God’s love

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Finding — again — our first love

The Spirit gave me ears to hear yesterday morning, and I heard the Scripture from Revelations 2:1-7: “You have left your first love. Repent.”

But how do I do that, Father, Jesus, Spirit?

If you live in the same area I do and you saw the early morning sky this morning, I would like you to know that God did that sky just for me. Yup. You might have been a spectator this morning as the sky-message unfolded, but it was meant for me. He was reminding me, “I can do everything and anything I want … ”

Because, you see, the sky this morning was a month of beautiful skies rolled into one. Like an autumn cornucopia spilling all kinds of bounty, the sky pageant this morning included every imaginable cloud touched with dawn color. High, wispy mare’s tails; a few billowing cumulus; ridges of clouds, like mountains in the distance; clouds that wash across the sky like sand scattered by the tide; and even a trail of those cloud dabs, the ones that look like a child’s fingerprints across the blue — All those clouds, touched with rose and gold and orange in the east, blues and grays and yellow and white in the west.

Such a morning!

And it came after I asked Christ, “How can I love you more, love you better, always keep you as my first love?”

I asked that question this morning, then stepped outside and saw the sky. God, reminding me who He is.

This week, I’m determined to find some answers to my question. I’m going to ask, seek, knock. I want to know.

The first answer came as I walked under that sky-message. As I went east, something prompted me to glance west … and I saw the sun glowing in the western sky.

A water tower climbs into the sky in the center of our town. Almost a blemish against the beauty of our hills, it’s a drab gray-blue orb that looks like a UFO hovering overhead.

But at that moment, it was glowing orange. And I know this might be hard to believe for those of you who know that tower. But … seriously … it was a fiery ball, another sun rising above the trees!

And there was my first answer. I learn to love Christ more, my love for Him comes alive, when I position myself directly in the rays of His love.

That tower caught the sun because it stretches above the trees, stretches high. Below, the houses wore their usual white and brick, the trees green, the fence gray, all untouched by the sun. But the tower was glowing.

Those places or positions where we stretch and expose ourselves fully to God might be different for you than for me. For all of us, surely it is in prayer and Scripture. But I have learned there are also other places that open me up to God, like early morning walks, quiet times in nature’s hideaways, reading certain authors. For you, it might be in music, on your knees in a chapel, fellowship in a Bible study group.

If repenting is key to returning to my first love, then repentance means I need to change what I am doing now. In this case, I want to consciously change how I position myself throughout the precious minutes and hours of every day. Too many days slide by, full, busy, thoughtless, without my once stretching to catch fully the rays of His love.

I believe our faith is a gift from God and belief is begun and perfected by the Spirit. I believe He holds His children securely. But I also believe we have a choice in whether or not we cling to the Life-Vine. I cannot explain how those two things work together. But I believe both statements are truth.

We do have a choice how we spend our days. We do have a choice whether or not we position ourselves in the rays of God’s love, whether we stretch toward Him, asking Him to set us aglow.

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Eternal Rock — For All Generations

Trust in the LORD always,
     for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.

Brown and gold leaves crunch underfoot as I walk out the sidewalk to see Grandson and Granddaughter off on their first day of school. They are taller. Another summer ended. Another year gone by.

Born in 1900, my Grandma Kate lived over one hundred years. We often talked of all the changes she had seen in her years, things like microwaves and washing machines and jet planes and televisions and telephones. How much life changed for the young mother who did laundry with a washtub and board and lived without an indoor bathroom!

And already — although I am nowhere near one hundred! — I see how much life has changed since my early years. My grandchildren know nothing about rotary dial phones, LP records, manual typewriters, life before computers. (A black and white TV screen must surely be a sign that something is not working properly.) Just as Grandma never dreamed that someday doors would “see” her coming and open magically for her, when I was twenty, I never dreamed I would be skyping, texting, and driving according to directions from a talking black box.

So I cannot imagine what life will be like for my adult grandchildren.

I do know that they will have within them that which yearns for God. Just as my grandmother did. Just as I do. Just as blue eyes and temperaments and dimpled chins and body shapes continue to appear throughout a lineage, so every generation, since the beginning of time, carries also the need of God’s love, His strength, and His protective refuge.

Even when we cannot name what we seek, we look for

          quenching water
          everlasting love
          welcoming home

My grandma was losing her sight during her last years here. But she had eyes that saw the Invisible, and I believe that eyesight grew ever sharper as the years went by. No matter what was going on in the world around her, she depended on the strength, stability, and refuge of the eternal Rock.

When cell phones are unknown to teenagers and when travel from one place to another is by means not even conjured up by today’s science fiction writers and when handwritten letters are seen only in museums — for as long as this earth stands and beyond — the eternal Rock will still be there.

In every generation, His hand of love holds those who come to Him. His love endures forever. We can trust in Him always.

Scripture: Isaiah 26:4 (NLT)

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Psalm 40: Joys, Wonders, Plans

Every September, we trek to Maine for a week of recreating and renewing ourselves and our friendship. The Maine Ladies have almost a decade of memories tucked away that we sometimes bring out and inspect and admire yet one more time, relishing our treasure.

We are a group of seven. Although we are almost never all together throughout the rest of the year, we keep in touch. We share a spiritual connection and, when any one is missing from the September Maine vacation, we feel as though our body lacks an arm or foot or hand.

The amazing thing about us is that … we are. All agree, this is a combination of ladies that none of us would have ever thought to put together. We come from different towns and varying life circumstances. No two of us attend the same church. Yet, somehow, this group came together, clicked, and endured.

All of us agree, this group is a gift from God to each one of us.

Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.

O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.

If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

May I just say AMEN! and stop here?

Oh, the joys of placing myself and my life in the hands of our Father,
     instead of resting my hopes in those who are so sure of their
                   own capabilities, strength and control
    or laying my life on the altar of all those things the world today worships and 
                   adores.

What joys? All the wonders He performs for us. And I could write about the monumental, life-changing miracles like making us new creatures or engineering a new job or healing a heartbreak.  But today, let’s think about the small, too-often overlooked gifts of every day, like friendships, a word of encouragement at just the right time, a rainy day.

I’m still reading Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts. It’s a book to be taken in small bites and then digested. To remind herself to look for the daily gifts, she keeps a written, numbered list of all those things for which she is grateful. Her list tells of ordinary things in her farmer’s-wife life, like “nylons without runs” and “kettle whistling for tea on a cold afternoon.” She calls this a list of all the ways God loves her, “the pulse of His love.”

I can make my own list every day:
     a grandchild snuggling close
     music of the rain in the woods
     someone else cleaning up the mess after I cook dinner

These tiny little things that we love season our lives, come as gifts from the heart of our Father. When we start paying attention and offering thanks, we do indeed hear the heartbeat of His love for us.

And what excitement, what security, what peace comes with knowing that God’s plans for us are too numerous to list!

I rest in that, knowing the Lord of the Universe has plans for ME (amazing) and hearing every day the pulse of His love.

　

Scripture: Psalm 40:4-5(NLT)

You can read more of Ann Voskamp’s thoughts on her blog at www.aholyexperience.com.  (Her post today on forgiving your parents is … wow … for every child and every child who has become a parent.)

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Psalm 40: In the Pit, Remember

Because I am a writer, part of my job is to study the craft, sharpen my skills, practice, practice, practice. Someone once suggested that Psalm 40 is “the writer’s psalm”, a passage to combat writer’s block, fatigue, burnout, fear of failure, discouragement, lack of courage—everything that writers face in their writing lives.

I’d suggest that it’s also the mother’s psalm, the retiree’s psalm, the factory worker’s psalm, the administrator’s psalm, the bookkeeper’s psalm, the social worker’s psalm, the student’s psalm, the truck driver’s psalm …

David writes for all of us whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. He was, like us, one who trusted in God, who believed and received God’s unfailing love and faithfulness. He was also one who sometimes landed in the mud at the bottom of the pit of despair.

Jeremiah 38 tells the story about the prophet who is doing exactly what God tells him to do, yet he is thrown into a cistern and left to die, because those who don’t like what he’s saying want to silence him. At the bottom of the pit, Jeremiah sinks into mud and will soon starve, unless rescue comes quickly.

And sometimes we’re thrown into the pit and we start sinking into the mud of despair, the mire of discouragement, the muck of … what? Fatigue? Low self-esteem? Guilt? Loneliness? Worry? Temptations? Fill in that last word yourself. What is it that drags you down, holds you captive, and keeps you from walking on solid ground and singing new songs?

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,
    and he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
    out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the LORD.

Although the writer puts this in the past tense, not all of the muck and mud and mire is behind him. If you read the entire chapter, you’ll see him crying for help yet again. Rescue me! I’ve lost courage! I can’t find my way out!

It’s as though he begins writing to remind himself of what God has done in the past, remembering that God can — and will — pull him out of the pit.

A lesson for us. A lesson for me. God has pulled me out of the mud so many times when I could not free myself, when I could see no escape, when all I could do was cry, “Help! I’m sinking!”  I’m guessing He has rescued you, too. He hears our cries. His love for us is never forgetful or absent.

Not only does He pull us out, He sets our feet on solid ground, steadies us as we go onward, and gifts us with a new song of praise. Out of our times in the pit come new strengths and new thankfulness.

These three verses remind me to remember. Remember what my Lord has done in my life. When I’m in the mud at the bottom of the pit, I must remember. Cry for help and rescue, yes. But do not lose heart, because I know that He hears, He rescues. And then He strengthens and renews!

He brings good things from our hard places, not only for us, but also for others. Many will be amazed. Many will know that only the LORD could have done this. Many will put their trust in Him, too.

I hope when people look at my life they know that only God could do what has been done, what is being done. I do know this—when you share with me stories of your hard times and rescues, you encourage me, my faith is strengthened, I am reminded —

If God is for us, who can be against us ?

Scripture: Psalm 40:1-3 (NLT); Romans 8:31 (NIV)

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Quietness and Comfort

On some days, I need to sit a long time on my Rock of Refuge. Sit quietly, listen, read, come to my Father. If I simply run past it, run ahead with my schedule, my work, my obligations … then my day becomes thirsty and hungry.

This morning, I needed to sit a long time. I needed quietness and comfort.

If you are at such a place also, let these Scriptures water your soul:

Psalm 119:76
May your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to your promise to your servant.

Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is with you,
    he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
    he will quiet you with his love,
    he will rejoice over you with singing.

Psalm 23:2,3a
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
    he leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.

Isaiah 33:17
The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
    the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.

This chapter goes on to say that
my people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
    in secure homes,
    in undisturbed places of rest.
Though hail flattens the forest
    and the city is leveled completely,
how blessed you will be,
    sowing your seed by every stream,
    and letting your oxen and donkeys range free.

Isaiah 30:15
In repentance and rest is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust is your strength.

　

Take a closer look at the Zephaniah verse.

The LORD your God is with you,

That is enough. The LORD of the universe is with me.

God wants our friendship, our fellowship, our communion. And that is just amazing. He seeks us. He went to extreme measures to bring us back into a relationship with Him.

he is mighty to save.

And as He says so many other places in Scripture, He alone can save me. He alone can deliver me from the traps set for me, from the enemies of my soul. He can work for my good in everything. If He is for me, who can hold or harm me?

He will take great delight in you,

I am humbled. How is it that Almighty God takes delight in me?

Yet, He says it is true …

I am speechless.

he will quiet you with his love,

How can there be worry, fretting, noise, confusion, fear?

I am quieted.

He will rejoice over you with singing.

I have no idea what this means … other than …. God rejoices over me.

What? Makes me smile, though. To know that the LORD Almighty rejoices over me.

It looks like our Lord is all about comforting His people.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort …
2 Cor 1:3

I wait quietly before God,
   for my victory comes from him.
He is my refuge, a rock where no
   enemy can reach me.

O my people, trust in him at all times.
   Pour out your heart to him,
   for God is our refuge.
from Psalm 62

Amen.