The One Who Sees Me

I will be the first to admit that I've never focused much on the story of Hagar.  Hers is a story of being overlooked and overshadowed.  In the Bible, she is tied to the story of Abraham and Sarah, and for obvious reasons, their story overshadows Hagar's.  BUT, that doesn't mean that just because she is a minor character that God can't show us great truths from her story.  In fact, if history has proven anything to us, it is that God often uses the minor to make things major! 

Hagar was the slave of Sarah.  Sarah had given Hagar to Abraham to produce a child for him (Genesis 16:3).  Sarah was great in age and did not believe herself capable of children but wanted Abraham to have descendants.  After Sarah found out that Hagar was pregnant, which was what Sarah had wanted to happen in the first place, Sarah began to mistreat her.  She mistreated her so much, that Hagar ran away. 

It's here that Hagar's story really begins.  Hagar was wandering in the wilderness when an angel came to her.  Upon questioning where she was coming from and where she was going, Hagar admits to the angel that she is running away.  Running away from the mistreatment, the shame, from injustice, from despair.  Upon hearing her reply, the angel responded in a way that many of us might not have expected - he tells her to go back (Genesis 16:9)!  Go back to the prejudice and injustice and despair.  Go back to a mistress that doesn't appreciate her.  Go back to a job that she isn't happy with.   It's here that many might begin to question God's decision....why put someone through that?  But in His great wisdom, God was planning out Hagar's redemption story.  He promises that if she will return, He will multiply her offspring, so many so that she will not be able to count them all.  He even tells her how to name her child. 

Hagar's response to the angel is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  "So she named the Lord who spoke to her; 'You are El-roi' for she said, 'In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?'" (Genesis 16:13)  Hagar may not have understood how or why her life had taken the turns that it did but she was certain after her encounter that she could face them with a new outlook and a promise for her life.  She didn't have to tell God how bad things were or what injustices she had faced, God already knew....He had seen her!  He knew what she had come from and He knew where she was going.  How wonderful to know that God doesn't miss a step.  He sees what we struggle with, He sees what grieves us, He doesn't allow us to hide from our problems - and yet He doesn't leave us alone.  He is there always beside us, walking with us in love and truth, to help us navigate the trials of life and show us their purpose.  How wonderful that God sees us just as we are, just where we are, but doesn't deem to leave us there!  

If you are struggling, remember that Hagar's story is one of redemption and hope; she shows that we can come out of the wilderness that is life and fulfill our purpose for God's greater mission.  She shows us that though we may struggle that God sees that struggle and will reward us for staying faithful and "fighting the good fight".  She also reminds us that we have seen the One who sees us.

What's YOUR burning bush?

When God wanted Moses to go and rescue the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He caught Moses' attention through a burning bush. God probably knew that ANYONE would stop when seeing a tree on fire that was NOT being consumed. God knew he would need to wake Moses up and used some pretty dramatic imagery to do so. What's your burning bush? Has God been trying to get your attention to complete a mission He has set aside for you? Has the business of life caused you to miss your burning bush? Has the fear of failure caused you to turn away and ignore God trying to get your attention? Life is busy, trust me I know! Just this morning I was looking at my calendar and every day is getting fuller and fuller, but we all need to take time to breathe and ask God to open our eyes to the things that He wants us to do. Let's try this weekend not to get so caught up in our "busyiness" that we forget to tune in to what the Lord has for us. I pray this weekend that you seek from the Lord and ask Him how you can best fulfill the mission He has for your life. I pray you keep your eyes open for YOUR burning bush!

But then...

How often do we find ourselves out on the boat in the middle of the storm?  The waves are crashing and threatening to overtake us, the lightning is striking nearby, and the fear is threatening to send us back to the safety of the shore.  Sometimes the storm is in our minds, so tangled in our daily lives that it is always threatening to start.  Sometimes the storm is in our jobs, watching others rush ahead of us that we wonder if our boat is leaking.  Sometimes the storm is our marriage, so complicated and volatile that we can’t see a way to the sunshine again.

But no matter what storm we are facing in our lives we have a God who can calm the storms and offers peace.  The key is that we must trust, believe and have faith.  Even the disciples struggled with this.  In the middle of a lake, in the middle of the storm, they struggled to remember that Jesus would always care for them and that God held them in the palm of his hand.  As the waves battered the boat and the winds whipped them around, the disciples cried out in fear of perishing.  But there in the middle of the lake, walking on the water was Christ.  He admonished the disciples for having little faith and wondered why they were so afraid (Matthew 8:26).  But then, instead of questioning them more about why they couldn’t believe him, why they didn’t trust that He would keep them safe, He calms the storms.  The wind quiets down and the waves still.

That’s the thing about God, He always has a “but then”.  No matter how much we question him or how much our faith lacks when the storms of life batter us, God always comes through.  He may not stop the storm like Jesus did for the disciples, but He will take our hand and help us guide the boat through the storm.  He will walk with us until we come out on the other side and see the sunshine.  God calms the tumult of his people in the midst of their storms (Psalm 65:7), the only thing He asks is to have faith.

fear NOT

F

E

A

R

It’s amazing what FOUR letters can evoke in us.  If we are honest with ourselves we all fear something – spiders, heights, death, the line at the DMV – the list could go on and on.  As I’ve gotten older I find that my list of fears has grown:

What if I’m a failure?  What if I can’t do my job well enough?  Can I be the perfect Christian?  Do I look good enough?  Can I match up to others expectations of me?  Will I be considered a successful mom?  What if I get sick?  What if something happens to my babies?  Will my marriage last?

Somewhere along the line, I came to be ruled by my fears.  I did not realize it was holding me back until about a week ago.  Our women’s life group leader, Karen, was teaching on the Ruth Anointing and some things she said stuck with me.  I had one of those introspective kinds of ah-ha moments the following day when talking to a coworker.

1.  “This is an anointing to resurrect our dreams that we have buried” – how many dreams have we been given by the Lord and have put them on the back burner out of fear.  There are things I want to do in life, dreams that I know the Lord has given me to fulfill and I have held off on pursuing them because of fear of failure and not being good enough. 

2.  Ruth gave up everything to follow Naomi, expecting nothing in return and gained more than she could have asked for or dreamed of.  Ruth could have missed a blessing by letting the fear of the unknown stop her.  How many times have we missed a blessing that God has reserved for us because we are fearful of what will be required of us, where we may need to go, or what we may have to leave behind to pursue it.

3.  IF we want the Ruth Anointing, we cannot live our lives in fear.  I have been doing that for months, maybe even years.  I’ve been letting four little letters, the wrong four little letters, often times determine the outcome of my days. 

But the Bible says at least 80 times “fear not”….we have been given a guidebook to follow on how to face what scares us most. 

Isaiah 43:1 “Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are MINE”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind”

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge and trust in Him”

Psalm 55:22 “Give your worries to the Lord and He will care for you”

The next time you feel the cold claw of fear begins to grip you, turn to the promises our Savior has made and use His word as a guideline for breaking free from the grip of fear!  Reach for the dreams God has planted in you; fulfill the destiny and plan He has laid out before you and tell Satan and the fear he is instilling in you where they can go! 

It’s time to stop letting fear rule my life….fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, fear of mistakes…I HAVE a Ruth Anointing on my life but my dreams have been buried!  It’s time to resurrect my dreams and take back what Satan has stolen!  I’m willing to leave my comfort zone to experience the life God has for me.  Are you?

God is NOT a Microwave

We live in a world where we want things and we want them NOW!  I don’t want to wait for the pizza delivery guy when I want a hot cheese pizza, I don’t want to wait for the car that is driving the speed limit (and don’t even get me started on the left lane), I don’t want to wait in the car line at school when they should have opened the door 4 minutes ago! 

We live in a world of the microwave culture.  We have become so used to getting things at a fast pace, that waiting drives us crazy.  We want to move things along.  As a society, we have come to apply the microwave mentality to everything.  We use self-checkout lines because we believe we can do it faster.  We use the restaurant’s drive-through because it takes too long sometimes to run in and place an order.  We stream music and movies instead of going to the theatre or going out to rent them because we can get them instantaneously.  We rush our children to hurry along and grow up excessively fast.  We even sometimes turn to God and want Him to deliver things to us at microwave speed.

However, God is NOT a microwave.  God does not always rush along with the things we want.  When we pray to God for an answer, a solution to a problem, or a blessing, we expect Him to deliver it right away.  We expect God to hear our prayers, microwave us up a solution in seconds, and deliver it to us.   Thank God that He does not work that way!  Now, do not get me wrong, sometimes God gives us the answers right away, sometimes the blessings appear just when we need them most….but sometimes they don’t. Remember what 2 Peter 3:8 says, “but do not forget this one thing dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day”.  God knows the bigger picture and in his infinite wisdom, He decides that we are not ready. 

Maybe God knows that if we got that blessing right away, we would not be as grateful for it.  Maybe He knows that the answer to the prayer will require some sacrifice on our part and He knows we are not spiritually or emotionally ready for that commitment yet.  Maybe He knows that there is a lesson to be learned from the mistake we made, a problem of our own creation, and God knows if He solved it for us we would never learn the lessons we need to.  Maybe it is a lesson on how to trust Him and have faith, and those often times end up being the hardest lessons to learn.  Life is not that burger place (you know the one) and you cannot always have it your way!  

God may not do things at microwave speed, but we can trust that He is always working for our good.  He hears our prayers; we just have to learn to trust His timing.  Acts 1:7 says “He said to them ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority’”.  So the next time you ask God for something and perhaps His response does not come as quickly as you like, remember, God is working on your behalf to make sure that what you’ve ordered up is perfect in His sight and His will.  Take comfort today in knowing that good things are coming, just not necessarily at microwave speed, but at “God speed”.  

The Shining Face of God

My mom was having a mini crisis.....she was scheduled to have breakfast with the new VP of her company and some other folks.  It was going to be the first time she had met this woman and she had heard LOTS of things about this lady, and I don't mind telling you that most were not good.  Mom had some apprehension, some nervousness, and some discontent.  

We were on FaceTime and discussing the situation.  My mom was concerned about how this woman would receive her and what she would think of her.  She was concerned that this woman was going to make a decision on the type of employee she was based on this one meeting and her decision could impact mom’s future with this company.  She was worried about the impression she would make. 

Now I also don’t mind telling you that my mom and I share a trait – everything, and I mean everything, that we are thinking and feeling is written on our face!  It’s hard for us to hide when we are happy, sad, angry, or think you are an idiot.  As I was talking to my mom it was written all over her face how she felt about the situation.  I knew she wanted to make a good impression and I also know that my mother loves Jesus.  I wanted to make sure that she was reflecting the love of God when she spoke and looked at these people. 

I thought about something our pastor had preached on several weeks ago.  He told the story in Exodus 34 where Moses receives the tablets and commandments from the Lord.  When Moses came down from the mountainside his face was so radiant with the glory of the Lord that they had to put a veil over him because it hurt to look at him.  Could you imagine the scene?  Here comes Moses who no one has seen for the last 40 days and nights because he has been with God.  And now here he is and they can’t even stand to look at him!  God’s power and glory and love and graciousness in not leaving these people to die is written all over Moses’ face! 

That was what I wanted these people to see when they looked at my mom.  I wanted them to see a woman who loves God, who is compassionate and gentle in her spirit, a woman who prays without ceasing for those she loves and even those she doesn’t.  I told mom to remember the story of Moses and to pray that when these people talked with her and looked at her, that all they saw was the glory of the Lord on her face. I also talked to her about remembering her worth in the eyes of the Lord and whose she was – but that’s another blog for another day….

I don’t know what you are facing or what set of giants you are about to meet but I do know you are not alone.  I know that the love of the Father can shine brighter than any circumstance you have.  Maybe you are meeting people who will be deciding your future, maybe you are meeting someone who has hurt you, maybe you are just meeting strangers along the way….either way I encourage you to show the glory of the Lord on your face.  Let God’s power, glory and love shine so bright that people have to look away and say “where can I get that radiance”.

Well Hello....Again

Yes, I know, I promised to be back and it’s been a while but once again LIFE.  It is inevitable that life is going to creep up and bite us when we least expect it.  I would love to tell you that while I’ve been gone that I won the lottery, moved to a tropical island and everything has been sunshine and roses but I don’t want to lie to you.  Life has been an absolute mess for the last several months and I have had to adjust to more things than I ever thought possible…..dome good, some bad, some just some. 

The one thing I have held on to though has been Jesus…..He has been my guide and my comforter; my shield and fortress as life battered the walls of my heart; the anchor as my ship of belief was tossed.  I’ve come out on the other side stronger and only because the Lord has never once left my side.  So I’d love to say that I’m going to be back full time, every day but I don’t want to deceive myself or you.  So, I’ll be back, as life allows and more importantly as the Spirit leads me.  I’ve learned so much since April and since my world tilted on its axis and I hope to be able to share the things I’ve learned as I know the Lord has given me a story to tell.