He’s never been hunting a day in his life, but he dreams that someday he will go. Recently, he told his daddy he wishes they could go moose hunting in Alaska. (I mean, why not start big?)
We’re city people so when my boy wears his camo, it’s more for fashion than functionality. He loves the style, and I love him for it. For many people, though, camouflage has very practical purposes, providing the element of disguise and preventing the person from being seen.
As I type these words, we’re several weeks into a statewide lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus. My husband has been off work for the past three weeks. And as a family, we’re each dealing with various emotions and grieving significant disappointments.
For us, this is a time of weakness.
We can’t predict what tomorrow holds. Any semblance of control has been stripped away. We trust that God will give us our daily bread (Matthew 6:11), but if I’m being honest, I like the idea of monthly bread better. I prefer a stocked pantry and a sufficient bank account.
I don’t like this emotional roller coaster of the what-ifs that so often invade my mind. Yet repeatedly during these days, God impresses on my heart that it’s good to be in need.
These are camouflaged blessings, these weaknesses which remind us we need God.
Paul understood this reality when he declared, [God] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT).
Uncertain days are rich with opportunities for God to show up. A life outside our control reminds us of the good God who’s always in control. Let’s embrace the eternity hidden in these days and point our kids to the God who still works miracles.
Here are some practical tips:
• Pray for awareness
Several months ago, before the Coronavirus became a pandemic, I asked our kids how they’ve seen God answer prayer. Pondering the silence that met my question, I realized how infrequently we pray about specific needs. We pray generally for missionaries and for salvation for the lost. But when we need something, we often look for ways to meet it ourselves. I began asking God to make us aware of our needs so we can see Him working as our provider.
Prayerfully take inventory of your needs—physical, emotional, and spiritual. Make a list or write down each item individually on index cards.
• Talk to God about each need
Using that list or those index cards, pray as a family about each item. Ask for His perspective and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as you pray.
• Anticipate His provision
Remind yourself of His promises. Here are a few of my favorites:
“And my God shall meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, NIV.)
“…Your Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.” (Luke 12:30-31, NLT).
“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion…” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV).
Write down your favorite verses and display them around the house for encouragement. Choose to worship Him as you wait—singing your favorite praise songs, thanking Him for the blessings He’s already given, remembering what you know to be true of Him.• Reach out to others in need
There’s great joy in serving other people as a family, even when we have our own needs. Ask God to point out ways He wants to use you to invest in the lives of others. Pray for those needs and serve however in whatever ways He leads.
Our greatest needs are often camouflaged blessings, setting the stage for God to work powerfully on our behalf. Let’s seize these opportunities to grow closer to Him as a family. Let’s remind ourselves of His trustworthiness and walk by faith in these uncertain times.
Has that question ever haunted you? Does your faith flounder when life deals a low blow, like our punching bag shuddering before my kids’ Kung Fu fists?
Mine does sometimes, especially when logic goes unsatisfied and cliché answers just won’t do. It’s been one of those seasons for me lately as we’ve grieved with several friends over the loss of beloved family members.
If you, too, wonder why, I invite you into the wrestling match within my soul.
Here are some of the questions I’ve been asking God lately:
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If You are sovereign, as Your Word says You are, why do You sometimes allow horrible things to happen? I get the whole “free will” thing – some people chose to hurt others. And if I’m honest, I hurt others at times, too.
But why accidents? If You are good, as I’ve tasted and seen You are, why don’t You stop them before they occur?
I can’t make sense of this. And my heart is afraid to trust You with my future.
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Oh, the comfort of bringing my restless heart to Jesus and listening as He speaks through His Spirit and His Word.
God led me to the story of Jesus at Lazarus’ tomb (John 11). Remember that time when He could have stopped His friend from dying, but He didn’t? He didn’t get there in time – on purpose.
I’ve never before noticed the connection between verses five and six. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.”
What?
Because He loved them, He stayed away long enough to let Lazarus die.
That seems utterly illogical. Lazarus’ sisters thought so, too. They both essentially accused Jesus of not lovingthem because He let their brother die through His tardiness. Divine love often baffles human reason.
Yet Jesus didn’t get angry with their questions or rebuke their boldness. On the contrary, He did something quite the opposite.
He knew the miracle He was about to perform – He would command death to release it’s grip on His friend. Within minutes, He would restore Lazarus to life and give him back into his sisters’ arms.
Yet His heart was so deeply moved by His loved ones’ suffering that He, too, wept with them. He felt their pain, and He feels ours, too.
He could have prevented Lazarus’ death, but He saw a bigger picture. Instead, He drew near to the sisters and wept with them.
This is Emmanuel, God with us. Near to the brokenhearted. A very present help in our need (Psalm 34:18, 46:1). The God of comfort restores shattered lives, trades beauty for ashes and replaces heaviness with praise.
He knows the end of our story, too – that for believers in Jesus, death is not the end. One day our suffering will be over. Like Lazarus and his sisters, we will be reunited with those gone before us into heaven.
But Jesus’ knowledge of the future doesn’t prevent Him from feeling our pain in the present or pouring out His comfort in abundant measure.
After weeping with Mary and Martha, He proved that He Himself is the resurrection and the life. Death has no hold on Him. And one day, it will have no hold on us either.
Until that day, there will be many unanswered questions. Many times we won’t understand or feel the love of God. We’ll have many opportunities to wrestle with Him and choose faith when nothing makes sense, because we’ve found that Jesus alone holds life, hope, healing and peace.
He will set all things right someday.
In the meantime, He is so close, and His nearness is our good.
How has God walked you through wrestling matches of the soul? I’d love to hear – please leave a comment below.
I’ve been through several – two earthquakes while living in California, a hurricane during my teen years in Hawaii, even a fire in the valley directly behind our home. Oh, and a predicted tsunami (though it was quite anti-climactic when it rolled in at less than three centimeters!)
A few weeks ago, we visited some dear friends near the Georgia coast and found ourselves in the path of what was Hurricane Hermine. It had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached our friends’ house. Still, the winds uprooted trees and knocked out the power. A nearby town flooded. It was intense.
But then the eye of the storm passed over. An earie calm settled in. No wind. No rain. Just stillness.
Storm Fury
A short time later, the backside of the storm hit, bringing wind and rain in abundance once again. I was thankful for our friends’ strong home protecting us from the hurricane’s fury.
As I watched it rage from inside the house, I thought of Bethel Music’s rendition of “It is Well.” I was reminded that hurricane-force winds, powerful storm surges, and torrential rains…they know their Master’s name. His voice spoke the wind and water into existence. And His word has calmed them in an instant.
I’m grateful that their Master is also mine. His power is stronger than any force in the universe.
He is able to calm every storm I face. He can make it stop with just one word. He is Master of the Storm.
But sometimes He doesn’t stop the storms. Sometimes He permits “sorrows like sea billows” to roll. In those seasons, He is my unshakeable shelter in the middle of the storm. His nearness is my good. His heart is trustworthy and ever open to mine.
What about you, fellow Jesus lover? Is there a storm raging in your life? Are you experiencing Him as Master of the storm or as Shelter in the midst of the storm? How has He brought comfort to your soul? I’d love to hear – please join in the conversation!
This path we’re on is bumpier than I expected. I’m not seeing many “green pastures” or much “still water.” It’s certainly not glamorous.
I was kind of hoping for something more exciting, less mundane. I know You lead down “paths of righteousness,” but isn’t there a less exhausting one?
That path over there…the pleasant-looking, grass-is-greener one? I think I’d like that one better. It looks easier, more productive, more… well, fun.
Can’t we give that one a try?
Do you ever have such conversations with God?
Ever feel frustrated, discontent, even disillusioned with the path on which God has you? Ever compare your life with others and wish your days looked more like theirs? Or maybe memories of past seasons or dormant dreams make you long for something…different.
Life has a way of not turning out the way we envisioned, no matter how good we have it.
Sometimes I whine and complain, as evidenced by the above conversation (“inspired” by this past month).
I’m so thankful that God isn’t impatient, that He continues loving and leading me, no matter how I grumble along the way. Sometimes I’m in awe of how gracious and “longsuffering” He is.
In my grumbling seasons, God faithfully reminds me that He Himself is the only Source of true joy and satisfaction.“The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail” (Is 58:11). “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Ps 90:14).
Did we take a wrong turn?
He never promised that life would be easy. On the contrary, He said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me” (Lk 9:23).
Some days are crazy hard, but “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).
By faith, I trust that He has “given us everything we need for a godly life through the knowledge of Him…” (2 Pet 1:3).
When I grow weary, I remember that “at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9).
Sometimes He leads through the valley of the shadow of death, yet He is always with us (even when we don’t feel Him). He knows when we become “weary and burdened,” so He invites to come find rest in Him beside quiet waters (Ps 23, Matt 11:28-30).
He Himself is each need’s satisfaction and every heart’s greatest pleasure.
Did we take a wrong turn?
Are you on a difficult path? Have you been grumbling about your circumstances? How does Jesus satisfy you when life is hard? I’d love to hear – please join the conversation!
It came out of nowhere, that unidentified flying creature.
Something flew out of the darkness
Out of the dark, into my personal space, it hit me on the shoulder and bounced off before flying back into the night. I ducked and ran for the car, then sat stunned in the passenger seat. I tried to slow my breathing and calm my racing heart.
What had just happened?
I replayed the 30-second escapade in my mind’s eye. Hubby and I were on our way to catch a late-night movie. He had walked out of the house first, then ducked suddenly when something brushed his face as it flew by. He was slightly shaken – it’s unnerving to collide with something in the dark. But it was gone. We were fine.
Then, as I walked toward the car, I encountered the…thing.
It was creepy. Startling. Unsettling.
The unidentified flying creature flew at me from the darkness.
We decided it must have been a bat. (I shuttered as I typed that!)
That crazy, short-lived event reminds me of life in general. Sometimes we’re blindsided by unexplainable events, sidelined by a change of circumstances, or frightened by things outside of our control.
It’s easy to become fearful, discouraged or bitter when life doesn’t turn out how we hoped.
That’s why I’m grateful that our God is a Rock – both to anchor my feet when everything else is shifting unpredictably, and to be a hiding place for my soul when life’s storms threaten to engulf me. I love the following verse:
“And He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is (our) treasure” (Is 33:6).
Life is unstable. But God never changes.
The One we call Father is the same God who was faithful to Abraham. The same God who did wonders through Moses. The same God who wove goodness into the tragic events of Joseph’s life.
He was David’s Protector, Solomon’s Wisdom, Elijah’s Provider, Daniel’s Strength.
He is still the Way, the Truth, the Life, Living Water, Hope for the hurting, Healer to the broken.
His grace was enough for Paul, and it’s just as sufficient today.
Our unchanging Rock
I’m so grateful for a God who remains the same through all the changes of my life.
How about you? How does God’s eternal nature give you hope and courage? I’d love to hear! Please join the conversation!
Mine does sometimes, especially when logic goes unsatisfied and cliché answers just won’t do. It’s been one of those seasons for me lately as we’ve grieved with several friends over the loss of beloved family members.
He will set all things right someday.
