I was just watching the last eaglet fly out of its nest… it was on my iPhone, and many have been watching and waiting for the two eagle eggs to hatch. The marvels of hidden cameras to catch the images of these bald eagles! The Los Angeles news has captured these images since the eggs were in the nest.
One young eagle has already left … perhaps braver than the other one. It looked like the last young eagle was testing the air, almost looking like it was afraid to fly. “Will my wings know what to do? Did my parents do the right thing in teaching me how to fly? Are my instincts correct? What if I fail and fall?” The young eagle flapped her wings several times but wouldn’t leave the limb she was standing on. Finally, she soared into the air, and off she went.
How like us! First of all, as parents, we are to teach our children what their future is. Then we teach them how to live in that freedom. God’s Word is our instruction manual as to what and how to teach them, and our freedom is found in Him.
God has instilled in the eagles the “know-how” and the capability to fly. As the baby eagles reach maturity, they need to leave the nest and fly into their destiny.
But it is not only for the young! This morning, as I watched, I wondered, “Lord, in my advanced years and being a widow, am I afraid to fly? Am I afraid to flap my wings and try new things? Help me to jump off my safety limb and fly in the new destiny You have for me!”
I don’t think I am the only one facing this decision. In my list of friends, I have quite a few who have lost spouses … what do we do? Where do we go? Who can we lean on? Who can we teach and share with? “Father, don’t let our/my years of life and experiences go to waste … teach us/me to fly and soar into the unknown with excitement and joy. It’s been a year now (in six days) … let me soar, take the fear of the unknown away. Take the leftovers of my life now and use them for your glory! In Jesus name, I ask this. Amen (SO BE IT!)”
I will admit to liking to pop bubble wrap bubbles. I also slap my hand to NOT do it! Then again, I save bubble wrap because it comes in handy for all sorts of things… but I do have ENOUGH!
When my granddaughter, Gracie, was young, she was easily injured playing sports. One time, when I was with her, I wrapped her in bubble wrap and took a picture of her “suited up”! I have a cousin and a niece who have also joked about perhaps they should wrap themselves in bubble wrap.
I was out walking and praying, and asking God to wrap some of my friends in His bubble wrap! How’s that?? God’s bubblewrap?
When I was caring for my husband who had dementia and its progression into Alzheimer’s, I will admit to getting punched (not by my husband … but by the enemy!) and knocked down emotionally and at times spiritually. It was (and is) a very hard road to travel. My pastor friend, Jack Rozell, sent me some scripture verses and notes on practicing the presence of God and “wraparound” references in The Passion Translation. I will admit I needed to feel His Spirit wrap around me when I felt I was at my wits’ end (actually, I need Him ALL the time!!)
1. He surrounds (wraps around) us as a shield. Psalm 3:3, “But in the depths of my heart I truly know that you, Yahweh, have become my Shield; You take me and surround me with yourself” (TPT).
What is a shield? a) a broad piece of armor; b) a person or thing that protects; c) intercepts blows, conceals from danger or harm.
He is above, beneath, on each side, front, back, and inside … we are WRAPPED in His loving arms much as we would wrap a baby to protect it from wind, rain, or sun (and pesky people!).
In chapter 18:30, “Yahweh, what a perfect God you are! All Yahweh’s promises have proven true. What a secure shelter for all those who turn to hide themselves in you, the wraparound God.” (TPT)and notes from TPT “The Hebrew word used here (often translated ‘shield’) means ‘to wrap around in protection.’”
I went through a time when I was facing a possible health threat, and I became a bit frightened. I can’t say it was a vision, but in my mind I saw myself sitting in God’s hands and He was holding me … He was my protection and I was wrapped in His hands. I commissioned an artist friend to draw a picture of me sitting in God’s hands. I framed it and it hangs in my house to remind me of His wraparound presence! I need not fear!
2. He surrounds us also with His glory … Psalm 3:5, “So now I’ll lie down and sleep like a baby—then I’ll awake in safety, for you surround me with Your glory …” (TPT) … I particularly like this one because I often have trouble sleeping.
I am enveloped by Him, immersed in His presence … it’s better than bubble wrap!
3) He surrounds us with protection and brings victory. Psalm 7:10, “God, your wrap-around presence is my protection and my defense. You bring victory to all who reach out for you.” (TPT)
Are you reaching out to Him? The atmosphere and circumstances around us can change in a moment’s notice, but as followers of Jesus, we belong to Him, and His presence is our defense and protects us from the attacks of the enemy. Think “Armor of God”!
Psalm 62:2, “He alone is my safe place; his wraparound presence always protects me.” (TPT). I like the song, “Safe am I, safe am I, in the hollow of His hand. Sheltered o’er, sheltered o’er with His love forever more.”
4) He surrounds us with love and forgiveness. Psalm 32:10, “But when you trust in the Lord for forgiveness, his wraparound love will surround you” (TPT). There is an order of things here … come to the Lord for forgiveness, and He is faithful to forgive, and His love will not only flood your heart, but His love will wrap around you, holding you close. Do you remember when you first held your baby and how closely you wrapped that soft blanket around them and hugged them tightly? Oh, I remember those hugging moments with my babies!
5) He surrounds us with hope and strength. Psalm 33:20, “The Lord alone is our radiant hope, and we trust in him with all our hearts. His wraparound presence will strengthen us.” (TPT). Radiant … bright with joy … hope! And His presence will strengthen us. What does your future hold? We don’t know all that is in front of us, but God knows, and that is why we TRUST. Oswald Chambers wrote, “God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is” and in Him we have hope in the future.
6) Surrounded with faith. TPT translates Ephesians 6:16 this way, “In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the Evil One!”
We are the ones to put on the armor. Just as we dress ourselves in the mornings, we TAKE UP and PUT ON the armor that God has provided for us to fight the enemy. The Word of God tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6). How do we get that kind of faith? Mark 11:22, the words of Jesus are “Have faith in God.” Some translations also “have the faith of God”. It’s His faith that He puts within us, but we have to appropriate it. So take up that wrap-around shield of faith and fight the battle with confidence!
7) We will be surrounded with praises to our Lord! I will end with this one, which thrills m,e and I hope it does that for you as well. Psalm 64:10 again in TPT, “The lovers of God will be glad, rejoicing in the Lord. They will be found in his glorious wraparound presence, singing songs of praise to God!”
Are you a lover of God? Are you rejoicing in Him? Is your heart glad? I know we all have troubles and trials, and wonder, “when will this end?” But as His people, we will experience here on earth His presence that will surround us, wrapping us in His love, and we WILL sing songs of praise to Him! Do you feel you can’t sing? Try! Sing unto the Lord a new song! Make it a sacrifice of praise and … SING!
Someday we will BE in His literal presence, wrapping our arms around Him as He hugs us back, wrapping His arms around us!
His wraparound presence is better than bubble wrap any day! Smile.
Prayer: “Lord, wrap my heart to Yours and wrap my heart to Your purposes.”
***** Thank you, Jack Rozell, for sharing with me your thoughts on God’s wraparound presence and the thoughts it brought to me.
***** All scripture portions used in this Contemplation were taken from The Passion Translation.
It has become customary that when we hear a sneeze (or two or three …) to automatically say “God bless you”. How did that come about? Do we truly mean it or say it because it has become what we do? Habit?
The history of the sneeze blessing goes way back before my time for sure! It was thought that a sneeze could spread infectious diseases such as the bubonic plague. It is also stated that Pope Gregory the First bestowed such a blessing during a bubonic plague outbreak. Going back further the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder pondered the same (am I among great minds?? yikes!) But good ol’ Pliny didn’t know how it started either so it must have been around long before his time (77BC). The last common theory I will mention is that in ancient times it was thought that evil spirits could enter the body or momentarily expel the soul from the body (glad that’s a misnomer because I sneeze a lot some days!) or even stop the heart, So a “God bless you” became a prayer to protect the sneezer and those close by.
All that brings me to this point … when we say “God bless you” it should mean something to us and to the person you say it to. To say it should be meaningful. Do we want God to bless someone who reviles Him? Do we know who we are asking God to bless? What would be a good response to the sneezer if we didn’t say “God bless you”? Is it considered poor manners to let a sneeze go unanswered? If a “blessing” is not forthcoming it sometimes leads to an awkward silence.
The question remains unanswered! But it leads me to another “blessing”. Someone recently asked a serious question to a group that I was a part of … “How can we bless God? God is God, He already has everything so how can we bless Him”. There were several responses and I take this away … in the past, I have asked the same question but a couple things come to mind (well, maybe more than a couple!).
1) The Bible tells us to bless Him! The first scripture (among many) that comes to mind is “Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name” Psalm 103:1.
2) We can bless Him by offering singing, thanksgiving, praise, and worship. (Psalm 100)
3) We can bless Him by living a godly life (“Worship the Lord with the beauty of holy lives.” Psalm 96:9 LB)
4) We can bless Him by willingly obeying Him (“If you love me you will obey me (John 14:15)
5) The Psalmist danced, clapped, and lifted his hands to the Lord in exuberant worship … why are we embarrassed to do the same? Dance before the Lord in worship!
6) Bless Him by sharing with others what the Lord has done for you.
7) Be a part of the heavenly hosts who worship Him who sits on the Throne, “they worshiped without ceasing day and night, singing, ‘Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8)
8) Here are just a few of the admonitions in the Psalms … exalt the Lord, praise Him for He is great and holy, God the great forgiver, enter His gates with singing & thanksgiving, “I will bless and praise the Lord with my whole heart”, let everything (and everybody!) PRAISE THE LORD! That blesses Him!
We as Christ’s followers have fallen into the trap of always asking God to bless us, and He does, but often we fail in blessing Him. He is worthy to be blessed. He is blessed by our offering our blessings to Him. He lives in our praises so BLESS HIM!
“Be still!” Smile … how many times have we told that to our children or to others who couldn’t seem to sit still or BE still!
It is not easy for me to be still. Oh, I can sit and read a book, watch TV, or sit in a car or plane, but I don’t like to be inactive for long. I’m a “to-do” kind of person. I have my list and feel accomplished when it’s done.
I’m not a good sleeper (thank you menopause!). I can hardly keep my eyes open by bedtime and many times as soon as I get in bed the brain kicks in at about 100 miles per hour!
Such was the case tonight so up I got … couldn’t really concentrate on my Bible, didn’t want to read a book, didn’t want to spend time on the computer, didn’t want to wander around the house so finally went back to bed. As I lay down the song began to play in my brain … “Be still and know that I am God, be still and know that I am God, be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:1, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
It hit me … do I really know how to “be still”? Being still isn’t keeping your thumbs from twirling, feet from bouncing, or sitting in a chair without moving a limb! “Be still” … stop the mind from wandering, keep centered on God and His Word, stop striving, relax. It’s meditating on His Word, listening for Him to speak to me. Be settled, be calm because we can TRUST GOD.
It’s not easy to be still! We are prone to be active, to control our environment, to “be in charge”. But God is saying, … “Be still and KNOW that I. AM. God.!”
The only way I see of “knowing” is “knowing” Him! How do we “know” Him?
How do you come to know anybody? By spending time with them! Talking with them, listening to them, interacting with them … and it is the same with our heavenly Father. It’s not enough just to know about Him … but KNOW Him!
I’ve read about Queen Elizabeth, President Trump, and other world leaders and famous people. I know about them but I have never met them or interacted with them so I don’t “know” them.
So in the stillness that God is calling us to He wants us to KNOW Him and that He IS God.
As I lay in bed and concentrated on that thought another verse about Him came to mind. We are in the midst of a never before pandemic. Folks are scared, we are sheltered in place, we feel locked up and death abounds. Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me.”
I’ve always told myself that when faced with circumstances that could lead to death or any kind of a serious valley, I would want to RUN through it … not walk! Also, it’s walking THROUGH a shadow! A shadow is not the real thing!
At the beginning of this pandemic, I told my husband I had no fear … and I still don’t but I feel it creeping in after so many weeks and further sheltering along with face masks.
So how should we handle fear of this unknown “thing”? Back up to Psalm 46:1 … “Be still”, listen for His voice, quiet our emotions and scary thoughts, and “know”, be assured of, that HE IS GOD!
He will be in the furnace with us and deliver us … BUT IF NOT … we can still trust Him because our greatest deliverance will be when we are with Him for eternity! The three Hebrew young men were not doubting with that statement … they were stating the fact that no matter what happened they knew that God was with them.
Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him”
Connie Haus (I wrote this in 2020 but never posted it until now)
A popular television series from 1994-2003 was Touched by an Angel. Fiction for sure, but it portrays how angels can interact in our lives even while we are unaware. I loved watching this program.
I wonder how many of us have had numerous encounters with angels of which we were unaware. Protection in accidents, promptings to stay or go in any given situation, guardian angels. There is a verse in Hebrews 13:2 that gives me pause, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Jacob had an encounter with a Man in Genesis 32:24-32 that changed his life. Jacob was known as a sly ol’ trickster, a deceiver of his brother, father, and father-in-law. He was also a hard worker and went after what he wanted but at times he was not a nice guy!
After deceiving his father he had to run away (OK, so he was sent away by his conniving mother!) to a far country, worked for his mother’s brother’s family, got married (to two sisters!), had a family, grew in wealth and finally decided to return to his homeland.
On the way home he learned that his brother was coming to meet him and fear stuck Jacob. Esau was the brother he had deceived and cheated out of the family blessing YEARS earlier (be sure your sins will find you out! Numbers 32:23). Jacob was afraid of meeting his brother so he sent his family, servants, and flocks ahead first (nice guy!). Now Jacob was alone. ALONE and afraid. Then he had an encounter with a supernatural Being.
The Bible doesn’t tell us how this happened … did Jacob get down on his knees and begin to pray? Was he sitting on a rock with his head in his hands, “Oh God what do I do now? Esau is going to kill my family and me and all is lost! Oh me, Oh my … my life is over … my deceitfulness is catching up with me …” I think I might have done something like that! But in his aloneness, a Man came and wrestled with Jacob! Imagine a man wrestling with God Himself! Jacob had spent years working in the fields and with animals and became very strong but the Man kept the wrestling match going until the sun began to come up. The Man said, “Let me go; it’s daybreak and I gotta’ go!” But Jacob answered (realizing he was fighting with a supernatural being and undoubtedly growing weak) “I will not let you go until you bless me!” He wasn’t wrestling just to wrestle … he was in a fight for a blessing!
WOW! What an encounter! The Man then asked his name and Jacob, well aware I’m sure of what his name meant, answered Him, “Jacob”. At that moment he acknowledged who he was … his name meant “deceitful”. Jacob had to acknowledge his weakness before he could be transformed! The Man then gave him a name change! “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and prevailed …” Did you get that? God came down to have a wrestling match with Jacob! Jacob was desperate and God met him. Jacob, imperfect. Jacob, a deceiver. Jacob, a conniver. His name change meant “Prince with God”! God saw his future!
Then the Man touched him … not only a name change (he still was an imperfect man!) … the touch threw his hip out of joint and thereafter for the rest of his life he walked with a limp. I believe that not a day went by but that he recognized the fact that the pain he bore from his hip displacement and his imperfect steps was because of his encounter with God!
The match is over. Jacob received what he fought for … a blessing from God. Before Israel crossed over the brook to join his family on the other side he named the place where the wrestling match took place, Peniel, meaning “Face of God” (v30) “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” He named the place as a memorial.
I am reminded of the chorus … “Shut in with God in a secret place, there in His presence beholding His face; finding new power to run in life’s race, I long to be shut in with God.”
I do wonder however just because Israel had this encounter with God he still struggled with his human flesh! He wasn’t a great dad (in my opinion!). He showed favoritism in his children, he did not protect them as he should have and yet God was honored in his life.
How is it with you? Have you wrestled with God? I don’t mean in hand-to-hand combat, but have you wrestled in prayer? Have you ever been desperate? Have you sought God for answers? For a blessing? Has He touched your life in some aspect? Have you built a memorial of remembrance? Can you look back on moments of your encounter with God with thanksgiving? Has it helped you to remember His touch?
I’ve had some encounters with God that changed the direction of my life. Some I felt were knock-down drag-out encounters … others were nudges, little pushes. Some of you have been touched by physical healing … did it change the way you live for God? Others had a spiritual healing giving you a life-changing direction … are you still living for Him?
Some are weary in the struggle, I get that! But we don’t fight in our own strength! God gives strength to the weak and I love that but we must be faithful to pursue Him. Has His touch changed the way you walk? Our “limps” or our “scars” are to remind us of what we have gone through, what we have learned, and how we MUST lean on Him for the rest of our lives.
This touch wasn’t given by an angel … it was God himself who came to wrestle with Jacob. What a thought!
What new can we learn from the Christmas story? It’s a story we’ve known all our lives. We read it every year and often during the year. We’ve heard it preached, watched pageants, heard choirs, and children’s renditions, … what’s new?
More than ever this year it came to me forcefully … He came as a Baby so that I could hold Him close … and now He holds me close! There are times when I just want to hold Him as close to me as I can and other times when I cry out “Jesus, HOLD ME!”
One of the “newer” (not so new anymore) Christmas songs that I love is, “Mary Did You Know?” by Mark Lowry. I’ve learned that he wrote it as a poem 10 years before it was set to music. One theologian suggested it was “the most sexist Christmas song ever written … it treats her like a clueless child …” but I think that is FAR from truth.
I’ve had a word from God before and I accepted it as from God but I had NO clue as to what that word would accomplish or be in my life. I believe the same is true of Mary.
Mary had a word from God … did she fully understand it? I don’t believe so. Did she know the ridicule she would endure? Probably. Did she wonder if Joseph would believe her story? It would be natural to wonder! Did she fully understand what His life would be? Did she really know and understand that He would open blind eyes and ears, touch lepers, and not get diseased? That He would walk on water, that He would turn water into wine for a wedding? That He would raise the dead? Did she even have a clue that watching Him on the cross, His blood dripping down to the ground the pain that would grab and twist her heart? No, I doubt that she grasped all that at her initial acceptance of the angel’s announcement.
If she knew, would she have said “Yes”? The Bible says that Mary “pondered these things in her heart”. I get that! I’ve “pondered” lots of things! Things we wonder and pray about and don’t share with anyone but God.
None of us (at least me!) would choose to suffer and Mary suffered! But she also had a great love in her heart for her newborn. Have you ever held a newborn baby close to your heart and just fell in love immediately? Can you imagine anything different from Mary? I could see her kissing His cheeks (and knowing she was kissing the face of God … WOW!), changing diapers (do I dare say that???) nursing Him and all the while knowing that He was the Savior of the world? Unbelievable!
This is a “sidebar” but I’ve often wondered that as a toddler when he realized Who He was? That’s a question (unless we know all the answers when we get to heaven!) I want an answer too! (smile) I’ve also wondered if growing up His younger brothers were jealous (because we know they did not at first believe He was who He was!) because He never got in trouble! Do you think Mary ever shook her finger at her other children and said, “Why can’t you be as obedient as your older brother?” Ok … that’s enough of that!
As for me, I’m glad Mary said “Yes, be it unto me according to Your word.” I’m glad she was willing to be vulnerable and she knew Him at His death and resurrection, no longer as the One she gave birth to, but as her Savior!
And He is our Savior too. He came as a Baby to die for me … and for you. He came to take our punishment because the wages of sin is death … but He took our sins and they were nailed on the cross with Him. But He rose again that we might have eternal life with Him. But there is a catch … we need to ACCEPT what He did for us and that means confessing that we are born sinners (no matter how cute our babies are!), none of us are righteous in ourselves so we repent and ask Him, Jesus, to come into our hearts … and then a new life begins as we grow in Him.
If you’ve never accepted His free gift of salvation … pray this right now … “Jesus, thank You for coming into this world for me. Thank You for Your willingness to leave the perfection of heaven so that I could enter heaven! Thank You for living a sinless life here on earth and then taking my sins with You on the cross and dying in my place. Forgive my sin. I ask You to come into my heart and make me a new creation and I will follow You and Your word for the rest of my life. I love You, Jesus. Amen”
If you think this is a recipe for a new barbecue sauce for chicken wings … sorry to disappoint you! Smile!
There is a story that has circulated for years, in varied forms about a mother hen who protected her young from a forest fire. I looked up the story on the Internet and found that it has evolved from maybe something that did happen but is it true to its beginnings? I don’t know but here is the story (edited by Connie!) …
After a forest fire, a forest ranger was going to assess the damage and found the charred remains of a chicken petrified in the ashes at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. Suddenly several tiny chicks scurried out from under their dead mother’s wings.
The bulk of the mother’s body had covered the chicks from the fast-moving searing flames. Though the heat was enough to consume her, it allowed her babies to find safety underneath her wings. She had stayed with her young in the face of the rising flames. Her dead carcass and fleeing chicks told the story well enough … she gave her life, her ultimate sacrifice, to save her young.
She could have flown away and saved herself had she only wanted to save herself but gathered her babies under her wings to save them.
So what do we learn about chicken wings and God from this illustration?
It was another sleepless night for me and as I got up I was directed to Psalm 63:7, “Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.”
Psalm 36:7, “How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.”
Does God have wings? Well, having never seen God upfront and in person, I can’t tell you what He looks like in that regard but I can tell you what the Bible says and it gives me GREAT comfort!
Psalm 91:4, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.”
Psalm 57:1, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.”
Psalm 61:4b, “I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”
These verses relate to the protection and shelter we can find in God. We can run to Him when trouble chases us. We may smell smoke, and we at times might be singed but we can TRUST in His intervention in our lives if we run to Him!
In returning to the above story there was one comment by an observer of free-range chickens. Not all chicks run to their mothers in times of danger. Some are either paralyzed in panic or try to find a way to save themselves but they end up being destroyed. The mother hen cannot run around gathering them individually … they have to come to her.
There is a greater story here … it is the story of our God Who before time began made a way to save His own wandering children from destruction. Look what Jesus said in Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
How, HOW can we be so hard-headed not to run to Jesus when troubles chase us? HE is the only One who can save us! Yes, in this life we WILL face hard times, trials, and tribulations and we know that we will all face death and die in this life … but through it all, we can run to Jesus for safety.
There is another verse that brings comfort … Malachi 4:2, “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings …”. I believe this is twofold… there IS healing for sick bodies, sick emotions, sick relationships, mental sickness … there IS healing in His wings! But the greater healing is what He provides through His sacrifice on the cross … the healing of men’s souls!
Are you covered by His wings? Read with me Ephesians 1:4-7, “… He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
If you have NOT come to Christ and accepted His provision of salvation … do it NOW … don’t wait for the fire to come … be covered by His blood before destruction!
Pray with me now, “Dear Jesus, I believe what Your word says … I come to confess my sin and repent from my way of life. Please cleanse me with Your blood, create in me a new heart, and may Your precious and holy life begin to flow to and through every part of my life. I invite you to be my Savior and my Lord. Amen”
If you have ever gone on a car trip with children you have heard that question many times over! “Daddy, Mommy, are we there yet?”
There’s a funny little story about a family taking a several-hour car trip and within thirty minutes the little boy was asking, “Daddy, are we there yet?” Daddy answered, “Not yet. We will be riding for several hours.” To a little fellow that didn’t mean anything and after several more inquiries about “are we there yet?” the daddy became exasperated. Finally, daddy said, “NO, we are NOT there yet and I do NOT want you asking again! We will be there when it is dark!” After several minutes of silence, the little boy quietly asked, “Daddy, is it dark yet?”
I have often thought of the Israelites taking 40 years to get through the desert when it should have taken them only a few weeks at the longest! I wonder how many times the adults, as well as the children, asked, “Moses, are we there yet?”
Why did it take so long? It wasn’t a simple detour . . . they camped out AND took the long detour!
The Israelites were not even out of Egypt before they started complaining. They whined and carried on so that even Moses got tired of listening to them! After the numerous miracles that God performed to show them His power, protected them from the plagues that confounded the enemy, provided a way out – with the goods of Egypt given to them – they still complained. They complained when the Egyptians started out after them and they continued to complain and whine after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. “We want water”, “we want meat” . . . on and on it went.
It finally got to a point that God said that the current generation would die in the desert and would never enter into the Promised Land.
That story hits me where it hurts because I don’t like to think of myself as a complainer but I know that I do! Many times I feel like Paul when he wrote in Romans, “I do what I don’t want to do and don’t do what I want to do!” I want to NOT complain and before I know it – I have, again.
So then I wonder, because of my complaining does God get angry with me? Does He not answer my prayers because I whine? Am I wandering around and around and around in my own “wilderness” because of my attitude?
I’m not a fisherman (oops, PC … fisherwoman!). I remember once as a child when grandpa took my cousin and me fishing … we went to a fish hatchery, took a pole, threw in some kind of what looked like rabbit pellets, and caught a fish. I was excited then … later I realized that was not “real” fishing!
Also living in a community that has a small lake I’ve taken my grandchildren down to the lake and they caught the fish but I had to unhook the fishy fish from the hook!
However, this isn’t about my fishing experience or lack thereof! When I first heard the song, “I Remember the Fish”, I thought it was kinda silly but then I heard it again and listened. The words are so true.
How often when we are in crisis or have a great need we panic or begin to think, “How can I meet this need? Where can I get the money to pay the rent, feed my family, get gas …”
Remember the fish!
There are a number of stories in the Bible about God providing through fish. Peter needed money to pay his taxes … Jesus told him to go fishing and he would find the money in the mouth of the fish! He did and he did. (Matthew 24).
Peter and the disciples fished all night and caught nothing … Jesus told them to cast their net on the other side and they caught a boatload of fish!
They had a need and God provided … through fish.
But I guess the greatest story I love is the story of the young lad who went to hear Jesus. It was a long day, the people were hungry, the lad gave his five loaves and only two fish to Jesus and Jesus miraculously multiplied the small offering into enough food to feed 5,000 men, plus women and children, and had TWELVE basketfuls left over.
Back to the song … (youtube: Greater Vision, I Remember the Fish)
They sat down for supper in their quiet little house
Looked at one another, “What was God doing now?”
Times were hard and debts must be paid
Where was God? So little food on their plates.
Then the daddy broke his silence and the kids just listened in
He said, “When I face a challenge and feel like giving in
I go back to my favorite memory, to be exact,
It happened here in Galilee
When my mama woke me up and said,
That we are going out to hear a man named Jesus
On a hill outside of town.
We listened to His sermon and people needed food;
I handed Him my lunch — you know the rest!
So no matter how hard life may get
I remember the fish
You should have seen all the fish!
You see I’d often heard of miracles
But never witnessed one until I
Was watching the impossible and saw
Those baskets filled with so much food
There were faces full of joy,
How my faith grew that day as just a boy
So children learn this lesson, listen to your dad
Miracles will happen when you give God all you have.
Then when you’re weak draw strength from that day
When He met all your needs
He multiplied your faith
Like when my mama woke me up and said, … “
When we have a need, do we remember how God has helped us in the past? Can we draw on experience that our God is Jehovah-Jirah, our God provides?
Do we pass these stories on to our children? Are we making godly memories for them? Do they see us recount what God has done for us?
Stop right here and write down five of your own fish stories … (here are five of mine …)
1) I was a young mom, my husband was gone for a few days and I had NO money and needed milk for my baby … a lady in our church who was on welfare came to the house and told me God told her I needed milk money and she gave me $10 … in the ’60s that was a LOT of money!
2) I was saved from a near-drowning because Grandma prayed … she lived over 400 miles away and God woke her up to pray and my life was spared.
3) The time I literally in my spirit saw an angel beside me giving me the courage to face an immense challenge.
4) God commissioned us to start a Christian television station and we were faced with insurmountable odds going into a Board of Supervisors meeting. In our morning devotions, God had given us the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea with the Egyptians chasing them. As the wheels of the chariots came off … God said to us, “watch the wheels come off” … and we watched miracles happen in that Board of Supervisors meeting.
5) God spared my husband’s life a number of times in health issues and in car accidents.
There have been many sermons on Lot’s wife … how after her escape from Sodom she “looked back” and became a pillar of salt. I don’t believe I have ever heard a sermon on how Lot lingered!
Uncle Abraham was good to his nephew, Lot. Uncle Abe was the good ol’ rich uncle that everybody wants to have! When Uncle Abe left Ur of the Chaldeans he took Lot with him who also had many flocks, herds, and tents. There were so many of them that the land could not handle them all. The herdsmen didn’t get along very well!
Abram approached Lot and let him make the decision as to go or stay and whichever he choose Uncle would take the other route. Genesis 13 tells us that “Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere … like the garden of the Lord. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan”. After all Uncle Abe had done for Lot in helping him to prosper, Lot choose selfishly. Bad choice!
Apparently, Lot was greatly influenced by those in Sodom. When the Lord told Abraham that He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy them. He interceded starting from 50 down to 10. Perhaps he should have gone all the way to one! Now the angels are in Sodom and Lot takes them to his home, feeds them, and welcomes them to stay the night with his family.
We all know the story of what happened next and that is not the issue I want to take up here. But what intrigues me is with all that happened during that night when the morning dawned the angels had to urge Lot to hurry! Was he not eager and anxious to get out of Dodge knowing destruction was coming? Chapter 19:16 tells us, “And while he lingered …” What in the world was so important that Lot lingered? Was he thinking, “I can’t leave all this?” Was he looking around to see if he had time to say goodby to his neighbors? To grab his car keys? To get his important papers together? To get the cash he had hidden under his mattress?
He lingered. What does it mean to linger? 1) to remain or stay on in a place longer than is expected as if from reluctance to leave; 2) to be tardy in action; delay; dawdle.
The angels were merciful to Lot and his family in that they took hold of his hand, the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters and brought them out of the city.
Lot was going to obey but he had mixed emotions. He entered Sodom as a rich man … he was leaving with only the clothes on his back. God was wanting to save his life and future but Lot could only think of his present. Was he looking at all he was leaving behind instead of the fact that God wanted to preserve his life?
There is another instance of “lingering” in the Bible. Genesis 43:10 tells the story of Jacob’s sons who were petitioning Jacob once again to take Benjamin to Egypt with them. Jacob was reluctant to let Benjamin go and the brothers said, “For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.” Jacob’s lingering to give his permission almost wiped out the family!
Lingering can be costly! How much better it is to obey quickly! We don’t know what the outcome would have been if Lot would have obeyed without looking back. For Lot’s wife, it was the end … she didn’t get the second chance!
Don’t dawdle! Don’t delay! Don’t look back! Don’t be reluctant to pick up and GO when God says “GO — NOW!” The future He has planned for you is far better than what you will be leaving behind!
Connie's Contemplations 