Where is he?

Every time Emerald and I walk downstairs at my house, we encounter a Scripture verse on the wall: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) Every time, we stop on step #5, point to each word in the verse, and together try to repeat them.

Our verseIt goes like this: I start by saying, “For we…” and Emerald chimes in with a loud, “WALK!” and I continue, “by faith, not by…” and she hollers, “SIGHT!” Then we share a laugh and continue down the steps.

But walking by faith rather than by sight is no laughing matter. It’s difficult even for a seasoned Christian – not difficult to understand, but exceedingly difficult to do.

Many of us struggle intensely with the not-seeing part, especially those of us who are visual learners. For us, seeing is believing. But God’s instruction is just the opposite: the believing must precede the seeing.

The other day while driving, I listened to an archived interview by a preacher named Vance Havner. He said, “When people say ‘God is nowhere,’ Christians should split that word in two and say, ‘God is now-here.’ ”

Vance HavnerHe went on to list the common complaints of people he had encountered, people who wondered why God didn’t show up when they fell on hard times or had relational problems or suffered from diseases. He explained how he used to say, “Yes, times are tough, but look Who’s here!”

His point was that our response to suffering shouldn’t be grounded in logic. A Christian’s willingness to live by faith has to be based on Who’s doing the talking rather than on what’s being said. For example, take Emerald’s and my stairwell verse. No one would choose a wait-and-see reality over seeing-it-now, but that’s what God wants us to do, for a good reason.

If we live a life of believing before seeing, our faith in him will benefit from a continual growth spurt. Living by faith rather than sight is the quickest way to gain faith-weight. He challenges us to set aside the logical laws of cause and effect that scream, “God’s not going to come through for you!” and develop instead a willingness to wait for a sight of him. When we finally gasp and say, “Oh! That was him putting those pieces together like that!” our faith gains new muscle.

It isn’t easy, but it’s oh so worth it. And though Emerald thinks our stairway recitation is just a happy game, one day I hope she’ll understand that rich rewards will come to her if she’ll just try to live by the 8 words on our stairwell wall.

“Faith is…. the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Mary: “I’m praising the Lord for a wonderful visit from my old prayer group this morning, and also for safe travel for family members returning from Arkansas today.”

An Early Thanksgiving

A week ago I blogged about our 3 pumpkins, all of which were coveted by a neighborhood squirrel but remained untouched. We couldn’t figure it out till we realized he couldn’t trust the clear glass table to hold him. Though he ran along the railings and could easily have jumped, he never did.

Still trying

Until it snowed.

The thinnest covering of snow suddenly made the table appear solid, and even as the storm continued, the squirrel made his railing-to-table leap and dug in.

The banquet of lifeTiny bits of white pumpkin seeds flew as he nibbled, filling his cheeks with the moist “meats” he’d been craving for weeks.

Once the first pumpkin had been emptied, he moved on to the second…. and yesterday, the third.

 

As I worked at cleaning house for Thanksgiving, I passed the windows many times, always glancing toward the picnic table.

Hard workerHe was there, then gone, then there, then gone, as he made multiple runs to his nest to “wallpaper” it with winter’s food stocks.

Scripture speaks to the benefits of diligence, using ants as an upstanding example of industrious behavior. God wants us to notice the unending parade of tireless workers who labor throughout the summer and well into the fall, stockpiling food. Proverbs then adds, “The ant has no commander, no overseer or ruler,” yet the entire colony works together to accomplish its common goal. (6:7-8) Impressive indeed.

Three's the charm.The writer of Proverbs also says that if we consider the ants (in other words, study them and adopt their habits), we will “be wise.” (6:6) So we’re to conclude, then, that planning ahead and conscientiously acting on those plans is godly wisdom.

Diligence is a character trait highly prized in the Bible. References are made to being diligent in our study of the Word, in our work, in helping the needy, in pursuing godliness, in our leadership roles, in being examples to others, and most importantly, in obeying whatever God tells us to do.

If this seems like an awful lot of hard work, Proverbs also says that when we follow through diligently, the Lord will see to it we’re rewarded.

Banquet participantAs for our backyard squirrel, I had planned to set the pumpkins in the yard for his Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, but by way of his diligence, he got to start his feasting ahead of time.

“The desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” (Proverbs 13:4)

 

 

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Praise for a safe trip to Arkansas, despite lots of traffic and snow!
  2. Please pray that in these next 5 days I’ll be able to maximize opportunities to talk about eternity and God, especially with the younger generation.
  3. Pray I’ll have the energy and strength to participate in all the group activities, especially with our 10 grandchildren. The oldest (twins) turned 13 today!

God’s Waiting Room

Life is full of waiting. We wait for paperwork to arrive in the mail, investments to grow, and phone calls to come. We wait for our kids to graduate, our incomes to go up, and the scale to go down. We wait in government offices, theater lobbies, bus stops, and airports.

None of us are any good at waiting. We want results, and we want them yesterday. With the whole world on fast-forward, it irritates us to have to push the pause button, especially when anxiety is running high.

WaitingThe waiting rooms of doctors’ offices might just as accurately be called “anxiety rooms.” As a person waits, she may have an open magazine on her lap, but her mind is far away, pondering the what-ifs. Whether we’re upset about new symptoms, waiting for a specific diagnosis, or wondering what our treatment will be, the feeling is the same: apprehension.

I remember waiting to hear what was physically wrong with Nate, wondering if our lives might radically change with what we would be told. Mary had to wait, too, through 6 long months of chemo and the scans that followed, to find out what was happening inside her body.

Tomorrow Mary, Bervin, and Luke will move into yet another waiting room as they meet with Mary’s oncologist to discuss any remaining options available to her. And as a result of whatever they’ll learn, in a sense she’ll be waiting again.

I have a friend who also had cancer and suffered through lots of nervous waiting. Asking for prayer as she awaited information, she sent a group email that included an interesting choice of words: “I’m in God’s waiting room.”

The minute I read that I knew she was going to rise above her circumstances, because she had lined up with God’s sovereignty over her life, even a life involving cancer. Mary has done the same, and Nate did, too. No fidgeting while waiting, no “why me,” no “how could you!” and no anger. Sure, all of them had questions and struggled with nervousness, but they fixed their gaze on their all-wise heavenly Father as they waited.

God's waiting roomWhile the world’s waiting rooms are marked by angst and dread, God’s waiting room has divine purposes for each occupant. Instead of magazines to read, he offers security. Instead of stale coffee, he hands out contentment. Instead of frayed nerves, he provides peace.

When we learn of cancer, life comes to a screeching halt, but God never stands still. He continues to energetically put a plan in motion that will eventually pour considerable blessing into people, even those with cancer, and especially those who commit to obedient stays in his waiting room.

“Since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” (Isaiah 64:4)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Pray for clarity and wisdom tomorrow in the 2:00 meeting with the oncologist (and the wait beforehand).
  2. I praise God for a delightful day spent with my two siblings, Tom and Margaret. […tomorrow’s blog]