Category: Trusting God in crisis

Do You Want Your Life Upended? A Call for Change

I have spent a lot of miles driving the car with at least one hand raised, offering up ordeal to God.

Yet another round of medical tests. We rarely play “Dr. Google” with the results from the hospital portal, but we do observe how Bill’s blood tests are trending. A recent wait for results felt especially exhausting. Our health journey has transported us to landscapes we never envisioned. We pray. Friends pray for us and with us. What do we pray for more than anything else? Strength for the journey, regardless of medical test results. Strength as our lives are upended by this illness.

TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

“Upended” means turned on its end or upside down. In the Gospel of John (John 5:1-14) we read of a man whose life was upended. Jesus challenges the disabled man: “Do you want to get well?” Never given a name in the Gospel account, let’s call the disabled guy “Joe”. Why in the world does Jesus ask, “Do you want to get well?” Seems like a strange query to ask someone who has spent his life unable to walk and having to beg for a living.

DID HE REALLY WANT CHANGE?

Why did Jesus ask this? Maybe historical context will help. Jewish culture considered it a blessing to give money to the poor. Culture says that if you do a good work God gives back to you. It is transactional. You give money and God fills your coffers. After many years, Joe had regular donors who thought God in return would give right back to them. Did Joe really want to get well with the resulting change?

Rephrase Jesus question as: “Do you want your entire life upended? Do you want substantial change?” Restored mobility entailed Joe’s finding regular employment, not being eligible for handouts, and contributing to society. Did he really want an upended life? Change can be painful.

Jesus added something to his conversation which has eternal value. “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Sounds like Joe possessed terminal spiritual disabilities much worse than his physical condition. Did this message take root as Joe picked up his mat and danced home? Did he choose to change and become a Jesus follower?

DO WE WANT OUR LIVES UPENDED?

“Do you want your life upended?” In our own household, do we want our lives upended? Will Bill’s healing come in this world or the next? God asks us daily to open our hands and give all of it over to Him. I have spent a lot of miles driving the car with at least one hand raised, offering up our condition. Our response to circumstances is our offering to God. We ask that the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit daily wash over our lives. We want others to see lives transformed by Christ. Hard as it is, we keep asking God to upend our lives.

LIVES TRANSFORMED

The hard question: do you want transformation? “Transformation” means “change or renewal from a life that no longer conforms to the ways of the world to one that pleases God” (Romans 12:2) Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. (II Corinthians 5:17)

Transformation is costly. Do I continue to desire to be upended by Christ? Do you? Click to read Fannie’s story of a transformed life.

HE NEVER SLUMBERS

Maybe, God had my phone die for one purpose – to write this blog.

Suddenly it died. It wasn’t a slow excruciating death. One moment it was there and the next, it wasn’t. Of course, I immediately went to Google to look up all possible solutions. One You Tube contributor suggested placing it in a Ziploc bag for an hour. Yup, I tried it. However, what is dead is dead.

By the way, hopefully you already realized I’m not referring to my husband. He definitely would not fit into a Ziploc bag. The dead item is my cell phone. Right now, I’m looking at it across the room and it still remains one of the departed.

A great deal of my life is played out on my phone: messages to doctors, appointment reminders, phone calls from people in crisis, and even the constantly changing code to allow me access to a publishing site I use weekly. You name it; I need my phone. I can’t even get into Costco without my phone’s bar code. Only God knows where the original plastic membership card resides.

That afternoon, after all the drama of the previous night, I said to my husband Bill (the one who still is not in a Ziploc bag), “I can’t understand why I’m still so upset about my phone. Yes, it’s a pain I won’t have a replacement until sometime next week, but after all, a phone is just a phone.”

The day before the phone’s demise, I read, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]—From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly].” (Psalm 121:1-4)

God was not slumbering or sleeping when my phone died. He also decided not to resurrect it when I was still working on it at 1 AM the following night. Maybe, God had my phone die for one purpose – to write this blog. Can I trust God with all those obligations, worries, and imaginations of everything that might go wrong due to my black screen?

What has you so upset lately? Maybe it’s major or minor, but it is taking up a lot of your head and heart space. It’s got your goat, and you are having a hard time letting go of it. I hear you!  Tenacity is one of my strongest traits and I lost hours of sleep due to that dead object sitting on my table.

In times like this, I love to repeat this prayer of the Puritans: “May I always feel my need of You. Let your restored joy be my strength.” (Valley of Vision, page 107) I definitely felt my need of God the night when the phone crashed. The need still existed as I tried to toggle together communications with others minus my phone. Presently I am still struggling as I am trying to publish online the church’s devotional (minus the Authenticator Code which only comes via my phone). However, God is not slumbering nor sleeping. “My helps comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

Does your God slumber and sleep? You do not have to wake Him up, but you do need to run to Him. You don’t even need a working phone to do so!

Listen to the story of Lee Strobel

NEWS FLASH: GOVERNMENT CANNOT SAVE

I wish November 4th would come and go.

I wish November 4th would come and go. Millions of dollars are being spent daily on advertising. Take a drive down the road and view the hundreds of political lawn signs. Often neighbors have their signs positioned to show off their candidates. Tempers flash at a moment’s notice. This has not been a pleasant season.

ANOTHER TIME OF UPHEAVAL

Serious conflict is nothing new. Historically, people can be extremely nasty. “A man’s enemies are the men (members) of his own household.” (Micah 7:6) The prophet Micah made this observation over 700 years before the birth of Christ. They did not have lawn signs advertising politicians in Micah’s time, but it was a period of extreme upheaval and political unrest.

WHO ARE YOU GOING TO TRUST?

What does God want us to do with all the nasty media posts, the advertisements, or neighbors fighting neighbors? He asks us to make a decision: “Who are you going to trust during this season?”

GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE SAVIOR

I realize that government is not the savior of the world. Hopefully it is not a shock to you, but trusting the mortal powers that be, no matter where you lean politically, is futile. Leadership is made up of both wise and unwise people. It runs the spectrum. Some individuals are kind; some are nasty. Many people in government have a moral compass; many people in government lack a moral compass. It is a fallen world, and we are brilliant at displaying how fallen we are.

I WILL WAIT WITH CONFIDENT EXPECTATION

The prophet Micah writes from a time of disarray in both his country and government (there is nothing new under the sun). What did he do? He made a conscious decision: “But as for me, I will look expectantly for the Lord and with confidence in Him I will keep watch; I will wait [with confident expectation] for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7)

NO GOVERNMENT CAN MAKE A NEW HEART

No matter where you reside in the world; whether under the most oppressive corrupt regime or someplace that presently does not seem so bad, don’t put your faith in government to change the hearts of people. Rules and regulations made by government cannot change what is going on inside of individuals.  Only Jesus can make a new heart which is both forgiven and changed.

WHO IS THE SAVIOR?

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7) Who is the Savior? Definitely not government.

Recently remote mountainous areas of North Carolina were destroyed by Hurricane Helene. Who appeared first with boots on the ground? It was neighbor taking care of neighbor. It was non-profit organizations like Samaritan’s Purse. The neighbors and the volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse served freely and with compassion. “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” Governments can’t save. Neither can any political candidate. Only Christ can.

Listen to: “Don’t settle for a small worldview with Michael Craven”.

WHEN ALL YOU HAVE LEFT IS GOD

The encroaching darkness was frightening.  Her body had betrayed her

Over the years, Sandy ministered to many people.  She was a nurturer and she mothered people and pointed them to Christ.  An outgrowth of her job was helping to take care of the employees from Central America.  Sandy had a big heart.  One time she took on the local justice system when one of the workers wound up in jail.  If Sandy thought something was wrong, she would go to great lengths to make things right; she was a tigress. 

THE SHOCK

It was quite a shock when what Sandy was diagnosed with breast cancer.  The doctor at first thought it was just an infection, but after an unsuccessful course of meds further testing was done and she was given the diagnosis of cancer.  Sandy had a mastectomy and then started the dreaded chemotherapy.  She would have a course of chemo, get quite ill, start to feel better and then have to go for more chemo.  The chemo was followed by radiation. 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ALL THERE IS LEFT, IS GOD?

During the course of these therapies, Sandy’s lovely red hair fell out and her skin developed nasty painful rashes.  She had always been strong physically and now found herself imprisoned in a sick and alien body. Through the relentless progress of the disease, Sandy endured.  That final summer of her illness we discussed the question: “What happens when all there is left, is God?”

JEREMIAH IN THE PIT

Have you ever thought about Jeremiah of the Bible?  The dumped him in a slimy stinking mud of a cistern.  It had not been a winner season for him.  A look at Jeremiah 38 bears witness to a most disheartening progression of events.  As a preacher, Jeremiah faced a audience that didn’t pay any attention to his message.  God turned up the heat on Israel with an invasion by the Babylonians. Falsely accused of being a turncoat, Jeremiah was beaten and imprisoned in a dungeon for a lengthy period. Then came the terrible cistern.  The narrative tells us that he was so mired in the mud. When finally released it took thirty men pulling on ropes to lift Jeremiah out of the mud’s suction.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ALL THE LIGHT IS GONE?

What did Jeremiah find in that dark cistern?  Stuck and in the dark, all he heard was the dripping of water. All light fades.  During her final weeks of life, Sandy found her sight deteriorating because the cancer had spread to her brain.  The encroaching darkness was frightening.  Her body had betrayed her and the only place of safety was in the arms of the Savior. 

WHO IS WITH US

Psalm 46 paints a picture of a world in which the mountains are quaking, the seas are surging, and the earth is giving way.  Everything depended on in the past falls away.  Yet, verse seven says, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  It is one thing to consider God as with us and quite another to consider God as actually being our fortress. 

GOD IS ENOUGH

In that dark cistern, what did Jeremiah find ?  What did Sandy discover when her eyes lost sight?  Stability has flown the coop.  All constants disappear. One thing remains: God. In that moment, God is enough.  Ask God to open your eyes to His fortress of love.

MY WAR STORY

The rubber was about to meet the road, so to speak. No more “weekend warriors”, as the National Guard were often referred to. This was the real thing. We were advised to get our financial and legal matters in order.

Iraq invaded Kuwait in the summer of 1990. I was seven months pregnant with my first child. My husband was serving in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard at the time, so news such as that was more than just a front-page headline; it was cause to take notice. As the crisis unfolded, it became apparent that the question was not if my husband Mike would be activated to serve, but rather, when.

UNCERTAINTY LOOMING OVER US

The last months of my pregnancy were overshadowed by the uncertainty looming over us. The rubber was about to meet the road, so to speak. No more “weekend warriors”, as the National Guard were often referred to. This was the real thing. We were advised to get our financial and legal matters in order. I was barely holding it together. Praying that the situation would get resolved quickly; knowing that it was not as simple as that. I turned to God, knowing that I could not do this on my own. I did not have enough strength to get through it.

TURNING POINT IN MY LIFE

This was a turning point in my life, and in my faith in God and His provision. I leaned into God like never before, asking Him to give me the strength that I needed. With a great deal of hope and more than a little anxiety, I tried to keep my focus on managing one day at a time. As I did, I began to see God work.

I PRAYED

In the early months of the crisis, they called other military units. Mike’s unit didn’t receive the call. Home for the birth of our son in October, Mike was called to service late November. His preparation for deployment took place at Ft. Indiantown Gap, so he came home on the weekends leading up to his departure. We were blessed to be able to celebrate Christmas together. Shortly after New Year’s Day, Mike left for the Middle East. I prayed with confidence God would take care of him and all involved.

STRENGTH I DIDN’T KNOW WAS POSSIBLE

I knew that God had it all under control. God carried us through this, even though I couldn’t see the future. In ways I never experienced before, I saw God’s faithfulness and care for me. I developed a strength I didn’t believe was possible. God gifted me with visits, phone calls and offers of help from family, friends and neighbors. Admitted to the hospital for gall bladder surgery in April, God worked out everything for me and our newborn. My mom moved in and took care of the two of us. Through the times of loneliness and fear, I felt deeply loved and cared for.

HIS FAITHFULNESS IS A SHIELD

In the book of 2 Samuel, we read David’s story. Thought greatly blessed by God, David fell into grievous sin. Confessing those sins, David didn’t take God’s forgiveness lightly. Even as he experienced the consequences of his sin, David never lost his belief in God’s love and faithfulness. 2 Samuel 22, David writes, The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior…. And in Psalm 91:4, He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

YOU NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH LIFE ALONE

God is trustworthy. He is faithful. He is working on your behalf in every situation you face. You never have to deal with anything in this life alone. God will be with you, always. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)