WRESTLING. WAITING. WORSHIP

Hello, and how is the New Year going for you so far? Are you keeping up with your goals and the decisions you’ve made? I’m trying.

I thought it would be a good idea to read through the Minor Prophets of the Bible this year. There are twelve of them. 

Have you ever read the book Habakkuk (ha buh cook) in the Old Testament?

It’s an excellent study for any one of us who might be wondering, where is God? Why isn’t he seeing what I’m going through and doing something about it? 

It’s three short chapters and a gem of a book.

Let me share what I’ve learned and encourage you to open your Bible and study independently.

First, this book is a dialogue between Habakkuk and God. A Prophet’s main role was to make known the word of God to the people and nations often calling people to turn their back on sin, repent and come back to God. However, Habakkuk’s role was a bit different.

Habakkuk, in some ways, reminds me of the book of Job because Job challenged God’s justice, and God replied.

(The wrestling)

In chapter one, Habakkuk says, “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?”

Do you ever feel like that? Here begins his verbal wrestling.

When things are not looking so good in the world or your life, you may feel tempted to say, Lord, do you see? Are you listening? How long are you going to let this happen?

Habakkuk finds himself in this situation and asks why God allows evil to exist.

If you, God, are Sovereign, then why do wicked people seem to thrive?

Habakkuk really laments over the dark and evil world. He believes God isn’t concerned. Can you relate?

Isaiah 55:6-11 (ESV)

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways. Declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but to water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the Sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and it shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

God always has a plan. And we humans struggle to understand it. 

Habakkuk wasn’t in a good place. There was a lot of evil, injustice, and idolatry in the world. (it sounds like our world today, doesn’t it)? 

The Jewish people were in rebellion against God.

So, God would use the Babylonians (their enemies) as an instrument of correction to spank the people he loved. (I can almost hear someone shouting. What, that’s not fair!)

Habakkuk didn’t like that answer either.

He questions God again. Do you mean to tell me you’re going to use wicked people to correct a people more righteous than they are?

Verse 12- “Are you not from everlasting O Lord my God my Holy One?” 

(The waiting)

I believe in asking God the hard questions. He holds the answers. I also realize God is not obligated to answer how I want him to or how I think He should.

 It’s okay to ask God questions. He can handle them. Through the Bible, many of His children ask why?

God doesn’t directly answer Habakkuk when he raises the second question, not in the story here.

But In Chapter 2, God does tell Habakkuk how to live when he doesn’t understand.

Life is full of unanswered questions. At the end of the day, we can torment ourselves by asking the why repeatedly. Or we can believe that God is inherently good and choose to trust him when we don’t understand. 

Chapter 2:2-4 (nutshell version)

And the Lord answered me: 

“But the righteous shall live by his faith.“

God is telling Habakkuk:

I know you don’t understand what I’m doing, but you can trust me.

The faith we exercise when we trust God to be our Savior is the same kind of faith we need to have every day.

When bad things happen in life or in the world, and we question God, why? Remember, “The Just shall live by faith.”

God is saying to Habakkuk, and to you and I,

Trust me.

Because you don’t understand or can’t fix what’s happening, lean on Me. Press into Me, and I will show you how to walk through this.

Things in life won’t always have a simple explanation. You don’t have to like what’s going on. But you must trust the Lord. He is on the throne.

Chapter 2:20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

Habakkuk moves from questioning God to trusting Him. I know that God is seated on the throne in heaven, and I need to be quiet and trust Him.

 In Psalm 5:11, David goes from trusting God to rejoicing in the Lord.

(The worship)

In chapter 3, Habakkuk finally lets his heart remember that God is unwavering, trustworthy, and true. He recalls that God has always been faithful to him, and Habakkuk begins to Praise God. (I can feel the relief)

That is my heart’s desire. 

When life doesn’t make sense, I’m sure I will want to know why. But I want to avoid getting stuck in the why. I want to move forward and trust the Lord God Almighty through it all. And then, to really surrender, I want to Praise Him.

We don’t have to rejoice in our circumstances. We get to rejoice in the God who will take us through it. God wants us to be equip when we walk through life. So dive into the Word. Meditate on the promises of God. 

Verse 17-19 is like the crescendo of the book.

17. “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, 18. yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19. God the Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on high places.”

I’m praying that in your struggle whatever it might be, you allow God into the wrestling. Trusting him through the waiting and with everything in your breath worship him with praise for all that He has already done and will do in you through this season. And remember, The righteous shall live by faith.

Waiting for His return,

Jamie

01/16/23

THE HONEST MESSENGER

On this very frigid day, I’ll take the opportunity to cozy up and say hello.

It seems crazy for it to be this cold. It was negative 6 degrees when I woke up this morning. The windchill factor is negative 21 degrees.

The title of the forecast reads, “Hazardous weather conditions.” It’s a stay-home kind of day, for sure. 

It’s hard to believe Christmas is three days away.

Are you ready?

Can I let you in on a little secret?

It’s not my favorite holiday. I hope you don’t think I’m a Scrooge. 

But I do love the Christmas truth.

Luke 2:8-20

If you’ve only heard about the Christmas story, let me encourage you to grab a Bible and read it.

The story begins by introducing the shepherds.

In first-century Palestine, being a herdsman was a low position. The Jewish leaders thought shepherds couldn’t stick to the strict sabbath rules because of their type of work and therefore thought less of them.

But God didn’t see it that way. Verse eight says,

“And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”

Let’s unpack this for a moment.

The religious leaders (Important people in society) had their thoughts and opinions about these sheepmen. But God saw them. They were vital to him. Essential enough to tell them first, the good! 

I love that.

Did you catch the last part of verse ten? The good news and great joy will be for ALL THE PEOPLE.

I love that in God’s eyes, he sees us all!

The angel continues to instruct the shepherds. A Savior is born- In the city of David- Who is Christ the Lord. 

It’s great that God included signs for the shepherd, so there would be no mistaken identity. He will be a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

The scriptures continue, “And suddenly there was with the angles a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! (Peace on earth, goodwill toward men)”

Verse 15. “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

I love their response. “Let’s go and see.” Remember, the religious leaders scrutinized shepherds due to the type of work, they didn’t have time to focus on the rules and laws. I imagine them out in the fields talking with the Lord and perhaps singing to God on the nights when creation seemed so mind-blowing with the stars and galaxies displayed for their viewing.

God was sending this great news to them! 

I wonder if He knew He could trust that they would share it. 

What about us? Are we willing to share the good news of great joy with our neighbors and co-workers? What about our family? You know, the ones you don’t like?

Well, I love this story because there is so much hope and goodness in this season.

I want to encourage you to warm up by a cozy fire or light some candles for ambiance and read God’s word.

I pray that we will be excited to share the good news of Jesus after reading the truth about Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you and yours,

Jamie

December 22, 2022

JUST. ONE. THING.

Have you ever wished to change one thing about yourself?

Let me clarify. I’m not talking about changing your hair color or nail polish. I’m talking about something internal. 

Do you wish you were more talkative? Perhaps you’d like to be more outgoing or friendlier. 

Maybe you’re hoping to be more carefree in social settings instead of being uptight and worried about what you will say when asked a question.

I have been asking God to change one thing in me. 

It may sound silly to the person who is fluent in this. But for me, it’s a real struggle.

What is it you’re asking?

It’s talking to strangers.

My husband has no problem with this. He thrives in social settings and loves talking to just about anyone about anything. 

I’m a one-on-one kinda girl. I could meet you as a stranger, but knowing we’re getting coffee sets my heart at ease, and by the end of our conversation, we leave as friends.

I want to be better at conversing with anyone. 

Recently I read Ephesians 6:18. It says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and pray for all the Lord’s people.”

Hmmm? Pray on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers for all the Lord’s people. Occasion-prayers-people. Be alert, Jamie!

Do I do that? I questioned.

I mean, I pray regularly. But on all occasions, with all kinds of prayer for all God’s people?

I was convicted. I know this about myself. I check off my to-do list with little concern about who is standing in line next to me. When I do errands, it’s pretty much me doing exactly what I set out to do that day—leaving no room for the unexpected. 

I want to be willing to talk with a stranger, pray for them or give them a word of encouragement.

When the cashier at the grocery store asks me how my day is going. I always answer, “I’m Good, thank you.” As I fumble through my purse for the means to pay for my goods. Talk about self-focused.

If you read my post from last week, I told you about my friend Grace, who can talk and pray for anyone anytime. Don’t get me wrong, if I see someone hurting or in a car accident as I pass by, I initially go to prayer for those circumstances. But I think the Lord is asking me to step out of my comfort zone and be willing to speak the love of Jesus to a stranger.

So it happened.

It was Wednesday morning.

I don’t go to Walmart very often but I needed something in particular.

Sadly, Walmart was out of it. But before leaving, I grabbed some personal items in the makeup department, and for some reason, I needed to pay for these things at the little checkout counter. I handed the older woman the makeup, and just like a recording, she asked me, “So how’s your day going?” And I realized: here it is, the moment when I could be more intentional and not be so focused on myself and the things I have to get done. I answered, “My day is going well. How about you? How’s your day going?” I insisted. She began to tell me that a lot was going on in her life. “But I’m awake today and alive, so I just have to deal with it.”

She raised her voice. As I shoved my credit card into the magnetic reader to pay. I knew this was an opportunity to pray for her.

 Her name tag read “Lynn.”

“My middle name is Lynn.” I shared. She sweetly asked, “What’s your first name?”

“Jamie.” I stated.

“Jamie Lynn, what a beautiful flow.” she giggled.

I laughed and quickly asked, “Can I pray for you?” Her eyes lit up. She promptly reached and grabbed my hand and said “Yes.” I said a brief prayer and at that moment I realized, this is what God is asking me to do at all times and on all occasions.

When I was done praying for her, my heart was utterly full. It was probably the shortest prayer I’ve ever prayed, but there was so much joy. 

 “I needed that prayer,” Lynn expressed. I observed her face as she pulled her mask down and smiled. She had a pin on her Walmart vest that said “Jesus is the reason for the season.” I smiled. She said, “Isn’t it wonderful when God’s people get together to pray?”

Lesson learned. 

The truth is, we never know who God wants us to reach today to offer the plan of salvation, words of encouragement, or a simple prayer.

So what’s your one thing?

Praying for you today. 

Hugs, Jamie.

@September 3, 2022

A Time To Grow

 

Has your faith been tested lately?

Did you shout with great joy when adversity hit you?

Or did you kick and scream trying to wrap your mind around why this or that was happening to you?

Fearless

He gripped his life vest tightly.

I tried for twenty minutes to convince him that it was going to be okay and that I would be here to catch him in the end.

Back and forth we talked, and I could clearly see I was not going to win.

Fear has the power to paralyze us when we let it.

The Question At Hand

Life is full of up’s and downs.

Hardship seems to stand at every corner, just waiting to barge in.

An already stressful day sometimes gets hit with the unexpected.

The choices we make from one moment to the next sometimes goes without thought, and if we are not careful, it can change the course of tomorrow.

Finding Your Way Back

I’m wondering how you are today?

I’ve been praying for you this week.

By the way, where are you?

Attitude Of Gratitude

Give thanks.

Psalm 9:1- “I will give thanks to you, Lord with all my heart ; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”

In our world that is fueled by chaos, sometimes it’s difficult to see the good and give thanks.

It’s so easy to set our eyes on the negative and begin our climb to the top of the pity party hill and let out our cries of how life is not fair.

But what happens when we step back, change our perspective, and begin to speak out what is good and give thanks?

In my own life I have learned to practice gratitude.

I can’t always wait for the happy feelings to be there. Sometimes even in adversity I must begin to remind myself of the good that really is around me.

Come To Life

Do you need rescuing today?

Are you sitting in a land of dry bones, wishing for there to be life again?

Ezekiel 37: 1-14 reads the amazing story of Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones.

The nation of Israel had lost everything.

But God…

Remember

Do you trust God?

I mean really trust him.
It’s easy to say we do, isn’t it?

But when life gets tough and our faith is called upon, we begin to see the depth of our faith.