Category Archives: Hearing from God

Forceful Winds

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It’s been quite a week for the eastern third of our country. Hurricane Sandy has caused billions in damages and took more than 50 lives. Even knowing ahead of time the storm was on its way didn’t give people the capacity to avoid disaster. Human beings are no match for the violent forces of nature.

Even where I live, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, 1000 miles from the east coast, Sandy stirred up 55 mph winds and 20’ waves. Louisa and I could barely stay on our feet as we collected our beach chairs at the waterfront before they could blow away.

Wind is an interesting phenomenon. Though it’s invisible, we have no trouble seeing what it does. Scripture sometimes uses wind as a symbol for God’s Spirit. When the disciples first received this 3rd member of the Trinity, he came into their room via the sound of a “violent wind,” which eventually empowered them to work miracles and save souls for Christ.

God factored into that important occurrence of wind, but does he have anything to do with the wild winds of Hurricane Sandy? If he created the world and set the forces of nature in motion, why does he allow such uncontrolled weather to harm people, places, and things when he could stop it with a word? Scripture tells us stormy winds “do his bidding,” (Psalm 148:8, Luke 8:25), and we’ve seen Jesus demonstrate that. (Mark 4:39)

We also learn that God has storehouses full of wind (Psalm 135:7), he rides on the wind (Psalm 104:3), and he uses wind as his messenger (Psalm 104:4). If the wind is his messenger, what is his message? What, if anything, has he been trying to say through the mayhem of Sandy?

No natural disaster occurs without God hoping the losses and damage will prompt people to turn to him, especially those who’ve never been interested in him in the past. To them he offers the fresh wind of his Spirit, who is willing to come into their lives and rescue them. He hopes the intense needs left in the wake of a hurricane will bring them close to him.

And for those of us who already know him, he uses natural disasters in two ways: (1) as a tool to blow away our stale faith the way cool breezes clean out a room, and (2) as momentum for us to help others in trouble.

When Louisa and I tried to walk at the beach this week, the force of Sandy’s winds pushed us into an involuntary run. The power to move fast didn’t come from within us but from the driving energy behind us, and that’s exactly how the Spirit hopes to forcefully move in all of our lives… if only we’ll let him.

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

The Power of Love

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Those of us who are mothers know the sacrificial nature of mother-love. As I watch Birgitta relate to her 3-day-old infant Emerald, I’m reminded again of this potent emotion and what it looks like. For a 22 year old single mom, as for most new moms, it translates to a happy willingness to suffer for her child: inconvenience, sleeplessness, hunger, thirst, lack of a shower, and always putting self last. Birgitta’s love for her little girl is a 1 Corinthians 13 love for sure.

From J. B. Phillips New Testament translation, her love…

  • is slow to lose patience (i.e. never)
  • looks for a way to be constructive (and how to handle Emerald best)
  • is not possessive (willingly shares Emerald with the rest of us)
  • isn’t anxious to impress (by bragging)
  • doesn’t have an inflated idea of her own importance (never complaining about fatigue or lack of time for herself)
  • has good manners (treats her little one with respect and kindness)
  • does not pursue selfish advantage (feeds her first)
  • isn’t touchy (tries to understand the need behind baby’s fussing)
  • doesn’t keep account of evil (by dismissing the criticisms of others)
  • is glad when truth prevails (and thankful when others see her child as the blessing she is)
  • knows no limit to its endurance (smiles at Emerald, despite exhaustion)
  • knows no end to its trust (being sure God will help her to be a good mom)
  • knows no fading of its hope (expecting the best of her mother-daughter relationship)
  • can outlast anything! (and never fade)

Acting this way toward Emerald seems easy for Birgitta. It’s what she wants to do more than anything else. But 1 Corinthians 13 wasn’t meant just for new moms, and using it in other contexts isn’t always that easy. God’s intention is for us to act in the above ways in all circumstances and toward all people.

In other words, he wants us to sacrificially love everyone. That includes those who rub us the wrong way or bring us grief and even those we’d classify as our enemies, which is a great deal more difficult than loving a newborn. First Corinthians 13 also tells us that no matter what accomplishments we make in life, no matter how righteous our attitudes or deeds, if our M.O. isn’t love we’ve done nothing worthy of praise.

Those are strong words we’ll spend a lifetime trying to live up to. But while we’re trying, I know one new mom and baby who might be a powerful inspiration.

“Love is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.” (1 Corinthians 13:8)

 

 

Arrested by God

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Recently I received a long letter laced with powerful criticisms. My immediate response was a racing heart, followed by a passionate desire to defend myself against the charges.

That is, until God tapped on my brain and said, “Isn’t some of that true?”

Feeling like a child who’d been put in her proper place, I had to answer yes. But was I supposed to do nothing after reading a letter like that? As always, God was ready with an answer. “I’ll let you know what to do.”

That same afternoon I picked up the Duggar’s book A Love That Multiplies and opened to where I’d last dog-eared the page several weeks ago. Wouldn’t you know, the next chapter was, “Coping with Criticism.” Some might call it coincidence, but I call it God.

People who watch cable TV all seem to have an opinion about the Duggar family. Since they’re following scriptural guidelines to run their family (19 children) and businesses, they’ve garnered both criticism and praise from the watching public. I admire them for going against the grain of society and loudly proclaiming they believe the Bible contains the answer to every problem.

As I read how they cope with criticism, I realized they were in the big leagues of disapproval, receiving many scathing emails daily (sprinkled among the complimentary ones). In my case, I was dealing with only one letter.

Michelle Duggar (the mom) said, “Criticism always hurts, especially when it’s true,” which was exactly what I was feeling. But then she said, “That’s an opportunity for growth.”

I knew she was right. So, if I would allow God to break down my pride, improvement could be made. If I wouldn’t, it couldn’t.

Jim Bob (the dad) wrote, “When criticisms are true, we can learn from them if we stop ourselves from defending or justifying our actions. If they’re lies, we can learn how to correctly respond according to the Bible.” Then he added that he and Michelle teach their children never to argue with their attackers but (gulp) to pray for them instead.

So God had followed through, letting me know how to respond to both true criticisms and false ones. But there was more. Both Michelle and Jim Bob agreed that criticisms ought to be viewed not only as something to work around but as blessings, quoting Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you…. ” (Matthew 5:11)

So God’s instructions were to skip self-defense, work on correcting what’s been rightly criticized, pray for my accuser, and consider myself blessed to have received the letter. Then he wants me to turn my reputation over to him. As Michelle said, “We obey God… and don’t worry about what others think.”

“Pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)