tablets of human hearts

“O Lord, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I am in trouble?”
(Psalm 10:1, NLT)

Does God move?

In my Christian discipleship, I had been taught that our holy God cannot be in the presence of sin.  For a long time I accepted that idea as fact.  I’m sure there were proof texts given to me then that seemed to support it.   So, I believed it.   But, I wonder, if God is in a place and sin shows up, does He move?

I had never really thought too much about it over the years, because according to my faith tradition, Christ paid the penalty for my sin and therefore I, made clean by Christ’s sacrifice, can enter God’s presence.  I just had to make sure I confessed my sins in my prayers.

I was also taught that God turned His back on Jesus the day He hung on the cross.  Because Jesus bore the sins of the world, and since our holy God cannot be in the presence of sin, He had to abandon His Son that day.   So, I wonder, if God is in a place and sin shows up, does He turn His back?

In the struggles, trials, lows, and disappointments life often brings, I often wondered, why did the Lord seem so far away?  Was He hiding when I was in trouble?

Recently, I read a book that, in one chapter, explored that very idea.  In He Loves Me, Wayne Jacobsen, asks “Could the Faithful One be unfaithful to his Son at his darkest moment?”

He asks this because of the way Jesus’ cry on the cross “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” has often been taught.   That God indeed turned His back on His Son.

But, Jacobsen rejects the idea that God moved, that God turned His back.  Instead, he says, “Of course not.  Even when Jesus told his disciples that they would all leave him alone, he said he would not be alone for the Father was with him.  I don’t believe for a minute that the Father forsook the Son.  But there could be a vast difference here between what God did and what Jesus perceived.  Jesus undoubtedly felt forsaken, but that doesn’t mean he actually was.”¹

He goes on to say “It is likely at the moment on the cross when God’s wrath was consuming the sin he had become, he couldn’t even see the Father with whom he had shared fellowship through all eternity.  Sin blinded him, and he felt as if God had forsaken him.”

Might that also be true, to a lesser degree, of us? Remember, the Psalms are a cry of the heart.  Might the Psalmist, in the midst of the trouble, only feel as if God was standing far away, that He had hidden Himself?  Might we, also, in the midst of trouble, feel the same way?  Our troubles blinding us and making us feel forsaken.

What a joy to know that our loving Father does neither.  He does not leave us or forsake.  Even when we feel that way, we can confidently say, as the Psalmist declared in the end, “Surely you will hear my cry and comfort my heart by helping me.”

Father, when the darkness closes in, may I still say, “blessed be Your name,” because you never leave me, never forsake me, never leave me in times of trouble.

grace & peace

¹Wayne Jacosen, He Loves Me, pg 126

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.”
(Psalm 9:1, NLT)

Why is it I only find it easy tell others about something marvelous the Lord has done after the fact, but not during?  The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina¹ for example.   While I would not want to go through it all again, I can honestly say I am awed by what the Lord did for me and through me during the months and years following.  He carried me in the lonely days of sorting through the mess and cleaning/salvaging what I could.  He taught me what it meant to trust in Him alone.  He also provided me the strength and sanity needed to survive my time as the children’s director when we had an influx of children from the nearby FEMA trailer park.  While I love organizing, planning and writing lessons, teaching children is not an area I am gifted in.  The kids wore me out.   Truly, Jesus is true to the fact that all who come, weary and burdened, He provides rest (from Matthew 11:28).  The fact that I survived is a testimony of the power of His strength, not mine.  In the end, He wrote each child’s name upon my heart.  And I will tell you, that is a marvelous thing.

One would think, having seen and testified to the things the Lord has done, it would be easy to trust Him.  But often, that’s not the case.  Instead, when a new trial or difficulty rises up, or even something as simple as a disruption to my schedule or plans, I fret and worry.  When I really think about it, it’s not because I don’t believe God can, it’s more a matter of whether He will and whether I trust His decision.

I prayed fervently, as I know many did, for Hurricane Katrina to weaken in strength, but she did not.  I probably begged the Lord to bring someone else along to lead the kids, but He did not (although He did provide a wonderful husband who helped and encouraged me).  Although I know He has done marvelous things, His decisions are not always what I would have chosen.  It’s not until later, when I look back on what He’s done in and through the situation that I say “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart.”

I am trying to change.  I want to be able to trust, from the start, the Lord to do marvelous things.  But I can only do so by allowing God to change the way I think (from Romans 12:2) and then choose to praise Him.

What difficult situations are you in right now?  Are you able to trust that the Lord has done and will do marvelous things?  How might you allow Him to change your thinking in the midst of the situation so you can praise Him with all your heart?

Father, help me choose to praise you at start of my circumstances, in the middle of them, and after, knowing I can trust you to do marvelous things through it all.

¹(side note on Hurricane Katrina: next year is the the 10th anniversary of her visit to the Gulf Coast and I plan to post my email journal of the experience as blogs coinciding with the days I wrote them.

“O our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.”
(Psalm 8:1, NLT)

What’s in a name?  My daughter and her husband are expecting their first baby (and our first grand baby!).  I’m not privy to how long they discussed baby names, but my daughter did tell me the method they used in choosing a name.  Her husband’s full name includes double letters in his first, middle and last names.  Therefore, they decided on a boy’s name and a girl’s name with double letters.  In finding out they are expecting a girl, they creatively divulged to us her name: Scarlette Janelle.

In our culture today, parents choose names for various reasons.  They might pass on a family name, or they may name a child after someone they love or respect, or maybe they just choose a name they like.   Sometimes a name is given because of what the name means.  This was often the practice in the days of Jesus’ birth.

In fact, Jesus’ name held great meaning and was purposefully chosen.  His mother, Mary, visited by an other-wordly being, Gabriel, a messenger of God, was told she would have a son and she was to call him Jesus.

According to behindthename.com, Jesus is the english form of Iesous, the Greek form of the Aramaic name Yeshu’a, which itself is a contracted form of the Hebrew name Yehoshu’a or Joshua, meaning YAHWEH (the Hebrew name for God) is salvation.

So Jesus’ name means God is salvation.

Both Joel 2:32 and Romans 10:13 tell us “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (‭NLT)
How incredible that Jesus name means God is salvation. And how fitting that when we call on His name, we are saved.

The psalmist declares His name fills all the earth.  Where ever we look we see evidence of Him and His glory displayed. So where ever we look, His salvation is revealed to us.

In what ways have you seen evidence of God’s salvation? Do you look elsewhere for saving grace, or are you able to see it in the name of Jesus?

Father, I proclaim that your majestic, saving name fills all the earth, everywhere, including my life. May I look nowhere else but the name of Jesus to be saved.

“I come to you for protection, O my God.
Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!”
(Psalm 7:1, NLT)

I have a confession. I typically do not watch (or read, or listen to) the news. I have my reasons why I do not, but the one I will share today is fear. I feel as if the 24-7-365 news  manipulates us to be in a constant state of fear. Whether it’s terrorist threats, natural disasters, the latest disease outbreak, dangers of cyber thieves or physical thieves, child stalkers, the perils of certain political parties or special interest groups, new discoveries in  medical risks, or dangerous malfunctioning products, the news inundates us with fear.
It’s too much. And it’s overwhelming, at least, for me.

Therefore, I choose not to listen to those who make a living “informing” people of everything they need to fear.  Otherwise, I think I could end up hiding under my bed, refusing to come out and face the perilous world – but then, I’m sure I would find out that there is danger in the (gasp) dust that I’ve allowed to collect under there.

Instead, in the midst of our crazy and fear-filled world, I choose to turn to the Lord and say, “I come to you for protection.”

Certainly I will seek to live wisely and not live in ignorance, for scripture tells us:
“O! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!” (Psalm 90:12 MSG)

And I know that the things we watch and listen to influence us greatly:
“Pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste and health to the body.”  (Proverbs 16:24 HCJB)

But I will not live in fear or be fed by fear. For scripture also tells us:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)

How do you combat the fear mongers?  Where do you find your security? Is it by staying up to date on everything that might harm you? Is it in your insurance policies?  Your home or computer security protection?  The area you choose to live or how you arm yourself? Is it in something else?  Or is it in the knowledge that our Heavenly Father will never leave us nor forsake us?

God my Protector, may I find my safety and security in You. May I not walk in fear, but trust in You in every area of my life. I know this fallen world we live in can be a scary place to live, but I will choose to say “I come to you for protection, O my God.”

“Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage.”
(Psalm 6:1, NLT)

I don’t know about you, but as I parent, I have often lost my cool.  Now that my children are adults (and an almost adult) and I have my first grand baby on the way, I have a bit more perspective.  I didn’t when they were small.  Too often I viewed their bad behavior as an affront to my authority.  Sometimes it was.  Sometimes it was just childishness or a different way of interacting with the world. But it frustrated me regardless.  When they were not in line with my expectations and my agenda, I became angry.  So when I disciplined them, it sometimes included some emotion.   I admit, I lost perspective.  I did not always seek their greater good, but rather mine.  Looking back, I now see the places where I could have done better.  Time and distance provides that.

In contrast, our Heavenly Father always has perspective.   Especially when it comes to our disobedience to His authority and our childishness.  From our vantage point, we may think He acts out of anger when we’re not in line with His expectations and His agenda, but that is far from the truth.  He always acts out of a position of love and compassion for us and He always seeks our greater good.

As I parent, I really did want what was best for my children, even though I might not have known the best way to achieve it. However, our Heavenly Father does and He continually directs us, guides, and even disciplines us perfectly, because He loves us.

“My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”
(Proverbs 3:11-12, NLT and reiterated in Hebrews 12:5-6)

Heavenly Father, thank You for your love and your patience with me. You are good and what you do is good (Psalm 119:68). Help me to see everything You do through the eyes of Your love for me.