Missing God

A few weeks ago, my friend Belinda Koestle wrote this post.

Thursday, January 31, 2013; Expect the Supernatural

I have been thinking about that a lot since that, and considering how easy it is to miss God at work in our lives. I also considered how often that happened in Biblical stories. The first one that came to mind was Jacob. In Genesis 28, after Jacob had tricked his father to cheat his brother out of their father's blessing and fled for his life, he stopped to sleep and dreamed about a ladder connecting heaven and earth, with angels descending and ascending on it. God was above the ladder, and spoke to Jacob and blessed him. 

Isn't it interesting that Jacob lied, manipulated, and cheated to get a blessing from his father, but God just came and blessed him while he was sleeping. He did not have to do anything to earn God's favor, in fact, if you read his whole story, you would think he would have been the last person to receive a special blessing from God. 

When Jacob woke up, he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." (Gen. 28:16) 

What an amazing statement. Jehovah God is here, but I almost missed Him. God showed up in an unexpected time and place. 

After Jesus resurrection, no one seemed to recognize him. 

Mary Magdalene thought he was the gardener. (John 20) 

The disciples didn't believe the women's report that he was risen. They thought they had made it up. (Luke 24)

Jesus walked with two disciples, had a long conversation where he showed them how all of the Scriptures revealed the Christ. The were amazed, but did not know he was Jesus until he sat down to dinner with them, prayed, and broke bread. Luke 24:31-32, "And their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" 

I love that statement. A man shared deep revelations of the Scriptures, and their hearts burned, but they did not realize who was speaking to them. 

The evening of his resurrection, when he appeared to the disciples in  a locked room, they were afraid, because they thought it was a ghost. Luke 24:30 says that they were talking about all the evidences of the resurrection, but, still, when he appeared to them, they were shocked and afraid. 

In the book of Acts, there is an account of Peter being arrested and imprisoned. Acts 12:3 says that "earnest prayer was made to God by the church." An angel came to Peter in the night and led him out of prison. He immediately went to the home where a prayer meeting was going on and knocked at the door. A servant girl came to the door, apparently said, "Who's there." When she heard the reply, "It's Peter", she forgot to open the door, but ran and told the believers who were earnestly praying for his release. Their response? "You are crazy. It can't be Peter, he's in prison...Oh, no, it must be his ghost."  Meanwhile, Peter is still outside. "But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed." Acts 12:16

I like to be surprised by God. I don't want to be complacent and take for granted that God will show up and work. I don't apologize for an amazed attitude, "Wow, look what God did." 

But, I want to have an expectancy. 

Did you notice how often people were afraid when Jesus showed up unexpectedly? That is what I DO NOT want to feel. Excitement, amazement, even shock will be OK, but I do not want to be afraid. God is BIG, HUGE, very wise, and totally creative. Well, He is the Creator. He can do unexpected, totally creative things that have never been done before...burning bush, talking donkey, battle with marching and blowing trumpets, tongues of fire... Just because we haven't seen it before does not mean it isn't God. 

I'm waiting for God to do amazing things, and I am open to ANYTHING!  

A time to refrain from embracing

Last night, we had a very special evening with the Cottonwood body. Dave Bollenbacher, our Missions Pastor for the past 8 years has resigned, effective the end of February. Last night, we had an appreciation dinner for Dave and his wife, Sharon. 
They are not leaving the area right now. Sharon is still teaching in Dublin, and they have their house on the market. They do not have a plan, but just felt that God was leading them in a new direction. Dave shared a little about their journey, and referred to a verse that God has used in speaking to him. 
Eccleciates 3:5 "a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;"
I have pondered on that verse since Dave spoke about it. God says that there is a time to embrace, but that there is also a time to refrain from embracing.
To refrain just means to keep oneself from doing something, to hold back. I kept thinking how interesting it is that God says there is a time to hold back, especially from something that is good. 
I would think that it is always good to embrace, to hold on to something that is good, but, there is a time to let go. 
For Dave, there have been three times that he had to let go, three periods in his life when he enjoyed where he was and what he was doing, but God spoke to him to not hold on. 

I think of so many applications of this verse today...what in my life am I embracing that God is telling me to refrain from embracing? 
Maybe I am holding on to an unhealthy friendship that I need to refrain from embracing. Am I worried and anxious about some things that I need to let go of? Am I embracing areas of ministry that God is telling me to stop embracing. Just pondering and praying about these things today. 

Abundant Life of a Sheep

As part of the Bible Study we are doing, I am reading through the book of John, rather slowly and prayerfully, asking for God to speak...and He is!

Last week as I read John 10, which is the amazing passage where Jesus tells us what life is like as sheep cared for by the Good Shepherd. I read John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly", which is one of my favorite verses, one that I pray often and am always encouraged by. But, this time, I really considered it in the context of which Jesus spoke it, that He is the Good Shepherd who leads the sheep, speaks to the sheep, protects the sheep, and lays down his life for the sheep. Considering this led me to Psalm 23, as a description of the abundant life.

Psalm 23 gives us a picture of the life that is full and abundant, in the care of the shepherd.
It is a life that lacks nothing, all my needs fully provided. It is a life of rest, laying down in green pastures. The abundant life is a life of following where He leads beside still waters where I am safe and nourished, and in the paths that are right and make me right with God.

Even when I am in danger or trials, I am not afraid because the Shepherd is with me and he protects me and fights for me. I have a feast even when surrounded by enemies. He soothes me and heals my wounds. I am so full of joy, love, and peace that I overflow, and I experience His goodness and His mercy every single day of my life.

In the true abundant life, I live in the presence of God today, right now, and I will be with Him for all eternity.