Is His love swayed by your productivity? Must you work hard to keep Him happy? Do you wonder if He’s disappointed with your struggles and frustrated by your frailty?
Joining us today on this topic is my dear friend, Lori Hatcher. Yesterday, she launched her newest book Refresh Your Faith, Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible. (Grab your own copy here.)
The following post comes from her book, based on a passage from Isaiah.*
“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
(Isaiah 40:11)
The early chapters of the Book of Isaiah begin with cinematography that would make the most epic 3-D film look like a kindergartener’s cartoon.
Isaiah describes smoke, thunderous noise, and angelic multitudes crying out in praise before almighty God in his temple. His heavenly glimpse of God in his throne room fills him with awe and fear. “Woe to me!” he cries. “I am ruined!”
Other Scriptures reinforce this image of God, describing him as the Conquering King, Righteous Judge, Mighty Warrior, and Powerful Sovereign. It describes how the oceans churn or quiet at God’s command. One word from God speaks the world into existence. Another has the power to send it up in smoke. With a flick of his mighty arm, thunderbolts fly from heaven. An angry glance from his all-seeing eyes causes the earth to swallow those who disobey his commands.
“See,” Isaiah 40:10 says, “the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and this arm rules for him.”
No doubt about it, God is strong. And God is active.
I’ve always admired these attributes of God (even though I find them more than slightly terrifying), because I like strength and activity. I’m a doer, not a sitter, character traits that fit well with my assumption that God expected me to be like him and work hard on his behalf.
But then I had children.
And my busy, do-lots-of-stuff-for-God life came to a screeching halt. Forget teaching a class, working on the bus ministry, or helping with every function the church sponsored. I could barely get myself and my baby dressed and out the door to attend worship on Sundays.
Then my baby had colic (which I wouldn’t subject any nursery worker in the world to). After colic, she had separation anxiety. She was three years old before she’d go into a toddler class so I could attend adult Sunday school again.
Six months later, her sister was born, and I was back to barely making it to church on Sundays.
My days of do-it-all ministry had come to an end. As far as the kingdom was concerned, I was useless.
A taker instead of a giver.
A dead weight on the gospel ship.
My heart sank to think how disappointed God must be with me. Then I read 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 gently leads those that have young.”
Suddenly, I understood that the Mighty Warrior was also a tender shepherd.
The Conquering King stoops down to lift the fragile and the frail.
The Righteous Judge carries his children, not as a burden on his back, but as a treasure near his heart.
The Powerful Sovereign gently leads those who are emotionally tender and physically sapped – and boy, did that describe me in those early childrearing years.
Through Isaiah’s beautiful picture of God, I learned I didn’t have to be productive for God to love me. I didn’t have to perform to earn his favor. I was free to accept what I saw as my season of “inactivity,” knowing that God had not only ordained it, but had a good plan for it.
In his tenderness, he would carry me through my season of mothering if I would rest in him and allow him to lead me.
Isaiah’s picture of God gently leading those with young gave me permission to be frail and vulnerable, knowing that he wouldn’t drive me with his rod, but lead me with his shepherd’s crook.
My children are grown now, and I’m “busy” for the Lord again. As I look back on those childrearing years, I see that they were not fruitless. Once I realized that different seasons of life bring new (and often different) opportunities to minister, I was free to embrace each season instead of chafe at it.
I learned to look for ways to be Jesus’ hands and feet wherever I was, knowing that each day was ripe with potential. And I never again worried that I wasn’t productive enough to satisfy him.
I rested in the fact that the Great I AM is not frustrated by our frailties or impatient with our humanity. Instead, he willingly takes the place of a shepherd to lead with us through our earthly journey.
Uncommon Thought The Great I AM is not frustrated by our frailties or impatient with our humanity. Instead, he willingly takes the place of a shepherd to lead with us through our earthly journey.
Unusual Faith Think a moment about your perception of God. Do you see him as a stern taskmaster, demanding and hard to please?
Or do you see him as a shepherd, gentle and understanding toward your frailties? Do you feel as though you never measure up? That you can’t do enough to please him, especially if you’re in a season of life when you feel unproductive?
Spend time meditating on Isaiah 40:11. Imagine yourself as the lamb the prophet writes about. Picture yourself in the arms of the Savior, carried close to his heart.
Ask God to lead you into a greater understanding of his love and care for you. Then follow where he leads you, trusting that he will use you for his glory, no matter what season of life you’re in.
Unfamiliar Passage Read Isaiah 40:9-13.
*(A Sample Devotion from Refresh Your Faith, Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible by Lori Hatcher)
I’ve been pondering that question for a while. As Christians we are “under grace,” recipients of mercy and forever favored by God. Through faith in Jesus, we have become God’s kids. A great exchange has taken place – Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness. And that is how God sees us now – righteous, loved, welcomed, joint-heirs with His Son. It’s who we are. Nothing we do can change this reality.
So what’s the big deal about sin, if it has no effect on our standing before God?
Apparently, the Romans were wondering this, too. In his letter to them, Paul says, “…should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? For sin will not rule over you because you are not under law but under grace” (Rom 6:1-2, 14).
The logical result of being under grace is that we are now free from sin, not free to sin.
Sin used to be our master. But no longer! When we are saved by grace through faith, sin’s dominion is forever broken. It has no more claim upon us. (“A person who has died is free from sin’s claims“ Rom 6:7.) In regard to sin, we are dead.
But we are not merely dead to sin. By faith, we are alive to God (Rom 6:11). We have been raised from spiritual death in order to experience new life (Rom 6:4). A friend of mine once said, “Sin doesn’t make sense for a Christian.”
Why would we submit to our cruel old master, when we have tasted and seen that our new Master is good (Ps 34:8)? Why would we live according to our old nature, when we’ve been given a new one (Eph 2:10, 4:24)? We have been saved for more than that!
You, child of God, are free. Free to walk with God. Free to rest in His love. Free to say “no” to the things that once mastered you.
But…what about those times when you don’t feel free? When the allure of sin seems irresistible? When you feel powerless to withstand temptation? If you’re like me, there are some well-worn paths to sin in your heart. Habits, besetting sins, idols, addictions…How do you get “out of the rut” and create new paths, new habits?
A number of years ago, I found myself in great bondage to food. It was my god. I lived to eat, and regularly overate. It became so bad that I felt powerless to resist. That area had become completely unmanageable, so I cried out (quite literally) to God for deliverance. And God came through.
He taught me that, though I am powerless in my own strength, Christ in me is greater than any sin struggle I face. When I surrendered this area to Him, He began retraining my mind. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is…” He showed me what His Word says about gluttony and about self-control, and about listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice in my heart.
He trained me to walk in the victory that was mine all along.
On this earth, sin will continue to be a menace. But it need not be our master. I still struggle with overeating at times (and plenty of other sins). But it is not my master. Jesus is my Master, and He is oh, so good. When I fail, He is ever-ready to pick me up, put me back on my feet and continue teaching me to walk in freedom.
This is what salvation is all about. The gospel that saved you, child of God, is the same gospel that sanctifies you. We come to Him for salvation empty-handed, with nothing to recommend ourselves to Him. And that’s how we must keep coming back to Him. With no power or goodness of our own, embracing all that He is and all that He’s done on our behalf.
He Himself has set you free.
Will you let Him work out the gospel in the deepest recesses of your heart? He wants you to walk with Him in freedom, unencumbered by the shackles of sin. He wants you to know the abundant life He lived and died to give you.
Let’s keep this conversation going – what are your thoughts on sin in a Christian’s life? How have you experienced freedom from sin? Stay tuned for more on this topic!
Do you ever feel like a plastic cup in a garbage truck?
You know, those days when the pressures and demands of daily life are so overwhelming you feel like you will be crushed by them? Like you just want to run away? Or go back to bed and then try to start the day over? Well, today was one of those days.
It’s a bit crazy over here.
Our dishwasher stopped working a few weeks ago. Not an essential appliance. But such a handy one. Then our washing machine broke. A bit more important. So this weekend we replaced them both. We found some good deals on Craigslist, but later realized they needed a bit of work before they were really “good deals.”
Yesterday I went to do my first load of laundry in the new washing machine. Why on earth does this front-load washing machine stink, I wondered? And what’s that black stuff I hadn’t noticed before...yep, mildew. Not cool. After a few cycles of bleach water, still no improvement. This may take a while to get clean.
Then last night, as hubby was installing the new dishwasher, he realized it needed a different supply line. And…the stores were closing in five minutes. That’s okay, I thought, staying calm. The water was turned off to the house, thanks to a defective shut-off valve spewing water all over the kitchen. But we don’t really need water through the night.
Everything’s fine. This is an adventure we will laugh about later.
So this morning, we faced the day with two dishwashers laying sideways on the dirty kitchen floor, a smelly washing machine and lots of nasty towels. Sweet hubby got up at 5:30 am to be at Lowes when they opened. He got the supply line, came home and installed the new dishwasher. (I love having a handy husband!)
Then the toilet, the one we couldn’t flush through the night, that toilet – it overflowed. And I was still trying to figure out how to clean the washing machine so I could wash all these dirty towels. Guess we’ll be going to the laundromat today. And the kids will just have to use yesterday’s towels for swimming lessons.
Oh, and did I mention that I thought yesterday would be a good day to start stripping wallpaper from the dining room wall? Of course, it’s not coming down without a fight. We are switching rooms up over here, a move that involves five different spaces. But before it can be completed, the dining room wallpaper must come down and the walls must be painted. So on top of the appliances adventure, furniture is out of place and clutter is winning the battle for order.
So, it was just one of those days…when I feel like a plastic cup being crushed in a garbage truck.
One of those days when I need God to be my refuge.
“O Lord my God, in You do I take refuge…” (Ps 7:1a). I read that verse a few days ago, and pondered the idea of “taking refuge.” It means to flee, to trust, to hope in. It involves “precipitate action.”* Google defines precipitate as, “acting suddenly or without careful consideration.”
I like that. Because on days like today, I don’t have any eloquent prayers or well-planned petitions. I just need help – suddenly, quickly, right now. I need more strength than I have. I need a guard over my tongue so I don’t hurt my little people who aren’t responsible for the craziness. I need Jesus – I need Him to produce His fruit in me (Gal 5:22-23). I certainly can’t produce it myself.
“…In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength…” (Is 30:15).
Quiet confidence. Settle that in my heart today, Lord.
Life is chaotic. But You are undisturbed. I am uptight and stressed out. But You are my unchanging God of peace. Carry me through the craziness, and let Your love control my words and actions. Let the people around me see a very active, very present God alive in me. One who cares about the details of life and gives strength in weakness. Make this mess beautiful, Lord.
How have you seen God be your refuge? What do you do when you feel like a plastic cup in a garbage truck?
*Lexical Aids to the Old Testament, Key Word Study Bible
