Winter Will Not Last Forever

As much as I have become weary of the snow, and the ice, and the cold - as I think pretty much everyone in the state of Michigan has - I must admit I love looking out our front door when I let the dog out every morning and seeing the sun rise over a completely white landscape. This winter we have undoubtedly been witness to the power and might of our God, the Creator of the universe. The ice has wreaked its havoc. The wind has shrieked and howled about, swirling snow in all directions and blinding all who are out in it. And it is all by the breath of our awesome God.

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
    he does great things beyond our understanding.
He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
    and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’
So that everyone he has made may know his work,
    he stops all people from their labor. 
The animals take cover;
    they remain in their dens.
The tempest comes out from its chamber,
    the cold from the driving winds.
The breath of God produces ice,
    and the broad waters become frozen. 
He loads the clouds with moisture;
    he scatters his lightning through them.
At his direction they swirl around
    over the face of the whole earth
    to do whatever he commands them.
 -Job 37:5-11

I am grateful for the calm after the storm. For the blanket of white that covers the earth with a pristine calm. For my own breath, swirling about in visible wisps as I step out into the cold. For the promise that winter will not last forever, for even in the depths of winter there is life. "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:6-7).

Jehoshaphat: A Redemption Story

"Why should I fear when evil days come,
    when wicked deceivers surround me --
those who trust in their wealth
     and boast of their great riches?
No man can redeem the life of another
     or give to God a ransom for him --
the ransom for a life is costly,
     no payment is ever enough...
But God will redeem my life from the grave;
     he will surely take me to himself."
-Psalm 49:5-8, 15

One of the things I love about my chronological Bible is that the Psalms are placed with the stories that inspired them. And this particular Psalm was inspired by an incredibly beautiful story of redemption.

First, to give you some context, let me introduce you to a guy named Ahab. You may have heard of him already, actually. I learned about him and his not-so-lovely wife Jezebel as a kid in Sunday school. If you haven't, then read these words borrowed from the songwriter's description of Mr. Grinch:

"You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch,
You're the king of sinful sots,
Your heart's a dead tomato splotched
With moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch
Your soul is an appalling dump heap
Overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable
Mangled up in tangled up knots!"

Now, realize that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the evil that was in the heart of Ahab, King of Israel. In fact, here's what I Kings 30-33 says about him: "Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him."

Here enters Jehoshaphat, who became the king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab's reign. I Kings 22:43 says of Jehoshaphat, "In everything he walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there."

And it is Jehoshaphat whose story of redemption spoke to my heart. Because he was a basically good guy. His heart's desire was to please the Lord and do what was right in His eyes. But he messed up. We all do. We're human. And, unfortunately, that means we have a sinful nature.

Jehoshaphat's sin described in these passages was to ally himself with Ahab and go with him into battle. Granted, he did tell Ahab to first seek the counsel of the Lord. However, when the prophet declared that the battle would result in Ahab's death, Ahab had the prophet thrown in prison. At this point, it's almost like I'm watching a movie and I can hear the sinister music escalating in the background. I don't want him to align himself with this jerk who just threw God's messenger into prison and decided to ignore God's words. I can see the shadows lurking and I'm screaming at the TV, "Don't go, Jehoshaphat!" But, alas, he can't see the shadows I see or hear the expertly composed music conveying the danger that is to come. He goes. The prophet's words are fulfilled, and Ahab is killed.

And here's what comes next, according to 2 Chronicles 19:1-3: "When Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem, Jehu the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, 'Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is upon you. There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.'"

This is incredibly important, because it reveals a truth about the character of God that we all too often ignore or are too uncomfortable to acknowledge: God hates sin. It provokes him to wrath. And not just the sin that is committed by evildoers like Ahab; He hates sin even when the sin is committed by one whose heart is set on seeking Him. God is absolutely a loving, compassionate God. He does not hate the sinner. But he does hate sin.

It is also incredibly important because of Jehoshaphat's immediate response: "Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people... and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers" (2 Chronicles 19:4). He could have answered God's wrath with wrath of his own. He could have tried to justify his actions and somehow placate God. Instead, he turned his people back to God. And when you are in a position of authority and leadership, you can't turn others to God unless you first turn to Him yourself.

Right away, we see that Jehoshaphat is faced with another impending battle, this time from an army he knows his army can't defeat. At least, not without help. But he doesn't seek to ally himself with the king of Israel this time, or any nation, for that matter. This time, he seeks help only from God.

He prays: "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you... But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir... We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you" (2 Chronicles 20: 6, 10 & 12).

This is such an incredible prayer! I didn't quote the entire prayer because of its length, but I would encourage you to get your Bible out and read 2 Chronicles 20. He begins his prayer with an attitude of worship. He acknowledges who God is and His sovereignty. He remembers what God has already done for His people. And then he brings his need before God, admitting the impossibility of the situation if left up to him. My favorite part of the entire prayer is the very last sentence: "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." With this comes not only the acknowledgement of his own inability, but an expectation that God will show him what to do.

And God is faithful. He answers the prayer, sends Jehoshaphat into battle, and brings about an impossible victory for the people of Judah.

Redemption. God did not abandon him because of his sin. Because he turned back to God and continued to seek Him, God's wrath was turned away. He answered Jehoshaphat's prayer with a miraculous display of his power, might, and faithfulness to His children.

Which brings me back to the words of the psalm. No man can redeem the life of another. The ransom for a life is costly. No payment is ever enough.

So God had to send His only Son, Jesus, to pay the ransom for our lives. We couldn't ever hope to pay it ourselves. And it was costly. So very costly. With the blood of Jesus, God has redeemed my life from the grave and drawn me to himself.

I don't know why. Because I am sure a sinner. And God hates sin. But he loves the sinner enough to redeem me. All I have to do is turn to Him. Place my trust in Him and not in myself or my fellow man. He is my redeemer. My only help in times of trouble.

So the next time I fail him, my response will be to turn to Him, ask His forgiveness and seek Him with all my heart. The next time I face an impossible situation, my prayer will be "I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on you." I will expect Him to show me what to do, and to pull off the impossible when I obey Him.

Christians Should Never Stop Saying We Are Blessed

I am not a confrontational person. I hate conflicts and controversy and do my best to avoid them. However, there is a blog post that has been shared by a lot of Christians on Facebook lately that I believe is wrong in some of its points, and I have felt convicted to speak up. Please know that I am not judging or condemning anyone who has posted this article, or even the author of it. I am simply sharing what I believe God has revealed to me on this issue.  

The article is titled, "The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying." The writer argues that we should not consider our financial or material possessions blessings from God. I think there are many things Christians should stop saying. That everything I have is a blessing from God is not one of them.

The article claims:

First, when I say that my material fortune is the result of God's blessing, it reduces The Almighty to some sort of sky-bound, wish-granting fairy who spends his days randomly bestowing cars and cash upon his followers. I can't help but draw parallels to how I handed out M&M's to my own kids when they followed my directions and chose to poop in the toilet rather than in their pants. Sure, God wants us to continually seek His will, and it's for our own good. But positive reinforcement?

God is not a behavioral psychologist.

Here's the thing. Sometimes, God does reward us for our obedience. You can't read the story of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar and deny that truth. But most of the time God chooses to bless us, not because He is rewarding us for good behavior, but because He loves us. Because we are His children. My husband and I are in full-time ministry. We don't make a lot of money, yet God has faithfully provided for our needs. We have a house that shelters us and keeps us warm on these icy cold days. We have a car to get to and from work and to get the kids to and from school. We have food on the table and clothes on our backs. Are these things blessings from God? Absolutely! And in saying so, I am not in any way suggesting these are rewards for our service in the ministry. Nor am I reducing God to the level of a parent handing out potty-training rewards. On the contrary, I am acknowledging God as the loving, compassionate, giving Father He is - One who pours out blessings we don't deserve, because we could never be good enough to earn His favor. That's why He had to send Jesus to die on the cross. That's what grace is.

The article also claims:

Second, and more importantly, calling myself blessed because of material good fortune is just plain wrong. For starters, it can be offensive to the hundreds of millions of Christians in the world who live on less than $10 per day. You read that right. Hundreds of millions who receive a single-digit dollar "blessing" per day.

To make this claim is to suggest that God must bless each of His children equally, with the same blessings, in order to not "offend" anyone who might receive a different blessing than someone else. This is not Biblical.

Have a look at I Corinthians 12:4-11:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."

Now, I understand that this passage is directly addressing spiritual gifts, not monetary or material possessions. However, it clearly communicates that God gives different gifts to different people, as He determines. Should a person who is not given the gift of teaching be offended when a person who has been given that gift calls it a blessing from God? No. Because God gifts each one of us differently to accomplish His purpose. Jealousy, envy, coveting another person's blessing... these have no place in the body of Christ.

And the Bible gives very clear examples of God choosing to bless people -yes, the word "blessed" is directly used here - with financial wealth and successful business ventures. Abraham (Genesis 24:35). Isaac (Genesis 26:12). Laban through Jacob (Genesis 30:27-30). Potiphar through Joseph (Genesis 39:5). And this is just in the first book of the Bible! The list goes on as you read. What if Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph had not acknowledged their financial prosperity as a blessing from God because they were afraid of offending people who hadn't received the same blessing?

The important things here are: 1) to acknowledge that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17), and 2) to seek to understand God's purpose for the blessings He has bestowed upon you, and use those gifts to accomplish His purpose. If I have been blessed with financial wealth, how can I use that to bless others and meet their needs? Are there things I could sell and give to the poor? I should not just sit back and enjoy my blessings, keeping them all to myself. I must first give back to God, and second help those in need (Luke 12:33). But if I don't even consider everything I have to be a blessing from His hand, why would I need to use my resources for His glory? If I earned it, it's mine and I am entitled to it. If it is a blessing from God, He deserves the glory. No, He does not bless us with strings attached, but He does entrust us with certain things so that we can use those things to build His kingdom. To be fair, I think this is the point the author of the article was trying to communicate. But I do believe we have to first acknowledge that these things really are blessings from the hand of God.

I do firmly agree with this article's statement that the Bible does not promise us "worldly ease in return for our pledge of faith." I fully agree that the broken, downtrodden, and poor in spirit are blessed as Christ taught in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. And I absolutely agree that our reward is in heaven, not here on earth. In fact, we are guaranteed that we will have trouble in the world (John 16:33). Often, God's blessing comes through difficulties in our lives that bring us to a greater level of intimacy with our Father. But that doesn't mean we will have only trouble, or that there are no earthly blessings.

Look at the life of Job. When Satan brought his accusation against Job, he said to God, "You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land" (Job 1:10). Job's financial prosperity was unquestionably a blessing from God. Satan could not take those blessings away or touch Job until God gave him permission. And although Job did not understand what happened to him, he acknowledged God's sovereignty over and over: "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). "I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2-6).

Job acknowledged that God is sovereign, and that everything that had happened to him - the good and the bad - were from the hand of God. That's how it is for us, too. Our lives in this world are often roller coasters of good and bad. And guess what? Every up and down is orchestrated by a sovereign God who has a purpose for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). Often times we don't understand our hardships, but we must acknowledge that God has a purpose for them, and that His ultimate purpose is for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). This is something I have come to understand to a much greater degree after seeing my dad suffer with health issues the last few years of his life, and ultimately, go home to be with the Lord.

But the reality that some people are going through difficult times - financial or otherwise - doesn't mean I shouldn't consider myself blessed if I'm not currently going through hardships.

In its original form, the article stated, "My place of birth, my opportunities, and my good fortune are not a result of God’s choosing. It’s dumb luck." I'm glad to see the author has changed this to read,

The truth is, I have no idea why I was born where I was or why I have the opportunity I have. It's beyond comprehension. But I certainly don't believe God has chosen me above others because of the veracity of my prayers or the depth of my faith. Still, if I take advantage of the opportunities set before me, a comfortable life may come my way. It's not guaranteed. But if it does happen, I don't believe Jesus will call me blessed.

I agree with most of the revised paragraph. I don't believe my prayer life or my faith earn me God's favor. But I do believe that I was chosen - "predestined," according to Paul - according to God's plan and purpose, and for His glory. And I do believe Jesus would want me to acknowledge that every good thing that happens to me here on earth is a blessing from God, not a result of my own efforts or "taking advantage of opportunities." Financial and material things included. I will have to give an account for how I used those blessings, but blessings they are,  indeed. And, as long as we understand the true significance of the word, Christians should never stop saying we are blessed.