Always There

I love the stories of the Bible. I grew up on them yet am always amazed by how they can continue to speak to me and teach me deeper things.

One such story is that of Jacob in the Old Testament. I was recently reading again the account of the dream that he had – the “Jacob’s Ladder” story (Gen 28:10-22).

Jacob was en-route to his uncle’s place out of necessity. He had deceived his father and his brother and was in a very real sense running for his life. As he lay down to sleep one night he had a dream of a stairway reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending. In the dream, God spoke to Jacob with a promise of blessing and a promise of presence.

On awakening, Jacob makes this statement: “Surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it.” (vs16)

To be where God is present and to be unaware…seems sad, even tragic…and yet…

I’ve been there. Have you? Those times when the “Where were you God?” and “Where are you God?” questions fall so easily from our lips and we doubt or forget that He is present.

At this point in scripture, God is not yet described as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but rather as the God of Abraham and Isaac. Jacob had a long road ahead of him, a journey to discover for himself the faithfulness of God.

Many years later, David asked “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psa 139:7) In the following verses he answered his own question. Nowhere. There isn’t a place to flee from his presence.

We turn to the New Testament and read these words:  “I am with you always...” (Matt 28:20b)

Then there is also the reminder that on his return to heaven, Jesus would send Holy Spirit to be present with us. Always with us. (John 14)

These are truths to know and to cling to because the reality is that although God is always present, always with me, I will not always feel it. Sometimes God is silent. Sometimes I am not paying attention.

When those times come, I need to trust in the truth of God’s Word and the faithfulness of his promise…in the faithfulness of God himself.

Immanuel…God with us…this is not just a poetic line for reciting at Christmas time. It is truth…enduring, unchanging and real. A truth that I can know and stand firm in when what I see obscures it and when what I feel denies it.

Jacob, while on a journey that would lead to the God of his father and grandfather becoming the God that he would not let go, discovered that God was indeed with him.

Where are you on that journey? Be assured that even if God is present and you do not know it, he is present. Like Jacob, don’t let go.

Ruth U 

Personal Challenge

I should probably make an admission right from the beginning of this writing. This one is personal.

Secondly, while this also may seem to be targeted to the folks in my age bracket (north of 50!), I don’t think it is exclusive so please keep reading.

In recent years my family has faced some losses. Not dramatic, really, but more just the stuff of life, the regular ebb and flow. My mom, my in-laws and just recently a very special aunt have all gone Home.

There is the usual grieving – if indeed there is such a thing…and the memories that bring both smiles and tears.

Something else came to mind this week though. Actually it was more like receiving a blow…it hit me hard.

With these losses, I and my family and my extended family have lost a significant portion of our regular prayer covering.

With that initial realization, I felt I could hardly catch my breath. I wrestled with the implications of that and my sense of loss deepened.

Then came the challenge:” Are you going to pick that mantle up?”

Immediately I am plagued with self doubt and questions.

I am not capable. What if I forget?

What if I am not faithful?

I am not nearly “spiritual” enough (whatever that means!)

But then a gentle rebuke: “I didn’t ask you if you are good enough or if you will never fail…I asked you if you would pick this up.”

Though of course the ‘right’ answer is yes, I continue to be challenged by these thoughts…am I going to pick it up?

I write this then to share this challenge particularly with those of my generation…we who are quickly heading towards being the older folks. Parent and grandparents are gone. We are becoming that generation. Whether we try to hide our age and defy the aging process at every turn, it is happening anyway. What are we going to do with that?

As the saints who we have come to depend on for our prayer support pass on to their reward, are we going to step into the gap for the next generation?

This does not mean that you are being relegated to the rocking chair! This is not a sidelines kind of thing. This is frontline, fight the battles kind of stuff.

We are told repeatedly in scripture to pray…for one another (Eph 6:18)…to carry each other’s burdens (Gal 6:2)…to pray unceasingly (1Thes 5:17).

Are you up for the challenge…for your children, grandchildren and extended family…for those younger than yourself in your church…for those younger than yourself in your community and outside your church doors?

Are you willing to support in this way the young “Joshua’s” among us who are being prepared and called to finish what our generation has not?

Are you willing to provide the prayer covering for those who are being called to very different, very difficult, even dangerous places and things?

Am I?

Ruth U

Lightness

We are starting up the weekly blog postings after having taken a break over the summer. As we get back into our fall routines, I trust this blog will be an encouragement, a blessing and even a challenging nudge to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 HCSB

Jo-Ann P

The following blog post is part two from Arlene's June 26th post.

In my last post, I wrote about our dark hours, and how God meets us there. http://bit.ly/YA2pFt The dark hours have gifts to give, if we are receptive and open. I have certainly learned much about God’s grace, patience, and compassionate kindness in my darkest times.

But then, there are moments of incredible lightness, too.

From time to time, without any warning… we are graced with moments that make us almost ache from their unbearable sweetness. When, just for a second, we are not looking forward or backward but actually breathing in the gift of this present moment…

Out of nowhere comes oxygen. A spacious breath of freshness and life. The tiniest whiff of spring after a long, frigid winter.

For a moment, I feel seen. Visible. Found. 

Moments when without a doubt we know that we belong. I am embraced. I am pursued.

Moments when we are fully present in our healing. The past is not my curse. I am not a victim. I am a new creation. And I know this with every fiber of my being.

Moments when there are no comparisons, no competition, no expectations. I am exactly who and where and what I am supposed to be. I am defined by who I am as a child of Creator God, and nothing and no one else.

There were moments after my son was born that felt electric with this lightness. I breathed “thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you” with every healthy wail, every touch of warm baby skin, every squeeze of tiny fingers. I stood in my kitchen, bathing my wrinkled newborn in the sink with tears rolling down my face and my heart exploding. 

The Giver of every good gift grants these surprising instants that shock us into being fully present in this rich, sweet life right this very second.

In both the bitter darkness and the exquisite lightness, God meets us.

Both our darkest hours and lightest moments are saturated with promise. The comforting promise that this dark hour is not the end of the story, that there are better things ahead…

And this sweet delicious moment, this is a promise, too. This flickering instant is a whisper… This is what we have to look forward to. There are even better things ahead.

Arlene M

The Dark Hours

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.”  - Romans 12:15

As I write, I mourn with a family who has just lost a loved young man far, far too early under tragic circumstances. My heart breaks with a family who has had yet another pregnancy loss in a sea of long years of infertility. My gut twists as I learn sinking news from a family in our church community, that the outcome of a crucial surgery wasn't what we prayed and believed for.

What words do we offer in the dark hours? What do we say that doesn't cheapen the depth of hurt, discouragement, even despair? How do we acknowledge that this – all of this pain and fear and grief and disappointment – feels like crashing waves or, perhaps more accurately, a treacherous undertow? 

Why do we sometimes leap to offer bright and cheery, sunshiny words to people in deep suffering? The truth is, those cheery words are much more for ourselves than for the person who is suffering. We try and find something to say that allows US to feel less helpless, or to make sense of something senseless. We feel we have to say something to ease the suffering of another person. In fact, when we really amp up the “positive,” our efforts often have the opposite effect because they can make people feel guilty for not having the right mindset, not having enough faith, not being able to see the sunny side…

When the truth is, even for followers of Christ, there are dark hours. There are hours when we feel despair and don’t know if we can go on. There are hours when, like our Saviour, our soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Can we accept that? What do we do with that kind of darkness?

Contrary to the the phrase that is often said to people who are suffering, scripture never promises that “God will not give us more than we can handle.” Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we will not find ourselves in circumstances that are more than we can bear. The verse often used to back up this platitude is 1 Corinthians 10:13 – which actually refers to our ability to resist temptation, not to our ability to withstand suffering.

One of my favourite authors wrote: “It’s not true that God never gives us more than we can handle. It’s ALWAYS more than we can handle. That’s the point.” And that really, really IS the point! The point is, there are many things in life that are just too much for us to bear alone. That’s why we aren't meant to travel alone. We need God and we need one another to bear it all.

In 12-step recovery support groups, the word ‘HOPE’ is often used as an acronym for Hearing Other People’s Experiences. We become HOPE to one another. It is people who have suffered and come through that are able to share their story and allow us to see that although life hurts and we bear scars… somehow there is a way through. When God seems far away and shrouded by clouds and we are in a deep, dark pit… In these dark hours, we need someone to believe in God’s goodness for us, when we may not be able to feel it or see it for ourselves. And we experience God’s goodness to us through the love and care and comfort of other people.

Often, in our dark hours, comfort does not come in the form of cheery words and promises. Sometimes comfort just crawls into our hole with us and holds our hand... so we know we're not in the hole alone. Sometimes the deepest comfort we can receive is to have someone else join our prayer for help. 

In the upside-down Kingdom of God, we find that (despite what we may have been led to believe from a very young age) we don’t need to run from these dark hours. That, in fact, God can meet us in these hours, right there in the dirt and the darkness. That, actually, unbelievably, there’s something HOLY about these dark hours – if we are willing to be fully present, listen, breathe…

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” ~ Matthew 5:4

Arlene M.

Thankful In Trials

We are guaranteed two things in life – death and change.

With change also come trials… I have one to share with you. My hope is that you embrace your hardships as opportunities to get closer to Jesus.

Months ago, we took a four month vacation abroad. We decided to purchase a vehicle while away. (We were travelling to a country dealing in Euros.) We deposited our funds at the bank, then the next day we discovered an error was made in the exchange rate. The bank was advised of said error and the branch acknowledged their mistake and advised it would be rectified quickly. 

The day before the vehicle pickup, we found out from the bank that not only was the error unresolved, but in order to do so, they withdrew the amount they had initially deposited into our account (despite being the wrong amount, it was the bulk of it). One would think fixing the error, would simply require an adjustment for the shortfall…not so. They had promised us our monies would be available for our use when we needed them, but that didn’t happen. We were so stressed…

More than six weeks had passed and we still had no access to our money. It was now Thanksgiving. I decided I could not go on like this feeling so troubled. I made a list of all the things I was grateful for. I praised God for all his blessings. I made a second list of the goals we had hoped to accomplish while on vacation, and realized they were happening; the vehicle acquisition had not run smoothly, but we still acquired it. I made the decision to fully RELEASE this burden to God! I verbalized my trust in Him. In the midst of this complication, I placed my faith in Him. As I praised Him, I kept hearing the Holy Spirit telling me to read James. 

The New King James Version, James 1:2-4 & 2:6 & 2:12

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Knowing that the testing of your faith, produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…”

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks; I felt so humbled and loved, knowing that God cared so much for us that He spoke so directly to our situation. This unresolved financial matter over-shadowed our whole trip, but now I slept well, I had peace and joy. Resolution occurred December 27.

Custodia V.

On June 5, 2014 Ann Voscamp wrote another excellent blog post. http://www.aholyexperience.com/ At the end of it she has a link to scriptures from the book of John which can be printed off to memorize. https://s3.amazonaws.com/a.voskamp/BlogFiles/theJesusProject(LARGE)MEMORYPRINTS.pdf

 It took me a few days before I sat down and read through everything; along with the scripture verses. Her challenge for herself and others is to memorize scripture. This quote jumped off the Memory Print page and I think each one of us needs to wrestle with the answer to the question.

"Christ's weapon against Satan in the desert was memorized scripture. And if you aren't memorizing scripture -- what IS your weapon in your battle?"

Good question isn't it?!

John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Let's take up the challenge and memorize scripture so we are ready for the next battle!

Jo-Ann P.

Living the Image

One of my favourite hobbies is photography - the challenge of capturing a moment in just the right way really appeals to me. It really is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, and then some; images often articulate what mere verbal descriptions fail to achieve.

The Bible says that God created us in His image - Genesis 1:27. I don't know about you, but I find that so reassuring. No matter what happens in life, or how I feel, I know I possess a kinship with my Creator that can never be taken away! And just like pictures can be incredibly creative portrayals of everyday things and can tell moving personal stories, so are each one of us purposefully designed to reflect our Creator in a profound way. Yet what I find even more incredible is how our great God, our Source, our Photographer, composes each of us in a different angle, light, and focus in order to reveal His same image. Amazing!

Images need angles. Isn't it true that just by changing the angle of the camera towards the object, the whole picture can change? The holiness of God required a payment to be made for our sin, and Jesus' death paid that debt in full. Now "we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). We can live in communion with God and experience His grace, all because God now sees us through the angle of the cross. And because of His grace, our own perspective of ourselves and our lives can be dramatically changed!

Images need light. You can't have a picture without it. The interaction of light and resulting shadow gives a photo its depth. Matthew 5:14,16 says "you are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." We all go through times of darkness and doubt, but it's so important to remember our Light Source. Only then do the tough times act like a shadow, giving our lives depth of character.

Images need a focus. Some of the neatest photos I've seen are composed with some of the picture out of focus, with one object in focus. The effect is incredible as the Photographer clearly defines what He wants the picture to be about. We all know the importance of faith and trusting God when situations seem blurry; in fact the Bible says that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). If we can learn to appreciate the fuzzy parts of life that require the most faith to walk though, then we will be blown away as we behold the incredible beauty of that Image once it becomes clear. We simply need to focus on Him.

Since becoming an amateur photographer, the biggest challenge of photography that I have come across is trying to capture a moving object - it's really hard to get a sharp picture unless you have a steady hand and lots of skill. That's a good reminder to us that being still will reveal more of God's image in us than being busy. We all have times when we need to be busy, but too much often speaks 'look at me, see what I can do', while stillness says 'Look at Him, see His image in me.'

Ruth-Ellen W.