For the past month, I’ve had tunnel vision. Metaphorically speaking, I can only focus on a specific thing, and I’m neglecting an eternal perspective. Heartache, hardship takes center stage. I try to zoom out and look around me. Try to look to the heavens where my help comes from. Then a word or image and I’m back…
Walking through a dark narrow tunnel. I wait for the light. You know…the light at the end of the tunnel. Only, there’s not even a glimmer of hope this tunnel ever ends. Dark thoughts consume my mind. I don’t have the mental energy to keep walking, and who knows how long I’m gonna be here.
A frantic thought seizes me. Maybe there is no light.
“It is the bold Christian who can sing God’s sonnets in the darkness.”
C.S. Spurgeon
Heaven forbid! To give up hope in the Living God? To stop walking by faith instead of sight? To cease believing in God’s goodness and His unwavering love for me? To ignore God’s promises and the countless times He’s proven Himself to me?
Nope! Not gonna happen.I’ve come too far to go backwards. If I’m gonna have tunnel vision, let me focus on You, Lord. Not my circumstances or disappointments. But choosing to be still and focus on Jesus is more energy than I can muster. I can’t do this on my own. Not now. Not in this tunnel where the darkness envelopes me.
Then I remember God’s strength is perfected in weakness. I remind myself, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). One day at a time!
By His grace, I stand and take a baby step of faith. Trusting God’s heart when I can’t see His face. Even in this … long, dark tunnel.
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4,5
I tried not to roll my eyes as I stood there listening to a man go on and on. He told me everything I didn’t want to know about his life. Normally, I love hearing people’s stories. But, I didn’t care two cents about his riches, the houses he owned, his worldly ambitions, and “the people he knew.”
When we said goodbye, this man (who knew something about everything) didn’t know one thing about the person he’d talked to for an hour. Me!
Not a problem. I’d rather listen to others than talk about myself. Truly. But, it pains me to listen to someone who thinks they know something about everything and can’t be dissuaded to think otherwise. You know what I mean?
Commonly known as a KNOW-IT-ALL.
However, I find great comfort and joy knowing the good Lord truly truly knows it all!
“Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33)
I know every bird of the mountains,
Psalm 50:11 NAS
And everything that moves in the field is Mine.”
Psalm 50:11 NAS
Omniscient is one of God’s attributes. He knows the beginning from the end. When the world seems out of control, God knows and He’s no less in control. There’s nothing that will happen in this world, or my life, that surprises Him. Nothing He can’t handle and use for His purposes and His glory.
God also knows everything about me (Psalm 139:1-2). He knows
the secrets of my heart (Psalm 44:21)
the number of hairs on my head (Luke 12:7)
the number of days I’ll live (Psalm 139:12-13)
my name (John 10:3)
God knows me better than I know myself. And He knows more about me than I wish He knew. Which is why I had a difficult time believing that God would love me with an everlasting love. So how did I learn to embrace the Lord and trust Him no matter what?
By knowing Him!We can’t trust someone we don’t know.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Knowing God is different from knowing about God.
I can tell you many things I learned about the boastful man that I met who could tell me a thing or two. But I don’t know his innermost being or his future. I don’t know him on an intimate basis like I know my spouse.
Do you realize the God of the Universe invites us to know Him on intimate terms. That happens the same way any relationship is developed–spending time with the person so we become familiar.
Read God’s Word. And while you’re reading Scripture, listen for Him to speak to your heart. Talk to God, the same way you’d phone a friend. Be honest. Ask your questions. Tell Him how you really feel. Ask the Holy Spirit to use God’s Words to instruct and guide you.
Instead of asking the Lord to give you the desires of your heart, ask God to make Himself the desire of your heart! The same way you’d long for a true blue friend.
Be mindful of His presence throughout the day and praise Him (same way you’d compliment a faithful friend) for Who He is!
A kind, merciful, loving, forgiving, all-knowing God who loved each of us so much that “He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
As we nurture an intimate relationship with the Living God, our head knowledge about Him will become a heartfelt friendship. And the more we know God, the more we will trust Him and be less shaken.
That’s how to get into heaven when we die. Or so I thought.
Believe And Be Good.
So I believed in Jesus when I was thirteen-years-old. But instead of trusting God’s grace (unmerited favor) to make me righteous in His sight, I added to His saving work by trying to be good. And hoped that worked!
Relying on my goodness to save my soul is like trusting a life vest to save me from hungry sharks.
Being good meant I had to display moral virtues such as kindness, mercy, humility . . . and, obey rules. I made a list of moral do’s and don’t. Oughts and should.
Do unto others as you’d like them to do to you.
Don’t lie, cheat, steal. Don’t even think about it.
I should read my Bible. I ought to pray.
Depending on my behavior, and society’s fluctuating “definition of good,” I never knew for sure where I stood with God. I worried I could lose my salvation because even on my “good days” I questioned whether I was “good enough.”
“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” (C. S. Lewis)
So I raised the ante. I did good deeds to earn my way to heaven. I volunteered at charities. Served within my church.
My faith in Christ’s morphed into a works-oriented faith which isn’t uncommon. People tell me they’re going to heaven because . . .
“I’m a good person. I’ve lived a good life.”
“Sometimes I take what’s rightfully not mine (i.e., ask for a free water cup at a fast food restaurant and fill it with soda) but I’ve never robbed a bank.”
“I may lie on my tax forms and cheat on tests, but I’ve never killed anyone.”
“We are all on very good terms with ourselves, and we can always put up a good case for ourselves.”
Martyn Loyd-Jones
We deceive ourselves. “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3).
That’s why the Gospel is Good News. We can’t save our souls, but we can save ourselves a lot of worry and strife if we believe in Jesus to save us.
The jailer in Philippi asked the Apostle Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30, 31).
They didn’t add, “And be good. Otherwise all bets off.”
Praise God for His gift; rejoice in our salvation.
“God’s grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior.”
Tim Keller
I cringe, knowing I once tried to earn what Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplished. Jesus’ shed blood justified me. Not my behavior.
God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Ro. 5:8
There’s no addendum which says we should bring something to the table. We come with empty hands and expectant hearts.
Even in This . . . mad world, “He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25).
Sun sets on the Hawaiian Islands, and the crowds stand along the shoreline with their cameras aimed westward while frothy surf tickles bare feet. Hundreds of eyes—young and old, round and almond-shaped, brown and blue—glued to the grandeur of a huge orb of fire, slipping serenely into an aqua sea. The sky is ablaze in hues of pink, lavender, and orange.
I want to shout, “To God be the glory!”
But I’m a silent observer. My heart heavy with the weight of a world who pauses to experience a breathtaking sunset while often ignoring, if not denying, the Creator who made this very moment possible.
The people see, but can they hear the heaven’s declaring God’s glory?
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
I’m not passing judgement on a band of international tourists on holiday. Who knows what eternal thoughts (if any) came into their minds as they witnessed the daily miracle unfolding. Most people don’t wear a T-shirt proclaiming their faith. But imagine the eyebrows I might have raised, if I’d kneeled in the cool sand and raised my hands towards the sky, praising God’s name. Would anyone have joined me? Whispered, “Amen!”
I’m not a bold witness when I’m alone among strangers. And yet, I’m convicted. How can I not proclaim the gospel that is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes in Christ Jesus?
A Japanese couple takes a selfie with the sun peeking over their shoulders. When they gaze at the sun, are they privately worshipping Amaterasu—the sun goddess—who is a major deity in the Shinto religion? According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in Japanese mythology, the Emperors of Japan are considered to be direct descendants of Amaterasu.
Curious, I search the internet for “sun gods” and a long list of names from cultures around the world reveals mankind’s desire to define and worship the sun, or link the sun to a god or goddess. When the Apostle Paul wrote the Christians living in Rome, the culture worshipped the sun god, Apollo.
Does it matter what we call the god who created and controls the sun? Does it matter if there’s a god?
According to Acts 17:23-31 . . . it matters very much.
That’s why Paul talked to the religious people of Athens about their statue to “an unknown god.” Paul stood in a crowd and assured them, they could know “the God who made the world—the Lord of heaven and earth.” He explained….
God does not live in temples built by hands.
God is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything because he gives all men life and breath.
God desires that men would seek him and reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
I wonder if Paul and the crowds paused that day to watch the sun set on Athens?
What were they thinking when the sun seemed to brush the earth with a goodnight kiss? Did they credit Apollo with another sunset, dismissing Paul’s words as foolishness? Or, were their eyes opened to clearly see their Creator’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature so they could believe and worship the One, True God.
Something to consider even in this . . . glorious God-ordained sunset that happens everyday!
“Be still and know that I am God.” I love Psalm 46:10, but being still isn’t in my DNA. I like being productive.
My organized photo albums and the needle point pictures on my wall happened because I couldn’t be still when I watched television.
Yesterday was no exception.
My twenty-year-old son called me from college. I loved hearing his adventures, but my body squirmed after fifteen minutes. With phone in hand, I strolled to the gravel pathway behind our house.
During the winter, weeds had sprouted between the pea-sized pebbles. I held the phone near my left ear and yanked a tall blade of grass with my right hand. I tackled another. Then another.
“Sounds great,” I told my son. Little did he know Mama was working like a field hand while he talked about his summer plans.
I should have taken my Flonase because the pollen made me sneeze. Thankfully, my son couldn’t see me wipe my runny nose on my sleeve. I also should have worn garden gloves. Red dirt caked beneath my chipped fingernails. Bloody scratch marks marred my hand.
Two hours later, we said goodbye. By then, my husband had arrived home and found me weeding the garden. He frowned when he saw me. “Where’s your gloves?”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t the pathway look great?”
“You didn’t need to pull those weeds,” he said. “I sprayed weed killer this morning.”
I wiggled my scarred hand and envisioned the toxic chemicals seeping into the pores of my skin. If I’d been still while my son talked to me, I could have avoided all that unnecessary work.
However, there’s a spiritual lesson even in this.
When I was my son’s age, I was afraid I’d lose my eternal salvation. I worked hard to be the perfect Christian. I didn’t understand Ephesians 2:8. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Jesus died for our sins and He said, “It is finished.”
Once we’ve call upon the name of the Lord to be saved, NOTHINGcan snatch us from His loving, nail-scarred hands.
Just think of the effort I could have been spared if I’d been still and known God, instead of striving to earn what I already possessed.
Even In This 