Tag: Janet Lenz

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Perfect Peace

“With perfect peace

 You will protect those whose minds cannot be changed,

    because they trust You.” 

Isaiah 26:3

The long history of God’s people is full of really tough times and experiences. Drama was always around the next corner, it seemed.  Wars, captivity, living in exile, being refugees, running for their lives, long periods of extreme cruelty, and Death.  God allowed all of this to be woven into their Story.  He saw it all.  He allowed it to go on.  That’s a tough thing for us to contemplate.

When I reverse the order of this verse, there are two things that are “on us” as His people:  His people trusted God, and their minds could not be changed.  Life on this earth is tough.  Sometimes it seems impossible.  TRUST requires intentionally putting our small hand into His enormous, powerful Hand….and hanging on.  No matter what.  It means accepting the fact that I cannot control the events of my life.  I can really try, but it is not humanly possible. What I can dois hold onto His Hand, like a child with his/her father. There we touch His Strength, His Presence, His Protection and Assurance.  Our Perfect Father has the perfect view of what is ahead, around and behind us.  We might even close our eyes as we squeeze His Hand.  That’s fine!  Hang on for dear life!

Unlike a human father, our Heavenly Father will not let go when we put our small hand in His.  And each time we experience Him as He walks us through this life, our trust grows. Each experience adds to our level of confidence  in HIM.Step by step, He will not let go…only wecan do that. We may have to walk through frightening times, painful experiences, rocky paths, dark days…life on this earth.  But, holding on tightly, our trust slowly grows.  Our minds begin to absorb the reality of His Presence, His Love, His trust-worthiness….especially through the most frightening times.

And slowly, slowly, with each experience we walk through holding His Hand, our mind becomes more believing because of what we’ve been through together.  Our trust grows, because He has walked withus.  We realize that keeping hold of His Hand becomes our safest place on earth. And out of the years of walking together through life, peace….PERFECT Peace…becomes our experience…It becomes part of our hearts….our minds.  It becomes TRUTH for us.  The pain and troubles of this earthly life do not change.  But the PEACEthat has grown and deepened through it all…remains.

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Growing Old

“Even when you’re old, I’ll take care of you.

 Even when your hair turns gray,

 I’ll support you.

 I made you and will continue to care for you.

 I’ll support you and save you.”

 Isaiah 46:4

God’s tender words to Isaiah are so sweet…gentle…and intimate.  Isaiah had lived a long, long life.  He’d seen many Kings come and go throughout his long life as God’s mouthpiece to His people.

Prophets are often loners.  Their lives are focused on watching for and listening to God.  They’re not afraid to speak words…give messages….that “rock the boat” of other’s lives.  (I lived with one….I know what that’s like! Major boat-rocker!)   They need to get away from the crowds and be able to position themselves to listen to God’s quiet Voice.  They need to focus.   Practical things of life – especially plans for old age – are not a high priority. They’re far more tuned in to the here and now of what God is doing and saying.

In Isaiah’s time, there was no social security, no “retirement”, no medicare, and likely not much security of having children to take care of an elderly Prophet of God.  As he aged, his old bones would have been affecting his daily life.  Being alone brings a new reality to becoming old. And Isaiah was very old….

The tenderness of God’s Words directly to Isaiah’s old heart…..that “ear” that had heard so many Words from God which were meant for others – even kings – are poignantly personal and intimate for this old prophet.   God covered all of those bases that become part of the realities of the aged.   He knew. He saw.  He understood.  He was present in, and for, Isaiah.  This Message was specially for His old faithful servant.  His prophet.

Those Words give us a beautiful picture of God’s intimate knowledge of us.  When we are His, there can be no greater Love in our lives….even when we are “alone.”  Our hearts can rest, knowing that He is with us . . . with me.

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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.

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Living Under the Shelter

“Whoever lives under the shelter of the Most High

will remain in the shadow of the Almighty.”   

Psalm 91:1

David, the shepherd boy who would become King, knew the dangers of living without shelter.  When shepherds take their flocks to the places where there is good pasture, it is normally a long trip, and sheep are not easy to move from one place to another. They are fearful animals, and almost any unexpected movement can send them into a panic…running for escape, even if it’s over the edge of a cliff.  They have no natural means of defense, except to run, often running into greater danger.

Pasture lands offer rare shelter for the sheep.  The shepherd himself must be their safe place.  The sheep need to see their shepherd, or they become skittish…nervous.  The sight of their shepherd brings a sense of calm and reassurance to the flock.  His presence is their shelter.

As “human sheep” we walk this earth, vulnerable and naturally defenseless to its dangers and evil.   Every human longs for shelter.  No matter how much we may try to create a safe place for ourselves, we cannot control every circumstance that comes our way.

To “live under the shelter” of the Most High, we must choose to enter there.  He will not force us into His Shelter. . . it must be our choice.  Coming and going in and out of His Shelter is not “living under His Shelter.”  To livethere is a choice on our part.  He opens the door and invites us in.  He allows us to choose.

Once I choose to live under His Shelter, I immediately experience being in His Shadow.  His Shadow is an extension of Himself. It is the evidence that He is there. He is present.  His Shadow cannot be where He is not.  His Shadow is proof that He Is right there….and very near.

The Most High has made Himself available to us.  But He will not force us to live under His Shelter.  Our Shelter is our safe place, our protection, the place where evil will never be invited and harm is kept at bay.  Stepping into His Shadow brings immediate relief from the “heat” of our day…the heat that could be deadly.  God places Himself between us and the blazing heat of life.  He provides His Own Shadow for our protection . . . our relief.

May we step into His Shelter with deep gratitude for His loving invitation.  And may we remain close to Him, within His very Shadow, where we find rest from the heat of this life, with full confidence in our Almighty One who has invited us to be so near to Him.

 

 

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Different Worlds

Different Worlds is a blog post from Janet Lenz from Desertsprings blog

“I will give thanks to You

as I learn Your regulations,

which are based on your righteousness.

I will obey your laws.

Never abandon me.”

Psalm 119:7-8

If you’ve ever spent time in a foreign country, you know how much goes on in normal life there that seems strange.  You’ve stepped into “their world” and it may take a while for you to even realize how different that world is.  For example, you may rent a car from the airport in London, but you quickly notice that the steering wheel is on the “wrong side” of the car, and everyone there is driving on the “wrong side” of the road. Unless you make a very quick course adjustment, you’ll soon find yourself on the “wrong side” of the law. But it’s their world,and YOU are the one who needs to make the course adjustments.

God’s Kingdom is completely different from our world on this earth.  But it’s HIS World, and guess who needs to make the course adjustments when you enter into it!!

The first few years that I stepped into the desert world of the Saharawi, I was not thinking about how their world operated.  I was operating in my world.  I couldn’t understand why they did the things they did, especially because I thought myworld, myways were better.  I would usually end up standing before some leader there in tears, because nothing had worked out the way I had planned.

Guess who needed to adjust the plans???   I had come with all the details worked out of how this would go. It was a GREAT plan!   But it was as if, in showing my plan to God,  He patiently looked it over, then kindly crumpled it up and tossed it over His shoulder.  With a wink and a smile, He took my hand and proceeded to walk me through the Plan He was already unfolding.

I not only had to look to Him for His Plans, but I had to become a “learner” of the Saharawi’s world….how they did things….what they valued….how their world worked.  And after many years of frustration, I began to discover the wisdom and realities of their world.  Life became much less stressful and much more fruitful.

God’s regulations are perfect.  Period. He put it – and us – together in the first place.  He knows how it – and we – best work out on this globe and in His World.  To run around in this life, doing what we think is best . . . what we want life to be, how we want things to go, will most likely not go well.  As we live in His Kingdom, we must be willing to learn. Life in His Kingdom is SO different from the kingdoms of this world.  We don’t know how to do it. We need to posture ourselves as “learners” of His Kingdom.  His ways, His Laws, His regulations will be absolutely perfect, as He is Perfect.  And as He kindly gives us understanding, insight, patience, and countless “2nd,3rd,4th, gazilian” chances, we begin to understand the incomparable benefit of following His Ways.

Notice how this verse ends. . .  a plea for what matters most:  “Never abandon me.”   There is no comparison of this world to His Kingdom.  He promised to never leave us….never abandon us.  Stop fighting what He has set up for our good.  Hold tightly to His Hand, as He holds to ours, and trust Him as He shows us, step by step, how His Kingdom works….the Kingdom into which He has invited us.

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What Are You Looking At?

“But the Lord told Samuel,

“Don’t look at his appearance or how tall he is,

because I have rejected him [David’s oldest brother].

God does not see as humans see.

Humans look at outward appearances,

but the Lord looks into the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

Samuel was God’s Prophet, and his assignment was to find the next King for God’s nation.  The “old” King was on a downward spiral and had to be replaced.  It was Samuel’s job to find the man God had chosen to be the new King.  But Samuel was looking for someone that fit his formula for a good king.

God already had made His choice, but it was not anyone that “fit” the qualifications for which Samuel was looking.

God’s choice was not a strong, wise, well-educated, experienced nor powerful man.  This was not a successful, famous leader.  He was not someone who had a proven track-record in business or economics or corporate success.  He was the “little brother.”  His renown only went as far as his dad, his brothers, and a bunch of sheep.

He was just a kid. His name was David.

Outwardly, there was no logical reason to consider that God would choose to use The Kid.  But God had been watching him before he was even born….the baby of the family.  He was watching as little David often got the “short end of the stick” in his family.  God saw how often David was left behind as his big brothers went off to do more “special things”….big-boy things, while David had to take care of a bunch of sheep.  Not an easy job.  They were not easy animals to care for…very low on the intelligence charts, easy targets for lions and bears, and pretty much anything else that had teeth. David’s focus each day was basically saving their lives….making sure they’re not eating deadly plants or falling off cliffs.  It was hard work, and very lonely.

But what God saw most in this young boy was his heart.  He was learning to know God through the challenges of his years of caring for those sheep:  God’s Nature, His Goodness,  His Mercy,

His Protection, His Presence, His Loving-kindness, and His Power. He could never have imagined what God had planned for his future. . . as one of the greatest Kings in history.

May we learn to see each other with even a glimpse of how God sees us . . . even the “most unlikely.”

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Water Song

“Spring up, O well!

Sing about it.”

Numbers 21:17

God’s people had been going through a horrible time!  Slaves  of Egypt for hundreds of years,  running through the desert andthe Red Sea from Pharoah’s army, with the wall of the sea looming all along their panicked flight. . . then into another desert.   They had been bitten by snakes, struck with plague, learning how to follow leaders who didn’t know where they were going.  Frustration, hunger, running for their lives with children, animals, elderly, and sick people was their new way of life. They’d seen people swallowed up by the earth, being led through the days by a cloud…and the most awesome “nightlight” of fire. And it all took place through an impossible desert. No convenient natural water sources.  Always on the move, sleeping in temporary shelters, days..weeks…months….eventually 40 years. Including the hundreds of years as slaves in Egypt (desert!), this has to be the most horrendous refugee situation in history.

But all the while, God continued to be with them, tolerating their disobedience, bad attitudes, and complaints. They’d lost a lot of ground in Egypt personally, spiritually and culturally.  Yet He always gave them another chance, usually through miracles He orchestrated. They’d learned so much about Who God Is through that journey.  They were still His people.

Now they were on the move again.  God had allowed poisonous snakes to bite His complaining people.  But He also provided a remedy:  Moses’ bronze snake on a pole.  They only had to look at it to live.

Still in the desert, they arrived at a well.  God told Moses, “Gather the people, andI will give them water.” (Num.21:16-18)

Then God’s people sang this song,

“Make your water spring up!

Sing to the well,

The well dug by princes

Dug out by the nobles of the people

With their scepters and staffs.”

Did those past Princes, using their scepters, know that they were digging a well for God’s refugee People?   Did those Nobles of the past, using their shepherd’s staffs, realize that they were digging a well that would be used by God to bless His people, led by a Shepherd who had been trained to be a Pharoah?  Did God’s people know that He had prepared it long ago to keep them alive at that moment in time?

God knew exactly what was coming in the future.  He knew that His beloved people would pass through that desert place some day in desperate need of water.  He had provided long before their need passed that way.

We do not know what will come tomorrow in our lives.  Perhaps we would not even want to know.  We do not know how things we do today will affect our tomorrow…or the tomorrows of others.  But God knows. . . exactly.  And His Plans of how He will use those human efforts for His Purposes are already reality in His Mind.  Nothing escapes Him.

We can trust in the Truth that He can use anything for our good.  It’s our job to hold tightly to His Hand as He continues to bring into existence the proof of His unfailing Love and Purposes for us.

Unlikely people . . . unlikely circumstances . . . unimagined tragedy may invade our lives.  Yet, whether we truly believe it or not, He’s got this!     And we can join that ancient song of Hope and Truth:   “Spring up, O Well!”   Spring up in me.

 

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Whispers

Whispers a blog post written by Janet Lenz

 “Who is this that comes up from the wilderness,

leaning upon her Beloved?”

Song of Solomon 8:5.

I miss him.  I miss the Love of my Life.  I had never imagined any stage of my life without him.  There are SO many sweet, beautiful, loving and lovely memories that appear and swirl through my heart and mind.  Unexpected flashes of moments that I had forgotten, yet carrying the emotion and images of a memory.

He was my biggest cheerleader through the years, encouraging and cheering me on as I would step onto new ground, new life experiences, and new ventures.

Nearly crippled by fear the first time I headed to the Great Desert, my literal wilderness, I was panicking and trying to convince myself (and him) that this was only a test by God to see how far I’d go in facing my fears.  He calmly spoke words of truth to my frantic heart. I went….with his love and blessing.

I miss him.

And I was telling God how much I miss him.  Tears came.   Standing in my little kitchen, with a papertowel catching the tears, my heart whispered, “I miss being held.”

Within a heartbeat, I sensed God’s Presence so very near, and heard His gentle Whisper,  “I Am holding you.  I Am here.”

The Whisper continues . . .