Floating on the Ocean of His Love

I just have to start off today by giving a shout of praise to the Lord for His wonderful goodness to us over the last two weeks.  Thank you for praying for us as we took a long-desired trip to the beach with our six children.  Our time there was truly blessed with many fun and unforgettable experiences.  My youngest daughter Rebecca had a deep desire to see dolphins while we were in Florida.  We had to tell her to pray about it, because we couldn’t guarantee it would happen.  Well, the Lord answered the desire of her heart and we saw not just one, but groups of dolphins surfacing out in the ocean one morning when we went out on jet skis.  It was an incredible thing to cut the motor and sit there on the crystal blue water with my little girls and watch those amazing creatures appear.  We were all blown away that God would do that for us. 

Whenever I look at the ocean, my heart is singing about my Abba Father’s incredibly big love for me.  I always think of Dennis Jernigan’s song, “Wider than the ocean, deeper than the sea is my Father’s love for me.”  A few years ago, during a time of great struggle for me as a wife and mother, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Stop trying to push the waves back and forth.”  I saw so clearly that I was living as if everything depended on me making it happen.  When the Lord said this to me, I could see for the first time how foolish and futile my way of life was.  It also explained why I was so tired all the time!  I wasn’t getting anywhere, but I sure was wearing myself out!  Then the Lord began to reassure me that He had all the things that concerned me under control.  What He wanted from me was trust and rest, and obedience when He did have something for me to do.  I began to get a wonderful vision of the ocean of His love and how I could float on it if I would just lay back and breathe, relaxed and trusting.  Since then, I’ve been learning to do just that.  At the beach last week, I was able to act out this spiritual truth in the physical realm.  My husband and I took pool noodles and swam out far enough from the shore to get to the clear, beautiful water where we could see the sandy bottom down below.  As we floated there enjoying the cool water and the beautiful scene all around us, I realized how far the Lord has brought me.  The last time we visited the ocean, I was afraid to go more than waist deep.  This time, I was free to swim out into the deeps and trust my Father to take care of me.  My prayer as I come home and take up once again the life the Lord has given me is that I will continue to float in His love and trust Him to take care of all that concerns me, no matter how deep the water gets. 

Abba Father, thank You for being so good to us, Your children.  You are a good Father and so patient.  Keep us aware of Your everlasting love.  Help us trust You in all things. Please use us to bring glory and honor to You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Really Good News!

Early Monday morning I woke up from the strangest dream.  You know how it is.  Some dreams seem significant; others just seem bizarre and make you question your late night snack choices.  This dream appeared to be in the latter category, but as I gradually came to full consciousness a message became quite clear.  In my dream, I was trying to shampoo a little boy’s hair.  I had the soap in his hair, but he kept resisting my efforts to rinse it out.  I was also struggling to get the water to pour over his head.  In that odd way of dreams, the water ended up going everywhere but where it was meant to.  The harder I struggled, the bigger the mess I was creating became.  As I pondered these things, it was clear the Lord had a lesson for me in this crazy scenario:  I can’t change anyone.  If I insist on trying, I will only make it harder for them to change.  Funny thing about the timing on this revelation, I had been praying Sunday morning and asking the Lord to help me love my family with His love.  Once again I was up against the truth that my love isn’t like His love at all.  As I read over 1 Corinthians 13’s wonderful exposition of what God’s love is all about, I became convinced that this kind of love is impossible for me.  If I choose to walk in my own strength, I will never demonstrate this kind of love.  However, as I dug in a little deeper and headed over to Romans 6-8 to look at what Paul wrote about sin and my victory over it through Jesus’ death on the Cross, I found some hope.  Eventually, I arrived at Romans 8:13-14: 

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

This is really good news!  It may not sound like it at first because putting to death the deeds of the body doesn’t sound like much fun, does it?  You have to make sure you put your focus on Who is doing the heavy lifting – the Spirit of the Almighty God.  The same power that raised Jesus is at work in us!  I told you this is good news!  So here’s the bottom line – as I sat there and tried to take this in, the Lord Jesus made it very simple for me.  Here is what He said:

I love you and I will lead you by My Spirit in you.  Do not be afraid.  Simply take My hand and follow Me.

And He gave me the grace to do just that.  Sunday was a great day because I had no agenda except to follow His lead.  It was a really special day, and I hope, a taste of freedom and victory to come.  I’m still absorbing these lessons and learning to walk in them every day. 

In the meantime, part of God’s plan for me is to take some time off to spend with my husband and my children.  This means I won’t be publishing a “Heart to Hear” for the next couple of weeks.  Pray for us - it’s always exciting when a mom, dad, and six kids get in the car for an extended period of time! 

Abba Father, please lead us by Your Spirit.  Give us grace to see what You are doing and follow Your lead. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Love That Never Fails

The Father has been speaking to my heart lately about His great, unfailing, never-ending love.  It truly is amazing.  There was a time in my life when I searched the scriptures looking for evidence of God’s love.  It was there in black and white for anyone to see, but somehow I was blind to it.  Little by little, the scales on my eyes have been removed and now my eyes see and my heart hears the great love of the Father pouring forth on every frequency.  I’m learning to believe that I am loved unconditionally and accepted completely because of Jesus’ atoning death on the Cross.  I’m learning to come to the Father in confidence, unafraid, and without a checklist in my hand.  Growing up in a Christian home, I learned to do the things believers did, but I didn’t always understand why they did them.  Now I know that there is a crucial difference between wanting to please God because He loves me versus wanting to please Him so He will love me.  I’m being transformed by the renewing of my mind just like Paul talks about in Romans 12:1-2.  The world’s pattern says make a sacrifice, make lots of sacrifices, and maybe you will get mercy.  The joyful truth of Jesus – the good news – is that through His sacrifice we get complete mercy and absolute acceptance.  Now we offer ourselves as living sacrifices out of hearts full of love and gratitude for the mercy and love in which we already rest.  Learning to rest in God’s love is wonderful and yet sometimes scary.  I’ve had to let go of the mind-set that says “I’ll do it all right and then God will bless me.”  I’m learning to embrace the mind-set that says, “I am blessed because God loves me.  Getting it all right is His job, not mine.” 

Today, I hear the Father saying, “Tell them I love them.”  So, just in case you were wondering. Just in case you’ve been feeling like God isn’t interested in talking to you until you get your act together.  Just in case you’ve been wondering if He even cares about you at all - the answer is a resounding yes!  He loves you. He loved you before you ever thought about doing anything to please Him.  Believe it!  Take joy in it!  Rest in it! 

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.  Isaiah 54:10

Laying Down My Map

One day during my trip to Charleston, I had a wonderful time with the Lord out on the hotel terrace watching the waves roll in as the sun began to light up the sky.  My heart was at rest, full of humble gratitude and content to simply wait on the Lord to take me where He was going.  For once I was able to lay down my map and do what my daddy always told me, “Sit back and enjoy the ride.”  I do love to have a map when I’m going somewhere.  Of course now everybody likes to have their GPS.  My Aunt Judy hit the wrong button on her GPS during her drive down to the shore and it started speaking Polish which was really not helpful.  Lord has a trip plan, but sometimes I am all too aware that it is written in a language in which I’m still not very fluent.  Many times, I simply have to sit back and let my Abba Father – my Daddy God- drive.  My dad delighted in piling the family in the car on a Saturday afternoon and taking off without telling us where we were going.  That always drove me crazy!  Now that I’m older, I’m pretty sure he didn’t tell us where we were going because he had no idea where we would end up.  It didn’t matter because he knew how to get us home.  Isn’t it good to know that our Heavenly Father knows how to get us home?  He will get each one of us there in His good time and on the scenic route of His choosing.  What sweet pleasure it brings to His heart when we sit back like trusting little children and look out the window in expectation of a wonderful adventure, safe and secure with Dad at the wheel.  No telling where you might find yourself – with my dad it might be a stop at a country store for a soda in a glass bottle from an old timey cooler.  With our Abba Father, it might be someplace you never imagined you would go – like a crowded Shanghai subway at rush hour.  Wherever He takes us, one thing is certain – all the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful to for those who live in covenant with Him.  (Psalm 25:10)

Abba Father, please give us grace to rest in You even when we don’t know exactly where the road leads.  Help us delight Your heart by trusting You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You've Got a Friend

Yesterday was one of those days when I had absolutely nothing to say.  I prayed and I asked the Lord what He would have me share today, and into the loud empty spaces echoing in my head I heard a song.  It is an old song, released 40 years ago by a woman named Carole King.  The song is “You’ve Got a Friend”.  I’m sure most of you know this song.  If you don’t, look it up.  You won’t be sorry.  Here are some of the lyrics: 

When you're down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

I don’t know about you, but this was a really good reminder to me of a couple of things.  We need to be sure we don’t get too busy to nurture our friendships.  It’s an easy thing to do.  Life gets busy and we don’t take the time to reach out.  Then we wonder why we feel dry down deep in our souls.  We need our friends and they need us – to listen, to laugh, to cry, or maybe just be there.  The other thing is that God is my friend.  I know He is God and I’m not.  This is definitely not a relationship of equals.  However, James 2:23 tells us that Abraham was God’s friend and as believers who consider ourselves children of Abraham, it is not a stretch to say that we are God’s friends, too.  He comes when we call.  In fact, He delights in answering when we cry out to Him.  Psalm 107 repeats this theme over and over.  No matter our trouble, when we call out His name He hears and He responds with His unfailing love. 

Abba Father, thank You for being our very best friend and thank you for blessing us with friends to share our journey.  Please help us take neither You nor them for granted.  Help us remember that being a faithful friend is often the best way to show Your love to a world of lonely people.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

The Lesson of the Loaves

Hello Ladies!

Jennifer's getting a little R&R at the beach this week and asked me (her husband) to share with you something the Lord spoke to me recently while she's out verifying that SPF 50 is in fact all it's cracked up to be. But, before I can share the word with you I have to tell you a story first:

As a father one of the great burdens I bear is the responsibility for making sure that my kids are as prepared as I can possibly make them to be successful out on their own when it's time for them to leave home and, for me, that last step before "Go forth and conquer!" is a college degree.

Given the cost of college and the size of our tribe that's no small objective and one that was eating my lunch until a couple of years ago when, while at church, the Lord spoke to me and said "I'll take care of it." Upon hearing those words the elephant that had been riding shotgun on my shoulders got up and walked off and I was thinking "Cool! God's going to provide and I don't have to worry about this anymore."

Well, that was then and if we fast-forward to today we've got two in college and financially it's been, shall we say, "interesting". Although some remarkable things have happened I've not exactly been a pillar of faith and it was while I was out jogging the other day and thinking about money and excusing myself for taking on a general posture of austerity with regard to extra giving due to our circumstances that the Holy Spirit appended my thoughts with "for they still had not learned the lesson of the loaves" - and immediately I was convicted.

You see, I've been reading through Mark lately and that verse is Mark 6:52 and it comes after Jesus feeds the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fishes in verses 37-44. This event is immediately followed by Jesus telling his disciples to go ahead of him by boat to Bethsaida. That night, while the disciples are in the boat struggling against the waves, Jesus comes walking by them over those same waves and when they see him they panic! Jesus tells them to calm down and when he gets into the boat with them the wind dies (verses 45-51). It's at this point that scripture says "the disciples were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened".

The Holy Spirit was telling me that I had made the same mistake as the disciples! I had forgotten God's word to me and the fact that He watches over His word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12) In all three situations God had clearly spoken His intentions and we summarily got overwhelmed by the circumstances (only five loaves and two fish, lots of wind and waves and too little money for tuition), doubted his word and had our hearts hardened. Rats!

So, I took advantage of the grace offered me though the Holy Spirit's conviction and repented and now, by faith, in the face of our continued need, we are going to start giving extra again. We are going to actively affirm the Word of God in our lives through giving when reason says that we should be saving. I haven't a clue as to how that provision will come but I'm returning my family to our front row seats to watch the show because the One who initiated the promise is faithful and He will do it. (I Thessalonians 5:24)

Let's roll!

He Trains My Hands for War

Earlier this week I was praying for my children and asking the Lord to cut off the enemy from them.  There’s nothing wrong with this prayer, but on this particular day I felt the Holy Spirit leading me in a different direction.  I began to ask the Lord to teach them to recognize and reject the enemy’s schemes against them.  I also began to pray for Him to reveal His strategies to them for standing against the attacks that were coming their way.  I think the Lord is showing me that it is time for them to start learning some spiritual self-defense.  Sometimes the Lord steps in and fights for us.  I love those times!  Then there are those occasions where He trains our hands for war and tells us to get in there and kick butt!  

When I was pregnant with my fourth child, I began listening to a voice telling me that something would be wrong with this child. Rather than kicking this thought to the curb, I allowed it to settle into my heart.  I even began to worry that the baby might die.  This went on for months until I was getting close to my due date.  I was so tired of the anxiety that had been tormenting me for so long, I did what I should have done from the start - I went to the Lord about it.  As I prayed, He showed me a mental picture of a wimpy little demon no bigger than a mosquito.  This was what had been causing me so much grief?  I felt like such a chump for letting this whiny little insect tie me up with fear and rob me of the joy of anticipating a new life.  All I had to do was quit listening to the lie and embrace the truth!  Did I have assurance that all would be perfect?  No, but I did have a certainty that my Father God was taking care of me and this child, and that was enough to give me peace. 

There are certain roles in life that I know I was never meant to play. I know for a fact that being a nurse or doctor is out for me.  My daughter recently had to have a few stitches and I’m still traumatized!  I also have zero dramatic ability. I find it hard enough just to be myself, much less someone else!  However there is one role we are all called to play in the Body of Christ and that is soldier.  We all have a mandate to put on the armor of God and take our stand against the enemy the Apostle Paul calls “spiritual forces of evil.”  (See Ephesians 6:10-20 if you need an update on this.)  The best part is our Father in Heaven equips us to fight and He trains us to win!     

It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make Your saving help my shield, and Your right hand sustains me.  Psalm 18:32-35