases His presence will increase as well.
God has a way of breaking us in our judgments, and I learned a big lesson when Micah was born. I have talked about Micah's unique personality in earlier posts, but here's the recap: he was the most difficult child to ever grace this earth (in my biased opinion). When God blesses us with stubborn, strong-willed children all of our judgment of others flies out the window, and we are left wrestling a screaming, thrashing child as we silently pray for God to deliver us from whatever situation we are facing at that moment.
When Micah was younger I left so many places with him tucked under my arm, screaming away; many times tears where rolling down my cheeks as time after time my strength was tested both physically and emotionally. I never gave up trying to do fun things, but more often than not we spent our days at home having left a friend's house or the park early because of a meltdown.
That was the way I chose to handle it; when he melted down down, we picked up and left...there was no reward of the park, or playing with friends if there was disobedience. Did that mean that my older son and I missed out on some things? Yes, but that's what it took to teach Micah, so that's what we did.
As time passed, Micah learned that the good things disappeared when his behavior was bad, and slowly, we were able to do more and more outside of our home. Today, he is an amazing boy, still stubborn and still loud, but kind and generous with his love and encouragement; there are days you can find him sitting in his bed pouting because he lost control of himself and is in time out, but overall he has learned that rewards come when he is obedient.
The journey was long, but the boy that he is today proves that the sacrifices, the tears, and my trusting in God's peace and patience was well worth it.
My journey through Leviticus is winding down, and this morning as I started on chapter 26 I knew that I would have to share it with you. The title of the first part of the chapter is "Reward for Obedience". I loved it, and I am continually amazed at what God is teaching me about himself through His word.
"Do not make idols or set up an image
or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land
to bow down before it. I am the Lord, your God.
Observe my Sabbaths and have
reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
If you follow my decrees and are
careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground
will yield its crops and the tress of the field their fruit. Your threshing
will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until
planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your
land.
I will grant peace in the land, and
you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts
from the land, and the sword will not pass through you country. You will pursue
your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will
chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies
will fall by the sword before you.
I will look on you with favor and
make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with
you. You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it
out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I
will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my
people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would
no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and
enabled you to walk with heads held high."
So what does that have to do with us or my strong-willed child? God spoke these words to the Israelites, and they were very literal; when they obeyed Him he sent rain, He fought battles for them, the fruit of their trees and the crops in their fields were abundant. God rescued them from slavery in Egypt and literally broke them free from their bars; they were His people whom He called to live for Him within the frame work of His laws.
Because God can see the big picture at all times, there should be no surprise that He spoke these words for us as well. Many of us don't build alters and bow down to stones, but we do have idols, don't we? We don't always respect His church and we've allowed our sinful nature to invade our worship of Him...we do these things, and more; we struggle within ourselves between this world and His word...we all do. We break his commandments time after time after time… But...if we choose Him, if we take our stand in this world for His glory, He promises to bring rain when we need it, and He promises that our lives will be fruitful, and that He will give us more than enough to meet our needs. Following Him doesn't mean we won't face trouble in this world, but when we obey His commands He will go before us and fight the battles that are impossible for us to fight on our own. When we chose Him, He dwells in us; as our obedience increases His presence in our life increases. We will never be empty; we will all have our fill when we choose Him. I love, I love, I love the last part of verse 12: "I broke the bars of your yoke, and enabled you to walk with heads held high." That's what Jesus did for us. He broke our bond with sin; we are no longer slaves of this world, and we can walk with our heads held high praising Him and giving glory to Him through every blessing and every trial because it all works together for our good when we choose Him.
There is punishment for disobedience; there is separation from His goodness when we choose to turn from Him. Chapter 26 goes on to talk about this, and about what that looked like in the lives of the Israelites; the punishment is the direct opposite of the rewards, but here's the good part: it says that if we confess our sins He will remember the covenant He has made with us. There will be consequences of our sin, but because of Jesus, and through His death and resurrection, our punishment has been paid. Consequences can be difficult, and confession is so hard to do sometimes, but we will miss out on His blessing if we choose disobedience. He promises to love us and forgive us, and little by little when we begin to choose Him again we can start to see His rewards, and see that He is good.
We are all strong-willed, stubborn children at times; we all kick and scream and fight with the Father who loves us so much. We want our way, and we want it on our own terms; little by little we learn that life just doesn't work that way. We are called, just like little children, to a life of obedience; many of us learn the consequences of disobedience over and over again, but God calls to us and says, "Choose Me! ... My yoke is easy, and burden is light!" With Him we can hold our heads up high, knowing that He dwells with us, and that we are more than conquerors with Him by our side.
As I think back on the early years of hardship, training and raising Micah, I see myself as a child of God. I’ve been stubborn, and I have turned from Him in the past; in those moments the lessons were hard, and the reward was not there. Choosing Him is a choice, and the more we buck His commandments, the farther we get from Him; choosing the world is deliberately not choosing Him.
I was thinking about how this lesson can be applied individually and collectively in our lives. It really speaks to every level of life. God is the Maker and Creator of all; individually we are to choose Him, as families we are to choose Him, and as a nation we are to choose Him. Disobedience on any level has consequences for us all. I am so saddened by the condition of our nation…a nation who at its core was founded on Biblical principles. That’s another blog for another day, but as our leaders kick and scream and turn their faces from our Creator in the name of protecting rights that were made up by men and abhorred by our Lord, we shouldn’t be surprised that the reward has left us, and that we are missing out on the great blessings that are set aside for those that choose Him.
If we choose obedience as individuals, maybe we can start to change the disobedience in our nation, and maybe, just maybe, as our obedience increases His presence will increase as well.
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