Making a Way

Making a Way

So often we find ourselves praying and praying for something to happen, for some kind of breakthrough. We try to counsel people who are struggling with the very issues we're struggle with and have no answer.  This is where I've been for a while now. 

I have faith that God hears me, He hears us all and has a plan, but at this time in life I just can't see it or understand it. My faith is sometimes shaken and giving advice to others who share this struggle is difficult. So, I continue in His word and don't give up praying. I've been reading in the Old Testament lately and have been learning how much God is constantly chasing us, making a way to stay close to us, bless us, and shed light in the darkness around us. Our human state often keeps us blinded to that very truth. 

In the Book of Numbers, while God's people were passing near the land of Moab, they were grumbling and rebelling in the wilderness. The King of Moab gets worried about all of them passing through his territory and hires a pagan sorcerer, Balaam to pronounce curses over Israel. Three different times, he tries and all he can do is bless them, God won't allow others to curse His people. See Genesis 12:2-3 talks about his children receiving blessings and warning against those who curse them. In fact Balaam also received a vision of the future king of Israel, the same one mentioned in Genesis 49. 

God has made a way many times over for His people to have a relationship with Him: Starting with, taking His people out of bondage in Egypt, followed by making a covenant at Mt. Sinai. After the people rebelled, He had a tabernacle built and priests to attend to it and be a go-between He and His people. Again, the very people God wants so much to be in a relationship with, continues to pull away from Him, complain He isn't doing enough, and rebel. It's been a continuing cycle throughout the ages. 

While the people who call themselves followers of Christ act like the people of Israel of the Old Testament, discontent, grumbling, and complaining,  God is still on the scene working on our behalf. And like Israel at that time, we don't even realize it. We think God doesn't hear or isn't working. The fact is we don't even have any idea what is happening behind the scenes on our behalf. Like the unseen enemy trying to curse Israel, there are unseen enemies around us trying to discourage and keep us in a mental state of defeat. The battle around us rages on to protect and defend us. Yet, we question God and His motives and concerns for our lives.

We as a Western culture are so unaware of the spiritual realm that surrounds us and wages war on our earthly and eternal lives. As the times get closer to the return of Jesus it will just get worse. But, God always creates new ways to have encounters with His creation, we need to seek them out and continue to draw near to Him. In James 4:8 were told if we draw near to God he'll draw near to us. In the end we want to be counted as "they who have won the battle and those who have stood the test!"

In Daniel 10 an angel  appears to a very weary Daniel after he was loosing hope, feeling discouraged, and poured out his soul praying and humbling himself before God and fasting, because he felt a prayer wasn't getting answered quick enough. It took 21 days! I know you and I have waited longer for answered prayer. However, the point is, the three week delay was not because God took that long to hear Daniel's prayer or answer it. He hears our prayers instantly, often before we finish saying it out loud. Why did it take so long, you ask?

The reason the angel or messenger of God was detained in bringing an answer to Daniel's prayer and letting him know God does hear him was because a spiritual being called "the prince of the kingdom of Persia" stood against him. And the reason this angelic messenger got free from this opposition was because the angel Michael came to help him. Read Daniel 10:12 Among the supernatural beings opposed to God, at least one is assigned to a territory or, more accurately, to a kingdom, namely, Persia in this case. It's understood that his job is to blind the people of Persia to keep a vail over their eyes and harden their hearts keeping them from knowing the truth and the light of God's Word. If that is true for Persia then, it is safe to say that it is true for all nations today. 

As we follow the story,  the angel is going back to fight against the prince of the kingdom of Persia and defeat him. Then, another enemy, a great spirit or dare we say demon, the prince of Greece rises up, see verse 20.  This shows as different kingdoms rise and fall it is because of the battle raging on in the spirit world. What happens there is reflected here! We take part in this battle with the power of prayer that activates the whole battle armor mentioned in Ephesians 6:10-18. I wrote about this battle armor of God in an earlier blog. We must take part in the battle if we want to see God's angels accomplishing His purpose and His will to be done!

Today there is a legion, an army of powerful evil spirits, demons with assignments from Satan himself over kingdoms like the book of Daniel mentioned in Persia and Greece. Satan even tempted Jesus, so don't think we are above temptation. Don't be tempted into believing the lies of the devil that God doesn't hear or answer prayers, or that you are insignificant. Also, don't be tricked into to believing demons are weak, at the same time, don't fear them as if they were stronger than Jesus. 

Remember what happened in Luke 4:5-6? The devil took Jesus up on top of a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world: "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” The devil may have influence and power in this world but, he does not have victory and his power is limited. God's power is infinite and always at work for our good. 

What Satan means for evil God always uses for good. Just like the time of Joseph in the Book of Genesis. He struggled for years and years under unfair, hurtful and what seemed hopeless situations and circumstances, yet his life was redeemed way beyond what anyone could imagine. Here's what he said to his brother's who abused, abandoned, and later sold him into slavery: Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." He became the second in charge over the land! He was used in a time of famine to save a nation. We can't see it or understand it a lot of times, but God is always doing something for our benefit. Even when it seems He doesn't care, He really does. 

God never seems to answer prayers in the way we expect him to. In fact when Jesus' good friends Mary and Martha sent word that their brother Lazarus needed his healing help, Jesus took his time and didn't hurry. Martha and Mary trusted in Jesus to heal their sick brother, whom they knew Jesus loved. Yet, He allowed him to die! How devastating that must have been! The one who had the power to heal, let him die. How could He? Jesus had a greater miracle in mind.

Jesus delayed his travel to Mary and Martha's for two days after they sent word to Him that their brother Lazarus needed His help. He arrived four days after Lazarus died. Jesus was actually going to perform an even greater miracle. John 11:43-44 "Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” " I bet they never expected that! 

 We don't always need to see with our eyes what God is doing in our lives, as much as we want to. In John 20:29-31 Jesus speaks to Thomas about those who will be blessed that cannot see, and that "the blessed will have life in His name." 

Earlier at the end of John 4, Jesus is implored by a nobleman with a dying son to come down and heal him. At this point I could see Jesus shaking his head with a smile in his heart, at the limited mind, clouded by the broken heart of this man as he said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” The nobleman was probably a little taken back and felt desperate and maybe even panicked when he didn't get the answer he expected, as he replies to Jesus, "Sir, come down before my child dies!” Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” Even though the nobleman didn't see Jesus do the work, he had to believe with out seeing that Jesus did heal his son, and went on his way home. His servants met him on the way and told him, "Your son lives!” He was also told of the time and hour he was healed. It was the same time Jesus said he was healed. God rarely if ever answers prayers on our time schedule or in the way we expect, but He is always working on our behalf.

God the Father, through His Son Jesus, is always making a way for us when there seems to be no way.  He's always working behind the scenes where we can't always see. No matter how many times we rebel, fail to believe, or or loose our way, He will make a way and answer our prayers. My Hope and Future  is in the one who is making a way. 

Back to the Beginning

I often need to return back to the beginning, to the testimony of who Jesus is and how He has worked on my behalf in life. I need to be reminded of His great love for me so that I can return that love. I spend way too much time in my head. I'm full of head knowledge, that often looses translation and connection with my heart. I sometimes struggle with the true understanding of or the feeling of love. I can say I love Jesus and do my best to follow His commandments but to truly, in my heart, deep down, love Him, and get excited about His love for me; sometimes it's a stretch. 

How do you get that? The closest thing I've known, or felt that type of deep love is in the relationship with my current husband, or the love I have for my children. Yet, due to my human condition even that deep love ebbs and flows. Still, we are called, commanded, in the Book of Matthew to love God/Jesus above all else including our family members. How do you get that kind of love? Where does it come from? 

To quote John Piper, an author, teacher, and pastor, "'love comes from love.' It comes from being stunned by being loved by God, right? This love comes from being overwhelmed by the person of Jesus dying on our behalf and rising again, though we have no merit at all in ourselves." Wrapping my mind around God loving me so much He would send his son to die in my place can often be challenging because I haven't experienced that type of death, to fully realize what I've have been saved from. Although, knowing how He has worked in my daily life, that's nothing short of miraculous!

Philippians 3:8 says, "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." Knowing what He has done in my life, I can't help but to be overwhelmed by emotion and allow that emotion of love over flow into all areas and people in my life. However, I often get stuck in my head, listening to lies of the devil: "You don't belong, you don't fit in, you never have you never will, you're not good enough, people pretend to like you out of pity, you're unworthy, tainted, and tarnished, if you don't have a solid group of friends now at 45 you never will, what's the point, why keep trying." I know, I know... GET OUT OF MY HEAD THERE ARE NO FRIENDS IN THERE! 

See I get caught up in the day to day issues of life: I worry about the choices my children make in life, are they following the Lord? Are we going to be able to make it to the next payday and pay all the bills and keep a roof over everyone's head while we're all in a place of transition? How long do I have to stay at a job I don't like? Will I ever find one that I like and pays the bills? Will my husband always have to work more than two jobs, feeling like he too is unable to fulfill his calling? I believe I was told by God before I ever met my husband that I would be in full time ministry. I laughed at that, thinking it had to do with speaking to others and maybe even getting paid for it. Anyone who knows me knows, for me that is a far out there idea, for sure! What would it look like? Or is this day to day life that feels like I'm more stuck in than positioned in, the full time ministry God spoke about? Forgive me Lord for the disappointment. 

I've come to the end of all these thoughts running around in my head and am reminded of Philippians 4:8-9, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

What is praise worthy? The love God the Father has poured out over my life through His Son Jesus Christ, that I may live my life out as the Daughter of a King. As His daughter He has shown His love for me no matter what condition my heart was in, lovable or not. He loved me when I was born premature and the doctors had no hope, my heart stopped and He restarted it so that I would live. He loved me the day I said YES to him at that camp fire at a young age.  He loved me through the abuse and neglect as a child and was a friend to me when I had none. He loved me through the reckless behavior as a teenager that led to abuse at the hands of other guys. He loved me when my mind could no longer cope and I was locked away for a time. He loved me through a difficult marriage to a raging alcoholic, drug addict who wasn't always faithful. He loved me through the miscarriages. He loved me as I cried over a very sick child I wasn't sure would see their next birthday. He loved me through the pain of feeling I wasn't enough for both of my children. He loved me through the death of my marriage. He loved me and restored my life in ways I never thought were possible. 

My world has changed, nothing is as it was. There is no more fear, sadness, or pain. I've been redeemed, it's taken a long time but in comparison to eternity, it's just a blink of an eye. My blessings have increased, not with out struggle. I suppose the struggles keep you humble and looking to rely on the Lord. It is so important to reel myself back in when I feel empty inside and let the Love of God fill me back up so that it can overflow to the people and situations around me. 

My Hope and Future lie in the One who first loved me, so that I could love out of the overflow. 1 John 4:16 says, "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." When we are abiding in His love we give others a glimpse of His face. Be the face of God and Love!