journey onWord with us

Are there people in your life that are hard to figure out?  Some days they are up, and then inevitably on other days, they are anything but up. Their faith looks strong one moment, but doubt is the primary emotion at other times. They trust God, but want signs of His care and protection. Great victories are followed by times of discouragement and even spiritual failure. In my reading this week, a man from the book of Judges has painted just such a picture for me, and I must admit that Gideon is a bit of a contradiction to me.

In Gideon, we find a man who: seems to fear, asked God for a sign, put out a fleece twice (showing a lack of trust) before the Lord, tore down his father’s altar, and then led one of the most dramatic victories recorded in Scripture. Remember the story of how God reduced Gideon’s forces from 32,000 to 300 and they were victorious over 135,000 well-armed men? He led a God-ordained, unbelievable (humanly speaking, that is) victory. God was certainly patient with this man who I view as a bit fearful and often not very trusting. But God chose to list him as the first in the list of judges in the hall of faith chapter (Hebrews 11). Although he had his wavering moments, Gideon was a man of faith who trusted God. His story is a bit like my story … and probably yours.

Just today in trying to get my arms around Gideon, I realized that I was wavering between trusting, doubting and fearing. So rather than disdain Gideon and his struggles, I would like to honor his trust and speak words of hope into our story. Recently, a book has been especially meaningful to my wife and I. Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young speaks to the issues we all face with fear and trust. Note excerpts from two days in March:

“Exert your will to trust Me in all circumstances. Don’t let your need to understand distract you from My Presence. I will equip you to get through this day victoriously as you live in deep dependence on Me”.  (March 18)

“However, fear can block the flow of My Strength into you. Instead of trying to fight your fears, concentrate on trusting Me. When you relate to Me in confident trust, there is no limit to how much I can strengthen you.”  (March 21)

Gideon had some struggles with fear, and so do you and I; we also struggle to understand things that are out of our control. In the process of trying to fix (and control) others and our circumstances, fear and understanding become even bigger issues.  We tend to fear what we can’t control.  I find that my own natural (and wrong) tendency is to battle my fears and try to figure out what I can’t understand.  Instead of thinking ill of Gideon, I need to a confront the words,“fear can block the flow of My Strength into you.” Could it be that we actually block what we want so deeply? For me, the answer is sometimes yes!

Note the answer to our struggle, “I will equip you to get through this day victoriously as you live in deep dependence on Me. When you relate to Me in confident trust, there is no limit to how much I can strengthen you.”  Deep dependence and confident trust are very spiritual objectives.  When they go from objectives to spiritual realities, something amazing happens. As you look at these words, don’t think perfection, but direction.  Seek Him today with deep dependence and confident trust … and then tomorrow, and the next day, and the …

Gideon had wavering moments (and so do we), but he was a man of faith, and we can be also!

Joshua chapter four tells one of my most favorite Bible stories.  It holds that place because of the repeated significance it has had in my life over the past handful of years.  I wrote a post about the story on my personal blog in 2009, and since that time, I have revisited the story six other times in writing personally or for Journey onWord.  I have piled up my fair share of stones over the years, and I never tire of encouraging others to do so, as well.

The nation of Israel had just experienced another miraculous intervention from God.  Actually, I need to be more specific to do this whole miracle justice.  God had just parted another major body of water, holding back a towering wall of it to allow His people to cross on dry land.  This time, however, things were different.  This time, the people were not being chased by an enemy.  This time, God was delivering His people to something, not from something.  This time, the choice was not transport, but import.  Import, as in the importance of Joshua being elevated in the eyes of the people (God knew how difficult it would be for Joshua in following Moses, so He chose to do something miraculous to cement his place as the leader of God’s people).  Import, as in giving this new generation (and those who would follow) a reminder of the sacred thread of God’s protection.

When the last person had successfully crossed onto the other side, God gave instructions to Joshua …

When the whole nation was finally across, God spoke to Joshua: “Select twelve men from the people, a man from each tribe, and tell them, ‘From right here, the middle of the Jordan where the feet of the priests are standing firm, take twelve stones. Carry them across with you and set them down in the place where you camp tonight.'”
Joshua 4:1-3 (MSG)

God’s instructions were to create a memorial.  His purpose being, to teach forward the great message of His care and love for His people, and his direct intervention and deliverance in their lives.  I have done so myself on several occasions.  At times the piles were physical.  There was once a pile of 12 stones at the northwest corner of the church we attended at the time, made by a group of 1st-6th graders and a women’s Sunday School class.  Both groups participated the week before in a lesson on the taking of Jericho.  The kids and the women walked around the church seven times and yelled collectively as they finished their final lap.  On a funny note, on our second time around we had a crowd of curious admirers.  Several children in a toddler class had noticed us and opened their window to see what was going on.  As we passed by, we heard one boy nervously asking his teacher whether the walls of the church were going to fall down!  Ah, the faith of a child!

I could simply stop here and leave you with another encouragement to “pile up stones” in your own journey with God, but there is one other detail that I believe often goes unnoticed, that I wanted to call attention to.  Namely, that there were two piles of stones made that day.

One pile was made in obedience to God’s instructions to Joshua in a place near where they setup their tents to stay the night.  But if we continue reading, and do it carefully, we’ll also notice a second pile.

So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there. Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.
Joshua 4:8-9 (NLT)

It’s interesting how in all my years of Sunday school and church, I don’t ever remember the second pile.  I remembered the very last sentence about the memorial being “there to this day,” but I always thought that referred to the pile in the place where they camped.  It makes sense, right?!  Like the Washington Monument, the Vietnam Wall, the eternal flame at President Kennedy’s grave site – a monument is erected in plain sight so we will remember.

I remember the time I “discovered” the second pile as I was intentionally meditating on the story.  I remembered telling anyone who would listen that there was a second pile, and that pile was the one that remained to this day.  I remember the time that I came nose-to-nose with the intimate, sacred truth of personal piles of stones which exist in places only we and God know of.  This pile, described as being “there to this day,” was not out in the open for everyone to see, and it was not made by twelve men, or a class of children and women – it was made by Joshua.  Once priests exited the riverbed and the waters returned, that pile was no longer a memorial to the people.  But I can dare say that as long as Joshua lived, he knew where those stones were.

I can’t say that Joshua made that pile as a prayer of thanks to God in recognition of the great gift God gave him.  I can’t say it because the Bible doesn’t.  But I do wonder about it, and I do see my own story in Joshua’s pile of stones.

I believe there is great significance in marking occasions of God’s working in your life.  Your piles may not always be in places of deliverance and joy as it was for Joshua in the Jordan crossing.  They may be in places of great pain, or growth experienced in a time of great loss.  In whatever place they are, they are worth the effort of stopping and piling.  They help us remember – remember that God is present, and active, and good – both in the times when it’s obvious He is, and in the times of “and, if not, He is still good.” (Daniel 3:18)

What does it mean when God repeats Himself?  It seems fairly obvious to suggest it means He wants the hearer to really pay attention, but like with all things related to God, I believe the answer goes far deeper.  I believe there’s a place in the seat of your soul that God wishes to awaken and engage when He chooses to repeat himself.  That makes me wonder all the more what God might have wanted to awaken and engage within Joshua as He repeated the words, “Be strong and courageous … Be strong and very courageous … be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9 NLT)

It was a monumental moment.  Following the death of the legendary leader, Moses, God chooses Joshua as the one who will lead His people; lead them into and through, quite possibly, the most significant watershed moment in their history.  God will fulfill His promise to Moses and the nation of Israel.  The Promised Land is about to be theirs.

I can’t even imagine what it would have been like for Joshua.  He was used to the position of leadership; he was the leader of one of the twelve tribes (Ephraim) which made up the nation of Israel … but this was different.  It must be pretty amazing to be a governor of a state, but it’s another thing entirely to be President of the United States.  This is what Joshua was facing, and it seems like the equivalent of following FDR in the period just after The Great Depression.  God knew this, and spends time alone with Joshua encouraging and instructing him.

God is clear…

Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you — from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
Joshua 1:2-5 (NLT)

The time has come for you to lead…

No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live …

What an unfathomable thing it would be to simply hear the voice of God.  What another thing entirely to hear God say that it was your time to lead, and that no one would succeed in standing in against you for as long as you lived.  How gracious is God to speak to Joshua that way.  God knows the heart of Joshua intimately, and I cannot help but think this direct and resolute instruction is meant to both calm and embolden Joshua.

I wonder if you’ve ever heard those words from God in your own life … Be strong and courageous, be very strong and courageous, be strong and courageous!  I can hear God saying them to my friend and brother John, as he looked into the face of his beloved wife, whose hand had been taken by Jesus and led to the place of her final healing last September.  And again this very morning as he wakes to the dawn of her very first birthdate since being separated on this side of eternity.  I can hear God saying those words to my friend and brother Jim, who is facing his second surgery on a brain tumor tomorrow morning.

What is your Joshua story?  Maybe you have many, maybe they’re a distant memory, or maybe you are hearing the voice of God right now saying, “Be strong and courageous, be very strong and courageous, be strong and courageous!”

If you were sitting here with me now, I’d ask you to tell me a story of a good friend — maybe a best friend — and an occasion when you stood together in a time and place of great testing.  I am blessed to have many such stories of my own, and several have been reawakened by our reading in the book of Numbers.

I confess to getting a little caught up in reading the story of the twelve spies who were sent into the Promised Land by Moses.  I closed my eyes and attempted to visualize the “single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them!” (Numbers 13:23 NLT)  For a good majority of my sacred time, I was one of the spies traversing the wilderness of Zin, the Negev, and the valley of Eshcol.  What an incredible adventure it must have been to explore what the Bible illustrates as a land flowing with milk and honey! (Numbers 13:27 NLT)  Although imagining myself as an exploring spy was great fun, it was the heroic stand of two spies — Caleb and Joshua — against the engulfing tide of fear and rejection (of God himself) which resonated most deeply.  In reading the story of the spies and their report, our 2015 focus of “their story is our story” became intensely personal.

I have taken the lonely stand against an imposing force of untruth and fear alongside other brothers and sisters.  I have listened as others rallied a crowd of opposition.  I have watched human wisdom be substituted for absolute truth and have suffered the alienation and judgment of choosing differently than the majority.  I wonder as you read, if you felt a similar resonance.

Caleb and Joshua chose God, the other ten spies chose fear.  “Let’s go at once to take the land.  We can certainly conquer it!” Caleb proclaimed boldly.  He and Joshua saw the same giants as the other ten spies.  They observed the same conditions that birthed doubt and fanned the flames of fear in the hearts of the overwhelming majority.  Yet, Caleb and Joshua believed God was bigger.  They believed in God’s promise that the land would be their’s.  They believed with God on their side, no one could stand against them.

Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
Numbers 14:9 (NLT)

Stirring, right?!  The people were convicted of their fear and they began looking at each other and excitedly whispering, “Yes, God is with us.  He brought plagues to free us.  He parted the sea to bring us here.  He can be trusted.  He always does what He promises!”  The whispers grew into a din, and the din into a rousing cheer!  Ummmm, no.  Actually, that’s not even close to what happened.

Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones.
Numbers 14:10 (ESV)

I wonder if, in your story of great testing, the reaction of this opposing crowd sounds familiar.  It absolutely does in mine.  It would be great if every stance for truth resulted in the conviction of opposing hearts and collective repentance and reconciliation … but we are human, and it doesn’t always.

The story, as it’s recorded in scripture, doesn’t say anything further about Caleb and Joshua.  At the critical moment, God intervened, and the remainder of the story focuses on Him.  And this is how the story should always end … our stories too.  It truly is all about Him.  Every word of every sentence of every one of our stories, along with every occasion we have to tell them, should always point to, and end with Him.  He allows the testing that matures us, He is our strong tower as we step through it, and He is the One we count it all joy to suffer for.

“I love to tell the story,” the old song says, and Caleb and Joshua’s is an especially good one.  I’d be willing to bet that theirs is also yours.  God loves yours, as much, or more than any other.  Live, and tell, your story for Him!

My life is often such a contradiction. One moment, I am seeking to live out God’s principles, and the next I am seeking my own way. Some days I listen well, and on other days, my selfishness and noisy mind refuse to heed my Father’s wishes. There are sunny days filled with good decisions and thoughtful moments, but often cloudy days of quick reactions and ill-timed words still frustrate me. When I read about a wonderful man named Moses, I can see a life that had its own share of contradictions.

Talk about an adventuresome life! Moses’ journey takes us from the riches of Egypt to the backside of the desert. Through the lens of Scripture we see Him at the burning bush and leading the children of Israel through the Red Sea. He spent time on the mountain with God, and brought back the Ten Commandments. Leading a band of people who were easily disgruntled would have been quite the adventure.

As we follow Moses’ life and leadership through the pages of God’s Word, we see him as a man deeply dedicated to the Lord, but also with great weakness and sin. It is stunning to me that late in the wilderness journey the unthinkable (at least, to me) happened — an event that kept Moses from going into the Promised Land. Have you ever wondered why?

Numbers chapter twelve tells us that Moses was more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. But in Numbers chapter twenty, we see an indignant man who acted rashly and lost his opportunity to lead his people into the Promised Land. The Israelites were grumbling again about the lack of water. Moses was instructed to take his staff and speak to the rock. God told him it would pour out water. Remember at an earlier time when the children of Israel were unhappy about the lack of water, Moses was instructed to smite the rock. He had done as God commanded and water flowed, but this time, he disobeyed and instead of speaking, he smote the rock twice.

He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
Numbers 20:10-12

A man known for humility was overtaken by rash, angry words. He said, “must we bring you water out of this rock?” Although there can be varying opinions on why this was such a glaring failure, there is no question that Moses directly disobeyed God’s design and desire, and in his own power, struck the rock. Centuries later, we struggle with the same problem, taking God’s design and doing it our way. Whether we do it out of reaction or rebellion, we choose our own means and method.  God has always placed a high value on obedience, whether it was smiting a rock or living our way in the 21st century.

It’s still hard for me to look at this incident and not say, “Moses, you knew better!”  It’s also hard for me to look at my own failures and not say, “Mike, you knew better!” Lessons learned from this scene can be very helpful to any Christ follower. The Father wants obedient children; He does know best! Even as we see contradictions in the life of Moses, he was a great man of faith. The same can be said of you and me. Will it?

Do you remember when you were 7 years old? Yes, it’s a little fuzzy, isn’t it?  Okay, let’s try this: Do you remember when your child(ren) was 7 years old?  Are your memories a little sharper? Our daughter seemed so little, so young then, and in need of my complete protection and care.  I certainly did not give her important responsibilities at that time apart from, “put your toys up,” and “carry your plate to the sink.” Scripture tells of a remarkable 7-year-old girl; in fact we are fortunate to read about her entire life, even up to her death at a ripe old age.

The life of Miriam, the sister of Moses, can be divided into four scenes in Scripture: Saving her baby brother Moses, Singing a song of rejoicing after God parted the Red Sea, A terrible personal ordeal, and then her death.  Let’s touch on two scenes while going into a bit more detail with the two others.

Scene 1:  When Miriam was 7 years old, a decree went out from Pharaoh in Egypt that every Jewish baby boy was to be drowned in the Nile River.  Moses’ mother, however, knew that her son was different, maybe even chosen by God for a special life.  So she came up with a plan, in which little Miriam was pivotal. Pharaoh’s daughter bathed in the Nile at certain ceremonial times in a netted off area of the river, safe from the man-eating crocodiles.  Moses’ mother painstakingly made a water-proofed basket in which to place her precious baby boy, and then positioned him in the rushes where he was sure to be seen.  This whole plan, however, was dependent on Miriam who watched the scene unfold from her hiding place.  At the exact right time, she stepped forward to tell Pharaoh’s daughter she knew a wet-nurse who could help in the care of her newly adopted son … she left out the part that the nurse would actually be the baby’s own mother!  Not only did Miriam pull this off, but she also kept the secret of her brother’s true heritage for years.  The name Miriam means “prophetess,” and I do believe her mother knew she was special from the very beginning.

Scene 2:  Many scholars believe that Miriam was actually more of a leader to the Israelite women than the Bible spells out, and the second time we see Miriam could be a clue to that.  After the entire Israelite civilization crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, Miriam led the women in a song of praise which has come to be known in Scripture as the Song of Miriam.  You will find it in Exodus 15.

Scene 3:  Miriam goes through a shocking personal ordeal during the time of wandering through the wilderness.  Again, Scripture alludes to Miriam’s leadership position along with her brothers, Moses and Aaron, but with the position comes great responsibility. Most scholars believe that Moses’s first wife had died, and he married another woman from Cush.  Hebrews frowned on marrying any foreigner, and Miriam and Aaron had obviously become very outspoken against their new sister-in-law.  Some commentaries also suggest some old-fashioned sibling rivalry was a factor; after all, Moses was the baby brother, yet he was the one in charge!  The story is told in Numbers 12:  While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them

God summoned the three siblings alone out to the tent of meeting and reminded Miriam and Aaron just how special His relationship with Moses was … and what His position was on criticizing His chosen leader: …with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?”  God was angry with them.  And just to make sure there was no misunderstanding about how angry … As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow from leprosy

Moses and Aaron begged God to heal her, but God instructed her to remain outside the camp for 7 days before she would be healed. As a leader, her complaining was probably quite influential and the Lord clearly showed his displeasure in her behavior.

Scene 4 was the death of Miriam.  Their wanderings were almost complete; the Promised Land was so close.  But Miriam never set foot on that land (and neither did her brothers) for she died in a waterless wilderness called Zin and was buried there.

So Miriam was responsible and brave, resourceful and smart, commanding and brave, catty and complaining, jealous and … remorseful.  Sounds like any of us on any given day, doesn’t it?  Miriam had to be reminded (strongly) of who she was … a leader, an example, a prophetess.

Has God ever had to remind you of who you are? You know what I mean; maybe it was a subtle hint or maybe it hit you squarely between the eyes.  Let Miriam remind us of who we are and what we are here for – We are to be responsible and remember that our actions matter.

Their Story is Our Story.

You’ve probably had one of those please write it in the sky, God moments, or maybe you’ve even prayed and asked God to give you a burning bush experience.  You needed direction and felt there was only one way to get it … God’s direct intervention in your circumstances.  You would do anything for clarity and help, even if it meant making promises to God that you meant in that moment, but would never keep.  Defining moments come to all of us, and they usually affect our future.  Truth is, if you or I ever saw directions written in the sky or a burning bush that was not consumed, we’d probably head straight for the psychiatrist.  It was a burning bush, however, that Moses needed, and was the life-altering way God chose to communicate with him.

When Moses arrived at the burning bush, he brought with him a rich and storied past.  Forty years as the prince of Egypt, and another forty years as a shepherd.  You may have heard the shepherd years called his backside of the desert experience.  One day while tending his sheep, Moses was confronted with his future and God’s plan for him. God had chosen Moses to be the deliverer of Israel.  As you can imagine, he was less than confident about God’s plan.  However, in the face of low self-confidence, he chose to follow God.  We are also faced with critical choices; to follow God or do life our own way.

You may remember standing at a crossroad, looking back at the past and wondering about God’s literal plan for your future.  Have you ever reviewed the past, present and future of your spiritual journey and concluded that yesterday was better?

As I rub shoulders with Christ-followers, I am struck by the fact that so many have lost their zest for the journey.  They can remember spiritual milestones and answers to prayer, but there are also fresh memories of church hurts, and being bruised along the way. Churches are filled with individuals who once served and used their gifts but are now fading into the background.  For all of us there will need to be seasons of rest or healing, but those seasons should be just that — seasons.  Those seasons should never be prolonged at the expense of missing the Father’s future design for us.  Moses had eighty years of life experiences when God confronted him with a new phase of his journey.  I am so glad and encouraged that even through his excuses, he obeyed.

You may not be standing in front of a burning bush, but you are standing at the threshold of tomorrow with new opportunities.  Don’t let anything in your past become a weight that holds you back from the future God has designed for you.  Your emotions may say yesterday was better and cause you to look at tomorrow with a clouded view.  God didn’t waste adversity in the life of Moses, nor will He for you.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2

As you move forward from today, Moses is a great example of faith. Jesus needs to be the focus of our eyes for the next phase of our journey. We don’t need to look for burning bushes, or scripted skies, but He still speaks.  We, like Moses, have a choice … follow God or do life our own way.  Moses was at the threshold of the rest of his journey and God gave him a flaming introduction.  With God as the designer of our lives, we should never think that yesterday was better.  As we stand at the threshold of tomorrow, when God speaks will we listen … and will we obey?

I wonder if this current season of your life is one marked or defined by suffering.  I feel as though I’m emerging from such a season, and the questions and truths of suffering have been front and center in my sacred time with God.  My personal study and preparation for my Wednesday morning men’s group have been saturated with the issue of suffering, and just this morning the Spirit gifted a prompt that connected the dots of that study time and the character of Joseph.

Some of the most powerful time in my conversation with God this week has centered on a verse in 1 Peter.  Read with me…

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)

It’s more than fair to say that Joseph suffered.  As I wrote a few days ago, his life was a roller coaster of mountain top and dark valley experiences.  As I sat a while with this illustration, I began to focus on the sections of Joseph’s coaster which followed the valleys and preceded the mountain tops.  Sections like, when Joseph was retrieved from the hole his brothers threw him into and was taken to Egypt and sold into slavery.  Times like, when Joseph was thrown into prison after being falsely accused of seducing Potiphar’s wife.  Times like, when the cupbearer gets released from prison and forgets his promise to Joseph to mention him to Pharaoh.

When Joseph is down, dirt seems to get repeatedly kicked in his face.  Yet how does Joseph respond … each and every time?  I believe you can answer, “1 Peter 4:19” after each kick of dirt.  The reason there is an ascent in the direction of a mountain top in Joseph’s life, is because in the face of being dealt an unfair card, he commits himself to his faithful Creator and continues to do good.  He is sold to Potiphar, and it is not long before he is put in charge of Potiphar’s household and entrusted to care for everything Potiphar owns.  Joseph is thrown into prison and in almost no time, “the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.” (Gen. 39:22)  Joseph is later forgotten in prison (for two whole years!), ends up in Pharaoh’s court interpreting his dream, is later elevated to a personal attendant for Pharaoh himself and put in charge of all the storehouses in Egypt.  It is clear that God was with Joseph in all of this, but it also remains absolutely true that Joseph committed himself to God and continued to do good in each and every occasion of suffering.

The guide for my Wednesday morning men’s group had a really great prompt as it related to meditating on the verse in 1 Peter.  It is called the Emphasize Different Words method and encourages you to focus on the words that may not initially come into view when studying a verse.  In the case of 1 Peter 4:19, the primary focus words I saw were “suffer,” “commit,” and “continue.”  My response to their prompt to emphasize different words drew me to “according to God’s will,” and “faithful Creator.”  I was drawn immediately to the fundamental truth that any suffering we endure (and Joseph endured) is allowed by God into our lives, and further, that He remains present and faithful every single step of our journey through that suffering.  The fingerprints of that truth are all over Joseph’s story, and they are absolutely present in yours and mine.  Will we choose to see them?  Will we choose to commit and continue to do good each step of our journey through suffering?

The very next assignment relative to 1 Peter 4:19 was to summarize the verse in your own words.  I am rarely shy with words, and it proved true again as I “summarized.” I didn’t start with that as a goal,  but I found the words flowed as the truths I had been reminded of and drawn deeper into spilled out on paper.  I share them with you, not from a place of pride, but in the hope that they may be of encouragement or prompt to someone else who finds themselves in a season of suffering.  I’ll end with those words and with the promise that you are on my heart and in my prayers tonight.  Albeit unnamed, my heart is petitioning Jesus on your behalf.  Be encouraged that God knows you, sees you, and is allowing this suffering in your life.  Commit yourself to our faithful Creator and continue to do good.

There’s an amazing and mysterious thing called “God’s will for your life.”  An essential and irreplaceable part of it, is the truth that you will suffer.  If there is anything that is “harmful” in suffering, it’s to your sin nature and the part of you that insists on living your life and walking your faith under your own power.  Let suffering do its necessary work, and you will find yourself right in the middle of doing good.  If you’re surprised by where you are, don’t be.  God can be trusted in everything, and especially when you die to the evil of your own purposes.  He will author good, which He lavishly allows you to be a part of — and He’ll even do it right in the middle of real and genuine suffering.

Let us never forget this fundamental truth of God’s design for our humanity.  What began as a rib from the first man to create a “helper fit for him” (Gen 2:20 ESV) shouts the broader truth that we are designed to live together in community.  Just as with our candle that shines the light of the gospel to a world that desperately needs it (Matt 5:15), our lives should never be hidden from each other.  Along our journey of faith, it is right and good to welcome others to come alongside and do the same in their lives.  I’m not sure we can truly experience the real and eternal life (John 17:3) that comes from knowing God absent the community that is the here and now kingdom of God.

I experienced this fully a few weeks ago after sending an email to a very small group of treasured friends who experienced the first week of home church with my family and me.  I had just finished my first post on Noah and it brought them to mind.  I wanted to encourage them with the very real truth that although God chose different paths for us to follow which created physical distance in our relationships, I still thanked God on every remembrance of them.  For far more than just that day they had made a forever impact on my life and were a sacred part of my own story with God.

One of the first responses I received was from a young woman, Amanda.  She is the daughter of close friends of ours, but has also become a treasured friend.  She thanked me for my email and shared that it had come in the midst of some discouraging days.  It was a welcome and joyful reminder of a day she has thought of often, and brought a smile where it sounded like one was genuinely needed.  So that’s it, right?  A smile for her and a smile for me; God is good … except, that wasn’t all God had for me.

With thoughts and words she could have never known would speak so specifically into my right then, God answered an unspoken prayer of my heart.  These were just a few of her words … “One of my favorite people of the bible is Joseph because of his story. He went through so much but remained faithful to God no matter what. What his brothers intended for evil, God intended for good. I love it. I literally stopped reading her email at the word “Joseph.”

“Unbelievable!” I remember thinking to myself.  “There’s no way she could have possibly known!”

What Amanda could have never known is that I had just been assigned Joseph as my character for the month of February.  What Amanda could have never known was I was initially overwhelmed with the assignment and my heart was unusually unsettled.  But God was ready to speak, and He had chosen the sweet voice of a friend that I hadn’t seen or spoken to in months.

The thought on Joseph in this post today is delivered in the sweet voice of my friend and the God we both love and serve; a God who is so intentional and lavish in His love for me that he used my desire to bless someone else to bless me infinitely more.

“What his brothers intended for evil, God intended for good.”  What a potent reminder of the power and presence of God in our every day circumstances.  You’ll likely never be thrown in a hole by your own brothers and left to die, but maybe you’ve felt utterly abandoned.  You’ve likely never been inappropriately seduced, but I’d bet you’ve been falsely accused.  You may never rise to prominence, but I pray you’ve lavishly forgiven someone you love.

Joseph’s story is a roller coaster ride from a place of prominence to one of ruin and then back again.  He was the favored child who was thrown in a hole.  He was the head servant who was thrown in jail.  Yet he was also the Vizier of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, who saved a nation from famine and restored his family.  Joseph’s circumstances may not be ours, but his story is most definitely our story.

Thank you, Amanda for reminding me that what some may intend for evil in my life, God intends for good.  Thank you, God for the reminder that you are intimately aware of me, and care for me more deeply than my lifespan will allow me to discover.  The kingdom life is one which is lived in community.  Knowing God is the real and eternal life.

Without much thought, you and I could identify someone we really don’t want to be around. It might be an attitude that annoys us, or character issues that we disdain. Whatever the reason, and although we love these individuals, liking them is much more difficult. When they speak it sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard to our ears, and because of our built-in bias, we don’t believe they will change, nor do we put much stock in what they say. Truthfully, we don’t value much about them. Can you think of someone like this?  You may be surprised to know there is a famous character from Scripture that has never been a favorite of mine. When reading about his life, I am less than impressed (to put it mildly), but God chose to change him.

He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah and a twin brother of Esau. His name means “he deceives,” and it certainly fits this schemer.  Jacob bought his brother’s birthright, and then deceived Isaac (along with Rebekah) to gain Esau’s blessing.  He ended up in the territory of his uncle Laban and was himself deceived. Jacob wanted to marry Rachel (Laban’s daughter), but was tricked into a marriage with Leah (her older, less attractive sister), although he did marry Rachel as well after working seven more years to earn her hand. Jacob had twelve sons who founded the twelve tribes of Israel.  Deceit and dysfunction seemed to swirl around the life and family of this man.  It is interesting to me that his sons actually deceived him with their treatment of Joseph.  It is interesting that this man is the father of one of my favorite characters in Scripture, Joseph.

Is it fair for me to look at his life with an attitude of disdain? There is no denying sufficient opportunity to “judge” Jacob for his pattern of deceipt.  However, there was also a scene from Scripture which I believe was a defining moment for Jacob.  God blessed him, and he was changed. It was an encounter with God that is way beyond my comprehension, yet instructive just the same.  View the scene with me. Jacob is on his way back to Canaan and he will surely see Esau. There were probably emotions of fear, dread and apprehension as he prepared himself for this encounter.  I wonder if he questioned whether Esau would forgive or fight him. Years had passed.  What would it be like?

In the course of events, Jacob is alone and has one of the most astounding encounters found in the Bible. Genesis 32:22-32 gives us the story, but I’d like to zero in on verses 24-28:

This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking! “But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

Jacob had an encounter with Almighty God. From my study, I believe his wrestling partner was a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. God put his hip out of joint, changed his name (Israel) and verse 29 tells us, “…then he blessed Jacob there.” This section of Scripture is wrought with great meaning, far more than I can understand, or even attempt to write about in one short article. The simple fact is that Jacob had a defining moment in his struggle with God and was changed forever.

The Christian world of the 21^st century is no different than in Jacob’s day. You and I can’t fix all the deceit and dysfunction (even among Christ-followers), but we must consider our journey. I don’t know whether you are in need of an epic defining moment, or just a recalibration of priorities.  Don’t live another day without enjoying God’s power and sufficiency in your life in the midst of all of it. Eventually, Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  And God did!