All Creation Cries, Holy
A few evenings a week, I head out for a walk around our little gated community. I figured out that twenty laps around is about 10,000 steps. On this night, right before Christmas, I was asking God to help ease a tender place. I asked him to show me something I needed to know. Before the words were even out of my mouth, my eyes were instantly drawn to the very tops of the tall pine trees in the night sky.
The neighborhood where I live has an abundance of trees. At least a dozen of them are 80-to-100-foot pines. It was after sunset and the coastal fog was dropping down, forming a haze over the pointed tops of the pines. Captivated by their protective stature and mystical appearance, I wondered how I had I not noticed them before? I heard God whisper, “they are conductors.”
I spent the rest of the walk with an overflowing heart, amazed at how he wooed my soul with a treetop. I felt an awareness that creation was interceding in union with me and translating that which I could not express to the heavens. Since then, I have read and re-read Romans 8:26-30, keeping the magnificent trees in my mind.
I hope you have an opportunity to step out into creation to lay your burdens before him. May God overwhelm your heart with exactly what you need. Let his whispers bring comfort to the most tender places and guide you into this new year.
“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:26-28 NLT
HOLY FOREVER Song by: CeCe Winans
Letting Go
We are all on a journey. The journey comes with weighty lessons along the way, magnified by our willingness to dig deep and inspect our ways. The inspection allows us to release that which binds us, enlightening our perspective. You are not traveling alone on the journey; the Lord is there. (Psalm 139). He is waiting on you to call for help. He is kind and graceful.
For the feistier in nature, insight may require grappling with God before releasing our own way. Anne Lamott perfectly describes “the wrestling” in the forward of Richard Rohr’s book Breathing Under Water. “Everything we let go of has claw marks on it.”
The one who wrestles with the divine will not be left behind. Look at Jacob in Genesis 32. He has had quite a cunning life up to the point where he meets God. He has been a deceiver and schemer, cheating his older brother Esau out of his birthright and blessing. He has also been tricked by his uncle Laban. He used his brilliance and God-given insights to prosper despite circumstances. God spoke to him by word and through dreams throughout his life.
Some 20 years removed from stealing his brother’s blessing (which left his brother in a state of fury, intending to kill Jacob). Jacob is traveling to meet him again. He has sent his wives, family, and herds ahead of him and is alone on the eve of meeting Esau. “So, Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched. As he wrestled with the man, the man said, “let me go for it is daybreak.” Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (vs. 24-26)
Jacob was hanging onto his ways of deceit until the bitter end. God has to break us all of things we cannot see or are unwilling to see so we have our new royal identity. “Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (vs. 28)
Esau not only reconciles with Jacob but for what sounds like the first time ever, Jacob stands in humility towards his older brother. His brother then offers to lead and accompany Jacob to Seir. Jacob declines his offer of accompaniment so gracefully perhaps because he is limping or maybe something deeper. Jacob has been both broken and blessed by the divine. Jacob’s is a response of someone who is giving his older brother due honor, but is no longer moving anywhere outside of God's direction. “My Lord knows that the children are weak (faint and tender) and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. Please let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will lead slowly, at a pace which the livestock that go before me and the children can endure. Until I come to you in Seir. Gen 33: 13-14
Is it just me or does it sound like Jacob is finally at the point in his journey where the white flag of surrender has produced a distinct perspective? Is this the gentle man, unwilling to force anything or anyone but pace in faith with God?
“Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yolk upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yolk is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30
Wakening Wonder Woman
This is for those who might feel taunted by any kind of false belief about themselves. A friendly reminder that you are created in the very image of God (Gen. 1:27). He breathed life into you (Gen. 2:7). How wonderfully made you are (Psalm139:14).
Keep saying the above versus aloud. Stay rooted in the present and bathe in the truth because apparently, the brain does not easily update false beliefs. I like to call it being “stuck” or running old soundtracks. Sometimes the opinions of others or past mistakes make you feel pigeonholed. Those limiting beliefs are like parasites, staying dormant in the mind. They become triggered by an event or thought. Once that happens, it is easy to head down the road of defeat.
The climax of the 2017 Wonder Woman movie reminded me what it looks like when we walk in the power of the truth! Diana (Wonder Woman) is the princess of the Amazons. She was trained to be an unconquerable warrior, strong and full of genuine goodness. That last statement is the truth of Diana's character yet Ares, the God of War taunts her to act out in vengeance. Ares takes advantage of her weakest moment to feed her full of lies. At that moment she finds strength in knowing the truth. As her mind flashes back on glimpses of all the purity and goodness in humanity, she is able to fight Ares and the literal flaming arrows coming at her. WONDER WOMAN SCENE
This scene is significant in light of Ephesians 6:10-17
The Armor of God10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The battlefield of your mind will be unaffected as you guard it with the truth. I keep the below photo in my phone as a reminder; nerdy but true.
Car Wash Clarity
One never knows when a profound moment of spiritual clarity may inspire. For me this past week, I was at the car wash. God is not limited.
This was a car wash where I got to stay in the car and try to guide myself onto the conveyor rails. Once aligned, the pink foam covered my windshield, and the oscillating brushes started pelting the sides of my car. At that moment, I made a connection with blindness and trust; knowing I would come out the other end with a clean car even though I could not see much of anything except a flashing hot wax light in my peripheral.
While driving home, I knew there was a perfect verse about faith when we cannot see. I thought about other people’s journeys of hope and faith as well as my own journey of hope and faith.
“Now faith is confidence (substance) in what we hope for and assurance (evidence) about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
After reading into this verse through various commentaries, I found one commentary inspiring in that it described the above verse as both the definition of what faith is, and a description of what faith does. All this, wrapped into one concise sentence. Powerful for just seventeen words.
It seems God gives us the exact definition of what faith is and a trust that the Spirit will help us apply the definition by the moment. While the foam covers our windshield, we can have confidence that he will guide us along the conveyor rails as we wait with trust and assurance for what we hope for but cannot yet see.
Beyond Your Sight is a Fight
A few posts back I wrote about God as the great conductor and referenced the story of Jericho. I was struck by Joshua 5:13. The idea of the captain of God's army standing before Joshua had me wondering more about all that happens outside the realm of what the eye can see.
This wonder led me to 2 Kings chapter 6:8-23. Elisha, a prophet, is with his servant. The King of Aram has sent horses, chariots, and military forces to where Elisha and his servant were to take them down at Dothan. When the servant awoke in the morning, he saw that the Aramean army had surrounded the city. He said to Elisha, “Oh no my Lord! What shall we do?” Elisha first told him not to be afraid (seems to be an important life-concept). Elisha prayed for the servant, asking God to open his eyes to see into the spiritual realm.
Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked up and saw horses with chariots of fire all around Elisha. The veil of earthly existence was lifted for the servant to see the sovereignty of God.
May the Lord continually enlighten us. May we see through the eye of faith, his divine presence and protection.
Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
Michael W. Smith SURROUNDED (FIGHT MY BATTLE)
Wheresoever You Go, Go with All Your Heart
Brene Brown...have you heard of her? I fell upon her in my TED Talk, binge-watching era. Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston as well as a lecturer, author, and storyteller. "The Power of Vulnerability" is engaging, unpacking six years of Brene's research on connection and worthiness.
After collecting vast amounts of data in the form of people's personal life stories she concluded that there was one variable that existed in the lives of people that felt a deep sense of belonging and worthiness: excruciating vulnerability. She sites that these few embraced the concept of "that which made them vulnerable, made them beautiful." This sweet fragment of souls believe that vulnerability is fundamental in their lives; the ones willing to say I love you first and live wholeheartedly without guarantees. They journey through life with courage and compassion. All this transparent truth is the birthplace of their joy, creativity, and happiness.
Go figure. It sometimes feels like terror to let yourself be seen, however running wholeheartedly into susceptibility is raw courage. This fits perfectly with one of my favorite bible verses.
2 Corinthians 12: 9-10
“…But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Our might is perfected within our very weakness. That is where the grace comes and where we reflect the salt and light to the outside world. Your vulnerable spot probably looks a lot like a ray of refreshing encouragement to someone else who needs it.
The Place Where You Are Standing is Holy
I went through a season during Covid where I was watching TED Talks in my spare time. A talk on the art of orchestral conducting brought to mind a perception of God as the great conductor in our lives. This was a point of connection to my creator, envisioning him this way. The head over the orchestral hierarchy, commanding the philharmonic universe yet staying in sync with the instrumental sections and individual soloists.
I was thinking about the how God delivered Jericho into Joshua’s hands. (Joshua 5:13 - Joshua 6). God was the conductor, and Joshua was the concert master. There was an ensemble of seven priests with their seven trumpets. An armed guard in front. A rear guard behind. All had their individual movement as a part to the ultimate fanfare moment where the trumpet sounded and the men gave a shout in unison, collapsing the walls! It felt so clear that when we release all control and trust him, he is faithful to orchestrate his powerful masterpiece.
Something more came to mind beyond just the metaphor of the conductor. Going back to the beginning of the story of Jericho (Joshua 5:15), the commander of the Lord's Army spoke, "take off your sandals for the place you are standing is holy." As beloved members of his assembly, do we just play our part and exit stage left or do we stay present to recognize and cherish the platform on which we stand and the God that is standing with and for us? If we stand on holy ground, how precious are our lives and how vital is it for us to trust and obey in all of the moments.
Rejection & Refinement
Rejection....that word feels painful and literally is. The same areas of the brain become activated when we experience rejection as when we feel physical pain. In essence, rejection actually hurts. No wonder we fear and tend to want to run from it. What if we ran into it without trepidation or apprehension? What if we turned rejection on its end and welcomed it; thinking about the word and its associated feeling in light of the outcome?
Like a rough diamond, our flaws are exposed to the artisan’s care to be marked and cleaved for a brilliant spiritual evolution. The plan of the diamantaire is to shape our hard stone hearts; bruting us into his remarkable polished gemstone.
Psalm 66:10-12
"For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.”
Isaiah 48:10
"See I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
