Tag Archives: faith

Waiting, Hoping… and Walking

…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31, NIV*

In one of his books, Mark Buchanan points out the progression in these verses: The eagle rides the wind currents, the runner has a limited distance expectation (even if it’s marathon length) but the walker might be expected to carry on for a long time.

He said it better than that, and it sounded more logical, but the idea is that the walking is both the least glamorous and perhaps the hardest because it’s such a long, slow slog.

I’m back in a quiet state again. It comes every so often, when I’m empty of the usual plans and enthusiasm. I used to try to psych myself back into action, but now I think it’s a necessary part of the rhythm of my life with God.

It’s not so much low energy as a holy hush. A call to wait. To hope in God.

Today I’m embracing the quiet. With my inner clamour stilled, I feel like I’m waiting… in hope… for God. There’s nothing big going on in my life right now, and I’m not expecting some great gust of Spirit wind to set me soaring, but a greater sense of His presence would definitely renew my strength for the next steps of the walk.

Maybe that’s why they call it “walking with God”?

Father God, thank You that You don’t set us on the road and leave us alone. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, with us to comfort and to guide. Thank You that anytime, anywhere, we can quiet our own spirits and rest in You. Please help us learn to do this more and more, so we can grow strong in relationship with You and follow You without growing weary or fainting.

Our song this week is “You Raise Me Up,” performed here by the group Selah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hArAHVWps70&feature=related

Time with the Father

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Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Psalm 103:2, NIV*

I was thinking in last week’s post, “Missing the Inheritance,” about how as Christians we often don’t realize what we have in God’s Kingdom. Peter says we have everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and sometimes we live like miserable creatures with little hope and less resources or joy.

That’s a sad truth, and we do need to learn to appreciate and accept all that our Father lavishes on us when He adopts us as His own, but as Jenny from Captured by God commented last week, that’s not the ultimate focus.

The best gift God gives us is relationship with Himself. If we can’t delight in Him, we won’t gain much from the other benefits of being His children. We probably won’t even notice many of them.

God… the God of the universe, Creator, Sustainer, Rescuer… loves us and longs to spend time with us. And we come asking for endless lists of things, or complaining, or fretting. Or we’re like the prodigal son’s elder brother, too busy working for his father to spend time with him.

Father God, I’m so thankful You’ve made a way for us to be reconciled to You, to be Your children. Thank You for caring for us and inviting us to bring You our concerns and needs. Please forgive us for the times we stop there, or we don’t leave our work long enough to talk with You. Please quiet our spirits and teach us the delight of abiding in You. Help us learn to recognize and rest in Your presence as we go about our days. Help us delight in You.

Our song for the week is “Divine Romance,” by Phil Wickham.

Missing the Inheritance

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Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

Luke 15:25-32, NIV*

This is the tail end of the Prodigal Son story. The stray son has come home repentant, and the father has thrown a party. Enter the older brother, wondering what the commotion is about. When he finds out, he’s angry. It’s not fair.

And it isn’t.

It’s merciful, extravagant… love. It’s a perfect picture of the God who shatters the boundaries we like to put up, who doesn’t write people off the way we do. The God of second chances.

Over the years I’ve come to appreciate grace enough to delight in the younger son’s reconciliation with his father. But I still felt the responsible son hadn’t been treated well. Not even one measly goat for a pot-luck with his buddies!

It hit me the other day – did he ever ask?

Listen to him: “All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.” Is that what the father truly wanted?

Hard work, sure, but how about partnership? Working for the good of the family farm (and fortune). It would be his someday, as firstborn, but he wasn’t seeing his inheritance. Only his obligation.

Maybe I ought to give the black sheep son more credit. Sure, he made stupid choices, but at least he understood he had an inheritance.

I hear great sadness in the father’s response to his elder son’s anger. Maybe it’s not only sadness that his firstborn can’t see the joy of restoration. Maybe it’s also for a young man who’s missed the joy of sonship and settled for a servant’s role.

Father, we’re to hold You in holy awe because You are God. But You’ve also adopted us as Your children. Please open me to understand and receive the full benefits of intimacy with You. Forgive me for the times I’ve seen only responsibility when You longed for relationship. How great is the love You have lavished upon us, that we may be called the sons and daughters of God!

Our song for the week is “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us,” sung here by Selah.

Repent and Believe

God’s Light

Thankfulness Killers

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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
Philippians 4:8, NIV*

The previous verses have focused us on God: rejoice in Him, confident He is near. Instead of being anxious, bring our needs to Him with thanksgiving.

Now Paul tells us to discipline our thought life. We can’t control what darts into our minds, but we can choose what we allow to stay. It’s hard work, but most important things are.

The verse isn’t saying to ignore the bad things in the world and live in some kind of la-la-happy-land, but Paul’s just told us how to deal with the issues: bring them to God.

Now he warns us not to take them back and stew on them. That only leads to anxiety, discontent, negativity… a whole host of thankfulness killers.

Instead, we’re to concentrate on good things. Chief among those good things will be God and His work in and around us.

I’m becoming aware how many negative things flit through my mind… often to come out my mouth. Those negatives feed the very anxiety Paul warns us against.

I’ve begun praying “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3, NIV*)

What other thankfulness killers do you know? Do you have any specific verses you use to banish them?

Father, what misery we’d be in apart from You! Thank You for rescuing us, and for giving us the Holy Spirit and Your word. Please help us work with You so we can mature in faith and demonstrate the difference trusting You makes.

A good song to keep our focus is “Give Thanks,” sung here by Don Moen and friends.

Remembering God is Near

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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7, NIV*

Crowded, busy and stressed. That’s the short summary of the past week or so. It hasn’t been all bad, just full. When I was at my most tired, and anxiety hovered like those cartoon rain clouds, I kept reminding myself “God is near.”

He so knew I’d need this promise when He brought it to mind a month ago. Isn’t He good to us?

I’ve taken a lot of comfort and strength from knowing God is near, but that’s made me stop and think. He’s near in the good times too. The hard times press us closer to Him, but in the good times we’re in danger of forgetting Him.

He wants us to notice His presence and to delight in being with Him.

In his book, Hidden in Plain Sight, Mark Buchanan calls us to treasure our faith – to spend time with others who treasure theirs, and to beware the danger of sapping our faith through keeping bad company.

Circumstances may do the opposite: good, easy times may sap our faith more than the hard times that force us to cling to God.

Precious Father, thank You for promising to never leave us. Thank You for the privilege of abiding with You. Please teach us to delight in Your nearness just because of who You are – regardless of our circumstances or need of comfort. How wonderful is each moment spent aware of Your presence.

A song that’s meant a lot to me this past month or more is “Give Me Jesus,” sung by Robin Mark.

I Do Believe

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A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not … if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:17,18, 22b-24, NIV*

We’ve been talking about Philippians 4 and thanksgiving vs. anxiety for a few weeks now, and the irony is not lost on me: Today started with a sense of restless urgency, and my prayers kept circling back to someone for whom I care deeply.

I reminded myself to pray with petition and thanksgiving, to trust God’s care. Several times. Somewhere in the cloud of nervous energy He helped me realize something: today’s issue isn’t about my loved one, it’s about me.

Is there an immediate problem or danger? No, although I sense trouble in the offing. Does God need to do anything about it this second? No, although I believe He has a plan and a timetable for action, and has been calling people to pray.

So where’s the trouble? It’s me, fretting. Not letting go as I pray. Not being confident in God’s ability to work all things to His glory and His children’s good.

This always brings me back to Mark’s story of the man and his son, as I echo the man’s words: “I believe. Help my unbelief.”

Jesus, help me believe You. You haven’t given me any specific word about this particular need, but I have plenty of truth in Your Word to cling to. You have already won the battle, and all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Thank You for the peace You give when I finally stop long enough to remember Who You are. Thank You for what You will do, in the Father’s perfect timing and wisdom. Thank You for caring about me and my loved ones today.

I’m so thankful for Scripture, and for music which reminds me of God’s truth. A song that spoke peace to my spirit just now is Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Yours.” Take time to let the words sink in….

Confidence in God

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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7, NIV*

This is all about confidence in God, trusting Him. The little word “but” highlights the contrast between two ways of life: on the one side, anxiety, on the other, the peace of God.

As I’ve been concentrating on Paul’s instructions to rejoice in the Lord, trusting in His nearness, and to bring my needs to Him in prayer, petition and thanksgiving for His goodness, my inner turmoil is less.

And as the turmoil decreases, I find myself more thankful. God is so good, in so many ways. He does all things well.

Let’s think about that this week. Our God is good. We can depend on Him. He won’t necessarily do what we think He should, or on our time, but He knows best and we can trust His heart.

With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can practice confidence in God and experience His peace.

Father, thank You for being a God we can trust and worship with joy. There is no malice or instability in You, only righteous, holy goodness. You invite us to bring our cares to You, and You promise us so many good things if we’ll come under Your authority where we belong. Help us grow in confidence in You, so that others will see the difference You make.

Steven Curtis Chapman’s “God is God” is a good song to keep life in perspective.

God is Near

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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7, NIV*

Sometimes intercession feels like a burden instead of a privilege. Maybe the needs start to look bigger than God, or we don’t see Him responding, or His answer doesn’t match our plans.

It happens to me every so often. A few weeks back, I had some heavy-duty prayer requests on my heart. Mindful of the persistent widow, I repeatedly brought them to the Lord “with prayer and petition” but I guess instead of “presenting” them to Him I kept a tight hold.

Reading these verses this week, I see the problem. I’d forgotten the “God is near” part, the “thanksgiving” part. I kept trusting Him in the dark, but there was no peace.

Father, thank You that we can bring everything to You, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and the One who cares for us. Thank You that You are near, and that we can trust You. Thank You for what You will do in and through us, and that we can count on You – not to do what we want, but to work what is best. And oh, I thank You that as we give our burdens to You in confidence, You promise Your peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ.

Our song this week is the old hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” lyrics by Joseph M. Scriven in 1855, melody by Charles C. Converse, 1868, performed in the 21^st century by Paul Baloche.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeeuSoES0kw&feature=related

Janet Sketchley

Writing Christian Mysteries & Suspense

Tag Archives: faith

Waiting, Hoping… and Walking

Time with the Father

Missing the Inheritance

Repent and Believe

God’s Light

Thankfulness Killers

Remembering God is Near

I Do Believe

Confidence in God

God is Near