The Crossroads

What do you do when you don’t understand God’s ways?

One day Jesus gave a hard teaching that His followers did not understand. Thus, they came to a crossroad. They had to make a choice whether they would still believe though they did not understand, or whether... they would walk away.

This day is recorded for us in the Bible. Following Jesus’ teaching, John 6:66,67 says “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”

I’ve been at such a crossroad; have you? Just this past weekend I learned that the dear son of Christian parents passed away following a long, difficult battle with addiction and depression. I had to get alone and go out for a walk and cry out to God. “Why? I don’t understand, Jesus, why You didn’t heal him in this life.” I felt the walls around my heart go up, as if to protect myself from the God Who alone holds the power to heal my children.

Sometimes I am shaken and I flail around awhile wondering where the Rock is to stand upon… when I don’t see the whole picture and God appears to be unfaithful. But, like Peter, in this Bible story, I always come back to “Lord, to whom shall we go?” John 6:68,69 says “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Sometimes, much of the time, I don’t have answers. But what I do know is that Jesus is alive… and He is the Lover of my soul. He died for me and He died for my children… suffering beyond my comprehension to purchase our salvation, healing and deliverance. I have felt His loving Presence and witnessed His power. I have heard testimony after testimony of the things He has done to show us that He is good. I have seen Him heal and I have heard Him whisper that He loves me. I can trust Him when I don’t understand. No one can tell me anything different because--- I believe that Jesus is faithful. That’s the bottom line. I believe Joshua 21:45 which says “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

When I am shaken, I don’t see any other viable option than to wrap my little arms tighter around His big, strong chest and bury my ear deeper in to find His heartbeat. He holds me fast. And I continue to believe that He answers the prayers of His children.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

LORD Jesus, please comfort those whose hearts ache.

 Draw us closer into Your embrace

where You hold us fast and give us unwavering trust.  

Demand Their Release

In the spiritual realms we are dealing with a hostage situation here.

Children have been groomed, lured away, lied to, falsely promised things that only Jesus can give them... and, following their own sinful choices, have been suddenly taken at gunpoint into captivity. Many of these children are now adults and have been in bondage for years.

As a parent of such a child I have found hope in the early chapters of Exodus where God delivers the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Like Israel’s children, my child is also held captive. He has suffered many years of slavery to drug and alcohol abuse. These slave drivers have been cruel, mercilessly beating his mind and body, leaving him penniless, uneducated, sick, scarred, and incarcerated. They have forced him to live in isolation, far from true connection with family and God.

 Maybe you have a child in slavery also? God cares.

Exodus 6:5-11 says “… I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’ ” Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. So the LORD said to Moses, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.”

These people were hurting so badly that they had no hope in God. They could not believe God cared about them. But God pursued them anyway. Isn’t that beautiful, amazing grace!? He still sent them a Deliverer. He still set them free. He cared. He understood their pain and He did it all… full salvation for a sinful people who could not even reach for Him.

When the people didn’t believe… when they refused to listen to God’s words of love and hope, God basically told Moses “Go deliver them anyway. You speak to Pharaoh on their behalf and demand their release.”

So as a parent of a child in harsh slavery, that is what I will do. I will not be discouraged by his unbelief. I will not be silent in the heavenly realms. I am not his Deliverer, but because Jesus is, I will speak to the enemy of my child’s soul and demand his release in the name of Jesus. And there is all the power and authority in heaven and on earth behind that Name.

 

 

I know I haven't written for awhile, and I'm a bit rusty, but I want to pass on some things the LORD has encouraged me with, in hopes you will also be encouraged. Over the last year and a half, since I last wrote, God has been completely faithful to me. Though I still await His answers for many of my prayers for my children, He has given me peace and joy and great hope. I hope this post will encourage you. You are greatly loved by God... and you are not alone in whatever you are facing. He is with you.  

He Listened to Me

 

     Who do you call when you’re angry? I only call my closest friends. When I am angry I am vulnerable. Something has burned into my very core and caused deep pain that I cannot express nicely.

     There was a time that God was fuming angry with the children of Israel, angry enough to destroy them. But Moses interceded for them and later he wrote about it, saying “the LORD listened to me…” (Deut. 9:19). This fascinates me to think that God would listen to a man, in the midst of His own intense anger. In my experience, most men will not listen to anyone when they are angry. But God listened to a man and did what the man asked. God made Himself vulnerable to a man… He was that open and intimate.

     This story is for us as we intercede for our children. The picture here is not one of a reserved king hearing and granting the request of a peasant. Rather it is the unveiling of the God who values the friendship and partnership of an individual man. Can it be?! I believe this is the relationship that God wants with each of us.

     Don’t get me wrong. Moses did not in any way consider this friendship with God to mean equality. No, Moses was on his face as he spoke with God, recognizing the awesome power and authority and absolute holiness of the God he was speaking to. Moses knew that if not for God’s mercy he would be consumed. But he also knew that God loved him with a fierceness greater than His anger. He knew that he was the apple of God’s eye, His treasured possession, that God wanted to be with him, and that He valued what he had to say.

     The Bible says that God spoke to Moses “face to face as a man speaks to his friend.”(Ex.33:11). What was that like?! Whatever it was I believe it’s available to us, and not only available, but something that God desired enough to die for. Jesus says in John 15:15 “No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends…”

 

LORD Jesus, I want to know You face to face.

You are the most humble, approachable and trustworthy Friend I have.

I am honored that You would actually value what I say.

Thank-you that you allow my prayers to affect you.

Thank-you for listening to me and wanting me to be Your friend.