Testing The Lord

Exodus 17:7

And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

Do you ever press your hand on a chair before you sit to test and see if it will hold you? You probably don’t do that with a chair you use every day. But if the chair was new to you and you weren’t used to it, you might test it.

The people of God were freed from slavery in Egypt by miraculous signs and wonders. They were well aware of the plagues that made the Egyptians welcome their departure. They watched how God parted the Red Sea so they could cross, and they saw the army following them die as the walls of water closed on them. Time after time, God showed his strength in their protection, his care for them in his provision, and his patience when they grumbled.

When the people came to Massah in the desert, they grumbled that God wasn’t taking care of them, but had led them into the desert to die of thirst. The complained against God saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

It’s as if they took a chair that had been used a lot recently and pressed their hand onto it to see if it was still strong enough for them. It was silly of them to question God after all they’d been through. They had tested his patience once more, but not for the last time.

Do we have any right to question God? We can see his wonders in the Bible. We can look with awe all around us in the Earth and see what he’s created. We can read about the millions of people who have experienced God’s miracles in recent years.

We have less of a right to question God than the Hebrew people in the book of Exodus.

But we still test God and he’s still patient with us.

He would love to see us go to that chair and just sit, knowing that if it has been strong for all of the people who have come before us, it’ll hold us as well. He’s waiting to see who will have faith in him instead of wondering if he’s still strong enough.

He’s strong enough for you to rely on. He always will be.

Genuine Leather

Joshua 24:15
“choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve”

Will you test the fabric of your sofa to see if it’s naugahyde or leather? Are your belts, shoes, and purses made of genuine leather or a synthetic material? Fakes are easy to find, but the genuine leather products will have a label on them to prove the value of the product.

In a world where the authentic has to be labeled, it’s so important to choose wisely to whom you will give your heart. Do you attend a church that makes it easy to be a Christian? It seems that the popular churches are the feel-good churches. But there are churches that make you confront sin and make you wiggle uncomfortably in your pew.

Joshua told the people that no matter what they did, he and his household would serve the Lord. In fact, he told them they couldn’t serve the Lord because if they turned away to serve foreign gods, the Lord would bring disaster on them. But the people didn’t back down. They told Joshua they would serve the Lord.

What would happen in your church if the Pastor turned into a Joshua and declared to all the pew-warmers that they couldn’t serve the Lord because He is Holy and deserves worship from the bottom of your heart, not off the top of your head? Would the people stand up and choose for themselves to serve the Lord in a heart-felt commitment?

Someone who prays to God out of a relationship of love sounds different than one who prays because he’s supposed to. If the fabric of your life was tested, would the test results prove you to be a genuine Christian? Or merely a really good fake?

God knows the difference.

Confidence in God

Psalm 17:6
“I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.”

Seeking God with the right attitude builds success in your relationship with him. One thing I’ve learned about God is He’d like us to apply what we know about human relationships to our relationship with Him.

For instance, if we go up to someone we’d like to be friends with and bow down in front of them in clownish, fake honor, and then immediately start asking for things, they may not take us seriously. Also if all we do when we see that person is ask them for things, that relationship might not be the close friendship we want.

God is sometimes a close friend, sometimes a parent, and sometimes a boss. Because I’m a mom, I often learn about God as a parent.

I remember the times my family spent a few hours cleaning on Saturday morning so we could go out Saturday night. My mom would direct each of us to jobs appropriate for our age. Any time we finished a job, she’d have another one for us. When all the jobs were completed, we could have an evening out.

God is like that, in a way. He knows what needs to be done. If I tried to do my mom’s job instead of my own, we would’ve never gone out. Letting God do His job and setting myself to do only what he’s directed me to do shows my confidence in His ability to do His job.

I trust God to know what He’s doing. I can’t run things better than Him. I can only do what my limited abilities allow. This is why it’s so important that we listen to God. I listen to Him, knowing He’s already been listening to me. And when we don’t listen, we’re telling Him that we know more than He does.

So I go to God and do what He says. When I’m through with one task, I’ll go back and listen for more instruction.

Keeping a good attitude and letting your life show who’s really in charge will build your confidence in God.

Be Patient And Work The Plan

Psalm 57:2

"I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me."

When I feel overwhelmed with all that I have to do, I can sit in God’s presence and relax in His comfort because I know He has a plan.

God had a plan for me before I was born. He designed me with specific gifts and personality traits so that I would be able to grow into the person that could carry out His plan.

My plans fail. But when I give up on my plans and focus on His plan, I find success comes more easily. He knows what He’s doing – even when I don’t.

When I read the verse above, I’m reminded that God never put any pressure on me to fulfill my purpose. I know God is in charge of fulfilling the purpose He created me for. I can stop fighting against what He’s trying to do. I can relax in His hands and let him train me to do what I was designed to do.

It takes patience and effort, but I want to be where He puts me and do what He designed me to do. If I’ll get out of His way and simply obey Him, my life will be what it’s supposed to be.

Worship The Only God

Psalm 86:8

“Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.”

Since Moses came down the mountain to give us the Ten Commandments, we have been breaking them almost every day. Especially the first one, which is, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

The first commandment reminds us of the plagues of Egypt. Every time Moses proclaimed a plague upon Egypt, God was dealing with the Egyptian gods. Pharaoh heard, “This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” His love was extended through difficult circumstances to show how much more powerful He was than the gods that were being worshiped.

Today, we still wonder if God is able to rescue us from the slavery we get ourselves into. We worship money and allow it to enslave us. We worship the sun and let it take away our health and beauty. God sees our wrongfully-placed worship and reminds us with miracles of healing and financial relief that He is still God.

But like the Hebrew people wandering in the wilderness, we forget about God’s love, provision, and protection. We whine and complain to God just as they did thousands of years ago. And He still loves us.

When we stop long enough to realize how much He loves us, we worship again with our whole heart.

Daily, He waits for our conversation. He waits for us to remember Him. He waits for us to remember that He is like no other.

He alone is God.

Listen and Believe

Proverbs 1:33

“Whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

How can anyone live in today’s society without fear? Only two kinds of people can live without fear: those who know of the dangers, but trust in God’s protection, and those who are unaware of the dangers.

If you focus on the dangers of this life, you can scare yourself right out of your skin. You can worry about the many angry people who do harm to other people. Or you can worry about earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, and tsunamis.

Maybe your fear is centered around a new experience. I remember the first day I tried to get my daughter to walk onto an escalator. I got her to the second floor fairly easily, but going down was . . . memorable.

The escalator wasn’t scary to me or to any of the other shoppers who walked around us while I tried to talk her into walking with me. But my daughter was unreasonably terrified by the moving parts. My hands were full of shopping bags and my baby boy. Eventually, an older woman offered to hold my daughter’s hand on the escalator so we could leave the store. I thanked her repeatedly.

The fear of escalators didn’t last long, but it lasted long enough to prove the proverb right. As long as my daughter refused to listen to me, she was afraid. When she believed my words about her safety, she was more at ease.

When we believe what God says about his arm of protection, we can live in peace, without fear – even if we’re surrounded by the enemy on all sides.

God’s word is truth. When we seek him, we have to believe and obey him.

In Foolish Abandon

Proverbs 1:5

“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”

One of the reasons people read the book of Proverbs in the Bible is so they can receive guidance from God. While fools go their own way in their own “wisdom”, the wise seek out wisdom from God. They keep an ear to God while they use the wisdom they already have.

Getting wisdom from God is like drinking water. You needed the water you drank yesterday, but you need more for today. You can drink more one day than you drink on a different day, but you still need more water tomorrow. No matter how much you store up inside, you’ll always need to get more.

If you don’t drink the water your body needs, your body shuts down. People have died from lack of water. Lack of wisdom is similar in that you can make foolish mistakes and not realize you’re killing yourself. A fool disregards all wisdom and finds death a surprise.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been a fool. There are others – many others – who have lost all restraint and turned their backs on wisdom.

God lets us see that we’ve been fools, but he doesn’t leave us in that place of foolish abandon. When God opens our eyes to our foolishness and we agree to accept his guidance, we can begin to walk in his wisdom.

He’s given us a lot of wisdom in the book of Proverbs. If you study and put into practice an average of just ten verses each week, by the end of the summer, you’ll see how far you’ve come.

Using the wisdom you have to gain more and walk in it will not only affect your life, but the lives of those around you.

Face To Face

Exodus 33: 11

The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.

When does God speak to you face to face?

Are we too busy hiding from God to notice His face? Are we more interested in our day than His way? Do you have the kind of relationship with God that allows you to speak with Him face to face? Do you want to?

Moses chose to set apart time to receive wisdom from God concerning his decisions. He was humble, but still bold enough to approach the God who did miracles of deliverance in Egypt and miracles of provision in the wilderness.

I understand the importance of good decision-making skills. I understand that better now than I did as a teen because of my experiences as a parent. Moses wasn’t in charge of a few kids, but rather millions who followed him out of Egypt. And because he knew his decisions affected the life and death of the millions of people in the camp, he knew he’d better hear from God.

Moses was not without sin, yet he was put in charge of God’s people. I’m not completely perfect either, but God put me in charge of a couple of kids. The responsibility of making decisions that affect the lives of others would be unbearably heavy if I tried to achieve success on my own.

But I don't have to do anything on my own. By the blood of Jesus, God has given me a way to have a relationship with Him.

Like Moses, I can go to God for wisdom.

And like Moses, I have the opportunity to speak to God face to face. And so do you.

Leaning On The Everlasting Arms

John 13:23-25

One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means." Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"

One of the things that speaks the most about your relationship with God is how you speak to him. Your posture when you're in conversation with someone you respect but don't feel close to is different than when you're with your best friend.

John's relationship with Jesus was very close. He was comfortable with him. He could ask him anything. The others were with him every day, but couldn't bring themselves to ask boldly whatever was on their hearts.

Can you imagine yourself face-to-face with God? What does his face look like to you? Would you be bold enough to lean against him? Or would you be unable to look into his eyes?

What is your posture like when you seek God?

Compassion and Guidance

Hosea 11:8-11

My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man – the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria, I will settle them in their homes, declares the Lord.

As a mother, I understand compassion for rebellious children. They’re going to mess up. They’re kids, and kids need a parent’s guidance.

Hosea chapter eleven begins, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me.”

It takes time for kids to mature and make good decisions. God has given me a way to see my children through His eyes. When my kids mess up, God reminds me of His patience for me. Has there been a year when I haven’t needed to repent of something? Probably not.

God holds out His compassion for me while I struggle to mature in spiritual things. He’s the cheerleader in my life, making sure I don’t ever give up. I like noticing the areas where I’ve grown and achieved victory. When I look back over those areas, I can see that those victories would never have come without God’s compassion and guidance.

I want to grow up in God’s ways, seek Him with maturity, live like He wants me to. I want to please God, but I can’t if I’m focused on getting my way.

What is my plan? My plan is to seek God’s plan.

When I recognize that going my own way is rebellion, it’s easier to settle into God’s comforting hand of guidance. He is where I belong.

What Is Help?

Hebrews 4:16

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

What does help look like?

Help comes in many forms. It is a strong hand picking us up so we can walk again. It is a wagon carrying us forward. It is instruction so we can figure out the problem. It is medication, a ride to work, or a comforting phone call. It is a prom dress. It is a miracle. Help is God using people to correct or encourage each other. Help is God’s compassion leaning down to us.

A friend called to ask for prayer. Her mom had a terrible fall and fractured a vertebra in her neck. Of course, I prayed. But while I prayed for that family, God led me to pray for something that, on the surface, wasn’t related to hospitals or doctors. It wasn’t what I expected to pray, but I could see how God could use it to help the family.

You don’t really know in advance how God is going to lead your prayers, but if you allow Him to participate in the process, He will far exceed your expectations.

God knows our physical needs very well. He also knows about every other kind of need that we have. Generally, we miss out when we tell God what we want Him to do. If we’ll listen to Him tell us what to pray for, surprising blessings will come to pass.

So let us approach His throne and seek God’s face with an attitude of expectation because He’s listening to us with mercy and grace already in His outstretched hand.

Simple Gifts

Proverbs 21:13

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

March was Missions Month at my kids’ school. I went to their assembly that was the culmination of the month’s ideas. There, the total missions experience was boiled down to three displays and a few words from three teachers. A reminder that God is busy everywhere doing acts of love through the hands of people.

I’ve been involved in missions and can show my kids the pictures of my work in different places. They can see my face and the smiles on the children around me as proof that God was at work.

Genuine love expressed to God-seekers of all ages has impacted many communities through the actions of missions workers. I’ve seen changed lives. I’ve seen people whose hearts flip-flopped over the awesome presence of God. When people want God to show up and He does eternal things, joy abounds.

I want my kids to know that you can spread God’s love where we live. We don’t have to get on a plane to find people in need.

The kids’ school assembly reminded me that I once drove a church van full of the high school youth group to their Christmas party, but stopped along the way at a homeless shelter. We sang Christmas carols with the homeless children and played with them for a while before driving on to our destination. The youth group experienced an opportunity to share God’s love with those who needed a little attention. They put others before themselves and enjoyed giving their gift.

Anyone can do that. Anyone can spend time loving someone else with the pure love of Christ.

You don’t have to be wealthy to give. You don’t have to spend a lot of travel time. You don’t need a certification, license or degree. There’s no for excuse for not participating in a local ministry when a high school group can agree to stop by a homeless shelter on the way to their Christmas party.

That day, I looked at my youth group and saw how their gift affected them. I think it affected me too.

Aren’t you curious about how giving your simple gifts could affect you?