Prisoner of Hope

Though my tears may fall
     Still I will praise
Though I can't see far
     Still I will pray
Though I fall down again
     Still I raise my hands

     For You, oh Lord
Have enraptured me in Your love
     In You, oh Lord
I am Your prisoner of hope

Let me not shake these shackles
     Though the winds of despair ensue
Help me sing in this prison
     Through the howls of doubt
I will forever set my eyes upon You
     Though the darkness of confusion engulfs

     For You, oh Lord
Have enraptured me in Your love
     In You, oh Lord
I am Your prisoner of hope

Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. Zechariah 9:12
The Lord roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Joel 3:16
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Hebrews 6:19

Failing God?

“You were never holding Me up. I uphold you with my victorious righteous right hand. In this relationship, I hold you up.”
I was sitting in a chapel service at my school, and the speaker showed a video by a group called The Skits. The clip was about God chiseling us into His image, and how God has created us for good. In the skit, the man was telling God that he could never become like Him, saying, “But God, I’ve let You down so many times!”
I thought to myself, how many times have I said that? How many people do I know who are constantly struggling with how they are always failing God? And with that thought, another comes right after. “God, how can You still love me?”

I’m not about to tell you that we can ever be perfect. Because the fact of the matter is, we, as humans, will always fail. We can never ever reach the perfection of God. But what I am about to tell you is that God knows this. This is the very reason He sent His Son for us- so that when we fail over and over and over again, and we feel like the worst trash in the world, we can see that through Jesus Christ, we are made whole again.

Yes. We will fail. But who are we failing? Can we ever let God down?
In the video, God’s answer was short, and to the point. “You were never holding Me up. I uphold you with my victorious righteous right hand. In this relationship, I hold you up.” How can we let God down, when He is the only reason we can stand? What does a father do when his children fall down? He picks them up, and sets them on their feet again. He guides them along so they can learn how to walk and not fall; how to run, and not grow weary!
So what does God expect from us, if He already knows that we can’t make it on our own? Paul states His mission many times throughout the New Testament. “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” God requires us to press on towards Him. He expects from us that when we do fall, we take His hand and accept His forgiveness; that we walk with Him, and learn to run in our faith.

God does not call us to a condemnation in spirit, but He calls us to true repentance. Repentance is the turning away from our sin, that which displeases God; true repentance makes an impact in one’s daily living. And God wants us to run with Him, every moment of every single day.

So remember, the next time you fall, reach for God’s hand to get back up again; He will never let you down.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus: Philippians 3:14
Psalm 23

 

Flag-rant

The sun was in rare form this afternoon, actually daring to show it's face upon this winter "wonderland". I curled up in my perch along side a window to soak up a few precious sun rays; outside I could see just about everything from my view. There was a school, a parking lot, a small forest of trees; I could see much of a small town. But right outside my window was a bright flagpole, brilliantly waving the stars and stripes to all who would look.
The beauty of this scene just made my heart praise God; in my praise I began to pray that God would continue to reveal His direction for my life. God sometimes has an odd way of replying to our prayers; as I looked again at the flagpole, and analogy came to mind.
The flag is strongly anchored to the pole. The pole it resides upon is actually what is continually holding that flag up, giving it support and strength. Yet the flag doesn't just hang there; it's still free enough to move where it needs to move, and to wave when the wind blows. Its brilliant colors attract the world that it's in, and not of, to show the message it stands for. The flag never compromises. When the sun is shining, the flag still waves. When the sky is crying, the flag still stands.
What would a flag for Christ look like? What implications would that hold for a believer?
1)If we lose hold of our flagpole (Christ), we fall to the ground as a battered piece of cloth. We are henceforth useless to the calling to which we have been called; we become of this world, instead of merely in it. A flag has no life outside of the pole it has been fixed to; Christ is our breath of life.
2)If we stop being sensitive to the calling of the Spirit (the wind for us flags), we instead become stagnant in our faith. The world sees a beaten piece of fabric drooping on a lonely staff, and lose interest in the message we proclaim.
3)We are always proclaiming the Gospel. A flag is woven with intent to show some message. Whether it's calling all Harley riders together, holding a vision for world peace, or declaring pride in a nation, every flag has significance. Everybody who looks at it sees that message. Our message is the Jesus is the way; our demeanor should be proclaiming that to everyone who looks at it.

Let this be your prayer:
Lord, whatever I'll be doing, wherever I'll be going, whomever I'll be with, make me like that flag.  I want to be Your flag, proclaiming Your message of peace to the whole world. I want to be fixed to You, to stand upon Your grace and strength. I want to be willing to move to wherever You lead me, sensitive to the calling of the Holy Spirit. Lord, I'm Yours.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15
For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death. Psalm 48:18

Party Presence

Delane looked through the keyhole at the Larson's house. She had been invited to her welcome-to-the-neighborhood party at this address. She had prepared all day, but now as she stood at the door, no one came out to welcome her. She stood there for some time, looked through the keyhole again at the warmth inside. After a while she began to get antsy. She yelled "hello!" once or twice; eventually she even began jumping on that front porch, trying to get someones attention. Inside the Larson's, however, people were listening to some music, pulling some warm roasted food out onto the table, and having a fun time. In the corner was a stack of presents waiting for Delane's presence; yet no one knew where she was. Delane was crying out on the porch step "Can anybody hear me? I'm out here..." Yet no knock on the door rang through the air that day.
Down the street Alex was headed to his own party. His friend Jon had invited him over just a few minutes ago, yet in Alex's rush to get to the house, he hadn't listened carefully enough to the directions Jon had given him over the phone. Now, he was headed to 1121 Mayberry Lane; Jon was patiently waiting at 1121 Mayville Drive. When Alex got to the porch step he assumed was Jon's, he began impatiently pounding on the door. "I'm here! Let me in! It's cold outside!" Yet try as he might, the unoccupied house had no answer for his persistent pounding. "What kind of person would tell me to go somewhere, and not show up when I arrive? I thought I knew Jon better than this; he said to knock at the door.... well I'm here, I'm knocking. Jon, can't you hear me?"

Both these people came expectant to receive something; neither of these people did. So what went wrong?
Delane had not because she asked not. She came to the brink of what she knew, yet she never went the final step to knock on the Larson's door. Inside were wonderful things just waiting for her- if she had only asked. Instead, she gazed through the keyhole at the beautiful scene; she wanted it really badly, yet she just stood there, waiting for it to come to her. And when it didn't, she threw a pity party instead of doing what was required to enter.
Alex had a quite different experience. He was ready to do everything needed to get to that party; he stood at the door, he knocked, he pounded, and he pleaded. He was ready to do everything needed, except wait and take the time to listen. In his zeal to get to his end destination, he skipped over the part about figuring out where to go. He heard what he wanted to hear and ran with it. In the end, he received nothing but bitterness towards Jon for seemingly bringing him to a dead end, and loneliness because he had gone the wrong way.

Now, maybe you've figured it out, but these stories don't just have to do with getting to a party on time. Every day experiences directly correlate to the things of the spiritual realm. So let's review these situations once more- in our own lives.
God has a beautiful plan for our lives. He has wonderful treasures just waiting to be received; He prepares a daily meal for us without fail. He provides us with companionship and a place to rest in Him. Yet too many times, we approach His courts like Delane. We enter trepituously and tiptoe up to His door. And we sit and we sit and we sit, without ever receiving anything. Why is that? How about "you receive not because you ask not"? We know the promises that God has planned for us; oftentimes we are too busy looking through the keyhole and wondering why we are not in that room to do what is required to enter. Come before His throne with boldness- God has wondrous treasures in store for us when we walk in His will.
Others of us don't need to worry about boldly asking for our promises. We ask and we ask and we ask, yet we still don't receive anything. So where's the disconnect? Alex was too hurried and so confident that he could find his way to Jon's house, that he never waited for Jon. We need to wait upon the Lord and walk in His ways to get to where He is leading us. Don't get ahead of God; don't always assume that your way is the right way. "...neither are your ways My ways..." God lays out pretty clearly for us. We can only receive the blessings in store for us when we are following after Christ.

So what house are you at? Let's make sure to enter into His courts with praise.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. Mathew 7:7-8
...yet ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4:2b
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23-24
Come before the throne of God with boldness, in order to obtain His mercy and grace. Hebrews 4:16
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. Psalm 86:11
Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Psalm 25:4

Abraham's Sacrifice

A while ago I wrote about the story of Abraham and Isaac from Isaac's point of view; the view of having such submission, obedience, and trust in those placed in authority over you that you would follow that person, even if it means to lay down your life. But this time, I wanted to talk about the more traditional perspective on this story; what was Abraham thinking?
Abraham stood on the promise that he would receive a son for 25 years. That's a long time to not lose faith in the fulfillment of what God has shown you! But after Isaac was born, you could imagine the joy that Abraham felt, holding his beloved and cherished son. I'm sure he loved every moment of that boy's life, watching him and teaching him in his relationship with their Lord. I'm sure he thanked God every day for His faithfulness in providing his only son.
Yet one day, God asked for the impossible. Now this isn't exactly verbatim from the scripture, but I always picture it a little like this. "Abraham, do you love me?" "Yes Lord, you know I love you." Abraham would have earnestly answered.
"Would you give your son back to me?" And that is where the testing began. Where did Abraham's true affections lie?
Everything that happens in the Old Testament has a correlation to the New Testament, and to our lives. It's not full of old fairy tales to shake our heads in disbelief at. God still is asking for our Isaacs. Where do your affections lie?
So Abraham had the strength in God to give up his only son. He had the courage to bind up his offspring and to lie him on the altar. I'm sure it felt like he was putting most of himself on that altar as well. Yet he carried on. He raised that knife, and at that moment, he passed the test. God knew that He had Abraham's all. God spared Isaac's life because of his father's faithfulness.
So do you have Abraham's heart? Do you give your Isaac to God every day? Do you have the courage to say, "God, I love you more. You're enough for me."?
Build your life up as an altar to God. Be willing to sacrifice your Isaac, because you never want anything between you and the Lord.
Make your prayer like that of the many prayers of the men counted as faithful to God. "Lord, my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak.... Strengthen the hands that hang down... Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."

Genesis 22
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41b
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees. Hebrews 12:12
Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! Mark 9:24b

Creation

Today I had the privilege to go to a conference where I live to hear Ken Ham and Dr. Jason Lisle discuss both the creation of the world and the proofs of our creator amongst an array of different topics. I was greatly blessed by the whole day, but something that stood out to me was actually something my little brother said.
During the presentations, there was a PowerPoint going in the background that often displayed cartoon creations of the topic being discussed. My little brother loved those PowerPoint's, and at one point he asked me to read to him what one of the cartoons said. "It says: God created us" I told him. He thought for a little and said, "God is creating us."
Now, I don't think he understood the profoundness of that comment; more than likely he simply misheard my muffled whisper. Yet his comment stuck with me. Not only did God create us at the very beginning, but He is still in the midst of changing us into new creations, and into the image of Christ.
A lot of times we look at situations in our life and question God's decisions. God, why? Haven't I gone through enough? Haven't I learned this lesson well enough yet? God, why do I have to wait? Why?
I have asked these questions more times than I would like to admit; many more times than I know I should have. I know I have fallen like the children of Israel, shaking their fists at God in the wilderness while He is providing their manna every morning. I may count my blessings in my life, but many times I forget to count among them the trials I face.
But the thing is, facing situations in our life where we come to the end of us and it seems all we have left is God- these are good things! It means that God hasn't given up on us. He proclaims in His word the He chastens those who He loves, and He promises to complete the good work that He has started in us. Isn't it amazing the the God of the universe takes time to notices us and give us opportunities to grow?
So even if you can't begin to imagine why God thinks you're strong enough to go through the insurmountable eminence in front of you, take the time to thank God that He is cultivating you so that you can lean on Him for your strength. Ask God to open your eyes to the areas He is changing in you.
Take time today to thank God for His work in you; both for your existence, and for His continued creation in your life.

Because the Lord disciplines those he loves. Hebrews 12:6a
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
The Lord will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands. Psalm 138:8

No Jesus, No Peace...

When I was a little girl, my dad owned a silver Saab '93. On the back of this car read a bumper sticker that said "No Jesus, no peace; know Jesus, know peace". I would watch my dad pull into our garage every day, and I always saw that bumper sticker, but for the longest time I could never figure out what it meant. One day, however, it finally clicked. Jesus is our peace! After that I promised that my first bumper sticker I owned would say the same thing.
More recently this bumper came to mind in lieu of a certain situation I had not forseen coming up. I spent a day fasting and praying about what to do in the face of these circumstances, and at the end of the day, I had such a peace about the whole thing that I wondered why it even seemed like a problem in the first place. And that's when it struck me that the unique thing about the peace of Jesus Christ is that it takes no mind to the circumstances. There is a reason that people can talk about that light at the end of the tunnel; there is a reason people can be burned at the stake and never recant their faith in Christ. There is a reason there can be joy in the middle of despair, and that reason lies in the peace that passes all understanding.
Dictionary.com defines peace as "a state of tranquillity or serenity". Hindu religions are constantly seeking Nirvana, which is defined as "a state of passionless peace". Nations are thought to be successful when they are at peace, and who doesn't enjoy "peace and quiet"? The thing about peace is that it is always sought after. New methods to obtain it are always being contrived, and people go on excursions to "find themselves" or "be at peace" with themselves.
Yet the thing about Jesus is that He is our peace; His promise to give us peace never fails, for God cannot lie. If He was our peace one day, He will be our peace the next, for "I am the Lord, I change not".
And Satan hates it. He loves to pour condemnation on us; feelings of unworthiness, thoughts of doubt, and desire for temporary things flood us every day to take our mindset off of God and onto ourselves. Because once that is accomplished and we are focused on the "me", our peace is shattered. Think about the Garden of Eden; Adam and Eve had everything they wanted- they were happy and at peace with God and themselves. The first thing that Satan did to tempt Eve was to make her feel that she did not have enough. That the fruit was something she really desired; and once she started listening to him, she never got her peace back.
Our peace is not found in our possessions, our education, our careers, nor our relationships; rather it is found in the most simple, yet most complex cornerstone of our existence. It is found in the rock of Jesus Christ.
Where are you searching for your peace?

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
I the LORD do not change. Malachi 3:6a