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Led Where You Do Not Wish to Go

6/16/2020

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"Someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." I wonder what Peter thought when Jesus spoke these words to him. Did he have any idea of the cost involved? Peter went on to live his life of faith, doing great things for his Lord, but in the back of his mind Jesus' words must've echoed... "When you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." When the final chapter of Peter's life was being written and the fulfillment of those words in the form of a cross was imminent, Peter chose death over denying the One who died to purchase his life. 

Here "in the land of the free" we may not face the ultimate sacrifice Peter faced, but in your life circumstances have you ever felt that you have been bound and led somewhere you did not wish to go?

I remember feeling, when diagnosed with cancer, like I had been lifted off the path of what was "normal" life and set down on a road not of my choosing. I felt hemmed in, and I knew I had to move forward, one step at a time, without any certainty of where that road would ultimately lead. My oncology nurse, early on, told me that I might want to go ahead and shave off all of my hair before the dreaded two week mark when it would begin to fall out one clump at a time, because then at least I could feel that I had some control over my circumstances. You must understand; I loved my oncology nurse! She was not being calloused. She had walked through two diagnoses of breast cancer herself and knew how little control one has in that situation.

Well, I'd like to tell you about a hero of mine - someone whose life circumstances have bound and led them where they would never have chosen to go, but also someone who epitomizes how we as believers in Christ can choose to glorify Christ even when His sovereign love places us on the road marked with suffering. 

This young person was diagnosed with a debilitating chronic illness that causes immense and almost daily pain. I've watched this friend over the past few years since the diagnosis submit under the mighty hand of God and put roots down deeper in Christ, to the point where the stronger the pain, the deeper the roots seem to go, as if they are pushing down through the darkness searching for Christ alone, the source of Living Water. My friend does not know how long this journey will last, but he does know and love and trust the One who has mapped it out and who lovingly walks with him one day at a time. 

Listen to these words written in the midst of his pain with no promise of relief. If you find yourself in a similar place, whether your pain is is emotional or physical or perhaps situational, may my friend's resolve give you courage to trust afresh our great God and Savior and to "release yourself to the wisdom of a compassionate God."

"When as a christian, you are engulfed in a pain that clings to you with the persistence of an old friend, and every day drags on with the same twisting, wrenching torturous predictability, you are left with only two options: You can become embittered, call down futility on every tear and groan, and charge with cruelty the very One who laid down His life for you, or you can release yourself to the wisdom of a compassionate God, and let the severity of your circumstances teach you to suffer and to cry, to love and to care as you ought. The choice is your own."

May you, by God's grace and with His help walk in the footsteps of Peter and of my amazing young friend as well.

"Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm  62:8
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What's in a Name?

6/10/2020

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Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name…” Psalm 96:7-8a


TV commercials are rarely worth watching, and so at our house if we do turn on a program, it is always with the clicker in hand.  Every now and then, however, a commercial catches our eye.  Picture several individuals in the conference room of a company, each addressed by name.  Though the point of the commercial escapes me, I do distinctly remember that each person’s name clearly had a deeper meaning.  Harry – well you guessed it – was endowed with a head and face full of thick, dark hair. Bob responded to a question with a profuse nodding of his head. Joy spontaneously erupted in a shower of giggles. Eileen was leaning precariously against the table, and finally, Mr. Turkey Neck… well, let your imagination run wild.  

In an amusing way, that commercial made me think of the fact that the Bible often uses names clearly meant to give us not only a means of identifying people, but also a glimpse into the character of the person who bears the name.  Some of my favorites are found in the book of Ruth.  Elimilech, for example, means “my God is King,” Naomi – Elimilech’s wife – means “pleasant” or “lovely” which she later changed to Mara meaning “bitter.”  Mahlon and Chilion, their two sons’ names, mean “puny” and “pining” respectively. (As a mom, all I can say is, ‘Naomi, what were you thinking?’) It shouldn’t surprise you, then, that the 
Bible uses numerous, specific names to describe our great and awesome God.

A Hebrew Lesson
Obviously, our English bibles translate the names of God into descriptive phrases we can readily understand, but if we were to take a look at the original language of Hebrew, we would clearly see these various names for God.  Consider this partial list.

Adonai – Lord (Exodus 34:9)
El Elyon – The Most High God (Psalm 78:35)
El Olam – The Everlasting God (Isaiah 40:28)
El Roi – The God Who Sees (Exodus 16:13)
El Shaddai – The God Who is Enough, God Almighty (Genesis 28:3)
Elohim – The Strong One (Genesis 1:1)
YHWH – “I am the One who is” (Exodus 3:14) later written as ‘Jehovah’
Jehovah Jireh – The Lord our Provider (Genesis 22:14)
Jehovah Rapha – The Lord our Healer (Jeremiah 3:22)
Jehovah Rohi – The Lord our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
Jehovah Sabaoth – The Lord of Hosts (Psalm 84:3)

Jehovah Shalom - The Lord our Peace (Judges 6:24)
Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is Present, The Lord is There (Ezekiel 48:35)

When we read through this list we realize we cannot exhaust God: He is El Elyon, ‘the Most High God.’ We will not out live Him: He is El Olam, ‘the Everlasting God.’ We cannot hide from Him, nor is He unaware of our woes: He is El Roi, ‘the God who sees.’

Are you feeling weak? Know that Elohim, ‘the Strong One’ is your God. Are there deep and painful wounds in your heart? Come to our Great Physician; let Jehovah Rapha, ‘the Lord our Healer’ bind up your wounds. Do you feel frightened or lonely? Reach out to Jehovah Shammah, ‘the Lord who is there.’ Are you lost in a wilderness of uncertainty? Jehovah Rohi, ‘the Lord our Shepherd’ will come and find you. Is your faith being tested by financial trials? Remember Jehovah Jireh, ‘the Lord provides’ and El Shaddai, ‘the God who is enough,’ ‘God Almighty’ is your God! May Jehovah Shalom wrap you up in His love this day and may He be your peace.

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    Valorie

    I am first and foremost a follower of the Lord Jesus who is my life (Phil. 1:21). In February 2005, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My diagnosis came 4 months after my mother-in-law was placed on hospice in our home and was succumbing to the ravages of Alzheimers. That journey has changed my life in many ways. Even since that time, the Lord continues to shape this clay vessel through suffering as one of our precious sons battles severe and chronic illness. My heart's desire through this blog is to point people to the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction (2 Cor. 1:3-4) and to encourage those who are burdened to trust in that Man of sorrows who is acquainted with grief 
    (Isaiah 53:3).

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