Thursday, December 29, 2016

New Year - Old Memories

Recently I attended a church service where the message was a call to love God. Not just exalt Him and acknowledge His presence but to really love Him. There were several key points made about showing God how we love Him. Of course, Matthew 22:35-38 was referenced, but the main message centered around Deuteronomy 11. After a few days I wanted to review the points made so I started by reading the chapter but ended up receiving a lesson of promises and warnings.

In the reading, the Israelites were instructed to remember what God had done for them and to continue clinging to His directions. If they did this then things promised to go very well for them. Yes, they were about to experience something they never even knew to dream about. But God is telling them that they will have valleys and hills and water.

Coming out of a desert region where they had no place to hide from any desert storm that blew - no valley, no hill, no cover - a place with hills and valleys sounded wonderful. Then there's water. When you think of deserts, you think of dry mouths from the lack of water. The new place sounds like the place to be.

But God speaks to the very nature of man in this chapter. When things get going well, we tend to forget about God. Hence, the warnings. In order to continue the new harvests, new wine, new olive oil, lush pasture for livestock, and food for eating then they needed to keep God's anger away. It wasn't that hard a thing to do. They were to love God, talk about God, and follow whatever God decreed for the people to do. Following this, He would drive out opposing forces. Sadly, we know from the other books in the Bible that they failed to hold to this simple instruction.

As I read the chapter, I felt the Lord was speaking to me about the new year and the continuation of the new path I am on. All of us are heading into a new year full of new experiences. Some of these we can see coming, like having a president who is not the normal politician. But, mostly, the new year holds mysteries; some big and some small, but definitely something different. This new year promises to bring me new experiences I've only dreamed of, like the publishing of my first novel, One Way Out.

God has always been with me, but in the past year I have seen His hand of provision and encouragement in new ways. He has taught me through His Word, and held me when I was lonely, sorrowful and angry. The lessons He has given me, the patience He has shown me, the love He has imparted to me through others has opened my eyes to how important I am to Him. We all are. Knowing it completely is the tricky part. 

Near the end of the chapter it states that God has been cultivating this new land. I get the sense that this new year is one God has been preparing. Who knows what all we have ahead of us. I do know that the land the Israelites took over had hills and valleys. That means there will be good times and tough times in our coming year. There will also be water. Jesus said His water would cause us to never be thirsty again. This year may bring us plenty of Jesus so that our souls' longing is quenched. (John 7:37-38; 6:35; 4:13-15)

I like the way the end of the chapter reads in the Message version. When we enter the new year we will be at a crossroad. As is the way of God, we have freewill. We choose what path we take. We either remember and follow God and thus receive His promises, or we ignore what He's done for us in the past and fall into the curses that follow.

This new year is a new adventure for all of us. We are entering a time that God has had His focus on. He has tended it and has prepared it for us to enter. I don't know about you but my plan is to do my best to remember what God has done for me and to follow the path of promises so I can soak up all that God has for me. God will bless our steps and actions and take us to places we didn't think were possible.

Monday, December 5, 2016

A Season of Loneliness

My mother used to tell me I didn't understand how lonely she was after my father passed away. I tried to help her, telling her to call me whenever that feeling set in and I would come. Then she would tell me that sometimes her loneliness came when she was with people she loved. No matter what I did I failed to help her completely. Recently through my own experience I realized she was right that I didn't truly understand the sea of loneliness she sometimes faced.

This revelation came at the arrival of the holiday season. Suddenly, without warning,  like a tsunami coming from an unknown direction, I was stunned to find myself struggling with a deep loneliness. Like being dropped in the middle of a deep steep-walled ravine with no one to hear my cry. The feeling of abandonment I fought through back in the spring returned to reek havoc once again. The tears flowed and I found myself in a battle for stability. Yet, when I focused on Jesus and His presence I found a peace that relaxed my nerves. It was as though the wave of loneliness got kicked out of the stadium.

As I struggled to keep my attention on God, King Saul came to mind. I hated to think I was like him, someone who didn't love God. But I had to ask myself, "Did King Saul feel this way?" 1 Samuel 16:16-23 tells us his relief from a troubling spirit came only when David played the harp. Interesting to note, King Saul never cried out to God in any way. (There's no mention of him doing it, so I can only assume he didn't.) He rested in the advice from king-pleasing-servants and in his own strength. Hmm. I wonder, if he had cried out to God would he have struggled so much? All I know is that each time I sang along with the praise music and cried out for Jesus to help me I felt the heaviness lifted.

The sermon at my church the following weekend spoke about taking refuge in Jesus during our battles with emotions and sins. After speaking of how God provided Old Testatment cities of refuge for the Israelites our pastor pointed out that Jesus is the New Testament place of refuge. (Hebrews 6:18-19)

Oh, I must say that even after conquering the sea of loneliness there have been moments when I feel it trying to encroach on me once again. But each time, I try to stop it in it's tracks before my emotions can kick in too far. Instructing my mind to focus on God's promise brings relief.

I'm not alone. I have Jesus with me always. I've been informed that the holiday seasons will bring some of this battle, but that in time there will be no more episodes. I need to remember it's a path that I must traveled to the place where loneliness cannot nor is able to enter. I look forward to that day.

Thank you Jesus for Your Presence with me. With You there is always hope.