Peace Is a Choice

“Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul [is] even as a weaned child.” (Ps 131:2 AV)

Is that even possible?  How is it possible to be completely at peace and contented of heart?  A weaned child with a dry diaper is the most peaceful creature you will ever see.  When he or she decides to stop fussing, they are beyond beautiful.  The writer of the psalms tells us this is something he has chosen to do.  It is not an unavoidable reaction to circumstances about him.  He has chosen to behave and quiet himself.  To stress the point, this is a choice.  Not a reaction.

I have had my share of weaning children.  Bottle feeding gives a dad the experience of bonding with his son or daughter.  What I do know is that having a full tummy is not the only reason a child behaves himself and becomes quiet.  Even a burped tummy alone does not to it.  It is common for a baby to fuss even after his diaper is changed and he is no longer hungry.  There are times when he fights the need to sleep.  They are miserable because they are tired, but will not surrender themselves to sleep.  They are more overwhelmed by the feeling of exhaustion than they are getting the sleep that fixes it.  So, they are agitated.  Often, they have to cry themselves to sleep.  It is amazing how much we do not learn this lesson.  We look at a baby who is fussing because they need a nap and envy them for the liberty they have to sleep as much as they want.  If they only knew how blessed they were to sleep anytime and anyplace their heart desired.  We almost chuckle at the fuss they are making, knowing that if they would settle down and close their eyes, they would feel better.  As toddlers age, they still fight the sleepy bug.  They want to stay up.  They want to be grown up.  They sleep only when they no longer can fight it.  The picture above is of a child who chooses to settle down and slow down so that sleep overtakes him. 

Rest and contentment are something to which we surrender.  They are not forces that come against our will.  Generally speaking, that is.  Rest can come at the end of an accident.  Contentment can come by way of a coma.  But for the most part, rest and contentment come because we choose to behave and quiet ourselves.  We choose to rest in the person and provision of God.  We choose to let God be God.  Like a child who hugs his parent as they limp off to sleep, they resign to the care and love of another.  Exhaustion may not be comfortable.  It may not be something we enjoy.  But resting in the presence of Almighty God is the answer to a discontented and exhausted spirit.  Like a child who becomes quiet and still at the sound of his mother’s voice or lullaby, we need to rest in prayer and the hymns, reminding ourselves of the promises of His word, while praying ourselves back to peace.  There will always be trouble.  There were always be trials.  The diaper does get messy.  Hunger will come again.  But life doesn’t always have to be about the negative.  It can and should be about the LORD.

Never Too Little to Make a Difference

“And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, [purposing] to kill thee.” (Ge 27:42 AV)

Who told Rebekah?  We will never know.  It impresses me how many times the course of human history turns on the obedience or faith of someone who we will never know.  Like the midwife who attended the birth of Jesus and verified it was a virgin birth.  She is never mentioned as even being there.  Yet, someone had to verify the virgin birth in order that Isaiah’s prophecy could be published.  Above, we have someone telling Rebekah that Esau intended to kill Jacob.  If Jacob dies without children, the promise to Abraham and Isaac never comes to pass.  God becomes a liar.  So, whoever it was that let Rebekah know of Esau’s intention saved the nation of Israel before it even began.  I am sure there are countless people like this who changed the world, and they never had any inclination their life amounted to much.  Perhaps the above individual was a simple house servant.  Perhaps an attendant to Esau and his wives overheard a rant of Esau to his spouses and this simple servant, who was partial to Jacob’s life, let Rebekah know.  Whoever it was made a simple decision that kept God’s eternal plan in force.

We may think our life is not significant, but every part is important in the overall plan of God.  One of our favorite Christmas movies is It’s a Wonderful Life.  It is a story of a man brought to the brink and wishes he was never born.  He gets that wish and can see how much different to world would be if he didn’t exist.  The world would be a much different place.  In the same vein, our life matters.  It doesn’t matter if we are a world-changer or a simple servant who attends to the needs of God’s principal actors.  To name a few more, there is the servant girl who tells Naaman the leper where he can go for cleansing by the man of God.  There is the butler who remembers Joseph.  There is the scribe who hid away the book of Jeremiah that we might have it today.  What of the two young men who risked their lives to inform David of Absalom’s plans?  The Bible tells of many facts of God’s sovereign hand that could not have happened without unsung heroes serving faithfully in the duties to which they were called.

Had this unnamed individual above remained quiet, he or she would have occasioned the death of a father of Israel before he met his wives and had twelve sons.  Had he or she thought it not his or her place to say something, then Israel never comes into being.  Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob are the center of the event.  To that there is no dispute.  But for them to be used of God, there was a support system of others who did their part.  As a pastor, I appreciate all the little things people do for the success of God’s work.  Often overlooked, these people are the backbone of God’s hand.  They ensure the pieces are in place for the plan of God to go forward.  They often go unnoticed until they fail to do what they have always done.  A sidewalk is covered in ice because someone didn’t spread salt.  But if that salt was sown and the walkway clear, little notice was given.  So, thank you for your faithfulness.  The work of God cannot go on without your silent and hidden contribution to it.  Thank you.  You mean more to the plan of God than you might ever realize.

Never Destitute

“And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I [being] in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” (Ge 24:27 AV)

Usually, sermons are written around being in the way.  But the servant says something very profound immediately proceeding that statement.  No child of God is ever completely destitute.  Never.  Mercy and truth are abundant for God’s children.  We may lack health.  We may suffer for material wants or comforts.  We may need human companionship.  Our house or car might need repair.  But no matter how long the list of earthly needs may grow, we are never destitute.  As long as we have God’s mercy and truth, we have more than we need!

I have to brag on a fellow believer.  This dear saint is facing the end of life.  He has had failing health for a long time.  Having once served his country as a US Marine, he loves his country and he loves his God.  Now laying in a bed waiting for the inevitable, he has suffered several strokes.  An artist by hobby, he has painted and sculpted many works.  However, if there is one thing most people know about him, it is his quirky sense of humor.  Every day he sends me a joke or two.  Even in his miserable condition, he seeks to make other people laugh.  I went to visit him in the hospital, and the last time I saw him, he wasn’t doing so well.  Mostly out of it, all he wanted to do was sleep.  It was difficult having a discussion with him.  All he wanted was to graduate to heaven.  He wanted to see his LORD and Savior, face to face.  My most recent visit was met with a bit of improvement.  He still lay in bed in the same position he has been for two weeks.  This time, however, I was met with a laugh and a smile.  When I think of a destitute person, this man comes to mind.  He owns nothing.  He has no family to speak of.  He has few friends.  Some good friends.  But compared to most of us, he has nothing.  What he does have is a deep belief in the mercy and truth of God.  He may be worldly destitute.  By far, he is not spiritually so.

The servant makes related observation.  He states that God had not left Abraham in the state of destitution.  This could mean that because Isaac did not have a wife and the promise of a seed through Isaac seemed unlikely, Abraham felt destitute.  Time and the hand of God proved him wrong.  God will not leave us destitute of His mercy and His truth.  In context, the truth is the promise God made to Abraham.  It may seem like God is not providing, comforting, leading, edifying, etc.  What we observe is not reflective of reality.  It was all in God’s timing.  God will not leave His children destitute of His mercy and His truth.  They will abound.  The love of God can do no less.

Consider the Possibility

“And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father [is] old, and [there is] not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.” (Ge 19:31-32 AV)

The words above are from one of the two remaining daughters of Lot.  They witnessed four of the five cities of the plain destroyed by the fire of God.  They left Zoar to flee to the mountains.  It is there the two daughters fear there will be no man left by whom they might bear children.  Where did they get that idea?  It occurred to me that Lot had two daughters and Abraham had two sons.  The reason for their separation no longer existed.  Lot abandoned shepherding for the city life.  He no longer had herds or manservants.  Why not return to Abraham?  Or, at the very least, why not seek God’s permission to do so?  Lot left the protection of God’s people.  He went to the plain of Jordan and eventually became a dweller in Sodom.  It was there that his family began to intermarry with the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Lot has so compromised himself that he was willing to offer his two daughters to the perverted desires of the homosexual citizenry.  I thought, what a shame.  One cannot know for sure, but it has to be asked, what would have happened if Lot returned to Abraham?  Would repentance and reconciliation have halted the fearful act of incest?  Would the enemies of Israel never been born?  It is not a coincidence that Abraham had two sons and Lot had two daughters.  Lot was so far removed from knowing right from wrong that he never saw it.

We have to be a bit careful here and not assert that God’s perfect will for Ishmael and Isaac were the two daughters of Lot.  We simply do not know, nor may ever know.  What we do want to consider is the possibility.  There was no guarantee that Lot’s daughters would become daughters-in-law to Abraham.  What we do know is that Abraham had two sons and a slew of servants.  Provision for husbands and descendants was in the camp of Abraham.  One also has to wonder if Lot knew about Abraham.  Did Lot keep in contact with him?  Was he aware that Ishmael was within just a few years of marrying and that God had promised another son?  I guess what impressed me is that Lot never considered God’s provision.  He never did his entire adult life.  He went after what was best instead of what was best for him.  He retired to wicked cities because it was more convenient.  When the LORD told him to go to the mountains, he asked to go to Zoar instead.  When fear gripped him, we went to the mountain as God first instructed.  But it wasn’t a choice of obedience or conviction.  It was a choice of fear and pragmatism. 

We saw a bit earlier how Lot chose God’s best, but it wasn’t best for him.  Now we see God sending Lot toward Abraham, and again, he fought it.  Departing to the mountains was toward Abraham.  The only mountains accessible to Lot were to the west.  Back toward Abraham.  In the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot was given a chance to turn around.  Rather than trust the LORD and choose wisely, Lot missed God’s best for him again and, as a result, fathered two sons by his daughters while he lay drunk in his tent.  I know.  You might be thinking I am making too much out of a coincidence.  Perhaps.  But nothing is by chance.  God directs it all.  Lot had two daughters by His divine hand.  Abraham had two sons by His divine hand.  This is not a random event in history nor the simple result of a natural world.  God told Lot to go in a specific direction.  Out of fear, he rejected.  Now, out of fear, his daughters never married.  They had one son apiece by their father.  They were doomed to live a life they feared the most.  Why?  Because they would not consider that God knows best and maybe, just maybe, there is provision for a need waiting in the wings.

Witnessing The Ugly Is Necessary

“And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;” (Ge 18:17 AV)

The LORD is referring to the destruction of the cities of the plain.  He is speaking of the fire from heaven that will burn up Sodom, Gomorrah, and two other cities.  Lot is living therein.  He left the well-watered plain of Jordan to cohabit with the wicked of the world.  He failed to raise his family in the fear of God and is now in peril.  God asks the rhetorical question of enlightening Abraham as to God’s wrath upon a people.  His contemplation is founded upon Abraham’s future as a nation.  By allowing Abraham to witness the destruction of four cities, God is showing Abraham the consequences to people groups that hate God.  This is not a matter of ignorance.  Abraham had the accounts of Noah’s flood and the tower of Babel as a reference.  In fact, it was the escape of Noah that set a precedent Abraham would use to barter for Lot and his family.  God will not judge the righteous with the wicked.  God delivered Noah prior to the flood.  Therefore, if Lot and his family were righteous, then God must ethically spare Sodom and Gomorrah.  What Abraham knew intellectually, he must now witness experientially.  He needs to see it so he can pass down to his descendants the knowledge of the severity of rejecting God.

We may not like to look at horrific things, but often they are a warning to those of us who will learn.  Seeing the end of a life-style caused disease might change the course of someone contemplating the same choices.  Many years ago, there were PSA commercials using graphic ideas to prove a point.  One of them showed an intact egg compared to an egg that was broken and frying.  The tagline said, “This is your brain (the intact egg).  This is your brain on drugs (the frying egg).”  Even today, there are PSA announcements that warn against smoking.  These ads feature a cancer patient suffering from lung cancer or throat cancer.  The warning is clear.  Make the same choices, and you might end up the same way.  Visiting many people in the hospital and serving as a chaplain, I can honestly say there have been cases that have cured me from certain behaviors.  We may not want to look at the ugly.  We may want to turn our heads away from the unsavory.  In doing so, we miss an opportunity to learn a lesson.

I am sure that as Sodom and Gomorrah burned, Abraham suffered many emotions.  The loss of human life alone had to be difficult to bear.  Knowing that his nephew was among those who were incurring the wrath of God had to make it all the worse.  I don’t know how far away he was, but he may have heard the screams of those meeting their end.  There is no indication that Abraham knew of Lot’s fate.  Even if he did, it was tragic.  Lot lost all but two daughters, and those two daughters had sons by their father.  God did not hide the ugly truth from Abraham.  Why?  Because Abraham was to be the father of a great nation, and he needed to know what happens to nations that hate God.  When I think of this, I think of our own nation.  Once a great nation that was settled in biblical values and spreading the gospel throughout the world, we have failed to learn the lessons of history.  We export filth and immorality.  As we go, so goes the world.  We failed to learn the lessons of Greece and Rome.  We failed to learn the lessons of Noah’s flood or Israel diaspora.  We believe ourselves to be immune from the wrath of God.  Not so.  As individual saints, we too lose the lessons that the lives of others teach.  If we learned, then sin would be less of a problem.

The Best May not Be For Us

“And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it [was] well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, [even] as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.” (Ge 13:10 AV)

The plain to which Lot desired to go is compared to the Garden of Eden.  This is prime real estate.  Lot and his uncle, Abraham, had a falling out.  The LORD was blessing them both.  They had increase in flocks.  They needed more pasture and water than what they possessed.  This resulted in the workmen between the two households striving with one another over limited resources.  Being older and wiser, Abraham suggested they part households and Lot have first choice of where he wanted to settle.  Abraham would trust the LORD following Lot’s choice.  Whatever Lot chose, Abraham would go the opposite direction.  Lot looks over the pasture to the east and decides it is perfect land wherein he could increase his household.  The plain was lush with pasture, and there was every reason to believe they would lack for nothing if he chose it.  The plain of Jordan was compared to the Garden of Eden.  It was perfect in every way.  Except for one.  The plain of Jordan was too close to five wicked cities of the Gentiles.  Eventually, because Lot chose the best, he lost his everything.  Sometimes the best is not best for us.

Further evidence that the best may not be the best for us is the comparison of the plain of Jordan with the land of Egypt.  I have been watching a series hosted by an archeologist who travels the world looking for answers to the mysteries in history.  He has looked for evidence of myths and legends passed down through hundreds or thousands of years.  In one episode, he was looking for evidence of the Norse Vikings' presence on the North American continent that predates the voyage of Christopher Columbus.  Another episode looked into the history of henges like Stonehenge.  He is an honest host who doesn’t push way-out theories like aliens or the supernatural.  It is refreshing.  Currently, I am watching a series on three female Pharaohs of Egypt.  History records their existence, but archaeological evidence is scarce.  In particular, he is looking for their tombs.  Being Pharaohs, it is puzzling they were lost to time.  No one knows where their remains rest.  In this episode, he travels the Nile.  His words reflect the words of Genesis.  He observes the beauty of the Nile and then calls it paradise.  Four thousand years later, from Lot to present day, the Nile is considered equal to Eden.  The plain of Jordan reflects the same.  The problem with the Nile is that it became the foundation of a wicked and false religion.  What God gave to be enjoyed, man turned to sin.  God’s best was a stumbling block to wicked men.  Sometimes, the best is not the best for us.

Why didn’t the LORD allow Adam and Eve to remain in the Garden of Eden?  Why drive them from it?  It was the best possible place of them.  Why not allow them to enjoy a garden already provided and do nothing more than care for it?  Why drive them from it and require Adam to till his own land and plant his own garden?  Because sometimes God’s best is not the best of us.  Why did God drive the people from the tower of Babel?  After all, combining talents, knowledge, etc would advance the human race much quicker than if they were separated by distance and culture.  Because sometimes, God’s best is not the best for us.  Why was it that Lot was removed to a mountain rather than another city where his daughters might find husbands and he might find a wife?  Why was Leah a better wife to Jacob than Rachel?  Why call a family away from relatives to start fresh from an untamed land like Canaan?  Why have a nation cross Jordan and fight for every inch of land when they could have survived in the wilderness just fine?  Why does God without what seems to be better and ask us to settle for what seems like less?  Because God’s best may not be the best for us.  Lot did not learn that lesson.  Abraham did.  Lot lost his family and eventually his life.  Abraham gained a nation.

Precious Bedtime!

“Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.” (Ps 4:4 AV)

Bedtime is the most precious part of my day.  Both falling asleep and rising in the morning are special.  It is where the world comes to complete silence and my spirit is unabated as I ascend the holy mountain into the presence of God.  Bedtime is when deep examination of the heart takes place.  It is the time when the Spirit has my undivided attention and conversation comes quite easy.  Bedtime is the silence that keeps all other voices silent and the voice of God speaks.  Bedtime is when the LORD allows me to share all that I think and feel while He responds in a still small voice.  The quietness of bedtime is when the Spirit has freedom to bring to my mind scriptures which I know, but seldom draw upon.  It is when He can remind me of truths that He has taught and by which He has led me.  The quiet time of late night and early morning is what the Adversary is the furthest, the flesh is not yet enlivened, and the soul is uncaged to pursue the presence of God.  It is when sin becomes clear, confession becomes concise, and forsaking becomes consummate.  The stillness of the late evening and early morning is the most profitable, and by far, it is when the LORD does his most significant work

I grew up in a large family.  This meant we never had a room of our own.  We shared it with a at least two more siblings.  What this also meant was that bedtime was a time when we had conversations, we didn’t want our parents to hear.  When we were young, the conversations were foolishness and often got us in trouble.  As we aged, our conversations became more intimate.  School problems, family issues, parent frustrations, or girl trouble were common topics.  Perhaps we were fighting a battle at our part-time job or needed to negotiate our shared living space.  In the night, when our parents were not around, we could speak of things that were intimate and often made us vulnerable.  It was during those times when the closeness of siblings became even stronger.  We share what is on our hearts knowing there is respect and affirmation coming from the bunk below or above.  Sibling rivalries seem to melt away when there is a tear or two coming from your brother’s eyes because the girl he really liked decided he wasn’t worth her time.  Fear was abated when your older brother affirmed that you would be just fine.  He went through the same thing and turned out ok.

Each night is a special night.  There have been tears but also joy.  Rebuke and correction come.  But so does affirmation.  The presence of God is far clearer when the lights go out and all one hears is the breath of your spouse as they fall into sleep.  There might be a chuckle as the LORD reveals just how ridiculous I am being at the moment.  There is Spirit lead teaching as He shows me how to look at a situation or doctrine a bit differently.  In the quietness of the night and early morning hours, when upon my bed I lie, the presence of God is something I ache for.  The Spirit of God is a reminder of what awaits in glory!  The quietness of the night brings heaven infinitely closer, and the soul reaches out for the presence and glory of God.  He is so real when the world becomes silent.  He is so real when the mind, heart, and soul are completely focused on fellowship with Him.  His voice is so clear.  The word of God is so vibrant.  The quietness of the bed is when God often does His most significant work.