Tag: desert springs

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Tents

“Now we know that

if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,

we have a building from God,

an eternal house in heaven,

not built by human hands.”

2 Cor. 5:1

Tents are the homes of shepherds.  Made of woven goat hair, they repel water, yet allow the tent to “breathe” through its walls and roof.  Their “breathing” shade and shelter are perfect for herders, who must be on the move in their mission of finding good pasture for their herds.  They are designed to be mobile, and can  last a long, long time with proper care.  But they are also vulnerable.  (And smelly, if the goat’s hair fabric gets wet!)

I was in a family tent, enjoying a lunch with my desert family, when a sudden storm came.  Very rare. The wind was blowing in a circular way, and suddenly the entire tent began to lift up off of the ground.  All the men immediately ran to each corner and physically became “weights” to keep the tent from becoming airborne.  It was very scary for all of us!  I suddenly became aware of how vulnerable it was to live in a tent as a permanent home.

God’s promises to us concerning our physical “tent” – both our bodies and our houses – take on deeper meaning when we come face to face with their vulnerabilities.  Sickness, storms, the weakening that develops over time, all remind us of how vulnerable we really are.

What a wonderful comfort and reassurance we can draw knowing that God Himself has prepared our Forever Home, with  Him, in Heaven.  No storm, nor disaster, nor sickness or death will everbe part of what God has prepared for us after our time on this earth.

It will be absolutely perfect!

 

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Like Babies

“Desire God’s pure word

as newborn babies desire milk.

Then you will grow in your salvation.

Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!” 

1 Peter 2:2-3

We can make things very complicated, can’t we?  I was awake at 4 am today, and my mind was quickly spinning, moving along from topic to topic as my conscious brain seemed to kick into high gear.  After about 3 hours, I was a mess.  Emotionally and mentally.   Then, I heard a little “ding” on my phone, and here was the “verse of the day” that I check every morning.  It seemed to bring all of the thoughts, worries, fears and emotions down to something very simple and basic.

I love babies.  I am fascinated watching them in their “awake” hours….how much they are taking in every moment, and learning.  I love holding them, engaging with them, and take delight in rocking them to sleep.  After repeating the same lullabye with each baby’s favorite rocking position – 14 in our family, including the first 3 baby boys who were my own –  I am kind of a “baby whisperer,”  and have moved into a whole new level by putting myself to sleep in the process!

In our complex lives, overly-stimulated minds, and daily bombardment of stressful realities, it is good to hit the “pause button” and be reminded of how our Father God sees us. We’re His “babies”…..like a mother often looks at her grown children but still glimpses her babies.

Peter seemed to “get that.”   Though a very energetic “act-before-you-think” follower of Jesus, he captured the picture of the simple, pure basics of knowing Jesus, remembering where we’ve come from, and Who’s we are.  Spiritually babies, just beginning to grow into a life that has been born anew into a child/father relationship with God.  Those early days of total dependency and safety in His Arms build the trust and security that we will need to live out however many years we have on this earth.  Remembering Who He Is, and Whose we are, is the Foundation we have for the rest of our lives.

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Wilder-ness

[ A psalm by David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.]

“O God, you are my God.

At dawn I search for you.

My soul thirsts for you.

My body longs for you in a dry, parched land

 where there is no water.” 

Psalm. 63:1

Have you ever thought about the term “wilderness”? It looks like it sounds…”wild-er-ness.”   It’s “wilder” than the normal places of trees, “green” vegetation, and water.   It’s “wilder” than most people choose to live in.   Dry.  Harsh. Less of everything that would be considered “nice.”   Wilderness is a small step up from desert…minus the beauty.

Picture how David describes his wilderness…..

  • He is experiencing “wilderness” in a way that he needs to call out to God; he reminds himself of Who God is to him.   He’s been through a wilderness night, with all of its darkness, vulnerability, shadows, strange sounds, and the fears that swell in our hearts when we are utterly alone;
  • As the sky begins to lighten by the yet-unseen sun’s gentle glow, still beyond the horizon, the fears of the long, dark night begin to slowly dissolve.
  • Throughout the darkness of the night, he became aware of his thirst….for water, surely, but also a deeper thirst in his soul.The wilderness experience focuses our attention inward, and the deep dryness of soul is felt….without distraction….and without any way for us to bring relief to that deep place.
  • The growing thirst in our soul drives us to look for some relief… something to quench and ease the gnawing awareness of deep need of fresh water for our parched lips, dry mouth, dehydrated body and sad soul.

Whatever drew us to that wilderness place has only increased our need ….physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  We come face to face with our present reality, and it forces us to look up.  The night is over.

And God is there.

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Getting the Best Advice

“The Lord advisesthose who fear him.

He revealsto them the intentof his Promise.

My eyes are always on the Lord. He removes my feet from traps.”

Psalm 25:14-15

Where do you look when you need advice?   A mentor? A trusted friend?  A wise person in your life?   A parent?  A spiritual advisor?  The internet? Books?

How about God Himself?   Do you think of Him in that way?

An advisor is different from “materials.”   An advisor is an interactive resource…one who can listen to you, ask good questions, provoke your thoughts and help you see into the future a bit.   A good advisor has wisdom.

Thinking about God as my own Advisor adds a wonderful dimension to Who He Is.  Note the ways the Psalm writer describes Him:

  • He advises: Not demands, not commands.  We can go to Him with our needs, ask for His advice (with healthy respect), knowing that He is near, and aware;
  • He has already given us Promises, and He will help us understand the intent of those Promises.Knowing that He has made promises to us lays a beautiful groundwork for us to come to Him.  He will “go there” with us, helping us to understand the intent of those Promises.  He opens His own heart to us, willing to give us His Time and Patience as we ask Him to help us truly understand and clarify what His Promises mean in our lives.  He gives us permission to think, wonder, and ask questions.  There is a two-way relationship involved.
  • As the Psalm writer states, “my eyes are always on the Lord.” This One Who gave me life and made promises for my life is worthy of my conscious attention, always.  And there will be wonderful “Aha” moments throughout life when we see in new ways the loving and wise reasons behind His Promises and guidance.  (even when we have come precariously close to the traps along our path.)
  • When we step into one of those “traps”, His response is not to stand there saying, “I told you so!”, leaving us bloodied and unable to keep walking. He steps into that nasty, bloody situation….opens the trap, and removes my “foot” painful and gross as it is, freeing me from what I’ve blindly stepped into.
  • Best part: He’s never too busy, can always take my call, and He’s always right!

 

 

 

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When He’s Near

“Seek the Lord while he may be found.

Call on him while he is near.”  

Isaiah 55:6

Sometimes we go through seasons in our lives when God seems distant …far from us.

At other times we sense that He is very near.   

Isaiah certainly had those seasons in life when he felt very alone.  Yet he knew that he was not abandoned by God.  Often, after the times of feeling the distance, he experienced God in new ways, and God did amazing things in Isaiah’s life.

Those seasons of feeling lost or far away from God are often times when we become more desperate for His nearness.  We may even begin to imagine what we would do if He had left us.  Our pursuit of Him becomes more urgent.

But it’s in those times when He is more evident and active in our lives that we can slip into “neutral” in our pursuit of Him. We take Him for granted when life is going well.

Thoughts of, “OK…I’ve got this now!” or “Hey! Things are going great!  I’ll take it from here!” creep into our minds.   We begin to lose the passion for Him that was driven by desperation over tough things in our lives.  

 When we do not feel our pressing need for our Rescuer, the direction of our pursuit often changes as well.

But He is the same yesterday….today….and forever. When we wait to call on Him until something desperate happens, we miss the sweetness of His Presence because we have been enjoying other sweet things instead.

Think about how you feel when you are being taken for granted by someone you care about.   Or is there someone in your life who only comes to you when they need you?  Doesn’t it cheapen the relationship you have shared?

My 11 grandchildren take turns having a “date” with me.  They want to, and it warms my heart.  Recently, one of the little boys had his turn and chose a cute movie to watch with me. We had our popcorn, pillows, blankets and sippy-cups, and settled in to watch our movie.  In a short while, his little hand made its way into mine…without a word or glance. And we just sat there holding hands as the movie played. It was a precious moment for me.

God created each of us with intentionality….with Love….with the goal of relationship.  In all of His Goodness,  Kindness, and Love, all of His Plans for us involved relationship with Him. That is cheapened when we don’t run to Him unless we need or want something.  We “use Him” for what He can do for us.

Isaiah points out God’s heart for us in that, even when we don’t feel “needy” or “lost”, He wants us to pursue Him…not for what we “need”….but because we simply love Him.

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Calling All Nations

“You will summon a nation that you don’t know,

    and a nation that doesn’t know you will run to you

        because of the Lord your God…..”

Isaiah 55:5

How do you do with “out of the box” thinking?  Isaiah was a very, very out-of-the-box man.  Prophets always are.  He could “see” things that did not yet exist.  He could “see” at times with God’s Eyes.

Prophets not only “see” with God’s Eyes, but they also have such an impact that an entire nation may be affected.  In this passage, the person God is talking to apparently did three basic things:

  • Got involved with a nation he did not know;
  • Called to (summoned) that nation;
  • Was present for the nation to run to.

How often has God “ear-marked” people to step into a situation…or a nation, that they do not know, to tell those who have not heard the Good News, but did not go?  Jesus’ last words on this planet had to do with the word “GO”….”into all the world…”   Isaiah said it was an honorto be Called.

The exciting part of Isaiah’s verse is the impact upon the people to whom the “called one” went:  “…a nation that does not know you will runto you…”

“Because of the Lord your God.”

I had just a glimpse of that when I met two strangers – religious leadership men – who had been searching for anyone who was a Follower of Jesus.  They had never met one.  But they had found a verse in their own Book that said they should find a ‘person of the Book’ (Bible) and ask them to explain about Christ.  When they realized that I was a ‘person of the Book,’ their excitement was incredible.  Of course, I was trying to not panic, not knowing what they were expecting of me! 

We never know what God may stir in someone’s mind or heart, nor in a nation’s mind or heart.  But we can be certain that He is moving….stirring….in this world, and those who know Him must be willing to get involved in bringing understanding about Who God Is.  We don’t need all the answers….no one on earth has that!  But to the extent that you have come to know God, He calls on you to share that knowledge…that experience in your own life and heart….with whoever comes to you….calls on you….asks questions…..and identifies “Something” in you that connects you with God.

 

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Holding Hands

“A person’s fear sets a trap for him,

but one who trusts the Lord is safe.”

Prov. 29:25

Fear has been a core theme of my life, unfortunately!   When I think of a fearful person, the picture I get is of someone looking all over the place for the “danger” they fear.  Up, down, side-to-side, head ducking down, shoulders and arms held close for protection, and a serious crick in the neck.  Basically, trying to make yourself small and least noticable as possible.

On the other hand, Trustis a very different image.  Trust isn’t focused on the ground, or making yourself “small.”  Trust looks toward the goal and keeps moving ahead, step by step.  Not foolishly nor carelessly nor even very confidently, perhaps.  But just enough courage to take the next steps . . . one at a time.

Sign language for the word “TRUST” is that of one hand above, one hand below, palms coming together in a clasp.  God’s Hand extended toward mine, my hand moving up into His, open and empty, ….until our hands meet and clasp…like a child holding Daddy’s hand.

When we are looking all around us, eyes darting to see any possible danger, we’re not focusing on the goal of our journey. If our hands are full of all the items that we think will help us be safe, we don’t have our hand free to grab onto His.  Being preoccupied with being safe may be the very distraction that causes us to miss what was actually the goal.

I remember one very dark night in the desert (no electrical lights existed) I was walking, having come from a very upsetting situation.  So absorbed in my emotional turmoil, I took a step into “nothing”, and landed in a very dark, very large, deep hole.  A strong man’s hand reached down to find mine, and pulled me up onto solid ground.  In the blackness of the night, I couldn’t see anything, but that strong hand brought me out of the dark pit and onto solid ground. 

Whose Hand are you holding?  It isn’t possible to hold a Hand from a distance….you can only be an arm’s length away.  Stay close to Him.  Hold His Hand, and never let go!!

 

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Unexpected Generosity

“All goes well for the person who is generous and lends willingly.

He earns an honest living.”

Psalm 112:5

 

Money and possessions really matter in our world.   It seems that has always been true.

Stepping into a world that has little in the way of possessions or money is very jarring….even shocking.  This verse goes to the core of that heart issue.  It almost seems an upside-down order.   It begins with giving money away, and then talks about how it comes to us.  The verse begins with the attitude towards what we have, and then the way it comes into our hands.

I had an upside-down experience concerning money during my first visit to the refugee camps.  My translator, a Saharawi refugee himself, told me of a man, a stranger, approaching him in the airport, asking if he could “borrow” some money from my translator.   Knowing how very poorthe refugees are, I found it offensive that any stanger would ask for money from one of them. Expressing my shock and distaste for the man asking to borrow the money, my friend quickly explained that he was actually very honored to have been asked.  “Why would you be honored by that?!” I asked.  He quickly responded, “There were so many people in that airport, and the man could have  asked anyof them for the help.  But out of all those people, he asked me!  He perceived that I would be willing to help him.  That was a big honor for me!”   And he gladly gave the man some money….never seeing him again.  Yet, he went on his way feeling privileged to have been able to help a stranger.  His dignity and desire to be able to be on the giving side was a big lesson for me.

My friend eventually was chosen to work for his people in their government in another country, where he has a good job and continues to serve his people in a meaningful way.

As God’s people, may “the stranger” sense that we value themmore than what we have…what we own.  May generosity be so much a part of our lives that we can see it as a privilege to help others.

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Mercy

“Your mercy, O Lord,

fills the earth.

Teach me your laws.”

Psalm 119:64

“Mercy” and the “Laws” usually are not two words that normally go together in my head.I would normally think of “LAW” as the standard from which I would need the “MERCY.”

In reality, most of us need mercy because we have screwed up a law. 

The Psalm writer has a perspective of this earth that sees God’s mercy as the primary reality of his experience.  He has experienced great mercy throughout his life.  Once we truly realize God’s Laws we see how much mercy God hasgiven us all along.

When I first stepped into the desert world of my Saharawi people, I was a “westerner” who crashed into their Bedouin culture.  I had no idea of the values and traditions that were so deeply woven into their thoughts, values, and actions.  I wasn’t handed a manual of “do’s and don’t” when I arrived.  They just graciously moved with me as I stumbled along as a Westerner in their Eastern world.  (Who knew that we shouldn’t walk in front of everybody to find our seat in the “tea circle”…. Or that we ladies shouldn’t stand with the sunlight behind us, illuminating the shorts and tank tops we wore under the gauzey wraps in the 120 degree heat, … or that we should walk behind everyone as we went to our seats around the tea circle…etc., etc., etc.) They were too polite to say anything about how offensive and inappropriate our actions were to their cultural ‘laws.”

 When we finally realized that we were trouncing all over their cultural “laws” and began learning and following them, we all collectively breathed a sigh of relief!   We hadn’t learned their “laws” of appropriate cultural codes.  Once we did, and began to practice them, things took a beautiful turn for the better.  They felt so honored that we would choose to adjust “our ways” to embrace their world.

It’s like that with God.  When we step into God’s Kingdom, He does not slap a long list of Laws into our hands and require us to memorize and follow all of them.  We never could.  But His Mercy patiently allows us to be in relationship with Him, even though we are doing so many things “wrong.”  As we begin to find our footing in His Kingdom, we begin to wantto know His Ways….so that we can walk in them as we follow Him, out of the growing love between us.

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Learning Trust

“Trust the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths smooth.”   

Proverbs 3:5-6

This was one of the first verses I memorized as a child.  It would come to mind often as I grew up.  For a long time it was just words.  But in my teen years, as my “path” became far more bumpy, uneven and painful, the verse also deepened in its meaning and reality in my life.  I came to know Him more deeply as we walked that rough path together.   I learned how trust-worthy God through those years together.

Fast-forward through love, marriage, starting a church, and having two little boys join our family.  Then came #3. He became a great “teacher” for me.

From his first birthday, my life became a blur…often finding him in yet another life-threatening situation, or seeing him dramatically writhing on the floor as if his life was coming to an end. He had an incredibly strong will.  I experimented with all kinds of methods of getting him to calm down and listen to me.  I would often stand over him simply saying, “You’re not gonna win. You’re not gonna win.”  Once he’d calm down a bit, I’d get on his eye-level, pull his little face close to mine, and say “look in my eyes…look in my eyes.”  Of course, his little eyeballs were going everywhere except into mine.  But when we finally were eye-to-eye, my words could begin to be “heard.”  Soon we would be back on track and going about our day…until the next crisis.  I had to be consistent with him in disrupting his strong will, but I also had to be consistent with the peace-making and love afterwards.

I think that became a life-lesson for him in learning to trust….trust that he was loved, trust that he had boundaries to live within, and trust that even when he was going down a wrong “path” the standards remained…and that he was still loved.

How do we learn to trust God?   It’s not just a word.  It’s not just a concept we can decide is true for us.  TRUST is built.  With time, through tough “bumps in the road”, through falls and bruises and choices that end up with us writhing on the floor.  Mywillagainst HIS WILL.  It comes through times of God orchestrating getting our attention, with our face in His Hands, Eye to eye.  Until we finally let His Words sink in, andour willgives into His.

Each time we get up, look in His Eyes, hear Him…and can walk away knowing His Love goes with us, our trust in Him grows…stronger, deeper, solid.  Like a child.