Meditations

Genesis 20:1-23:20

When God Tests

Some time later God tested Abraham … “Take your son, your only son, Isaac,
whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a
burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
Genesis 22:1

Go Deep: I’m guessing this story in Genesis 22 raises a few questions for you.  I mean doesn’t this “Divine ask” violate everything we know and trust about the character of God?  How could a loving God ask such a cruel thing of Abraham?  And if God did that to Abraham, what kind of tests will he put me through?

If you’re feeling a little upset with “the God who tests” about now, here is my advice:  Relax, take a deep breath, and step back for a broader view of God.  Once you go a little deeper into this story, and look at it through the lens of the entire Bible, here is what you will come to understand about Divine tests:

First of all, God’s tests are never without preparation.

Notice the very first line of this story: “Some time later…”  With God, time comes before testing. Typically, the word “test” conjures up negative images. Tests are the enemy; they are set-ups for failure; the harder the test, the more unfair the teacher.  But those kinds of tests and that kind of teacher have no place in an accurate theology of God. This test came only after the events of Abraham’s life that we have been reading about since Genesis 12.

God didn’t suddenly spring this test on Abraham—and he’ll never spring one on you.  This is no pop quiz; it is not without context.  Abraham has now walked with God for about 30 or 40 years, and God has been preparing him through lesser tests all along the way.  God didn’t test him like this until he knew Abraham was equipped for it.  And God will never give you a test that you cannot pass.

Divine tests only come when you are prepared!

Second, God’s tests are never without purpose.

In Genesis 22:12, the Lord stops Abraham from slaying Isaac, and says, “Now I know that you fear God.” This word “test” is used eight times in the Old Testament when God does the testing and each time it is used in the Old English sense of the word: “to prove.”  God’s testing is not to expose, but to prove.  When God says, “now I know”, that wasn’t for God’s benefit, it was to give Abraham confidence that his faith in God was no foolish faith. You see, Abraham’s faith was tested, God’s faithfulness was tested, and both were proven trustworthy in Abraham’s mind.

Divine tests will always prove that your faith in God is never misplaced.

And third, God’s tests are never without provision.

Genesis 22:14 says, “So Abraham called the place ‘The LORD will provide.” The emphasis here is not on the provision, but “the Lord who provides.” The most important provision here for Abraham is a prophetic revelation of the person and his plan of God. The physical provision, whatever that might be, is always secondary to a deeper revelation of the One who provided it!  Through this test, Abraham learned what God wants you to learn: He is the Lord who provides!

Divine tests always result in a deeper revelation of God to you.

Now that you know about divine test, dare you say, “bring it on!”?

Just Saying… Oswald Chambers wrote, “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the One who is leading.”

Matthew 11:1-13:58

When God Doesn’t Live Up To Billing

“Are you the one who was to come, or should
we expect someone else?”
Matthew 11:3

Go Deep: Let’s be honest—we’ve all been deeply disappointed with God. Sometimes He doesn’t live up to our expectations. A prayer doesn’t get answered the way we want, when we want: a healing doesn’t occur, a job is lost, a relationship goes sour, a marriage isn’t saved, a loved one refuses salvation, a child dies…

That’s when faith really gets tested. It is easy to believe in the good times—when things are going great, prayers are getting answered, and God is obviously on our team. But just cut off the flow of blessing, squeeze our faith a little, push us out of our comfort zone—then take our spiritual temperature and see if we’re still aflame with faith.

John the Baptist was there. He had obeyed the call of God early in his life as the forerunner of the Messiah. He had arranged his whole world around announcing Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. He had lived an austere life, preached his heart out, courageously confronted the religious establishment, boldly challenged sinful hearts, and called Israel to national repentance, all to prepare the way for Jesus. He expected his faithfulness to God and obedience to the call would usher in the Kingdom of God when Jesus showed up and launched his messianic ministry.

But now he was in jail. He was in a pretty serious situation that in a few days would lead to his beheading. And Jesus was out there preaching to small crowds, doing a few miracles here and there, and not taking this Messiah thing very seriously. John was disappointed, to say the least.

Did you notice how Jesus handled John’s disappointment and doubt? Not with a brow beating, not with a rebuke, not with anger, Jesus simply reaffirmed John and spoke about his value in God’s eyes. Jesus understood where John was coming from.

Jesus also understood that God’s timing was way different than John’s. John wanted the Kingdom now, and when it didn’t happened, he questioned. So Jesus redirected John’s faith—he encouraged him to take his eyes off circumstances and put them back where they belonged: On the undeniable evidence of God’s activity; on the unshakable hope of God’s Kingdom; on the unbreakable promise of God’s Word; on the irrefutable goodness of God’s character. And then to trust!

We’ve all had similar doubts, questions, disappointment and perhaps even anger with God when he didn’t live up to billing. Maybe that’s where you are today. That’s okay—God is big enough to handle your upset—provided you do as John did and be honest about it. God won’t give you a beat down if you’ll come to him with a humble and honest heart. He’ll simply reaffirm your inestimable value and remind you of his everlasting love—and then he’ll invite you to trust.

And at the end of the day, you’ll never be disappointed when you trust God. Take to heart what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:3-5,

“We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Just Saying…“Bless your uneasiness as a sign that there is still life in you.”  That’s from Dag Hammarskjöld, the Swedish-born Secretary-General of the United Nations, whom President Kennedy called “the greatest statesman of our century.” Not only sign of life, your uneasiness may in fact be the pre-evidence that God is doing a great work in you.  Missionary Frank Laubach wrote, “There is a deep peace that grows out of illness and loneliness and a sense of failure. God cannot get close when everything is delightful. He seems to need these darker hours, these empty-hearted hours, to mean the most to people.”

Psalm 14

Practical Atheism

“The fool says in his heart,
There is no God.”
Psalm 14:1

Go Deep: David is not referring here to the atheist who flat out denies the existence of God—although we could easily argue the foolishness of such a position.  Nor is he speaking of someone who is intellectually challenged.  Rather, he is speaking of the person who is morally lacking.  That one may even be very bright, and believe in God, but for all intents and purposes, live as if God doesn’t exist.  That kind of person is, in effect, a practical atheist.

You might find it interesting to know that David referred to such a person more than once in the Psalms. He uses identical language in Psalm 53:1, and in Psalm 10:4 he actually gives us a pretty clear definition of how the fool lives: “In all his thoughts there is no room for God.”  As king of Israel, David was concerned with the steady stream of people who were bright enough to work themselves into positions of influence within his government, yet lived and acted without regard for the laws of God. He knew that powerful leaders who acknowledged God with their lips but dishonored him by their actions were bad news for Israel.

You know people like that; so do I. In fact, some of these “fools” might even be sitting next to you in church. They are very smart, extremely successful, and perhaps even quite magnetic in their personalities.  But they live with no thought for God.  They act without regard for his moral law, give no consideration to his right to rule their lives, and are oblivious to his eternal purposes.  They are, in effect, practical atheists.

I suppose, however, that the most important question to ask is not about these people, these fools, but rather, about you.  Although you believe in God and claim him as your Sovereign Lord, is he?  Is he the Lord of every area of your life?  That is, does he hold absolute rulership in your thinking, your planning, your interacting and every facet, every moment of your living?  Or at times, do you live as if he doesn’t exist—as a practical atheist?

You know, I have to confess that at times I’m that fool.  I think, plan and do without giving God the highest consideration.  I have a feeling you do to.  I don’t mean to live that way; neither do you.  It’s just that I neglect to give God his rightful place.  In that sense, you and I are no different from the type of person David calls the fool.  Therefore, we must accept the psalmist’s stinging words as a rebuke to the way we have lived.

So what say we get back to the practice of putting God first in every waking thought we have.  Or, as Paul taught in Romans 12:1,

“Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.”

That’s what you might call practicing the presence of God.  And it is the best antidote to practical atheism.

Just saying… To paraphrase the great missionary, Hudson Taylor, “if we expect Jesus to take us to heaven, should we not expect him to rule over our lives on earth?” Obviously yes!

Read Psalm 13

Capture The Sparkle

“Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.”
Psalm 13:3

Go Deep: Do you ever wonder why there are some whose eyes just always seem to sparkle?  Is it because they have such a naturally sunny disposition?  Is it because things are continually going their way?  Is it because they are just so much better at life that they outshine the average person?  What is it about these people?

Well, it could be any or all of the above factors contribute to their winsome approach to the world. But I would venture to guess that these folks have also developed the ability to practice hopefulness in the midst of all the negative stuff that might send a less hopeful person into the tank.

Aaron Beck, a leading marriage researcher, found the number one belief that kills marriages is that a spouse will never change. Once that belief set in, there was a loss of motivation, surrendering of perseverance, and giving up. What Beck discovered about marriage is true of life as well: That beneath our failure to endure and thrive there is always the loss of hope.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 13:12 that “hope deferred makes the heart sick.”  But when hope is practiced, whether in marriage specifically or life in general, there is tremendous motivation not only for growth and change, but for that winsome radiance to dominate our personality in a way that both elevates our moods and is consistently visible to those we are around.

That’s why we’ve got to make the choice daily to put our hope in the promises of God.  That’s what David did.  He practiced hope.  In the first two verses of this six-verse psalm, David was focusing on the overwhelmingly bad things in his life that were dragging him down. But in the last two verses, his focused has shifted to the overwhelming mercy and grace of God—and it changed everything.

What did David do to pull that off that turn around?  Well, to begin with, he went to God—he prayed.  He poured out his complaint (Psalm 13:1-2) and then made a bold request (Psalm 13:3).  Next, he went back into the memory banks of his past experience with God and recalled that God had never failed him—not even once (Psalm 13:5). Therefore, since God had been faithful in David’s past, it only made sense to trust him in the present.  And finally, David praised (Psalm 13:6).  David began to sing of the mercies and goodness of God. Praise is simply declaring that God’s track record of faithfulness in the past is the pre-evidence of his immutable character tomorrow.

David practiced hope—and before he knew it, the sparkle had returned to his eyes.

Hebrews 6:19 says of the practice of hope: “We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure.”

And when we practice it—praying, reflecting, singing—we too, can expect the sparkle to return to our eyes. As Romans 5:5 says, this “hope does not disappoint us.”

Just Saying… William Gurnall wrote, “Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy and consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eye, sigh and sing all in a breath.”  When you practice hope, you will not only survive life’s difficulties, you will thrive because of them!

Joshua 21:1-24:33

A Promise Made Is A Promise Kept

Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel
was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.
Joshua 21:45

Go Deep: A certain Bible scholar has pointed out that God has made over 6,000 promises to us in the Bible.  Some of those promises are universal in nature—all believers anytime and anywhere who are walking in obedience to his commands can claim them.  Other promises are quite specific to certain people at certain times, and the Holy Spirit reveals them to us through prayer and the study of God’s Word in response to situations that arise in our lives.

Whether God’s promises are universal or personal, what we are taught over and over again in the Bible, including this verse in Joshua, is that God is a promise maker, and more importantly, God is a promise keeper.  The fact is, God has never broken a promise—not even one!  I can’t say that about me, and you probably can’t say that about you, but we can say that with complete certainty about God.  With him, a promise made is a promise kept.

When I was a little kid in Sunday School, we would often sing a song about God’s promises that went something like this:

Every promise in the Book is mine
Every chapter, every verse, every line.
I am standing on his Word Divine,
Every promise in the Book is mine!

Over 6,000 promises—and he will bring every single one of them to pass.  A few of those promises are for you.  Which one are you “standing” on, as the little song goes?

That he will forgive all your sins? (Psalm 103:3)

That he will supply all of your needs? (Philippians 4:19)

That he will never leave you or forsake you? (Hebrews 13:5)

That he will give you Divine wisdom for your lack of human understanding? (James 1:5)

That he will turn all of your circumstances to your good and for his glory? (Romans 8:28)

What is your area of concern?  There is a promise that covers it, so look it up in God’s Word.  Fulfill your end of the promise—that’s the big caveat here—and then rest in God’s proven character.  With him a promise made is a promise kept, so you can expect that “God will perfect everything that concerns you.” (Psalm 138:8, NKJV)

Just Saying… Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who was martyred by the Nazis toward the end of World War II, said, “God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises…leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.”

Genesis 16:21-19:38

God Of The Impossible

Is anything too hard for the Lord?
Genesis 18:14

Go Deep: It’s a rhetorical question, of course.  Obviously, by definition, the words “God” and “impossible” are completely incongruent.  That’s a no-brainer theologically.  If we accept the fact that God exists, and believe that he is the Sovereign Creator of everything, then our belief demands the same conclusion the prophet Jeremiah came to:

“O Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power.
Nothing is too difficult for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

But the question is, have we learned to lean into that God-reality when we come up against impossibilities in the gritty reality of our everyday lives?

Here in Genesis 18, God was making a point with Sarah, Abraham’s 90-year-old barren wife.  He had just revealed to these senior citizens that they would finally have the child he had promised to give them many years before, and understandably, this old woman chuckled at the thought. I suspect that in general, Sarah was completely on board theologically that nothing was too hard for the Lord.  But when it came down to her personal circumstance, suddenly Sarah’s faith grew weak in the knees.

My guess is you are no different than Sarah.  Me either!  I have no trouble believing in a God who created the universe out of nothing, who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, who raised Jesus from death, and who will eventually turn all things for my good and his glory. (Romans 8:28)  It’s just in the everyday stuff of life that I often shrink back from ruthless trust, unwavering courage and unshakable faith.  I wish that weren’t the case, but too often, that’s the truth about me.

I’m out to change that about me—with God’s help.  Today I’m going to practice taking God at his word, trusting in his immutable character, and leaning his promises.  One day at a time that’s what I’m going to do, starting today, until I string enough days of industrial strength belief in the God of the impossible together that it has become the pattern of my life.

I love the story of a private in the army of the Greek general, Alexander the Great, who ran after and retrieved the general’s runaway horse.  When this lowly soldier brought the animal back, Alexander offered his appreciation by saying, “Thank you, Captain!”

With one word the private had been promoted.  When the general said it, the private believed it.  He immediately went to the quartermaster, selected a new captain’s uniform and put it on.  He went to the officer’s quarters and selected a bunk. Then he went to the officer’s mess and had a meal. Because the general had said it, the private took him at his word and changed his life accordingly. He put his trust in the character and command of the general.

That’s what I want—to take God at his word, trust the goodness of his character, lean into his promises and live every day in the supply line of his power.  And whatever comes my way today, I will declare, “nothing is too hard for the Lord!”

Just Saying… Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”

Matthew 8:1-10:42

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

“For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise
and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power
on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise,
take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he
arose and departed to his house.
(Matthew 9:6-8)

Go Deep: I’ve always loved that line: “Which is easier?”  If I had been the one in this situation instead of Jesus, I would likely have said, “Which is harder?”  But Jesus was God, so he didn’t sweat the small stuff—and to him, it was all small stuff.

That’s why he could forgive sins just as easily as he could heal a paralytic.  That’s why he could cure those with leprosy, raise a little girl from death, heal a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, open blind eyes, equip a mute man with speech, drive demons from those in the devil’s bondage and even calm a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee.  It was all small stuff to Jesus because he was God.

So what about your life?  What are you facing? What is your storm, your impossibility, your bondage—a physical challenge, a financial situation, a problem at work, guilt over a past sin, a broken marriage?  What is it that is causing paralysis in your life, keeping you from walking into the abundance that Jesus promised to give? (John 10:10)  Whatever it is, no matter how big of a deal it seems to you, it’s all small stuff to Jesus, because he is God after all.

As you face those things today that have paralyzed you with fear, anxiety, guilt, hurt, anger or inaction, take to heart the words of the prophet Jeremiah,

O Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth
by your great power.  Nothing is too difficult for you.
(Jeremiah 32:17)

So don’t sweat the small stuff—because it is all small stuff to Jesus.

Just Saying… The prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, England’s best-known pulpiteer for most of the second half of the nineteenth century said, “When you have no helpers, see your helpers in God. When you have many helpers, see God in all your helpers. When you have nothing but God, see all in God. When you have everything, see God in everything. Under all conditions, stay thy heart only on the Lord.” Put your hope in the Lord, because that hope will not be disappointed. (Romans 5:5)

Joshua 16:1-20:9

The Tragedy of Having Sight But No Vision

The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the
Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots…”
Joshua 17:15-16

Go Deep: “Mom, I’m starving, and we have nothing to eat!” If I said that once, I said it a hundred times as a kid—all the while staring into our fully stocked refrigerator.  Of course, I wasn’t the first little brat to utter that complaint—it’s a universal whine that’s been heard early and often in one form or another since the beginning of time.

Obviously, when kids make that complaint, what they’re saying is that they don’t like the choices sitting right in front of them, or they don’t want to do the hard work of actually taking those ingredients and making them into a tasty meal.  What they really want is mom to come to the rescue and make life easy for them—usually by cooking up something that tastes really yummy but is not so nutritious.

That’s kind of what the tribes of Joseph were doing here. They had been given land, but they weren’t so excited about the hard work that would be required to drive out the godless enemies who were squatting there.  Rather than measuring their divine inheritance by the potential of the land to be possessed, they looked only at existing cities and already cleared territory.

They suffered from a problem common to humans: They had sight but no vision.  Helen Keller, the first person to overcome both deafness and blindness to earn a Bachelor degree, went on to become a prolific author and has endured as one of the world’s most inspiring figures. Understanding more than others this sad human tendency, Helen wrote, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”

The tribes of Joseph had sight but no vision.  That’s why their leader, Joshua, gave them a figurative kick in the butt and pointed them to the yet-to-be cleared hill country.  He said, “look, you are a large and strong tribe, so open your eyes and see all the land that’s yet to be conquered.  Sure, there are enemies there, but so what, God has already given it to you.  So get on with it already—you can do it!” (Joshua 17:15,17-18, my translation)

I have a feeling that this story was recorded not just to fill out the white space in Joshua’s book, but to serve as a reminder to us that it would be a shame for us to settle for less than God’s best in our lives.  It’s true that possessing God’s promises will take some work on our part, but he has guaranteed our success. So use this little reminder today as a proverbial kick in the rear to quit surrendering to limitations and start envisioning your potential.

And then, get on with it already! You can do it.

Just Saying… James Russell Lowell, the 19th century American poet wrote, “Not failure, but low aim, is crime.” I hope you don’t commit that crime today!

Genesis 12:1-15:21

Time To Dust Off Your Dream

The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household
and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will
bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing …
all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:1-3

Go Deep: God gave Abraham quite an expansive dream for an old guy, didn’t he!  He was well into his senior years when God showed up and said, “Abe, I’ve got some unbelievable plans for you!”

Do you realize that among created beings, man is unique in that he alone has the ability to dream? Angels can’t dream; animals can’t dream.  The devil can’t dream, dogs don’t dream, although I think mine does.  I notice him twitching and snarling sometimes when’s he’s sleeping. I suspect he’s chasing rabbits—or better yet, cats.

But I’m not talking about those kinds of dreams. Nor am I talking about those run-of-the mill dreams that you get almost every night—some of them goofy and random, some bizarre and nightmarish, some that recycle periodically in your subconscious, revealing much about your fears and insecurities, like running but never getting anywhere, or falling but never hitting bottom, or being in front of a crowd and suddenly realizing you’re stark naked—with nowhere to hide.

The kind of dreaming I’m talking about is envisioning a better tomorrow, a successful future, or a great life. God has given mankind, alone, the ability to dream—and that includes you! And I suspect that somewhere, perhaps buried deep inside you, is the dream for a fantastic future.

But your dream doesn’t even come close to the fulfillment God has in mind for you. Abraham had dreams, but what God had in mind was far more expansive than this old man could have ever imagined.  Abraham wanted a home; God had in mind a whole land—the land of promise.  Abraham wanted a child; God had in mind a nation—and not just any old nation, it would be the people of God.  Abraham wanted to make a name for himself; God had in mind to bless the entire earth through Abraham’s life.

God’s vision was far bigger and better than Abraham could have ever dreamed.  I suspect that’s true for you too!  So why don’t you dust off those dreams and bring them back before the Father who gave them to you? Now just may be the time he wants to fulfill them. And just remember, as the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20,

“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever
imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!”

Just Saying… Henry David Thoreau wrote, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” If God has given you a dream, this may be the best time to start on that foundation!

Matthew 5:1-7:29

What Moves God’s Heart

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs
Matthew 5:3 (NLT)

Go Deep: There is no doubt that God has a special place in his heart for the poor.  You can’t read too far in either the Old or New Testaments before you are convinced of that.  But it is not poverty itself that impresses God—although he is always moved with compassion by people’s desperate condition—it is the utter dependence and complete openness of those who are without any other means of help that touches his heart.  It is these who are truly blessed.

How are they blessed?  They know they need God!  That is simply and truly the best blessing of all. And when those who know they need God find him, they find everything.  Furthermore, once they come to know God, they understand that without him they have absolutely nothing—pain, poverty, helplessness and hopelessness.

The poor are quite unlike the rest of us in that sense.  When we find God, we tend to place him alongside everything else we have: our wealth, our conveniences, our abilities, our ingenuity, our relationships.  We are not desperately dependent on God like the poor.  When the poor get sick, they pray first, then they pray desperately.  When we get sick, we go to the medicine cabinet for aspirin or to the phone to call the doctor, and if we happen to think about it, then we ask God.  Or if the poor are hungry, they pray for provision.  We go to the fridge and get a snack.  It’s a matter of desperate dependence.  They have it; we don’t.

My observation is that they who have so little reason for joy have so much more joy than we who have so much but have so little joy. I remember thinking that very thing as I was standing in an African orphanage for boys, watching the smiling faces of about thirty parentless ten-year-olds singing songs that expressed their hope in God and their longing for heaven.  They were beaming from a source of Light like I didn’t know—not really.  And I was convicted.

It’s a matter of desperate dependence.

Father God, afflict my heart with holy desperation!  I’d rather have that than any earthly treasure that gets in the way of knowing and needing you.

Just Saying… The brilliant thinker C.S. Lewis once said, “A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world—and might be even more difficult to save.”  May we find discontent with our own contentment if it is not borne by our satisfaction in God alone!