Momma's on a Mission!

Unspeakable fear and uncontrolled thoughts race through her mind as she travels at a speed much faster than she is accustomed to. She doesn’t take the time to look behind her to see if anyone is following her. Nor does she really look ahead to see where she is going. Her eyes take in the objects, along the road, that she must miss, yet she isn’t aware of them. Momma was on an urgent mission! She had to reach the prophet! As she hurried along her mind went over the events of the past several years that had led up to today. She remembered, so well, the day she and her husband had first met the prophet. He had visited their little town and they had invited him to their home to eat. This was the first of many meals shared in their home with the prophet. She also remembered, with almost a smile, the day they had led him to the door of they had built the little room which was especially for him to use. Oh the look of surprise and gratitude that was on his face that day. Then, of course, she remembered the day that he told them they would have a son in nine months. That feelings of being afraid to dare hope it would be true that they would have a son after all these years. In fact, she had been so afraid, to accept the promise of a miracle child, she had told the prophet not to tease her with such a promise. Yet, despite her apprehensions, the son had been born. He was such a fine young man! He was sweet and loved his Momma. Also, he was energetic and wanted to be like his Daddy. In fact, just that very morning he had arose early and insisted that he accompany his Daddy to the field to work. “Momma,” he said, “I want to be a farmer just like my Daddy.” With great sorrow she recalled the events of that morning, including the servant rushing the boy to the house. He had developed a headache while in the fields with his father. While she held him in her arms, he had died! Now she is on the way to find the prophet! He had given her a promise and promised a miracle! The miracle and promise had come true. They had happened. Was she allowed to hold her miracle only to see it fade away so soon? Did she receive her promise for it to die in her arms? NO! She refused to accept that to be true! So, Momma was on a mission! When she had left the house, she had told her husband, who wondered where she was going, “It shall be well.” As she approached the home of the prophet, he spotted her coming down the road and sent his servant to greet her. She told the servant that all was well. Then she came to the prophet, the man of God, who had given her a promise that became a miracle and she pours out her heart. Momma is on a mission! The determination of this mother amazes me. We do not hear her say woe is me. Nor do we hear her say that life is not fair. What she does say, to the prophet, “You made me a promise and I told you not to make it if it wasn’t going to be true. Now I want my promise!” The prophet sends his servant ahead of them to the body of the boy. However, the Bible tells us, in Second Kings 4:30, this mother refused to leave the prophet. She was clinging to her miracle. There was “no give up” in her make up. Yes, her promise laid dead on a bed. I know, her miracle had died in her arms. However, no matter what the facts said, she wasn’t giving up on her promised miracle. Momma was on a mission. I remember the joy of holding my babies in my arms when they were born. The feeling that I felt, as I looked into their faces, is one that I will never forget. So, I can imagine how that mother felt, a few hours later, when her son sat on her lap again. No, I don’t know how she felt since. I have never experienced what she did that day. Yet I can just imagine the joy and thankfulness she felt as again she held her miracle. In fact, she was holding a “two time miracle!” How often do we give up on our promise? We dare to hope for it! We stretch to believe it will happen. Then when there is a problem, when some type of obstacle comes up, we give up and walk away. Yet, in spite of all of the evidence that shouted at this Mother to give up, she held on. Despite the fact it did not make sense to believe otherwise. This Mother held to the fact that the prophet had made her a promise and had received a miracle. She had said she didn’t want it if it wasn’t going to happen and it happened. So, she was going to cling to her promise and would again hold her miracle. Momma was on a mission. Hold on! No matter what the evidence screams at you! Cling to your promise. Keep holding on to your miracle. Know that it might not happen the way you planned it. Understand that God might want it to happen in a different way than you thought or planned for it to happen. This is the time to put your trust and confidence in God and allow God to be God! Oh the GLORY and HONOR that come to those who trust God to do his will in his own way. We have the promise! The miracle happens! It seems the miracle will pass from you. This is when faith has to happen and trust has to kick in. This is when we have to refuse to leave the source of our miracle! Make that your mission! I will have my miracle! I will hold on to my promise! Remember! It is just a thought! God bless.

I Know It Smells on the Ark...

I know it smells, but the Ark is the only thing floating! ~ Noah on day 299. Do you ever wonder about the conversations that took place on the Ark? It would seem that Noah and Mrs. Noah were on the Ark with their three sons and three daughters in law for about a year. Combine the close quarters of eight people with all of the animals and even a vessel as large as the Ark was will become very small. You have to wonder what took place and what was said. I wonder if they reacted like I sometimes tend to do? I find that sometimes when I am in the midst of being “saved” from adversity I complain about the method of that “salvation.” Rather than being thankful all I can see is the “stink” that is around me. Now you know the boat had to stink! Have you ever been to a zoo? Have you ever driven by a dairy? How about pulling up to a signal light and finding yourself setting next to a livestock truck? Anytime you get several animals together the natural result is going to be a smell. In fact it is going to be a really big, bad smell! A smell that would get more intense and eventually drive a person to a distraction! What do you do? The Ark is the only thing floating. There is no where else to go. Actually the Ark is your salvation. If you hadn’t gotten on board the Ark you would have drowned with everyone else. But now, the Ark is stinking and you are wishing you were anywhere but on the Ark. Been there and done that! I have often prayed prayers that go like this: “God I have got to make heaven no matter the cost and I need your help.” So God looks at me and sees some things in my life that will keep me from heaven and goes to work. Then in the midst of God’s mercy and grace I begin to complain that what God is doing in my life is too painful, it stinks! Another prayer that I have prayed is, “God I want to know you and to be like you. Show me what I need to do.” Again, God takes me at my word and begins to show me what I must do to know him and be like him. However, the cross is heavy, the road is lonely and, well, it just stinks! Yet when I look around me. When I look at all that is happening and going on in my world. I see a lot of destruction! There is so much that is failing! So many are drowning in the cares of life. They have put their hopes and trust in the things of life and all of its assurances only to have it wiped out. I know, the Ark is the only thing floating! So, despite the smell. Irregardless of how uncomfortable it might become I am going to stay in the Ark. I have found safety from the storms of life, in the Ark. I have truly found that I can rise above all adversity in life by remaining in the Ark. I will admit it isn’t always as pleasant as I would like it to be. However, it sure beats trying to tread water. Remember, it is just a thought!

You Might Lose Your Head But Don't Lose Your Heart

“You might lose your head, but don’t lose your heart” ~ Peter. Ok, I just made that up. Peter didn’t really say those words, that we know of. However, Peter did live a life that spoke those words. He dealt with persecution, imprisonment and eventually death. Yet through it all, he never lost his heart. It is so easy, when things are going good, to make statements and promises that are hard to keep during adverse times. Just as Peter did to Jesus. His promise was that even if everyone else left Jesus, he would stay and fight to his death. His intentions were good, he even drew his sword and took a swing at the enemy. However, when the adrenaline stopped flowing and things quieted down, Peter had second thoughts and lost his heart. The wise man tells us in Proverbs to guard our heart because the issues of life come from it. (Pro 4:23) Of course he isn’t speaking of our blood pumper, but the seat of our emotions and thoughts. This is the place many of our decisions are made. The influences of our lives come from our heart. It is from our heart that the voice whispers to us telling us to do something or not to do it. We would do well to be careful what we allow to come into our heart. There is an urgent need to protect our hearts. Not too many years after the night in the garden and the tragic mistake in the courtyard, Peter’s heart is once again put to the test. He is lead before a court and found guilty of preaching about Jesus Christ. The judge condemns him to death and he is led away to his execution. Of course we have no way of knowing but my imagination tells me that Peter’s heart was reminding him of the night so long ago when it had failed him. Oh the shame and frustration that had resulted from the wrong decision. No! It won’t fail him now. He might die for what he believed but he would die willingly. And he did! Yes, we might lose our head. Things might not go the way we planned or hoped that they would. However, we must protect our hearts at all costs. Our heart affects everything I do so I must keep it safe. Remember, it’s just a thought!

We Think Different!

You have probably heard the wise counsel that men think different from women. You might have even read the book that explains how different men and women are in their thinking. In fact the name itself stresses that fact, “Men are from Venus and Women are from Mars” or maybe it is the other way around? If you have been married for very long you know this to be true. Something you might not realize is that we, people, think differently than God thinks. Yes God has created us in his image and likeness. Yet we think differently from the way he thinks. He is infinite in his wisdom and understanding. You and I are very limited in our wisdom and understanding. God lives in the eternal present. We live in the moment. God knows the beginning from the end. I have a hard time knowing what time it is. God is the author and finisher of our faith. I am busy trying to take the hand life has dealt me and make it through today. Yes, we think differently. Realizing the difference in our thinking, God and me, will help me to better deal with life. Understanding that God is thinking on a different level, than I am, will help me to make it through those moments of uncertainty and fear. It will allow me to know the peace of God that is beyond understanding. Remembering God’s ways aren’t always my ways will enable me to trust him and allow God to guard my heart and mind. (Philippians 4:6-7) Let me give you some examples of the differences in the way God thinks and the way that I think: #1 God’s thinking is different from mine. A. Here I am in a storm and I think “Oops! I shouldn’t be here! I have made a bad mistake somewhere that has landed me in this situation.” B. In a storm God thinks, “AWESOME! This is an opportunity to show my love, my mercy and my power. You are right where I want you.” #2 God’s thinking is different from mine. A. I am in a desert place and I think, “I have missed God and I am being punished.” B. In a desert place God thinks, “This is the perfect place to show my sustaining power. Let me teach you that you can rely on my word and prepare you for a ministry and a new level of relationship with me.” #3 God’s thinking is different from mine. A. I see the halt, the blind and the lame and ask, “Who sinned to cause this condition.” B. God sees the same halt, the blind and the lame and says, “No one sinned. This is so they can see my power in him!” #4. God’s thinking is different from mine. A. I see those in need and feel inadequate and lacking. B. God sees those in need and says, “I don’t have anything of earthly value to give you, but I will give you something that will change you life forever!” #5 God’s thinking is different from mine. A. I see myself as wise and insightful. I have it all figured out! B. God sees my wisdom as foolish, weak and worthless. His foolishness is wiser than my greatest wisdom. (1Corinthians 3:19-20) So, again, it comes down to relationship. I have got to learn to trust God in all things. I don’t have to have it all figured out, but I simply have to trust him. When I submit my life and will to God I allow him to have control and being my life to the place he has prepared for me in his kingdom. Paul, in 1Corinthians chapter two tells us that it is the spirit of God that allows us to understand the things of God. Our eyes have never seen and our ears have never heard the things that God has prepared for those that love him. Nevertheless, God will reveal them to us by his spirit. Not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God. The Holy Ghost will teach us the spiritual things that are foolishness to a natural thinking man. We have to change the way in which we think and allow God to renew our minds through his Word and through his Spirit. No, I don’t think like God. My thinking is a lot different from his. Yet I am trying to learn to be like the Psalmist who wrote: “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” (Ps 25:4-5) In other words, Lord, teach me to think like you do. Well, it is just a thought!