11/16/08 A Word From the Well

 Matthew 7:9-11 Which of you if his son asks for bread will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?  

Jesus taught us that when you ask God for bread that is what you will get–bread.  God is good and He is the giver of every good and perfect gift.  He can’t do evil and He doesn’t need evil to accomplish His purposes.  When He says He will give good gifts to His children who ask, He means He will give good gifts to His children who ask.

So what happens if you’ve asked for bread and you’re holding a stone?  Simply this–it is not yet God’s good gift.  Yes, if you are willing, that stone can become an opportunity to trust Jesus.  Yes, God can take what the enemy meant for evil and use that stone for good.  Yes, stones can be used to refine our character and to conform us to the image of Christ.  But if God has promised bread and what you are holding looks like a stone, then that’s what it is–a stone and not bread!

We are under no obligation to take the “stones” in our life and pretend they are what we really wanted after all. Nor should we assume they are what God “chose” for us and therefore, they must be good.  He gives good gifts and if you’ve asked God for bread – hold out for bread! When God gives bread it looks like bread, it smells like bread, and it tastes like bread. And when you see it – you’ll know it.

Think of it–which of you would give your son a stone if he asks for bread?  And if you, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him?

Lord,  Please reveal the goodness of Your heart and give us faith that will endure until we see the fullness of what You have promised!

10/15/08 A Word From the Well

1 Kings 19:13 Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 

What are you doing here?  I’ve read those words many times and when I have, I always assumed the Lord’s tone was sort of sad.  You know, like “Aw shucks, how did you end up here, Elijah?”  And who knows, maybe it was like that … but I’m not convinced.

I’m not convinced because recently I found myself in a situation where the Lord asked me that very same question.  When He did, His tone was quite different from what I had always assumed it was with Elijah.  Like Elijah, I was discouraged and confused.  But when the Lord said “What are you doing here?” there wasn’t the slightest trace of rebuke or sadness in His voice.  Instead it was more like a gentle reminder – a necessary nudge to help me remember why I was in the situation I was in.

Elijah was where he was basically because he had been zealous for God and zealous for Israel.  I was where I was for the exact same reason and I got the distinct impression that in God’s eyes that was not exactly a bad thing.  God’s word to Elijah was “Go back the way you came.”  And that was basically His word to me, too… “Go back and keep doing what you’re doing, because you’re not finished yet.” 

 Elijah had been faithful to God under some pretty extreme circumstances.  Yet despite Elijah’s faithfulness, people and circumstances hadn’t lined up the way Elijah expected them to and it threw him off for a moment.  That happens a lot in life – to all of us.  But when it happened to Elijah, God brought him into His presence and then built him back up and sent him back out to do the next thing.  I think that’s what He’s doing for me too.

I have been very zealous for the Lord my God.  That’s what I’m doing here.  And that’s also why I’ll go back the way I came and do the next thing … until I know I’ve finished all the work He’s given me to do.

So … what are you doing here?

Heading Off to Israel in a Bulldozer

In less than 24 hours I will be sitting on  a plane headed to Israel which seems almost surreal.  I had to actually stop and count and this will be my 5th trip to Israel since 2004.  It is amazing to me that Jesus has given me the privilege of journeying to “His city” with such frequency.  It has been a rough ride leading up to this particular trip, yet somehow it came together and God has once again made a way. 

Been learning lots about the “ways” God makes.  Sometimes He supernaturally opens doors and ushers you in on a red carpet, but other times it is more like you have to breakthrough on a bulldozer.   And the funny thing is, it’s not like one way is more “God” than another.  We tend to view the times the Lord supernaturally lines stuff up for us as evidence of His favor.  And sometimes it is.  We’ve all heard the nifty little platitude “where God guides, He provides”  and at times that is true.  I’m convinced He actually subjects Himself to playing  by those rules in certain situations simply to engage us!  But if we really want to go deeper with Him and eventually end up in partnership with Him, sooner or later the platitudes will end up out the window.   

God will engage us at the level we are willing to engage Him.  It takes a lot more faith to put your trust in a living breathing relationship than in a set of rules that God is supposed to play by.  There are times when circumstances do not play out in a way that fits neatly into any of our theological boxes, but that does NOT mean the absence of His favor, nor does it  provide “evidence” that we are “out of His will.”  It takes a deeper level of faith to keep believing when things don’t make sense and a greater level of trust to keep moving forward even when the ducks don’t line up.  It is far more important to me to be able to look up and see His smile than it is to look out and see the circumstances that the church has traditionally looked for as evidence of His favor. 

So, needless to say, getting to this trip has been more like being on the bulldozer than walking the red carpet. But that’s okay-I did get here.  And I am absolutely convinced that it WAS and IS God’s desire that I do so.  

There will undoubtedly be more hard ground to “bulldoze” when I return, but for now I’m simply grateful for this…tomorrow I am getting on that plane.  And I’m very glad.  I know Jesus is too.

9/18/08 A Word From the Well

Psalm 139:1 O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.

I have the blessed privilege of spending my life on earth–and throughout eternity – getting to know the heart of God.  But as amazing as that is, as I am getting to know Him sometimes I need to simply remember that He already knows me.

He knows when I sit and He knows when I rise.  He knows my thoughts from afar.  He knows when I’m doing well and He knows when I’m not doing so well.  He knows my strengths and He knows my weaknesses.  He knows my victories and He knows my failures.  He knows what causes me to draw near and He knows what causes me to pull back.  He knows my needs and He knows my desires. He knows how I see myself, how others see me, and most importantly–how He sees me.  He knows exactly who I was created to be. I can’t hide anything from Him and I don’t have to explain anything to Him.  He knows everything about me.  And, more than anyone else on the planet, He “gets” me.   

Jesus knows me.  He really, really knows me.  And even though He knows every single thing about me–good and bad–He loves me.  Even more than that – He likes me!  He enjoys my company.  He has plans and dreams and desires and purposes–all custom designed–just for me. 

He knows you too.  And when there isn’t another person on the planet who understands exactly how you think or feel – sometimes you just need to remember that He does. 

Thank You Jesus for the simple yet profound truth that You–the awesome and glorious King of all creation–KNOW me. 

9/10/08 A Word From the Well

Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.

There have been glorious times in my life when I have been blessed with entire days that I was able to completely “waste” in the presence of the Lord.  Not too long ago, I had the wonderful privilege of spending just such a day and had the startling realization that a single day spent in His courts–a day spent doing “nothing” but engaging His heart in intimate communion–was more valuable in His eyes than nearly 3 full years spent on lesser pursuits!  And if a day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere–is it also possible that even an hour of focused and engaged communion with Him can yield more lasting fruit than weeks spent on various other “activities?” 

Of course if we belong to Him, He is always with us, so in a very general sense we are always “in His presence.”   And while I suppose this verse could be applied in that same general sense, I think the psalmist had a deeper reality in mind.  “Yearning” for the courts of the Lord doesn’t sound like mere intellectual assent to a theological truth—it sounds like a heart longing for communion.  When Mary of Bethany set aside all of her other tasks and took the time to simply sit at Jesus’ feet, He said she had chosen to do the “one needful thing.”  

Intimate communion with Jesus is still the one needful thing. His desire has always been, and will always be, for relationship.  And it is impossible to have a truly intimate relationship with anyone without spending time set apart to connect at a heart level.  Since this is His desire and “a day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” I can’t help but wonder if it is only during those times of intimate communion – simply sitting at His feet or even putting our ear to His heart as John did when he leaned up against Jesus’ chest at the last supper–that restoration begins to work its way through every other part of our hearts and lives.  

Jesus is the great Redeemer. After all, in the book of Joel the Lord reveals that He is the One who can even restore lost years.  Let’s see… A day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere–and–He restores the years the locusts have eaten.  Hmm…does that mean a single day spent in His courts might restore two or three of them?!  

My soul yearns and even faints for Your courts, Lord!

9/3/08 A Word From the Well

Romans 4:18 “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.”

Against all hope … yet in hope we believe.  What does that look like?  Romans 4:19-20 goes on to say about Abraham: “Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead…yet he did not waiver in unbelief regarding the promise of God.”  Faith isn’t the denial of “reality,” it is the acknowledgement of a greater and higher reality.  That greater and higher reality is the goodness of God and the truth of His Word. 

Anyone who knows the story of Abraham knows that there were more than a few moments along the way when Abraham certainly appeared to be “wavering in unbelief” but faith can’t be reduced to mere appearances.  We all have feelings that oppose the truth from time to time and, as a result, may have the momentary “appearance” of unbelief.  But what is your heart reality in God?  What do you really believe about Him?  Abraham knew God.  And because Abraham walked in close, intimate friendship with God, when all was said and done, the reality of his heart was that he believed God.    And because Abraham believed God—that He was who He said He was and that He would do what He said He would do—against all hope, in hope Abraham believed.      

Lord, may that be the overriding reality of my life–to know You so intimately that even against all hope, in hope, my heart will continue to believe.  Amen.

Shanah Tova

Shanah Tova and Shabbat Shalom from the city of the great King!  I have been in Jerusalem since Tuesday, and Wednesday evening marked the beginning of Rosh Hashanah (literally, head of the year).  Rosh Hashanah is traditionally (not biblically) celebrated as the beginning of the new year in Israel, so “shanah tova” is a wish for a good year. As I am writing, it is passing into Friday evening, which is the beginning of Shabbat (the Sabbath), so we’ve basically had a three-day holiday here!

Holiday or no holiday, it is great to be “home” in Jerusalem.  It feels more and more natural to be here each time I come–and I leave more of my heart behind each time I need to leave.  I’ll need to get on a plane to come back to California on the 28th and, undoubtedly, I will be sad.

But today, I am here and I’m glad.  I know the Lord is glad, too.  He once again made a way for me to come even when it didn’t look possible–so I know He arranged it–but I haven’t been too sure about His “agenda” for this trip.  Each time is different.  I am participating in a large international prayer convocation and that  has been wonderful.  Only a couple of days into it and already there have been wonderful times of worship, teaching, and prayer.  I love the ‘international’ flavor in Jerusalem, especially for prayer events such as this.  Believers come from literally all over the globe.  Over 150 nations are represented–many with delegations that are quite significant in size.  Surprisingly the U.S.is nowhere near the largest group.  As we progress through the week, I am looking forward to hearing from pastors, worship leaders, and intercessors from many different countries as they take their turns leading the sessions. Truly wonderful to know that the Holy Spirit has no language barrier!  We are all one in Christ.

As I said, it has been wonderful and I’m sure being here for the convocation was a significant factor in God’s timing, but today I sat out of the conference and stayed in with Jesus instead.  I was in Ramat Rachel for over 14 hours yesterday and, since we started off right after I arrived, I was exhausted.  So, to be honest, sleeping a bit extra figured into my plan to stay back today, but having time alone with the Lord figured into it even more.   It was a good plan (must have been His idea) and it’s been a good day.

I feel like I’m on two tracks.   I know that I am called to ”stand on the wall” as a watchman for the house of Israel.  The Lord started giving me Scriptures about that part of His plan for me long before I had any idea what it would mean.  I know that going to events like the prayer convocation and, later in the trip, catching the beginning of the ICEJ’s Sukkot celebration are important so I can keep up on what is happening in Israel–both in the natural and “in the spirit”–so I can pray more effectively.  But that’s only one track.  The other “track”–the one I was on today (and, to be honest, the one I like a lot better!)–is being here with Jesus for the sake of simply being here with Him.

This is His city.  This is the place He has chosen to call “home.”  And He will reign from here…forever.  When I’m here, in my heart I can literally see the new Jerusalem and realize it will be a very tangible and real place, with a very tangible and real King, reigning from a very tangible and real throne.   His heart will always be toward this place.  I realize the whole earth is His and we can all meet with Him anywhere, anytime, but when I’m in Israel, and especially in Jerusalem, it is like going home to visit the family.  His home and His family.  You don’t go with an agenda, you just go to be with them.  I have come to realize that at least part of the reason the Lord is so extravagant in the way He continues to provide for me to keep coming here is simply because it gives Him such delight to come with me.  He knows that I come because I want to share His love for this land and its people . When you love someone, you want to share the things that are most treasured in their heart.  Jerusalem plays an enormous and key role in what is most treasured in the heart of God.  Jesus has an awfully big heart–and no one is overlooked in His affections–but  there is only one place called “the city of the great King.”   There is only one Jerusalem. 

Yep, this is His city.  And today, I’m glad to simply be here with Him.