Trusting the One who Sees the 'Big Picture'

"He Holds the World in the Palm of His Hands"

Take a deep breath. Okay, let it out. Now it's time to let go - to lay everything at the feet of Jesus. He already holds the world in His Hands, but He asks us to surrender all our hopes, our dreams, our will, our desires, our control - our everything - to Him. He asks us to trust Him with our lives. Can we do it?


These past few weeks I have been working through this difficult process of surrender. I say difficult because letting go does not come naturally to our human nature and entails denying self - something that can be very hard to do. I have found that surrender is a continual process. It is not just something I can do once and be done with; it is something I must do on a daily basis. What I have found, though, is that despite the difficulty of picking up my cross and following Christ, of laying everything at His feet, there is freedom and release. Surrender is a beautiful thing, and is necessary in drawing closer to the LORD and in being obedient to Him.


I am realizing too, that God sees the big picture. My vision is very limited. I cannot see the past, present and future or how they entwine together in His plans for my life. This is why placing my life in the hands of God makes so much more sense. How can I control my course when I do not know where I am heading or what road to take? 


I was blessed this morning as I read Isaiah 55 as it spoke to the very situations and decisions I am facing in my life right now.

Isaiah 55:1-13

1          “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;

a          [John 4:14] “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.”

b          [John 7:37] “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink’.”

And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

c          [Rev. 3:18] “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”

2          Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.

3          Incline your ear, and come to Me.

a          [Matt. 11:28] “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you –

b          [Jer. 32:40] “I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.”

The sure mercies of David.

c          [2 Sam. 7:8] “Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel’.”

4          Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,

a          [Rev. 1:5] “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.”

A leader and commander for the people.

a          [Dan. 9:25] “Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.”

5          Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,

a          [Eph. 2:11-13] “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands – remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the LORD your God,

b          [Is. 60:5] “Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.”

For He has glorified you.

c          [Is. 60:9] “For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD you God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.”

6          Seek the LORD while he may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

a          [Heb. 3:13] “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

b          [Ps. 32:6] “Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.”

7          Let the wicked forsake his way,

a          [Is. 1:16] “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil.”

And the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD,

b          [Zech. 8:17] “do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD.”

And He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

c          [Jer. 3:12] “Go, and proclaim these words to the north, and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever.”

8          ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD.

a          [2 Sam. 7:19] “And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O LORD GOD, You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is the instruction for mankind, O LORD GOD!”

9          ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’

a          [Ps. 103:11] “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him.”

10        ‘For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.’

a          [Deut. 32:2] “May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.”

11        ‘So shall My word be that goes froth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void. But it shall accomplish what I please,

a          [Is. 45:23] “By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance’.”

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.’

b          [Is. 46:9-11] “remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”

12        ‘For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace;

a          [Is. 35:10] “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you,

b          [Ps. 98:8] “Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together.”

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.’

c          [I Chr. 16:33] “Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.”

13        ‘Instead of

a          [Is. 41:19] “I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together.”

The thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;

b          [Mic. 7:4] “The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.”

And it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.’”

c          [Jer. 13:11] “For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.”

“THAT AIN’T IT!”

Visiting Alaska for the first time, I was excited that we were staying at the Mt. McKinley Lodge. As we were checking in, I caught a glimpse of a mass of rock through a large picture window, and I hurried out to the deck facing the mountain.

“Wow,” I murmured softly as I took in the view.

A man standing a few feet away said, “Uh,…that ain’t it!”

As I discovered that day, visitors to Alaska often miss seeing all of “The Great One.” Standing at 20,320 feet, the mountain is so tall that most of it is hidden on cloudy days. I was seeing only a part of the whole.

Often we’re satisfied with our limited view of life. But Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, “’I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the LORD, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.’” With God’s omniscient, panoramic view, He sees the people He wants us to help, the things He wants us to accomplish, the character traits He wants to develop in us.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” Our view of life is restricted by our humanness, but we can trust ourselves to the One who has an unlimited view! – Cindy Hess Kasper

There’s so much now I cannot see,

My eyesight’s far too dim,

But come what may, I’ll simply trust

And leave it all to Him. – Overton

We see in part; God sees the whole.

A Resolution of Righteousness

Today in my devotions I read Psalm 101. I can't tell you how much I was struck by David's resolution of righteousness and integrity. I was impressed to claim the first four verses for myself and for my family. Lately, I have been feeling the need for a thorough cleansing and purification of heart, mind, and soul. The more time I spend with the LORD, the more aware I am of my own state as a sinful human desperately in need of grace daily. I have also become more aware of the sin and ungodliness around me in the world and, sadly, in the church today. I have also felt an urgency - a warning that the time is steadily moving towards the return of Christ. I have come to the conclusion that it is time to make David's resolution my own. I am no longer satisfied with complacency and sitting in my comfort zone doesn't have quite the same enticement as it once did. The time to stand is now. The time to draw close to the LORD is now. 

PSALM 101:1-4

"I will sing of mercy and justice;

To You, O LORD, I will sing

praises.

I will behave wisely in a

perfect way.

Oh, when will You come to

me?

I will walk within my house

with a perfect heart.

I will set nothing wicked

before my eyes;

I hate the work of those

who fall away;

It shall not cling to me.

A perverse heart shall depart

from me;

I will not know wickedness."

Here, too, is a poem by Sper that follows the same idea: 

"LORD, cleanse my heart of all deceit

And teach me to be true; 

Help me to have integrity

In all I say and do."

Learning Contentment, Part 1

Learning Contentment

"Rejoice in the LORD always. Again I will say rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The LORD is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. But I rejoiced in the LORD greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4: 4-13)

Looking at my life, I realize that I am conditionally patient. There are times and situations in which I can be extremely patient in life. However, I also see areas in my life in which I am far from patient. Life in general for instance. I can't tell you how many times I have gone from one point in my life to another by counting down the days to the next big event: impatiently counting down the days until I finished high school, anxiously anticipating the start of college, and then spending the last year and a half of my college life simply ready for school to be done and a diploma with my name on it in hand... These make up only a few of those big moments in life that I have reached with the attitude of "I can't wait until..." or "Life will start when...". Waiting for life to move forward has never been particularly easy for me. 


Wishing for the future has been something I have struggled with for years. It is so easy to fall into the deception that the "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence", but that is truly what the saying is - a lie. Upon careful reflection, I have seen God's fingerprints in those years of wishing away the present. Those years truly have been a blessing in my life and God has been using them to prepare me for each "next step". However, it saddens me to look back and see the time I wasted in the present by keeping my eyes focused on the future. I missed so many opportunities to be used by God in the present because I was so focused on how He would eventually use me in the future. Life is truly a gift! Each and every moment is a gift from our Father, not just some of the big moments. I see now the truth in the saying, "make the most of every opportunity". I am so grateful that God is opening my eyes and my heart to His truth.


In my impatience, I failed to be content. I thought that I would find contentment in the future when I graduated from high school, got a car, finished a year of college, etc. Yet, Paul tells us in Philippians 4: 11-13 that he learned to be content in whatever situation he was currently in.  

 "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4: 11-13) 

The Greek word Paul used for "content" in this verse is  αὐτάρκης. This word literally means "sufficient for one's self, strong enough or possessing enough to need no aid or support; independent of external circumstances; and contented with one's lot, with one's means, though the slenderest" (Strong's). I do not believe Paul is saying that an individual can find contentment in or of themselves. If it was possible to find contentment on our own, why would Paul have included verse 13 ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me")? Perhaps Paul is referring to the new man - a life completely in and of Christ. 


Paul tells us that he had to learn to be content. Contentment is not something we are born with; it is something we have to be taught (for isn't it through being instructed that we learn?). Only God can teach us to be truly content, and I believe that is why Paul stated that it was in Christ that he could do all things. I am deeply encouraged by the fact that Paul had to learn to be content. That one simple verb brings me great hope because it means that through Christ I too can learn to be content in all things.

Musings: January 30, 2012

Recently, I have become more aware of exactly how I have been living my life - for me. I see how I struggle with feeling like I need to have control. I see how the focus of most of my waking hours are spent on me. I see how I have inadvertently told God I didn't need Him...how I know my needs better than He does. How my heart breaks at this revelation. I am filled with shame at my own selfishness. How could I have so easily fallen into the very self-centeredness that I have seen so easily in others across the nation? I am humbled by this realization. 


So what was my response to this terrifying revelation? Thankfully, it was the right one: surrender. Last night as I prayed, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I am so thankful that God's Holy Spirit has been pricking my heart and revealing this heart disorder to me. It would have been so easy to keep on the track I had laid for myself - so easy to keep both hands on the reign, out of God's hands. This was my prayer (and continues to be my prayer daily): "Lord, forgive me. Forgive me for thinking I could do a better job at directing my life. Forgive me for my selfishness and false security in self. Please take all of me each and every day. I surrender all that I am to You. I relinquish my hopes and dreams to You. I ask that You would take all of my dreams and that You would make Your dreams for my life come true. Please, Lord...take all of me. Mold me and shape me into the woman You created me to be. And keep me from evil, for Your name's sake. Protect me from the evil one and the sin of selfishness. Let my life be a testimony onto You - a life that brings You honor and glory and praise."


And today, reading II Corinthians 5, all of what I have been discovering became even more clear. Verse 15 stood out to me in particular: "and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." Live no longer for themselves...wow. What a strong statement, and how appropriate that I read this today. 


In today's world, particularly here in America, the life of selfishness consumes the people. Americans, in general, are extremely "self-centered" and the concept of sacrifice is almost entirely foreign. Why concern ourselves with another when there is so much more to do for ourselves and so many more ways to make our own lives more comfortable? Heaven forbid we consider others better than ourselves! Goodness, considering others is often a difficult enough task. It is quite easy to see the selfishness of our nation, but isn't it interesting that by pointing a finger and "excluding me", we are showing just how self-centered we actually are? Not to mention that when pointing a finger at others, we are, at the same time, pointing at least three fingers back at ourselves. Hmmmm.... If I take a step back and assess the situation, it is myself I see staring at me in the mirror. 


As I consider how I have been living my life, I am painfully aware of how guilty I am in living for myself. Almost all of everyday my thoughts can be traced and found to be "me-centered". How often do I use the words "I" and "me" on a daily basis? I am reminded of a scene from the movie Princess Diaries. Towards the end of the movie, Mia gives a speech in which she makes the choice to lay self aside and put others first. Here is part of the script: 


Mia: And then I realized how many stupid times a day I used the word "I". In fact, probably  all I ever do is think about myself. And how lame is that when there's, like, 7 billion other people out there on the planet and when --
Queen Renaldi: [casts a disapproving glance and clears her throat]
Mia: Ooohhh. Sorry, sorry. I'm going too fast. But then I thought, if I cared about the other 7 billion out there instead of just me, that's probably a much better use of my time. See, if I were Princess of Genovia, then my thoughts and the thoughts of people smarter than me would be much better heard, and just maybe those thoughts could be turned into actions. So this morning when I woke up I was Mia Thermopolis. But, now, I choose to be forevermore, Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi: Princess of Genovia.


How much more should we, as Christians, be relinquishing self and living for the One who died to give us life? We must put off the old man so that we can live as a new man in Christ, as God's ambassadors. The time has come to take a stand. A stand for righteousness. Let us no longer live for ourselves! Let us live for God! Let us surrender all that we are to our Maker. 

Musings: January 27, 2012

Isaiah 1: 16-17 give us a list of things we are commanded to do. We can conclude that they are commands, rather than choices, by looking at the structure of the sentences. These sentences are imperative, meaning that they command or tell someone to do something (ex. you go...). "Wash yourselves." Who? YOU. "Make yourselves clean." Who? YOU. The entire list is addressed to YOU. [YOU] wash...[YOU] make clean...[YOU] put off evil...[YOU] cease to do evil...[YOU] learn to do good...[YOU] seek justice...[YOU] rebuke oppressors...[YOU] defend the fatherless...[YOU] plead for the widow. (Paraphrase of Isaiah 1:16-17) Basically, the list boils down to this: [YOU] sanctify yourself by putting off evil and pursuing righteousness while being the advocate of all who are needy. Such a giant assignment! Laying aside the world and self is much harder than it seems. Unfortunately, we can't check things off a list, so to speak. These things that we are commanded to do must be done on a continual basis. They are not complete by obeying them once. It is a life choice.


Verses 18-20 continue with a promise, a condition, and a warning. The promise is that God will wash us, making us as white as snow, and that He will provide for us. This is the condition: IF we are willing AND obedient.  I think it is important to consider something here. It is not enough to be willing. Many are willing, but fail to ever follow through. They are like the persons who look in the mirror and immediately forgets what they look like (James 1). On the other hand, obedience with the wrong attitude is not enough. Obedience with grumbling or obedience out of a sense of duty is not what is being discussed here. We have to be both willing AND obedient. Then there comes a warning: IF you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword! Refusing to obey and having a rebellious spirit will only lead to death and destruction. 


Verses 21-23 describe a city. This city, at one time, had been recognized as faithful and righteous. The verses share how evil has slowly taken over that city and many of the sins are included in the passage: harlotry, murder, deceit, rebellion, theft, bribery, selfishness, and abandonment of the poor and needy. Honestly, that sounds a great deal like the nation in which I live: America. 


The LORD speaks in the verses following. He says that the city will be restored and shall come to be called "the city of righteousness, the faithful city" (vs. 26). However, this restoration will only come through a great purging. God will heal them, but there will be consequences and it will involve pain. In fact, this purging will include God turning His hand against the city - something very painful in and of itself.


Another warning can be found in verses 28-31: those who forsake the LORD God will be consumed/destroyed. 

Musings: January 25, 2012

Isaiah 1:2 says this "Hear, o heavens, and give ear, o earth!" Why? Because "the LORD has spoken". It occurs to me that the wording in this verse is important. There is a command followed by a reason for that command. We also know that when a command is given, the recipient has a choice: obey and heed the command, or disobey and ignore the command. In this case, it is very important to heed and obey for those who ignore will miss the word of the LORD. It is important to be alert and attentive; we do not want to miss hearing God speak. We must choose to be available. We must choose to be listening with open ears. We must choose to hear and obey. I, for one, do not want to miss hearing the LORD speak because of distractions or hearing and letting the word go "in one ear and out the other". 


Isaiah 1:10 tells us again to "hear" and "give ear to". To what? What are we to hear? The Word of the LORD! What are we to give ear to? The law of the LORD. Again we find a command. Again we are faced with a choice. What exactly are we commanded to do? Hear God, yes. But what does that mean exactly? I think in order to hear we must "be still". And perhaps hearing the Word of the LORD means more than audibly hearing His voice. Perhaps it entails taking time to read the Bible, to listen for Him, to have a heart and mind ready to receive. I think, too, it deals with the Holy Spirit, for He is the one who will help us hear and understand. Give ear to the law of God. Maybe this means doing more than listening. Perhaps this means taking it to heart and living our daily lives according to God's law. Maybe it means being in tune with god and His Word so that our choices daily adhere to His law. 


Verse 11 really stands out to me and causes me to ponder it's meaning. "'To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?' says the LORD." The chapter continues to show how the LORD is sick of the offerings brought to Him by the Israelites. He seems to be accusing them of being religious or going through the motions without having any true repentance or desire to change in their hearts. He even says He will not look upon them or hear their prayers because of the way they make sacrifices while partaking in iniquity. It appears as though one must really know why they are bringing sacrifices before God. What is their purpose or motivation? What is in their hearts? We must be careful that we not allow ourselves to sacrifice out of habit or obligation. We must bring our offerings before God with a clean and pure heart!