What's Your Egypt?

If you have had an opportunity to study Old Testament, you understand the trials Moses encountered in trying to lead God's Chosen People out of Egypt and through the wilderness.  Consistently Moses faced a rebellious people who failed to remember with clarity what their bondage in Egypt was truly like.  Rebellion would be answered by the Lord with visible consequences.  Multiple times Moses interceded with pleading for the Lord to restrain from destroying the rebellious and the Lord answered Moses' prayers.  Recognizing that there is purpose in every word that is recorded in Scripture, we need to grasp why the Lord gave us such a detailed record of rebellion in the face of His favor and blessing.  We all encounter seasons of our life when we look back to our Egypts instead of ahead to what the Lord has waiting for us.

Numbers 16:12-14  Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they replied, "We refuse to come!  Isn't it enough that you brought us out of Egypt, a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us here in this wilderness, and that you now treat us like your subjects? What's more, you haven't brought us into the land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Are you trying to fool us? We will not come."  These three verses are packed with truth that we need to understand.  First we need to remember that at this stage, the Lord is not speaking directly to the tribes of Israel.  He is using Moses as His representative.  He has demonstrated multiple times that Moses hears Him and He is faithful to fulfill that which He communicates to Moses.  But the people refuse to obey the instructions given to them through Moses.  Rebellion.  

Second they describe Egypt as a land flowing with milk and honey.  Really?  We do not have to go back very far in scripture to read about the horrendous treatment they received as slaves to the Egyptians.  Exodus 1:13-14 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.  Exodus 2:23  After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God.  Something does not connect here.  If they were so happy, so fulfilled in this land of milk and honey, why did they groan and cry out?  Forget the additional fact that their sons were all being murdered upon birth.  Why would they even consider going back to that, nevertheless cry out to return to slavery when they had received freedom?

Let me pause here for a moment before moving on.  There is so much here for us to learn.  Most of us have been held in spiritual captivity before accepting the freedom offered to us through the blood of Jesus.  However many of us continue to battle with captivity issues even after accepting Jesus' offer of salvation.  Battling the bondage is a daily part of our walk because we live in an atmosphere of spiritual warfare in which our enemy has one goal - to stop us from operating in the freedom which is ours.  The master of liars speaks lies into our lives convincing us that we need to go back to our Egypts.  The distortion of what that was really like is a strategic weapon that he utilizes.  

So why in the world would anyone consider returning to slavery once they have experienced freedom?  Fear of the unknown.  Fear growing from being unable to see the future that God has prepared for us.  Fear rooted in the wounds of our past and the lies with which we have lived all of our lives.  Why would we experience this fear?  Verse 14  What's more, you haven't brought us into the land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards.  While we are in this transition or this journey to our God given land of milk and honey, we are required to operate in faith.  2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.  The promises of the Lord are true and steadfast, yet we often have to walk in faith for a season before we begin to see the manifestation of those promises.  Just because we have yet to see them, does that mean that they are not going to happen?  Absolutely not.  We just have to KEEP WALKING in order to walk into them.

To return to our Egypts, we must turn away from the direction God has destined for us.  We must turn away from God Himself and His promises.  What was that I heard you say?  "But you don't understand.  Egypt is what I know and there I know how to operate.  I know what is expected of me.  No matter how bad it may have been, at least I know it.  I am comfortable there."  Comfortable in slavery?  Comfortable in turning your back on God and all that He has offered to you?  God has His arms outstretched in front of you, urging you to walk forward.  Urging you to trust Him and believe the future and hope for you.  Jeremiah 29:11-14 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.  When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes.   

My brothers and sisters, life is a journey for all of us.  Many of us have taken detours that were not God's best for us, but He is faithful to continue to pursue us, to guide us, to urge us to come to Him.  He delights when we persevere and move towards the milk and honey that He has set aside for us.  We must be patient and wait on Him and His timing.  The one thing that we must not do is turn away and return to Egypt.  We have free will and He will not stop us from making that decision.  But rest assured that He will never give up on us even when we give up on ourselves.  Hang in there, please, and don't delay in running to Him and embracing whatever He has for you. 

Brokenness to Beauty

When reading the Bible many of us reach the various genealogies and decide to skip over them.  After all we cannot pronounce most of the names (talk about embarrassment when you have to read aloud in a group!) and we really don't have a clue who these various folks are.  Yet when we study the genealogies there is much to learn.  God is intentional about every word that is in the Word, so surely He has something for us in that long list.  Recently I was reading Matthew and as most of you know, it begins with the genealogy of Jesus our Savior.  What little nuggets does God have for us in this line?  Actually, there are multiple nuggets, but today I want to focus on only one aspect.  How God used broken people, especially women, to advance His plan and His purpose.  

I will save you reading through the text here, but if you want a refresher, click on this link Matthew 1.   In the fourth generation from Abraham, we have our first departure from the ordinary.  This is Tamar.  If you are unfamiliar with Tamar's story it can be found in Genesis 38.  Tamar was Judah's daughter-in-law and had been deceived by Judah, when following Levitical law, she should have been given in marriage to Judah's third son upon the death of her first husband, his eldest son and then her second husband, Judah's middle son, but she was not.  Understanding the importance of her role in advancing the line of Judah, she ended up presenting herself to Judah as a prostitute.  She conceived and then when facts came to light, Judah himself proclaimed that Tamar  "is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.  Verse 26.

Tamar was rejected by her second husband who spilled his seed on the ground preventing her from becoming pregnant.  She was rejected by her father-in-law and his third son when a marriage was not arranged according to law.  As a widow she was rejected by society in general, a characteristic of society at that time.   She had been sent back to live with her family in disgrace.  But God.....  God knew the plans and purpose He had for Tamar and that she was a critical link in the chain that would lead to Jesus' birth.  She may not have felt significant at that moment in time when she gave birth to the twins Perez and Zerah.  There is another story there with Perez pushing ahead of his twin, but that is for another time.  We continue the genealogy through Perez the fifth generation.

With the tenth generation we come upon Salmon, son of Nashon, who was both a prince and captain of the tribe.  Salmon married Rahab, the prostitute turned proselyte who aided Joshua by hiding his spies from the king's men.  As a reward, Rahab and her family were given protection as well as a secured future within the nation of Israel.  The Lord once again used the brokenness of a women's life to insure the future line of the Messiah.  When Rahab turned to the Lord and offered protection to His men, the Lord honored her by promoting her to a position of acceptability with a future.  Rahab gave birth to Boaz, a name with which most of us are very familiar.

Imagine the upbringing of Boaz.  We know from our study of Ruth that Boaz was a tremendously respected man of honor in Bethlehem.   Just imagine the passion with which his mother shared with him the magnificent majesty of Jehovah the Lord who had delivered her from bondage.   It is no surprise that Boaz would through his own life respect and honor the passion for the Lord of Ruth, another proselyte.

Ruth, another very broken individual, was from Moab.  Disgraced in the eyes of society because she was not only a widow but a childless one as well.  She was not an Israelite.  Her deceased husband had married outside of the tribes of Israel.  She abandoned her own culture and family to follow Naomi and care for her, loving her as her own mother.  She arrived in Bethlehem as a true outsider, yet God rescued her and once again used a broken vessel to continue to the line of the Messiah.

Speaking of brokenness ponder the case of Bathsheba.  Essentially King David kidnapped her and raped her.  When the king's men come to your home and command you to appear before the king and he then has intimate relations with you, I believe it is fair to say you would not be a willing partner.  How do you say no to a king?  Then you find yourself pregnant and you have not been with your husband.  To top it all off, the king has your husband killed so that you can be his and he won't have to deal with a righteous husband (which clearly Uriah was).  Broken life?  Most definitely.  Yet in spite of David's sin, and the subsequent death of that child, Solomon was born who had the ultimate opportunity to project the epitome of God's extravagance.  The line to the Messiah continues.

The generations continue until we reach Joseph, fiance of Mary.  Once gain, God used a situation that society rejected completely as unacceptable.  Mary (who was also from the line of King David through his son Nathan) was chosen by the Lord to conceive through Holy Spirit.  However from the perspective of those living in the villages surrounding Mary's and Joseph's, she was a harlot who had been unfaithful to Joseph her contractual fiance.  Have you ever wondered why God did not wait until they were married or almost about to consummate the marriage?  Mary could have still been a technical virgin and society would have been none the wiser.  Jesus could have grown up without the stigma that He did.  Yet that was not the path that God chose.  Consider Philippians 2:6-8 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross.  Is there anything more humbling than being born an illegitimate child?    Consider at the same time Mary's emotional and social status.  Wouldn't you have felt broken in spite of knowing what had been revealed to you about the child in your womb?  Agony and ecstasy perhaps?

So often when we encounter the difficult times of our lives, when we come face to face with our brokenness, we feel dejected and depressed and question how can God possibly use someone as messed up and broken as me.  The answer lies in part in the stories of these wonderful women who in spite of how society looked at them and how they felt inside, submitted themselves in trust to the Lord.  We must with trusting eyes gaze upon our loving Lord and say, "Use me, Lord, however You can and however You desire that I may advance Your kingdom.  Use me, Lord, just as I am." 

Captivity to Betrothal

Our comprehension of the life of a captive is limited to what we have read, not what we have experienced.  We live in a society that has many forms of captivity or slavery but none that compare to the true existence experienced by multitudes throughout history into our present time.  From our own American history, we have learned much about the generations that were trapped in this way of life.  From that understanding it is hard to comprehend that someone could be lifted from the status of slavery to the betrothed of the plantation owner.  Yet that is exactly how the Word describes our transformation once we accept the blood of Jesus as our justification.  

Biblically we can study the plights of the Hebrew people as they moved in and out of slavery at various times of history.  Scripture tells us that God redeemed His chosen people from Egypt as well as later from other nations, rescuing them and giving them another chance to honor Him with their lives and pursue relationship with Him.  Exodus 6:5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.  Leviticus 26:13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.  Deuteronomy 15:15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.

However the Hebrew people did not have the ultimate redemption: the blood of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.   Hebrews 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.  That ultimate redemption broke the bonds of slavery for us - once for all.  Jesus' death on the cross was a one time act that had eternal consequences.  The justification - us being made right in the sight of God - happened at a single moment in history and then became available to all of mankind to choose to receive it, accept it.  

Throughout the Word, God's chosen are called His bride.  When we accept His act of justification, we are accepting His proposal to be His bride.  We are betrothed to Him.  Our engagement ring is Holy Spirit.  Sound weird to you?  Consider these scriptures.  2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  2 Corinthians 5:5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  Ephesians 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.  When a woman becomes engaged, she wears an engagement ring to tell the world that she is now committed to a relationship with one man, at least in our culture.  There are various other means of communicating this commitment in other nations.  The point is the same however.  "I am now taken.  I have made a decision to set myself apart from everyone else and am committed to one relationship with one person."

God is calling for us to do the very same thing.  We are His betrothed.  There is some confusion in the body of Christ about our status.  We are not married yet.  We must walk out our "engagement" until the time of redemption.  We are not redeemed yet.  That is an event that will take place at one time for all of mankind and all of creation.  The verses quoted above talk about what is to come - the inheritance.  The Word uses future tense when it describes our salvation and redemption.  1 Peter 1:9  The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.  1 Peter 1:13  So think clearly and exercise self-control.  Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.  

Therefore what is our obligation?  We are to behave as a fiance should.  Our behavior should reflect our commitment to our Bridegroom.  We do not engage in "adultery" which means that we do not engage other "lovers".  What might some of those other lovers be for you?  There are multitudes of them.  Anything that preoccupies our mind, behavior, time and money becomes another lover.   The list is endless with possibilities from concrete like materialism, jobs, hobbies to the not so concrete like addictions, relationships, status to the spiritual like fear, anxiety, anger, bitterness.  Anything like these mentioned distracts our focus from our Lover God, our Betrothed, our Husband to be.

2 Timothy 1:14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.  The Lord's expectations for us are very clear.  Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,  for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  We must guard this incredible promise we have been given for an eternal marriage to the Bridegroom.  Until we face Him at the Wedding Supper, we are not married.  We must at all costs protect this engagement.  We are the ones that make the choice to either stay faithful to Him or walk away from that promise through our decisions.  Visualize an engagement ring on your finger that is representative of Holy Spirit living within you.  Visualize the world seeing that commitment through your words and your actions.  Return His passionate love for you with your own passionate commitment to stay with Him no matter what the cost.  It is so worth it!!  Eternally so!!

 

Half-Minded Thinking

Most of us do not like doing anything halfway.  The American motto is to give 110% (of course we all know that there cannot be anything more than 100% - where did that myth come from???).  "If you are going to do something, do it right!"  Sound familiar?  "That was a half-hearted attempt!"  We are so critical of those who are operating in less than excellence, those who choose to just get it done versus accomplishing the true goal that was set before them.  We condemn, judge and analyze other people's efforts.  Yet are we asking ourselves whether there is an area of our lives in which we are operating halfway?

The Greek word merimnao is a compound of two words: merizo and nous.  Merizo  means to divide.  Nous means the mind.  The simple translation for merimnao is worry.  Worry is essentially dividing the mind.  No question that our mind is a powerful entity that is capable of handling many thoughts at once.  Those of us who have mastered multi-tasking know all about that.  However, research is now proving that this mastery of multi-tasking is actually harming us in many ways.
 
"Take a moment and think about all of the things you are doing right now - obviously you are reading this article, but chances are good that you are also doing several things at once. Perhaps you're also listening to music, texting a friend, checking your email in another browser tab or playing a computer game."  About.com Psychology   Guilty!!!  As I am researching to write this blog, I am guilty of almost all of the above.  My inbox is open in another window and while I was reading and copying to paste, an email came I that I chose to answer immediately (actually several).  Plus I am listening to Pandora Radio and oh by the way, I have a little photo window on my desktop that is scrolling through my albums that catches my attention.  Oh and the phone just rang so I took a call. Yikes!

The same article quoted above goes on to say, "productivity can be reduced by as much as 40 percent by the mental blocks created when people switch tasks. Now that you understand the potential detrimental impact of multitasking, you can put this knowledge to work to increase your productivity and efficiency."   if this is what science is telling us about the detrimental aspects of dividing our mind, think about the significance of what the Word tells us.  

Worrying is indeed dividing our energy between that which is in front of us that is to be handled today and that which is yet unknown - tomorrow.  Matthew 6:25-27 "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life -- whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not."  That last verse is the most powerful - all of our worrying will not add a single moment to our lives.  Yet as the research is clearly discovering, it can truly subtract moments from our lives.

"Chronic worrying affects your daily life so much that it interferes with your appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep, and job performance. Many people who worry excessively are so anxiety-ridden that they seek relief in harmful lifestyle habits such as overeating, cigarette smoking, or using alcohol and drugs."  Web MD  Is that God's best for us?  Is that His heart for us?  No.  Absolutely not.  In a concordance search on the word worry, I found 36 instances in which the word worry appeared.  Out of those 36, 28 contained the command, "Don't worry" and an additional 4 stated, "Why worry".  That is 89%.  Sounds to me like the Lord is really serious about this.

I'm sorry, what did I hear you say?  I don't understand what you are going through?  How can you not possibly worry about your finances, your family, your job, your relationships, your life?   Let me ask you a simple question, does all of your worrying change any of these circumstances?  The answer is no.  The act of worrying does nothing to change the circumstances but it does severely impact your attitude, your mental and physical state.  Action changes our circumstances, particularly action that is Spirit-led.  God does not call us to sit in the middle of our junk and not do anything about it.  He does instruct us though to trust Him in the midst of these circumstances and obediently follow His counsel to move through these situations.

Psalm 23:4 Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.  Worry is often accompanied by fear - fear of the unknown, fear of what is going to happen tomorrow, fear of failure, fear of - you name it.  However if we are trusting God to carry us through these circumstances, to be with us in the midst of them, then there is no room for worry or for fear.  When we worry, we are telling God that He is not big enough to handle our situation.  Really??  The Creator of all that exists including us is not big enough?  Sounds pretty silly doesn't it?  Yet that is exactly what we are saying when we worry.

I challenge each of you for the next several days to visualize yourself under the care of the Good Shepherd.  Think about how protective and caring He is no matter what we have done, where we have wondered off, or how we have impacted the rest of the flock.  When a worry comes into your mind, see yourself looking up to your Shepherd and saying to Him, "I sure am glad that you have got this handled."  Then give it to Him.  If you want keep a record of all of these instances and then in a week or so look back at this list and see if keeping it as a worry would have changed the outcome.  Perhaps some of your worries are more long term.  Then ask yourself this question, "5 years from now will this worrying change the outcome?"  Remember I am not saying anything about taking action.  I am simply talking about the act of worrying.


My prayer for each of you is that you will experience a new level of shalom in your life as you trust the Good Shepherd with your total life and all that comprises it.

 

Whose Perspective?

A friend of mine recently posted the following comment on her Facebook page: REMEMBER You can only be what people have allowed you to be in their lives no matter what you wanted or have tried to be. So no condemnation for trying and being rejected. Just be who they have allowed you to be.  That really got me thinking.  I know what my friend meant, however far too many of us have lived our lives based on what others' perceptions of us were. Or even more accurately, what we thought their perceptions of us were.  We live life out of a place of misinformation and second guessing other people's thoughts.  

Have you ever thought through an entire conversation before opening your mouth and then changed what you were going to say based on how you thought someone else would respond to you?  I have.  For years.  The sad aspect of this is the majority of time we were way off base.  In most cases, the other person is not nearly as focused on us as we suppose.  And here is the embarrassing truth about this: ultimately we are trying to control our "environment" and those people in our lives.  We are not allowing them the freedom to respond and react individually.  Rather through our assumptions (i.e. our perceptions) we predict how things are going to go and then adapt accordingly. 

I am not saying that there are not times you can predict what someone is going to do or say.  The question we need to ask ourselves is whether what we are going to say or do is in alignment with the Word of God.  Romans 14:16-19 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. While we recognize that Paul is speaking specifically about the way members of the church were condemning fellow believers, we must look deeper in to how this applies to us today.

I admit guilty to not always restricting the words of my mouth to building up or edifying another person. The Lord fortunately is doing a work in me teaching me how to not only recognize that but to grow past it.  My perspective has been limited by the wounds of life.  These wounds began to build a cage around me.  A very perceptive servant of the Lord revealed to me that this cage (or suit of armor) was comprised of barbed wire.  Not only did I inflict pain on myself but it also inflicted pain on those trying to get too close to me.  I have come to realize the truth in this as well as to realize how many of us are living our daily lives in some type of restrictive armor out of these wounds.  Suddenly I am able to not only see myself more clearly, but see how I have impacted those around me.

Looking at specifics, if I make a comment that is in fact critical and judgmental, no matter how accurate I believe the statement is, I am not in reality edifying that person - whether they are the recipient of my remarks or simply the object of my remarks.  Do my remarks build up or tear down?  I realize that I need a new standard on which to base my conversations.  That standard is not the world's standard.  It is the Lord's.  Romans 15:1-3 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves; let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to edify him. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me."  This does not say that we condone the failings of those around us, but rather to strive for their good, their edification.  That may be a stretch for some of us, but I believe that Holy Spirit will indeed instruct and guide us in offering hope and change without tearing down.

Psalm 69:5-7 O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. Don't let those who trust in you stumble because of me, O Sovereign LORD Almighty. Don't let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.  Perhaps this scripture really nails it.  King David understood the power of influence we have as believers.  Our behavior through words and actions can either lead others to our Lord, or drive them away.  If we claim to love the Lord, yet our actions cry out anger, hate, judgment, etc, how will that invite someone to want what we have?  If we live our lives in fear of condemnation, how does that demonstrate the peace Christ died for us to have?  John 14:27 "I am leaving you with a gift -- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."  

Returning to the opening comments.  When I lived my life in fear of judgment, condemnation and repercussions, I was not only trying to control my environment, but I was living within the cage of what I believed others were thinking about me.  I was allowing those perceptions to shape who I was.  Not only was that exhausting, but I was limiting what God was trying to do in my life.  His beliefs about who I am and what is ahead of me are far greater than anything my mere brain can comprehend.  Once I made the deliberate decision to shed my armor of barbed wire, I was able to step into a new level of peace and joy.  There is now freedom for me to allow those around me to be who they are, without my filters and my slants.  I have learned a priceless lesson.  People need to live their lives as freely as I want to live mine.  It is amazing how much less stressful living can be.  Thank you, Lord, for your unconditional love that has brought me to this new place.  Shalom, Everyone!

 

Seasons of Extremes

In the past few years we have experienced many significant periods of extremes in our weather patterns both here at home and around the world.  Just here in Georgia, we have gone through severe droughts for a period of several years followed by a 500 year flood in nearby towns that decimated homes and livelihoods.  As I have been contemplating the personal seasons of my life, the Lord has illustrated for me the similarities between those earthly seasons and our spiritual ones.  Perhaps there is someone out there to whom this analogy will speak and it will bring you comfort if you are in the midst of an extreme season.

Consider the impact of drought.  Several years ago, we were in the midst of a multi-year drought in the southeast.  Here in Georgia that translated to water usage restrictions, the end of recreation on the waters of our once plentiful lakes and tremendous economic impact suffered by many businesses .  People complained about the inconveniences, politicians argued about the obligations of citizens to do their part, and pastors preached to their flocks about civic responsibility as well as the power of prayer for rain.  Ultimately we all survived, but there were some incredibly positive outcomes that we could not have foreseen while going through the season.

Once the rains returned to our area, the lakes slowly refilled.  My husband and i were blessed to have the opportunity to camp on one of them in September of 2010.  We experienced crystal clear water.  Imagine swimming at night under a full moon and being able to see your own feet in over 40 feet of water!  This was a direct result of the drought.  During the drought when the lakes had dried up completely, several events occurred.  First all of the garbage that people had dumped into the lake became embarrassingly obvious.  Teams formed to remove all of this debris from the lake.  Second as the lake bed dried out, so did all of the various lifeforms that had been destroying the ecological balance of the lake.  Over time natural grass grew over the bottom of the bed and a meadow evolved.  As the waters returned, the "vessel" to contain them was prepared to beautifully receive them.  As fish returned, they had a wonderfully refreshed habitat in which to live.  The color was exquisite.  Beauty returned to the entire area.

Now compare this to our spiritual lives.  We often encounter droughts.  Frequently we bemoan, where are you, God??  Yet if we were to honestly examine our lives, we may find similarities to this natural phenomenon.  We have allowed debris to collect in our "vessel" and this chokes the life out of us.  Perhaps God needs us to get "dried out" so that He can refill us with fresh water.  Perhaps in the midst of this drought, He wants us to plant fresh grass to line our vessels.  In other words, we may need the seed of The Word to once again line our vessels.  Have we become too busy to truly meditate daily on His Word?  Have we become so preoccupied with the distractions of life that we fail to continually clean out the worldly debris?  Are you ready for fresh living water to attract others to your life and your witness?  If you are in a drought right now, examine your circumstances and ask Him to reveal the actions He wants you to take to prepare your vessel for refilling.

Now consider the impact of the floods.  The 500 year flood that hit much of the Atlanta area in 2009 took everyone by surprise.  It was not just the homes on the rivers' and streams' banks that were impacted.  Beautifully manicured neighborhoods of large homes were equally impacted in this event.  Waters flooded schools, churches, businesses.  They destroyed roads and bridges.  The massive influx of rain in less than 24 hours was record breaking.  We have seen the same thing happen throughout the country.  Flood waters bring about so much shifting.  Ground is swept up in the torrent of the waters and is redeposited elsewhere.  Foundations shift and many things are simply swept away - totally.

In the aftermath both good and bad result.  Some areas are deemed beyond repair and abandoned.  This often leaves an eyesore for those living in the area or simply passing through it.  However, in other cases, buildings were demolished and rebuilt.  Others were restored.  Roads were repaired and in the process improved.   Businesses flourished that focused on restoration and building.  In addition, the deposit of rich topsoil onto the fields provides for a refreshment of the land.  Farmers in the delta regions of rivers have benefited over the centuries on these rich deposits to provide the much needed nutrients for crop growth.  I once heard a sermon that proclaimed, without the muck and mire, the reeds cannot grow.   So out of the extremes of too much water, good can come.

Once again, compare this to our spiritual lives.  Have you ever been overwhelmed by all that is happening to you.  Ever felt as if you could barely keep your head above water to gasp for breath?  I have.  It is important when we are in these seasons to first trust that God is there supporting us even if we do feel like we are drowning.  Even Jonah had to go under in order to come out back in balance in His relationship with the Lord.  Once the flood of life begins to recede, it is critical that we take time to evaluate what has happened and what He wants us to do with it.  What needs to be abandoned as not of Him?  What needs to be restored to its original beauty or better yet, updated to fit with out current life circumstances?  Where has He deposited fresh silt to promote new growth for you and for the kingdom?


We will always experience seasons of extremes in our lives as long as we live in this fallen world.  However, those seasons are never meant to destroy us.  Our wonderful Lord's desire is to always draw us closer to Him and bring us in closer alignment with His purposes for our lives.  Whether you are in the midst of an extreme season or in between seasons, be mindful of His purposes in all that happens in our lives.  He is there for us, with us and leading us.  Trust Him.  Always.  Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.