Jeremiah 29:13 Seek, my brother! Seek!

My brother has called his autobiography “Everything in my Favour is Against Me" which is derived from a favourite saying of our father. While I smile at the many family stories he has to tell and the twists of fate that have brought his many challenges into focus, he asks, “Where is God in what is happening to us now?” I count it as nothing peculiar when setbacks occur because I know 1 Peter 4:12, and I can say “No weapon that’s fashioned against me will stand. The battle belongs to the Lord.” Though this is a concept that is foreign to him it is my comfort and encouragement every step and stumble along the way. In February this year we felt the Lord’s assurance that the time to visit family was now, but in March contrary happenings caused changes of plans, though the basic plan for travel was not in doubt. God does not change His mind! Health issues on various fronts brought the question, “Are we really intended to go?” and always an inner peace held panic at bay. God has shown His goodness and mercy, but has yet to reveal His plan of action regarding my family and their Spiritual health, which is of critical importance together with their physical well-being. Another promise is that it is not His will that any should be lost, and answered prayer with regard to another confirmed His finished work. What a privilege to be in prayer, to know to whom we pray and that when we have called before, He has answered. Jehoveh Jirer, is indeed our provider. And now, having directed our steps so far, we wait His guidance for the next steps in faith . He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper, not to harm, plans to give us hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Running With Perseverance.

With strep throat and a hubby completely off balance, wandering like a drunk, even with his walking stick, our travels got off to an interesting start. Having asked for assistance we were grateful for every step when someone else was there to ferry us about the airports. It certainly made it easy to recognise the Lord’s provision in a myriad different ways. What a relief to finally reach our destination, after almost 30 hours of travel. Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, gave the perseverance that was needed to complete the journey. An added bonus was the opportunity to share with co-travellers the fact that we served the God who is able to meet our every need. Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation. Isaiah 25:9 I am so grateful that we never travel alone when we have asked Him into our hearts and lives. His promise to never leave is nor forsake us is so evident in times like these.

THE LIVING WORD

The reason I know the Bible is alive is not just because it tells me so, (Hebrews 4:10 & 2 Timothy 3:16) but because it proves itself, and challenges in a living way. On the verge of starting our travels, and still with many uncertainties ahead, although I have been a little stressed about the ‘doings’ that are necessary before a trip, I have had peace about the actual ‘beings’ – where we will be, how we will get there, who we will be with, etc. So I started to feel guilty! Was I placing too much reliance on God’s provision and taking Him for granted? Should I have considered a Plan B? Or even a distinct Plan A? Was I really trusting, or being a hypocrite in hope? Then my morning reading from Daily Light brought me back to reality. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 Indeed, His grace is sufficient for me, for His power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 So satan had his try, but I am back standing on the promises of God my Saviour. And I have asked Him for a chance each day to share my faith, and tell what God has done.

Plans, Problems and Provision. Where does one go when plans fall apart? As a King’s kid I go directly to my King. The plans developed from a great need to see my family in Sweden and England. Fifty years in a country that has become home does not negate the desire to return periodically to the land of my birth and where my remaining family live. Sweden was an added gift with my son and his family having enjoyed the privileges of intercontinental transfers to their benefit. Hiccoughs like a sudden change of house in Sweden did not pose too great a problem, even if we were to arrive in the midst of the changes. There had always been another home waiting in England so the dates had been set for quality family time, which was to include plans for a surprise 70th birthday party for my sister, in residence at a home for the physically and mentally challenged. I laid the plans before the Lord, and all seemed set for a great family reunion and holiday. Circumstances change though, and the worst place to be is under them. To rise above them is paramount to well-being. Looking to the Psalms is a good place to start the climb. But you are a shield around me, oh Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill. Psalm 3:3,4 I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Psalm 34:1,2 My brother, in the midst of affliction, asked, “Where is your God in all this?” The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 As we start out on our journey I am aware of Jeremiah’s words and trust that my brother and sister-in-law will come to know them in their fullness. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart…” Jeremiah 29:11-13. Yes, circumstances change, and we are seldom prepared, but thank God, He knows what is around each corner and gives His comfort and strength to cope with each burden. Provision doesn’t arrive like instant coffee, but it comes one step at a time. The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:17

At first when I heard his words I didn’t understand. I tucked them away in the back of my mind, but today they surfaced again. It was something Derek Prince said years ago that today made sense. “I would prefer some Christians not to pray for me!” Having been asked to pray a specific prayer, I couldn’t do it! In prayer, I was reminded of Jeremiah and his words in Chapter 29, verses 11 & 12. They were written to the exiles in Babylon to encourage them in their situation, and to give them assurance that The Lord was aware of their condition. I believe that just as the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and for ever, so His Word speaks to us in all the aspects of our lives, today, tomorrow, and forever... “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to give you hope and a future …” I am challenged afresh by the height and depth and length and width of God’s love, which is portrayed throughout His precious Word. Our hope is built on Jesus Christ and His love and faithfulness. Our future extends to eternity, and those whose learning has not extended to embrace this concept are inclined to make demands focussed on the present. My intercessory prayers may not be understood by those who pray with me, but the basic is that God’s will be done – for it is not His will that any should be lost – eternity awaits, stretching out, and only good is there for those who embrace it. I have learned not to make demands. The name it and claim it part of my learning was a step, and when God’s answer is “No” or “Wait” I can accept it as part of His good and perfect will and plan for His precious children. So when you pray for me, pray that I can rest wholly in Him, being equipped, supported and guided by the Power that raised Jesus from the dead. Amen.

In His Will

Praying for a dear friend in difficult circumstances I found myself being presumptuous as I presented before the Lord my ideas on what the solution could be. Gently He reminded me of other situations when His Will had been infinitely and abundantly beyond mine. As the Living Bible says in Ephesians 3:20, His mighty power --- is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of ---
I went on to my Daily Light reading, and was confronted by the words of Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Amen! Your will be done, Lord. Oh, puny mortals that we are, thinking we are wise, and that we have the answers when we demand our wilful way, but in His hands is the safest place to be, waiting and watching, asking His guidance, allowing Him to direct our steps, and accepting that His hidden agenda will be revealed as time goes by. Some of the most profound words of the King James Version of the Bible are “And it came to pass --”
I will always trust in You, and in Your mercy, and shall rejoice in Your salvation. Psalm 13:5
And I will sing to the Lord for He has blessed us so richly.

40 days or 40 years.

It has been a bit of a desert experience, these past 40 or so days, when plans have been disrupted and time disorganised. I can see how Moses must have grown older and wiser in his wandering with the tribes of Israel.
They had been disobedient, and even caused his lapse of good judgment leading to more disobedience. They had doubted God’s providence and he had mistrusted God’s word. It is so easy to do, when circumstances sow confusion into our hearts. We need to get out from under the circumstances and stand beneath the shadow of His wings.
Max Lucado can always be relied on to give a word of warning tempered by words of encouragement and he has done it again. If you want a pick-me-up, then read his latest book, “God’s Story, Your Story” and be recharged by his reminders of refreshing showers of blessings in the wilderness areas of your life. I’m sending off a couple of copies to folk I really want to get interested in the Bible. This can be a starter step.
He quotes 2 Samuel 22:25 from The Message. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.
I am looking forward to His guidance into my next 40 steps! And enjoying the showers!

Hallelujah! What Delight!

What can be more delightful than being set free?
I received a text message from my brother-in-law that read “Hip Hip Hurray” and went on to say that my sister-in law had been released from hospital after surgery for cancer. Chemo lies ahead but for now they rejoice that the wounds, both internal and external are healing so amazingly well. “The big one,” he said, “about a foot long, has healed quicker than a scratch I may have sustained at golf.”
I will say “Hallelujah!” when they realise the Lord is calling, and provides healing and release from fear.
Another sister-in-law has also undergone surgery and is examining her options as chemo, radium and other long term treatments challenge the months ahead. There too is the evidence to me of answered prayer, but they have not yet realised the significance of being given multiple chances to recognise the one who holds out the gift of perfect healing. If they will believe, and acknowledge dependence on Him they can be set free from the tears and worries of this life knowing that pain is temporary.
If this sounds blasé and uncaring it is not meant to be. I remember saying to someone once that we are all heading to death, but the problem is we don’t all know what lies ahead after death. The response was that it was all very well, but I was not in their position. True, and I have yet to face the final moments, but I know whom I have believed and am convinced that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.
At my age, so many friends, family and acquaintances look more to the years behind than the ones ahead, for those that have gone are more than those that remain. I rejoice with those who know where they are going, for Hallelujah! What delight lies ahead into eternity.
I continue to lift in prayer, with my heart crying out, the lost, the imprisoned, the unconcerned, that eyes will be opened, ears unstopped, hearts challenged and minds opened to receive the message of Love proclaimed this season. A price was paid for each one of us, and a gift of eternal life held out to those who are willing to receive it. I have said “Thank you, Lord,” and perhaps that is why Psalm 147 gave rise to my musings.
Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! How good it is to sing His praises! How delightful, and how right! (Psalm 147:1 TLB)

Prayer – Unanswered.

For 30 years I have prayed for a solution to a problem that the Lord sees in a different way from that in which I see it.
As we read in 2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight. This is something the Lord has taught in a very real way.
Of three wonderful sons, one was caught in alcoholism.
Now he considers that there are many ‘mitigating’ reasons for his addiction but most take any responsibility away from him alone. The fact that he chooses to drink, that he encourages others to join him on the slippery path downwards, and that he has to live with the consequences of health problems, humiliation, broken and damaged relationships, a ruined reputation and a misconception that he could stop if he wanted to, are beyond his brain’s ability to accept. Why is that? Why does he refuse to continue with AA assistance? Why does he not understand that God wants to help him?
It is because his brain is damaged! The beautiful, intelligent boy that he was, was tempted to taste alcohol from an early age, and I was too ignorant to realise the damage that could be caused. I saw a letter in a newspaper a while ago, showing a young child, probably 3 or 4 years old, “following in father’s footsteps.” He looked so cute, holding his father’s beer can, and taking a swig from the hole in the lid. I wanted to trace the parents and tell them to be careful. They wouldn’t know if their child had a tendency to addiction, for that problem will only surface later. They couldn’t know that they may be allowing a course of action that would bring untold grief in the future. That, like me, they would come to a realisation that we failed in a God given responsibility to raise a child in the way he should go.
So many advertisements promote the pleasure of alcohol with most of the people involved being young, pretty/handsome, and successful looking. Of course! Why would those wanting to make a profit from others’ foolhardiness want to warn of the potent, mind altering potential of what they indulge in. The major effects on social, physical and emotional well-being, not to mention the irreversible damage caused to the brain which is complex enough without messing around with it, are so diverse that they cannot all be covered here.
Adolescence lasts for approximately 10 years, and during that time risky behaviour patterns such as alcohol use, sexual activity, and other dangerous experimentation such as drug abuse or gang activity can carry major risks.
Oh, my son, be wise and stay in God’s paths; don’t carouse with drunkards and gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty… Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and quarrelling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? (Proverbs 23:19, 29,30. TLB)
Unfortunately, that’s my son, and he is in the Lord’s care, for I have entrusted him. And so far, the Lord has allowed his addiction. God says “No” or remains silent.
Jeremiah 8:22b raises a question many mothers and spouses must have cried out in anguish. “Why doesn’t God do something? Why doesn’t He help?”
Jeremiah 9:3 gives an answer! “They bend their tongues like bows to shoot their arrows of untruth. They care nothing for right and go from bad to worse; they care nothing for me,” says the Lord.
There are many people who have mourned the loss of a loved one, - prayed for, and yet coming to the end of life having shown no response to the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
Will I be one of them?
And yet, with Habbakuk I will proclaim, Even though the fig trees are all destroyed, and there is neither blossom left nor fruit …. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be happy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength … (Habbakuk 3:17-19a TLB)

Problem With Prayer Time.

Prayer seems to be the most difficult discipline for most people I speak to. Friends D and M have just given me a copy of Stormie Omartian’s book, A Personal Prayer Walk to Spiritual Well-Being. Perhaps they knew I was battling!
Daily reading of the Bible is sometimes problem enough, and prayer times become brief, relegated to snatches of opportunity, or when the phone rings with a PP request. “Please Pray” must be responded to, but what of personal well-being? Here is my dilemma! Why do I find prayer difficult, and my spiritual well-being hampered by feelings of guilt, “if only’s”, or “when we’s”?
My first blessing reminder came with Isaiah 58:11. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in draught, and strengthen your bones. You shall be like a well watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
When I am busy, and in conversation with Him, He understands. When I set aside moments, He knows it is because I value His guidance, and is quick to respond. When I doubt His Presence His Word can remind me, for He will guide me continually, that is non-stop, whether I recognise it or not. And if I stray, he will be there to redirect, Isaiah 30:21 assures me – Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “The is the way, walk in it” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.
Why do we stress? Is it because we fail to feed on His Word, the Bible? Sustenance for every aspect of our lives can be found within its pages. Encouragement for prayer is given particularly in the Psalms, a portion of which I read every day.
We are made to worship, and give our God praise.
Let everything alive give praises to the Lord! You praise Him! Hallelujah! Psalm150:6 (TLB)
That’s prayer!

The colour of your eyes.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to bePsalm 139:13,16
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11,12
As a compulsive and addicted reader it is to be expected that some of my reading matter will not be retained in as magical a way as others. Conversely, sometimes a subject will so grab my attention that it cannot be ignored. Such a one recently made an impact like a searchlight on a dark place.
Often the dark places in our lives are caused by disappointments, and in the case of Christians it can be because of the consternation of having the Lord say ”No” to an earnest prayer request. Such was the case with Amy Carmichael, a much loved missionary to India. She is also known for the stirring poems and books she wrote.
I was blessed in reading an excerpt about her in a recent Baptists Today (SA) magazine, which brought out magnificently the concept of God being in full control at all times and in every situation, working all things for good in the lives of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Amy was born, one of seven children in her large Irish family, with brown eyes. Now this dismayed her terribly as everyone else in the family had blue eyes. This was news to me as I had only seen black and white photographs of her, or the sepia prints of her day, and even if I had known, it would not have meant very much. But to this young girl it was a matter for urgent and persistent prayer. She was 8 years old when she first gave her life to the Lord, and with childish faith and expectation earnestly entreated the Lord to give her blue eyes like the rest of her family. As she grew she no doubt learnt to accept that this was a miracle she was to be denied, and when she answered the call to ministry in India, in spite of less than robust health, she embraced the customs of her adopted country, fitting in well with her brown eyes. As the years passed she became much treasured and respected by the people she so devotedly served and we can imagine the alarm that was experienced in the mission compound when India rebelled against British rule in the late 1800’s and riots broke out in the streets of India. Thousands of British subjects were evacuated and as the rioters moved closer to the area where Amy lived, the people became more concerned for her safety, deciding that they would make her look even more like an Indian. Coffee was rubbed into her skin, her long dark hair was plaited in a braid down her back. Dressed in her customary Indian clothes it was hoped that she would not be recognised as being European.
The day came when an angry mob arrived, and the Christians were lined up against the walls. “Kill the foreigners! Kill the English!” was the frenzied cry, but no foreigners could be seen. The leader then remembered his instructions, having been told that the foreigners could have been disguised. His cry rang out, “Look into their eyes! Kill the ones with blue eyes! The hated ones all have blue eyes.”
And Amy realised the awesome truth of her uniqueness before God! At last she knew why God had said “No” to her desperate pleas for blue eyes!

Farewell, Faithful Friend

A dear friend has gone to be with the Lord, which brings me to a new learning curve! More than 10 years ago she asked me to be her executor, so I now have a list of “things to do” although circumstances have changed since those days, and many instructions are no longer major issues. Conversely, there are many things that must be added, so my thinking cap must be firmly in place.
One thing though, has remained constant through the 20+ years of our friendship, and that is her love for the Lord, Jesus Christ. Many times we have prayed together for the saving grace of the Lord to be poured out on her loved ones. Some years ago, when her sister died, there was much pain and anguish to be worked through, as her sister had refused to even discuss faith in Christ, preferring only to believe in her own ideas.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 16:25 NIV) was discussed often, and how to share the Truth we know through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, was a constant theme. My friend’s surviving son disappeared from her life, but her prayers for him continued. The request for her favourite hymns to be sung will be a continuation of her heart’s desire to proclaim God’s love to those who remain in this life.
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
This hymn, was reportedly the favourite of Eric Liddell, the 1924 Olympic athlete who refused to run on a Sunday, (see the film, Chariots of Fire) and later became a missionary in China.
“How Great Thou Art” was her other favourite, and it has been interesting to me to read the several versions and original verses by the Swedish born Carl Gustav Boberg (August 16, 1859 – January 17, 1940) later translated into many languages, most notably by Stuart K. Hine (1949 version) who was greatly influenced by Charles Spurgeon.
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
AMEN!