Walls of Water and Pillars of Fire: God's Leading in our Lives

The old Bible "stories" we find in God's Word may seem too strange to be real, but the lessons they teach are certainly as real as the accounts themselves.  The account of the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt is particularly relevant in our lives today.

When God commanded Moses to lead the Children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt, He actually did the leading Himself through the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day.  God knew the way, and He directed them Himself.  Exodus 13:22 tells us that He took not away the pillar of cloud / fire from before His people.  He gave clear, visible evidence of His leading.  Actually, it is interesting that the people may not have wanted to follow Moses because in a real sense, Moses had become one of the Egyptians!  But, God made it very clear to Moses and the people that it wasn't Moses that was doing the leading -- it was God Himself.

But, in chapter 14 of Exodus, we read that God led the Children of Israel to a dead end -- directly to the Red Sea in a place where they were surrounded by mountains.  Surely, His chosen people were doomed!  The Egyptians were closing in behind them, and recapture or death was certain!

God's leading was in a direction that was unexpected.  Did God take a wrong turn?  Should He have stopped to ask for directions?

It is interesting in Exodus 14:10-12 that when the Children of Israel saw their inevitable capture, they suddenly forgot that it was God who had led them, and they blamed Moses for leading them to their death.  Yet, God had not removed His visible presence.

But, God did have a plan.  He planned to show His mighty power -- His deliverance of His children.  But, to whom did He plan to show His sovereign deliverance?  Was it to Pharoah and the Egyptian army?  Well, they were about to be wiped out -- drowned in the Red Sea.  No, instead, it was for His people that He wanted to demonstrate this Divinely planned deliverance, as Moses told the people in Exodus 14:13-14.  It is interesting that Moses did not appear to have been let in on the method of deliverance until verses 15 and 16.  He certainly knew that God would be faithful to deliver His chosen ones, but He didn't appear to know exactly how!

And, indeed, God did deliver!  Not only did He make a way for His children to go forward (as He had commanded them to do in verse 15), but He also utterly destroyed their enemy!  And He did this in a way that allowed them to witness His victory with their very own eyes!  It must have been a surreal time for the Israelites!

So, how does this relate to the circumstances in my family today?  The parallels abound...  But, of course, we have not seen final deliverance or ultimate victory ... yet!

If we believe that God is indeed Sovereign as His Word teaches (and, of course, we do), then the alterations in our path that we clearly did not choose must be Divinely chosen.  God could have as easily chosen for me to retain my job nearly one year ago now, but He did not.  He chose something that I would never have chosen!

After losing my job, it took a little for us to begin adjusting our "plans" to fit this little "wrinkle" into our lives...  While finishing the building of our new home, I began looking for a new opportunity -- fully expecting that when God takes something away, surely, He replaces it with something better...

Yet, the doors were slammed closed -- or maybe they were already closed, and, push as we might, they wouldn't budge!  The reality is that there have been few doors along this path!

Yes, God has provided for our needs -- in ways that we would not have predicted (or chosen).  And, yes, He can continue to provide in ways that require our daily trust -- as I have written previously about the daily gathering of the manna.  But, it begins to feel like we are standing at the banks of the Red Sea with mountains on the right and on the left!  We appear to be at a dead end, and there is coming a day when our provisions will run out (or so it seems).  We praise God that such a day is yet in the distance, but we really don't want that day to approach...

We have had a few different ideas that we have been trying to pursue, and now God has allowed us a glimpse of the Red Sea opening.

My wife is a former Special Education Teacher.  A few years ago, we chose to have her leave her career so that she could teach our children (now, teenagers) at home.  One of the directions we have been looking for God's leading in recent months is for Dawn to use her knowledge and more than 17 years of experience to start a consulting business.  So, we put an advertisement in the local home school newsletter that she is available to help special needs children and their families.

Last week, we received a phone call from the parent of a young man in need of assistance.  We went over to their home and spent a few hours getting to know and understand the needs of this family.

Then, just yesterday, Dawn received another call from a different family with a little girl that is due to begin Kindergarten next fall.  What Dawn related after getting off the phone brought tears to my eyes.

Both of these families related the trouble they have had getting real help from the "system" -- that same "system" that Dawn worked in for so many years.  So, she knows what sort of help the system is supposed to be providing.

The mom Dawn spoke with last night told her that she and her husband have been so frustrated by the lack of real help they have received in the last few years.  Their daughter is currently in a special education preschool, and they have planned to home school her starting next fall.  So, it was in October that they read in the HSLDA newsletter that home school families with special needs children should seek out a special education consultant in their area for assistance.  We read that same article!  But, at that time, they had no idea how to go about finding someone -- there really wasn't anyone in this area!

This family has been praying since October for a special education consultant!  It gave me the shivers to hear how shocked they were to read our advertisement in the newsletter!  Our need is an answer to their prayers!

It was not until yesterday that we could see how clearly the pillar of fire has gone before us!  We can now see how God might have planned to open our Red Sea -- though we don't yet know for sure that this is "the" deliverance for which we have been waiting.  It is a clear path that will fill a real need in the lives of people for whom we clearly have a heart and it will simultaneously help provide for our needs.

Consider for a moment the events that God used to bring us to this point...

1) God planted the "seed" of concern in Dawn's life for the "special needs community" through her aunt, who was mentally retarded.
2) God led her into this field, and subsequently blessed her with a career and many years of experience.
3) Dawn lost her first husband and I lost my first wife, and we later met and married.
4) Because I had previously home schooled my children and because of some problems we had when we enrolled them in school (after Dawn and I were married), we decided that we would have Dawn leave her career and teach our own children at home.  Of course, had she never left her teaching career, she would not have been "available" to offer help.
5) We then decided to relocate and build a home.  This is a decision that we have since wondered about -- whether this was God's leading or whether we had simply made a mistake.  We now have become aware of the specific need that is in this particular area -- we would not have been here to fill this need had we "returned to Egypt".
6) We were prepared to live a comfortable life in our new home, but then God caused my job to be eliminated.  Of course, if God had provided a job for me before now, then we would have been content to resume our comfortable life.  So, in order for Dawn to fill this need, it was necessary for Him to prevent or at least delay me from finding a new position.

And, because of the course of these events, God has prepared to answer someone else's prayers using Dawn's skills and, more importantly, her heart...

We know that God's plan is not merely one-dimensional -- we are part of a tapestry that will not truly be "unveiled" until eternity future.  But from time to time, He does allow us to see glimpses of the intricacies of His plan...

For now, our journey continues...  And, as with the Children of Israel, we plan to walk through the water -- on dry land!  Soon, we hope to be standing on the far side of the Red Sea -- looking back on His Divine deliverance...

Manna

I have often heard people refer to those unexpected blessings in life as "manna from Heaven".  Yes, there is an analogy to be made.

Of course, the provision of manna is much different than those blessings of abundance that come to mind when I think of Abraham and his riches, or Job and his riches, or Jacob and how God chose to bless his efforts when he was working for his future father-in-law, Laban.

In our current testing, we are learning a little bit about manna.  Manna is probably more like the way God normally provides for His children.  Not in the sense of going out every day and picking up food that God has miraculously caused to fall.

Manna is not a provision of abundance.  It is enough.  It is provision for our needs.  That is what Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount when He said not to worry about what we will eat or what we will drink since our Father knows we have those needs.  We should focus instead on seeking the "Kingdom of God", and "all these things shall be added unto you".

God has been blessing us through these months.  Not in the abundance that we may have come to expect or that we may want.  But, He has been providing our needs.  Enough.

The lesson God was teaching His Children through the manna was obviously trust.  Don't try to hoard today what God will provide tomorrow.  Allow Him the privilege of providing tomorrow again just like He did today.  It pleases Him to provide for our needs.

I have not shared some of the blessings that God has provided over the last couple of months.  Maybe that is because I'm looking for that provision of abundance.  But, in anticipating -- expecting -- that abundance, it is easy to overlook the blessing of today's provision.

My wife has been able to begin substitute teaching recently, and that helps.  It is not "regular income" that we have become accustomed to over the years, but it is a blessing.  She has been asked to fill in for a teacher on maternity leave for the first six weeks after the Christmas vacation.  This is a blessing.

We have (finally) gotten a bid on our house in Tennessee.  The bid is significantly lower than we were asking.  But, it will allow us to get out from under that mortgage and pay down some other debt, reducing monthly expenses considerably.  The process is moving along, and it appears we will close prior to Christmas.

I have been in contact with a recruiter recently about a specific position, and I found out today that I will be having a phone interview with the manager early next week.  I don't want to expect that this will be the job God is providing, but I know that if it is, then the details will be worked out.

Right now, God is providing for us.  He is providing Enough.  But, isn't that really the point.  He is Enough!  He is Jehovah-jireh!  He has provided the Lamb who has paid the penalty of my sin!  And, He has provided manna -- today.

We thank You, Father, for Your blessings, and we thank You that we have Your promises.  We wait on You to provide tomorrow just as You have today.

Image Clear Ultrasound

We all know that the world today more than merely "accepts" premarital sex as "normal",  but actually endorses it!  And, of course, if you happen to accidentally (really?) get pregnant, there is always a nice, clean solution that can be provided to young girls free of charge and without parental notice (let alone permission)...

Since we are unlikely to ever make any changes in our nations abortion laws, we need to be able to offer these young ladies an option.  Of course, we know that adoption is truly an option that is often overlooked.  However, if the baby is never born -- if the mother-to-be never makes the choice to allow her baby to live -- then, there can be no adoption...

We need to provide some means -- some reason -- for these girls to think twice...

There is a ministry that is growing -- it is called Image Clear Ultrasound, and they provide mobile units to bring the ability to see the baby in the womb right to the girls!  This is an amazing concept, and it is effective and growing!

From now until the end of October, 2009, there is a matching contributions gift on the table!  If you go to the website http://www.icumobile.org/ right now and give a gift online, your gift will be matched!  Can you think of a better ministry to give to?  Can you think of another cause that is guaranteed to save truly innocent lives?

Here is a PDF presentation with some more information...  ICU National (PDF)

A Plea for Your Life...

Today, I make a plea for you to consider your future...

You may believe there is no God – or you may simply be undecided.

You may reject that the Bible is God's written Word through which He wants to communicate with us.

You may be one who believes in God and in real places the Bible calls Heaven and Hell.

You may be one who believes that you are bound for Heaven or you may not be sure.

No matter your beliefs today, I am pleading for you to consider that the Bible might be true.  Consider this in light of the historic events that seem to unfold nearly daily.

The Bible teaches some simple but crucially important truths:

1. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
   We are all sinners.
2. Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death...”
   The price our sin "earns" is death.
3. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
   God chose to love us, sinners, in spite of our sin, by sending His son, Jesus Christ, to die as the punishment for our sins.
4. Romans 6:23b “... but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
   This demonstration of love is a gift from God to us, and the gift is eternal life.
5. Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
   We are free to accept this gift or not.  The act of accepting the gift means we believe and confess.  We believe that Jesus first died and that He was resurrected.  We confess that we are sinners and in need of God's gift.
6. John 14:6 “Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”
   Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
   This free gift of salvation through Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven.  There is no other way and no other name through which we can be saved from Death in Hell.

This plea I make is an urgent plea.  Why is it so urgent?  Well, there is the old cliché that each day is one day closer to the end of your life – and one day closer to the end of this age.  The truth is that we do not know for sure when the end of time will come – or even the end of our lives.  But, Jesus does tell us in Matthew 24:32-33 that just as we can recognize the signs of the seasons (in a general sense), we can also recognize the general time when the end of the age is approaching.

Today, more than any other time in history, we see the jigsaw puzzle of history beginning to come together.  The world is volatile and yet, there is continual talk of peace.  The activity of our world continues to be centered around a tiny country, Israel, whose very formation in 1948 is the fulfillment of a most unlikely Bible prophecy.

While the promise of world peace has been a goal of many for more than a century, there are groups of powerful elite people who now speak openly of their goal to form a “New World Order” in hopes of achieving lasting world peace.

At the same time, there are treaties between nation-states of historic proportions such as Russia with Iran and China.

The rise of some world leader to broker a peace deal could literally occur at any day.  The Bible tells us that this attempt at lasting peace will be broken after only three and a half years.  At that time, life on earth will become a most miserable existence.

I am not trying to prove beyond all doubt that the end of this age will be today or tomorrow.  Rather, I am pleading with you to consider what if?  What if the end really is today or tomorrow?  Are you trusting in nothing but the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for your sins?  Or, is there some other way that you hope or expect will bring you to Heaven?

I can only extend the offer that God has made in His Holy Word.  The choice is yours.

I plead with you to consider what that book of prophecies has said.  This book, the Bible, has many, many prophecies which have been fulfilled with pinpoint accuracy – often with many centuries between the prophecy and the fulfillment.  It is this book that I ask you to consider...  What if the Bible proves accurate once again?  And, what if today or tomorrow is the beginning of the end of the age?  What if, “today is the day of Salvation” – as the Bible tells us in II Corinthians 6:2 “... Now is the day of salvation.”

Please, I beg you, pause today.  Place your trust in the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.  Ask God to save you today.

My Father in Heaven, I thank you so much for the gift of Salvation!  I pray that you would work in the hearts of any and all that read this.  Please use Your Word to bring some to a saving knowledge of your Son, Jesus!
As I see events unfolding in the world today, I long for the Glorious Appearing of Jesus in the clouds!
Yet, I am thankful for your great mercy which causes You to delay the conclusion of this age -- so that many will accept your gift of eternal life!

---

If you have accepted God's gift of Salvation, I encourage you to pass this on to the people you know!  If you read this as a web page, an E-mail, or on a piece of paper.


This is also posted at: http://sites.google.com/site/pleaforyourlife/


A file can be downloaded and printed from: http://sites.google.com/site/pleaforyourlife/plea.pdf

If there is someone that you would like to hear this Great News, but you believe that they would be less likely to listen if it came from you, then please simply send me their E-mail address, and I will be glad to send this to them.  Please go to:

http://sites.google.com/site/pleaforyourlife/#form

NOTE: I will NOT send mass E-mail.  I will send this E-mail by request only.  The E-mail will be prefaced with the statement "Someone cared enough to request that I send this to you".

God's Provision -- God's Way...

Through the past many years, God has provided for the needs of my family through a regular, fixed paycheck.  One that I didn't have to wonder about -- is it going to be there next month?  Yes, I understood that it was God who gave me talents and abilities, and it was God who provided the job itself.

However, that was easy to "trust", if you can call it that.

Over the last months, we have seen God provide in ways that may not be "miraculous", but still bear the mark of God's hand...

1. We expected my severance pay to end after the August 15th check, but then there was another on August 31st, and that check was significantly more money than all the rest had been.
2. Then, we got another check from the money that had been held out from the severance checks for the company stock purchase plan.
3. Then, our church gave us a love gift of significant size.  We have received other gifts as well.  Of course, any gift is significant size today!
4. Then, I was having trouble with getting unemployment benefits established, but this week, they resolved this for me and we will have unemployment for the past 8 weeks (on its way here in a debit card).
5. Then, the bank inspected our house, and we were at 97% complete (closer to 100% now), and we were significantly under budget.  The rest of the money which we borrowed is sitting in the bank, and we can apply it to our mortgage month by month as needed for probably close to a year.
6. We have had friends bring food over several times which has provided relief from time to time.
7. Because we used a geothermal HVAC system, our power company (cooperative) gave us a $1000 credit which will cover several months of our electric bill.
8. Because we were on the plan to keep our bill constant all year round with the utilities in Knoxville, and because we have not used nearly the amount of water or electricity there, we had been overpaying for quite some time, and so now we have a balance that will allow us to make NO payments -- hopefully until the house sells.  And, if it sells soon enough, then we will be refunded whatever is left.

There is obviously a limit to how long we will be able to rely on the money we have, but for the immediate future, God has provided.

I do not know exactly how long each of these things will last, and I don't know whether I will find an appropriate job in the next months.  In other words, I don't know what the future holds.  But, I do know that today, God has provided, and He has been gracious enough to show us that He has provided for at least some time into the future.

In addition to all of the monetary provision we have seen these last months, we have the knowledge and assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God and no man (or anything) can "pluck" us from Our Heavenly Father's hand!  So much in this life is unknown and unsure!  Will He provide -- even in this life?  Yes, Matthew 6 tells us that His eye is on the sparrow, and so we know that He will take care of His children.  But, we do know that His ultimate provision will be the full and final deliverance from Sin and Death as we spend eternity Worshiping our Beloved Savior!

Thank you, Father, for your promise of provision!  Thank you for showing us your provision through these recent difficult months!  Most of all, thank you for your eternal incomprehensible grace -- that if we accept that Amazing Grace, we KNOW we will have eternity to praise you and thank you for all that we do not understand today!

The Great Commission...

When Jesus was finished with His work here on earth, one of the last things He did was to give His disciples a final word -- we call this the Great Commission.

Just seven chapters into the book of Acts, Stephen became the first disciple to give his life for the unapologetic preaching of Christ and of the Salvation that His death and resurrection made possible.

In the centuries since this Great Commission, countless Christians have suffered and even died for their obedience to this command!  Many have dedicated their lives to obeying these "last words" of Jesus here on earth.

Over the last few weeks, God has been in the process of bringing me to a place where I realize that my life has not been so dedicated...

Of course, I could personalize this (and I do), but that would be difficult and challenging, so I'll speak for a moment in that all-inclusive plural -- "we"...  I'll share this conviction -- "if the shoe fits" and all that...

Here we are in our great free country where the Bill of Rights has declared that government cannot prohibit us from practicing religion freely.  Yet, the tide is turning -- we are told that this "right" simply means that government cannot have anything to do with religion.  Then, we are told that it means we must be tolerant of every other religion.  This is interpreted to mean that we cannot share our beliefs with other people because it is intolerant of their beliefs.  Some in our country are pushing ratifying the UN rights of the child, which would tell us that teaching our children about the Lord Jesus would be a violation of their rights.

We are right on the verge of completely losing this great freedom that we have to "practice" our religion -- because for the Bible believing Christian, sharing Jesus with other people is a crucial part of practicing our religion...

We think we have convictions -- that we would tell others about Christ even if it was against the law.  We believe this is a conviction -- meaning that we would be willing to die for this cause of all causes.

And yet, now, while we still have freedom -- and for the past (how many?) years, we have become absorbed with our lives -- our comfort.  We tell our children, "I just want you to have things a little better than I had them" -- probably stemming from the Great Depression era when that really meant something!  It might have been worded "I don't want you to have to beg in the streets for food" or "I want you to be able to have a job so you can provide for your family".  But, we don't mean that at all -- we mean "I want you to have a TV in every room", "I want you to have fun", "I want you to have a nice house".  Cell phones, computers, cars, you name it...  We have lost track of Christs "last words".

One day recently God hit me with this thought -- "If you are not telling people about Christ while you are FREE to do so, what makes you think you're going to tell them if it could mean you are imprisoned or killed?"

More than half of my life is now in the past.  I have loved God and learned about Him.  I have gone to Church and dressed nicely (to represent my desire to give Him my best).  I trust God for Salvation, and for my daily needs.  I believe He has a plan for my life, and I want His plan and only His.

I have worked and earned money and spent money and acquired for myself things and for my family that we wanted.  And, I conclude with Solomon that it is empty.  It just does not matter.  It is nice and fun and comfortable, and I thank God for these things.

But, have I missed something -- have I been so busy making myself comfortable in this life that I have failed to obey Christ's last and greatest command...  Have I laid up treasures on earth, or in heaven...

Lord, I have certainly passed up many, many opportunities to share Your Gospel with people you have brought into my life.  I ask that you would give me the wisdom to recognize opprotunities you bring and the courage to share You, my Savior, with the world around me.

Silence of The Lamb

I have been silent here on this blog for a month now. That is because we have been experiencing God's Silence...

What do we do when God is silent? Obviously, this depends on the nature of the trial and the nature of the silence... Well, I can't say that I have any real answers, but I have some thoughts -- some are not spiritual, but are reality...

• Pray
• Cry
• Wait
• Search the Bible for answers
• Panic, but with nothing to "do" to fix anything
• Worry
• Repent from Worrying
• Search in vain for some "Magic Formula"

Some trials have no "deadline" associated with them. My wife and I have both experienced the death of a spouse. This was a trial that just went on and on, but there was no date or time that something bad was going to happen. It was simply enduring the loneliness and grief of loss. Well, it wasn't "simply" anything, but we could just trudge along day after day waiting, waiting, and more waiting until we could see God provide comfort and relief from grief in various ways. He was and is faithful!

But, this present trial is much different and doesn't merely require "endurance". The truth is that our severance pay has now run out, and (even with unemployment, gifts, and other forms of income) we are going to run out of money to pay our basic bills. Waiting means something entirely different than it did after we each lost our first spouse. Waiting means running out, potentially losing the home we just built, having to find family or friends to let us live with them until we can find a job to begin the rebuilding process.

I have been told -- and I can see on the news -- that we are not alone. There are a lot of people across this "land of opportunity" that are on the verge of losing everything they have worked for. It may give a little comfort to know that others share the same dire circumstances that we are experiencing, but then, this is not really "comforting"...

So, is there any consolation? Is there any comfort? Well, I can list some things that I believe, but they sound very hollow when I think of the possibility that we might have to find friends to help us move those things that we don't want to part with -- though we know not where to store them -- and have our credit ruined while we go "beg" family and friends to help us. And, when we think about wanting to provide some sense of stability --- or even just food and shelter -- for our teenagers, who have already experienced the loss of a parent... Here are some thoughts that might be considered "comforting", though it does seem increasingly hollow:

• We have trusted in the blood of Jesus for our Salvation. Though our home, our "things", or even food can be taken away, NO ONE can take away the gift of eternal life that God has promised. Yes, this is definitely a comfort.
• We know that God "will never leave us nor forsake us." Of course, getting an understanding of what this means in this particular circumstance is definitely a challenge. Allow my humanness to show through for a moment -- It isn't Jesus in Flesh here with us. He doesn't require food or shelter. I know, He has a plan, and in His plan for us, He has not "forsaken" bringing His plan for us to fruition. (Though a different context) He who has begun a "good work" in us is faithful, and He will continue it to the "Day of Jesus Christ" -- He will not forsake His "Good Work" in us.
  
• James tells us that we KNOW that the trying of our faith will bring forth patience, ultimately making us "perfect" or "complete". Of course, it feels like a slap in the face to read (or be quoted) the verse to "consider it all joy"... I have to read these verses to say that we should consider the final result joy -- the result of maturity -- that is where we find the "joy" -- not in the trial itself! Yes, I know that in this trial, God has considered us "worthy" of these trials, and through this, He will bring us to greater maturity. Well, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it...
• We know that our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, walked this earth and experienced all the different sorts of temptations and testing just like we experience, and yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). And, we also know that He knows the infirmities we have in this life (Romans 8:26)

My prayers have become childlike. Maybe that is what my Daddy in Heaven wants. I have certainly been brought low. I pray as David did in Psalm 142:6 (though his persecutors were trying to kill him) -- Lord God, Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

Heavenly Father, Daddy, please help us! Please, Lord Jesus, hear our cries, see our tears, and feel our longing for your help. We feel helpless. We try to do what we know to do, but doors continue to slam in our faces. We pour out our broken hearts before you. We thank and praise you for saving us from eternal damnation in Hell! We need deliverance here on earth today... We need a job that will allow us to be faithful to pay our living expenses -- to work for our food and shelter. We are truly incapable of fixing our current dilemma without your help...

In Jesus name -- through whom we have Salvation and whom we desire to serve -- Amen