by MeredithNMills | Feb 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” Ps 46:1.
What comes to mind when you hear the word refuge?
I think of a photograph I’ve seen of a lighthouse at the end of a pier. Waves are crashing around the structure, nearly engulfing it. But the lighthouse stands firm. The waves can batter it. The storms can rage. But it remains a safe, secure and stable hiding spot for anyone inside.
We all face various types of storms. Sometimes we bring them on ourselves. Sometimes they overtake us. Sometimes they are brought upon us by others…Trials. Suffering. Hurts. Disappointments. Betrayal. Where do you run when these things threaten to engulf you?
According to this verse, God is our safe hiding spot. He is our refuge.
He is our strength when we have none left of our own. Or when we just realize that ours is insufficient. He delights in lovingly displaying His strength in our weakness. “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness…'” (2 Cor. 12:9a).
I love the next phrase in Ps. 46:10 – “a very present help in trouble.” He is so there for me. He’s abundantly present. Exceedingly present. The Hebrew word “present” has to do with being “found.” The Holman Christian Standard Bible translates it this way: “a Helper who is always found in times of trouble.” When we seek God, when we run to Him for refuge, He is very “findable.” Jeremiah 29:13 confirms this when it says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Another angle on this subject is found in Isaiah 40:11. “He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart…” He wants to envelop us in His strong and loving embrace. When we run to Him, He welcomes us. He receives us with arms wide open.
And in that place of refuge, we find unrivaled love and tenderness.
So today, no matter what you are facing, no matter what your past, no matter what burdens or shame or pain you carry, run to Jesus. Seek Him. You will find Him. You will find a secure Refuge and a tender Shepherd.
How has God been a refuge for you?
by MeredithNMills | Feb 21, 2015 | Uncategorized
“…Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life” John 6:68.
Do you ever feel like God isn’t hearing your prayers? Like your life is falling to pieces around you and He’s not fixing things, no matter how much you pray? Like He doesn’t really care about the pain you’re experiencing?
Awhile back, I hit that point. I was frustrated with God. Maybe angry with God is more accurate. I was wrestling in my heart with accusations against God. So I brought them to Him. (Side note…I’m so very thankful that He’s not threatened by honesty. That He can handle my raging heart. That He invites me to pour out my soul to Him [see Ps 62:8]. That He’s not surprised by what I tell Him. And that He so gently and patiently reveals the truth about Himself.)
In those moments of transparent honesty, I asked God what was the point of following Him when He wasn’t answering my prayers, when nothing was changing. Why should I keep living for Him when He wasn’t healing the brokenness around me?
For most of my Christian life, I had personally received some benefit from following Him…peace, answered prayers, joy, blessing, etc. But I’d come to a place where following God seemed to hold no personal benefits to me, at least not in the “here and now.” The road ahead just looked painful. And I was, quite frankly, wondering if it was worth it.
In my spirit I sensed Jesus asking me the same question He asked His disciples 2000 years ago, after many of His followers had deserted Him (John 6:66-69). He asked, “Do you want to go away as well?” (Please understand that I am in no way implying that I believe a Christian can lose their salvation [Heb 13:5, John 10:28-30, Rom 8:38-39]. I am simply referring to living life in obedience to Christ, to following Him.) My heart immediately replied as Peter did, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Jesus alone holds life.
I could chose to turn away from following Him. I could look for satisfaction elsewhere. But it would be like trying to draw water from an empty well.
Jesus alone offers living water, water that satisfies the thirst of our souls (John 4:10-14). And Jesus alone brings healing.
Yes, there were broken areas in my life and in the lives around me. They needed healing. But there is only one Source of healing. Only Jesus can work miracles and bring to life what is dead. He specializes in bringing beauty out of ashes (Is 61:3), in restoring what is broken. Other sources can “put bandaids” on my problems. But Jesus alone can truly heal.
So, after wrestling through my inner turmoil, I made a decision. Encouraged by His Word and empowered by His Spirit, I chose to cling to Jesus. (And though we cling to Him, it is truly Him holding on to us – Ps 63:8.)
It was a spiritual milestone in my life. Even if He doesn’t answer my prayers the way I hope, or bring the changes I long for, or fix the problems I face…He is still God (Ps 46:10). My life is His. And He is fully trustworthy. Everyday, He loves me. And everyday, He is faithful (Ps 92:2). There will be seasons of peace and seasons of suffering. Seasons of joy and seasons of pain.
But through it all, God will be there – a very present help in time of need (Ps 46:1). He will bring good out of evil (Rom 8:28) and beauty out of brokenness.
Back then, and even now, there are a good number of things I wish would change – I pray will change. Many days I feel like I’m a mess, barely keeping my head above water. But this messy, oh-so-imperfect life is beautiful because God is in it. He is making me a “trophy of His grace,” a picture of what Christ can do when He takes hold of a life. His nearness brings peace (Ps 73:28), even where there is pain. He is ever at work (Rom 8:28). He is good. He is trustworthy. He is unchanging. And He is faithful – the one and only Source of life.
How has God brought beauty from ashes in your life?
by MeredithNMills | Feb 8, 2015 | Uncategorized
“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your steadfast love in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night” Psalm 92:1-2.
What was the first thought on your mind this morning? What were the first words out of your mouth? Do you realize, child of God, that you were greeted this morning with His steadfast love? When you awoke, you faced a day enveloped by His love for you. And tonight, as you lay your head on your pillow, can you see how His faithfulness carried you through the day?
That’s not my normal way of thinking on any given morning or evening. More often when I awake, my thoughts are on the details of the day ahead, or on wondering how I’m going to make it through when I’m starting off the day exhausted.
And at night, well, at night I’m usually just glad the day is done. We survived. We got some of the insurmountable “to do list” done. And tomorrow we’ll do it all over again.
But oh, the bigger picture I’m missing!
Each day, God greets me with steadfast, immovable lovingkindness. The whole day is undergirded with His vast, unchangeable love (Eph 3:17-19).
Our trials are understood by our compassionate High Priest (Heb 4:15-16). Our struggles are accompanied by sufficient grace (2 Cor 12:9). Our battles are are met with the assurance that Jesus has already conquered (Rom 8:37). Needs are opportunities for Him to show Himself strong for us (Eph 3:20-21). No trial, no heartache, no sin, no busyness, nothing…nothing can change the fact that we are passionately, relentlessly loved by our Abba Daddy. By Jesus who died to make us His. Viewing my day in that light changes everything.
And each night, I have another day of history with God to attest to the fact that He is faithful. He met my every need today (Phil 4:19). All my physical needs. All my emotional needs. All my spiritual needs. He has kept every promise. He has been immovable, unchangeable, all-powerful, all-knowing, ever present. He is faithfully working to bring good out of evil, beauty out of ashes, healing out of brokenness. This is my God. Always, always faithful.
Will you praise Him with me? It is good for us to praise Him. He deserves it. And we are benefitted by it. When we focus on Him, on what He is doing and has done, we find gratitude, humility and joy springing up as a result.
How has He shown His love or faithfulness to you today?
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:4-7).
by MeredithNMills | Jan 31, 2015 | Uncategorized
“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being” Gen. 2:7.
“I wish I could give you my breath!” My sweet husband’s words still echo in my heart. This week, I’ve been fighting a really bad asthma attack. I’ve had asthma for almost as long as I can remember, but this one’s been a doozy! One night, as I struggled to breathe, my hubby said those words to me…”I wish I could give you my breath.” And I knew he would if he could.
His kindness, his sacrificial love, are a beautiful picture to me of our life-giving God. In Scripture, one of the first pictures we receive is of God breathing life into His creation. After speaking everything into existence by His powerful word, He stops to “get His hands dirty.”
He doesn’t just say, “Let there be man!” Instead, with intricate detail and loving care, He forms mankind from the dust of the earth. An amazing masterpiece. The crown of His creation. But still lifeless. No blood coursing through His veins. No mind whirring into action. No nerves sending rapid-fire messages. Until God breathed life into his body. Then man became a living being (Gen 2:7). It is God’s nature to create. To breathe life.
It is also His nature to bring back to life what was once dead. You see, after God’s astounding work of creation, mankind chose to commit cosmic rebellion, thus issuing death into the world (Gen 3). And for thousands of years, death reigned in humanity.
But like bookends upholding the story of redemption, we see God once again imparting life in the New Testament. Only this time, He Himself took on our flesh and breathed our air. He became like us so that He could give His very life FOR ours (Heb 2:14). We were dead in our sins, helplessly unable to bring our spirits to life. But with sacrificial love, He took on human breath, so that He could give it up again (Luke 23:46). The sinless One died a sinner’s death.
But death could not hold the Creator, the One who is the essence of life itself (Jn 14:6). He brought Himself back to life and now offers this same resurrected life for those who come to Him in faith.
So what does that mean for you and me today? If your spirit is still dead in sin , you can find forgiveness and life through faith in Jesus (John 3:16).
And if you already have this spiritual life within you, your days can consist of more than “religiously” doing the right thing. “…the blood of Christ…(will) cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Heb 9:14). Religious duty without an intimate connection to His life-giving Spirit is nothing more than “dead works.” Just as He breathed life into your soul at salvation, He can breathe life into your service for Him.
Those menial tasks you do, they can have spiritual significance now because the Spirit of God is living through you. That person you just can’t love or forgive, you can choose love now because it is the living, forgiving Christ who abides in you. That sin struggle that holds you captive, you can live victoriously because Christ has set you free from the power of sin (Rom 8:2). So bring your burdens, your responsibilities, your fears, your dreams, your everything to Him. And watch Him breathe life into all you are and do.
Where do you need God to breathe new life today?
by MeredithNMills | Jan 20, 2015 | knowing God, Uncategorized
“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10.
“I don’t know.”
Those three words…I’ve said them more in my years of being a parent than in all the prior years combined. The longer I live, the longer I’m a mom, the more I realize how very much I don’t understand.
I don’t know what to do when my child’s heart is hard and no discipline or training tactic seems to be working. I don’t know what to say when they can’t overcome a sin struggle. And I just don’t always know the answers to the deep questions they ask.
It’s not just child-training that points out my inability to make sense of things. What about the life issues that just seem so unfair? Why do some people suffer so intensely? Why do children die of starvation and neglect? Why does human trafficking exist? Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?
On a more personal scale, why does God seem so distant at times? Why can’t I get past the depression that just weighs on my soul some mornings? Why does God allow “sorrows like sea billows (to) roll”? Why is He sometimes silent when I pray and pray for Him to act? Why do my loved ones have to endure such heartache? What about all the other unanswered questions – those nagging doubts that a Christian is afraid to vocalize? Those things we feel that seem to contradict the faith we claim?
We’re quick to point our fingers at sin. And yes, sin is absolutely at the root of it all. Sin started all our suffering and misery (Rom 5:12). There would be no death, no murder, no abuse, no starvation without sin.
But why didn’t God stop Adam and Eve before they sinned? Or just leave the source of temptation out of the Garden? Why didn’t He prevent it? Why doesn’t He prevent suffering in my life, in my kids’ lives? If He’s really good, then why…?
Sometimes, I just don’t know.
I don’t always have the answers to my heart’s questions, my kids’ questions, my friends’ questions. But it’s okay, because my God does.
He knows. And He cares deeply. He offers wisdom to those who ask Him for it (Jas 1:5). Priceless, beautiful wisdom that is found in getting to know Jesus (Eph 1:17, Col 2:2-3). And as we know Him more, we learn to trust His heart. We experience that He loves His own extravagantly and works all things out for our good (Rom 8:28). He submitted Himself to suffering, too, out of love for us (John 15:13). He understands and is with us through it all (Heb 13:5). But there are some things we just may never understand. And that is when we must choose to just be still (Ps 46:10, above).
Be still. Cease striving. Let go. Relax.
If I know nothing else, I can know Jesus (1 Cor 2:2). He is God. He will be exalted. His plan will come to pass. Evil will be avenged someday. Suffering will not last forever. One day He will wipe every tear from His beloved children’s faces (Isa 25:8).
When my heart rages, and accuses, and blames and is restless…I can, I must, choose to rest. “He is God and I am not,” as Steven Curtis Chapman so aptly put it in his song God is God. He welcomes me to ask Him for wisdom and to pour out my heart to Him (Ps 62:8).
But sometimes the only answer is that He is God. And that is when following Him means I must “bow the knee” and trust Him. Trust that He is who He says He is – just and yet merciful, good when life isn’t, loving when my heart hurts, holy and blameless when people aren’t, patient when I’m impatient, a Redeemer of what’s broken, the Friend who sticks closer than a brother…
So seek Jesus. Allow God to fill you with a spirit of wisdom and revelation, to “enlighten” your heart (Eph 1:17) as your intimacy with our beloved Savior grows. Because if you know Jesus, you can be still even when you don’t know why.
What question do you need to trust Him with today?
by MeredithNMills | Jan 14, 2015 | confidence, Uncategorized
“Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1.
Does the voice of condemnation ever whisper in your heart?
Do you ever feel unacceptable to God?
Recently, as I began praising Him in prayer, I was overwhelmed with a general sense of inadequacy. Thoughts of “You’re not good enough to pray” or “You can’t praise Him!” assaulted my mind. I felt that God wouldn’t receive me or extend love to me until I changed…something, though I wasn’t sure what. Oh, I have plenty of shortcomings, and could always do better at so many things – read my Bible more, pray more, abide in Him more consistently. But were these thoughts of condemnation from Him?
So I began asking Him about this. Does He push us away when we come to Him with genuine outpourings of love and adoration? (It sounds ridiculous to actually put that in writing! But when I stop to think about it, these emotions are frequent visitors in my soul. Just being vulnerable here, people! :-)) I often feel that I have to prove to God (by a good track record) that I’m repentant of sins I’ve confessed to Him before He will be close to me.
Psalm 66:18 says, “If I cherish wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” For as long as I can remember, this verse has been my constant companion – either at the forefront of my mind, or in my subconscious thoughts when I pray. It has “guided” me for years. I mean, what good is prayer if He won’t hear me? My understanding (or misunderstanding) of this verse has been at the root of my feelings of condemnation and “unacceptable-ness” before God. It has kept me from wanting to pray because, I’ve reasoned, surely there is some sin I’ve missed or forgotten to confess. Crazy thoughts, I know. Maybe I’m the only one to ever feel this way. Probably not.
As I meditated on this verse, I realized that I’ve totally misunderstood it. To “cherish” sin is to see it, enjoy it, hold onto it. Cherishing sin while still trying to walk with God is like trying to serve two masters (Matt 6:24). It’s trying to walk “in the flesh” and “in the Spirit” at the same time (Gal 5:17). It’s hypocrisy. This is a question of my devotion, my allegiance.
According to Ps 66:18, the consequence of cherishing sin is unheeded prayer, not a rejection of the one praying. In John 6:37, Jesus says, “All whom the Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out. [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me]” (Amplified Bible). He will “never drive away” (NIV) His own. Never. Not when we come to Him for salvation, or at any future time in the relationship. Cherishing sin will hinder our prayers. But it will not make God reject us.
On the contrary, we are invited to come boldly to His throne of grace when we are in need (Heb 4:16).
Boldness involves “free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness and assurance.”* This invitation implies full acceptance of the one invited. It recognizes the weakness, the neediness, of the recipient. And, most importantly, it is based on the compassionate understanding of our Mediator, Jesus Christ (Heb 4:15). He gets it. He knows what it’s like to be tempted, to go through tests and trials. But not only can He sympathize, He can empower us to overcome! He was without sin, even in the onslaught of temptation levied by the devil himself. He understands our weakness and has given us the power to be victorious (Eph 1:19-20, 2 Cor 2:14). We can experience that power as we stay connected to Him (Jn 15).
We can’t “clean up our act” before coming to God as Christians, anymore than we could before we were saved. Trying to do so may seem “spiritual,” but it’s really the height of pride. (And while God does not drive away His own, He does resist us when we walk in pride. See James 4:6-8.) We need Him – to convict us of sin, to enable us to see it through His eyes, and to help us turn from it. Our focus must be on Him (Heb 12:2), not on ourselves or our sin. Otherwise, we will live in discouragement. We will shrink away from His presence and will inevitably sin more.
So by all means, run to Jesus!
When you are weak, come to Him for strength. When your heart is hard or complacent, come to Him for healing. When you’re weary, come to Him for rest. When you are lonely, come to Him for companionship. When you are happy, come to Him in gratitude.
Praise Him. Adore Him. Enjoy Him!
If you know Him, come in faith! If you don’t yet know Him, come in faith! He won’t turn you away.
When the voice of condemnation whispers in your soul, press harder into Him. Speak truth to yourself. If you are His, you are redeemed, forgiven, and made holy. Celebrate Him!
Lord, I come. I will praise You, adore You, enjoy You. No, I am not worthy. Only Jesus is worthy. But I am accepted, welcomed, even drawn by the One who died to bring me near (Eph 2:13).
What thoughts hinder you from boldly approaching your Father?
*From the Blue Letter Bible Lexicon
