#380  Who He Is in Every Experience

I was having some challenges with a family-business conflict.  I felt hurt and attacked.

Earlier that morning I had just read Psalm 100:4.  Just after that I received a text from a friend in Christ with the same verse written out.  I thought, Hmmm, the LORD must have a special message in this verse for me today.

After our difficult family business meeting, the verse came back to my mind, and I prayed for perspective as I meditated on these words:

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him; bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting,
And His faithfulness to all generations.”  Psalm 100:4-5

In my current challenge His message to me is:

In all the ups and downs in life My Name never changes
and You can trust Who I Am for you in this challenge
and My Name is your continual source of Gratitude:
Because my Name is Good,
My name is Eternal Everlasting Loving Kindness,
My Name is Faithful to all Generations, in every time and place and circumstance.

Right now, in the midst of this challenge, this is Who I Am for you:
The God who keeps His promises is Good;
I am Eternal Everlasting loving-kindness in this experience;
I am Faithful for all time in this and every circumstance.

O LORD, Who You Are is Beautiful to me in this experience.
Who You are leads me to ask these questions out of holy curiosity:
What is the gift in this challenge meant for my growth?
What do I need to see?
What are Your possibilities that I may be overlooking?
What is the good you have created in me that I may not be seeing?
What is good in others that I am not seeing?

Our experience of the experience will be transformed when You teach us to rivet our attention on Who You Are and Who our Precious Savior is in every experience.

#376  Empowering Love

I was tired and resentful because cooking and clean up were taking so much time.  Like the lights on the dashboard of a car, such feelings carry an important message and can be a sign to re-evaluate.  I quickly realized that I am the one who set up the situation, refusing help when it was offered because I wanted to be of the greatest service.  How easy it is for me to resent a situation even when I was the one who set up the situation!

The LORD led me to consider my boundaries and the verse in Proverbs 22:28 came to mind:
“Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.”

The landmark (or boundary stone) may be a spiritual standard, established by our spiritual forefathers, God-honoring and God-blessed. There is always a tendency for each new generation to try to modernize the ways of their fathers and, in view of the universal law of decay, this is more often a mistake.

I thank God for the ancient boundary stones expressed in His Word. Psalm 119 is best known as being the longest chapter in the Bible but it’s also a chapter that constantly reinforces the Psalmist’s love for God’s spiritual boundary stones with verses such as, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long” Psalm 119:97

May the Lord give us a love for His Word and His boundary stones along with a resolve to abide by them even when others seek to move them. Dr. Ken Baker

And the LORD led me to consider the difference between Empowering love and Enabling love.

The love of 1 Corinthians 13 is the highest form of love, agape love, and it is meant to result in Highest Good and Eternal blessing.  It is a description of the Love of God and Christ.  1 Corinthians 13 is sandwiched between 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, which also have powerful lessons on the practical side of how we engage with and effect others in view of agape love.  “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  1 Corinthians 12:7   Agape love is certainly a love that looks beyond narrow issues to the broader bigger picture of blessing.  1 Corinthians 12 teaches the diversity of the body, the necessity of the diversity, and the contribution and necessity of every part.  1 Corinthians 14 teaches a similar lesson:  “seek to abound for the edification of the church.”  (verse 12)

His expressions of love and help lead us to increase and grow.  “You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great.”  Psalm 18:35 NIV

The Lord has led me to ask these questions as I desire to form boundaries in harmony with His will.

Will this decision create unhealthy dependence?
Will this decision take away or add to another’s personal dignity?Will this decision create a load that would be better shared?
How can I create a team or family spirit?
Will this decision detract from the team spirit or the family spirit of working together to accomplish a goal?

Does this decision rob another person of experiencing the teaching tools of natural consequences?

Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.  1 Peter 1:22 GNB

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.  Psalm 25:4-5 ESV

#375  Discovering the Hidden Treasure  Proverbs 2.4

I was being snippy with my husband at the end of the day as I reported the day’s events, issues and frustrations that came up in our business.  I asked the LORD for help and He gave me Proverbs 2:1-5

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,

Turning your eat to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,

And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,

And if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,

Then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”

There is a key in these verses, on how to deal with painful lessons, especially when I feel disappointed in an outcome or in dealing with conflict with others.  Look for the lesson of wisdom and realize the wisdom is like hidden treasure.  These lessons are my silver and my gold, my very valuable and lasting resources.  In this case the treasure was to see the concern and desire to be helpful in those I was in conflict with and how the voice of their concern, though it delayed my plans, was appropriate.  I could see His protection behind my delayed relief.

The treasure was to trust the LORD in the disappointment, knowing His ways and thoughts are better than mine.

This made me realize that all day long I can store up the TREASURES of challenge because of the TREASURES of Wisdom they hold.  It became my goal to share these treasures with my husband!  Sharing the treasure of wisdom, or the search for that treasure reframes the whole frustrating experience.  When I have not yet discovered the treasure of His wisdom, it still changes my words and my attitude to report the search for the treasure.  The tenor of our discussions has definitely changed for the better as a result!

“And if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,

Then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”

The more we are led to see and understand His wisdom. i.e the application of His love and His principles, the more we experience Who He Is, and this fills us with awe.

A snippy attitude or anything we face, especially when it is a habitual pattern also presents a hidden treasure as we claim His Word and His ability to work within our hearts and minds.

It is very strengthening to claim Ephesians 3:20-21 as a personal prayer:

You are able to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine, according to Your power at work within me.  My desire if for Your glory in the church and in the anointed Christ and through every person in every age.  It is sure to come to pass.

#371  Under His Wings I Trust   Psalm 91.4

My week presented me with challenges to trust.  Or more accurately, MY LORD presented me with challenges to trust Him in this week!

Psalm 91 became a touchstone and my prayer on behalf of others in Christ and their challenges and in my own.

“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God; in him will I trust.”  Psalm 91:2

This is what I choose to proclaim in the moment of my vulnerability, in regard to the God who keeps His promises.

He is my shelter; He is my impenetrable defense;  my Powerful God, He has committed to use His power on my behalf;

This is the One I trust:  {Strong’s #982:  to hie (or go quickly) for refuge] with the result of being confident and sure.

Psalm 91:4  “He shall cover or entwine thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust” [#2620, or flee for protection].

He covers us with his feathers, and we are under his wings.  This is an allusion to the mother-bird’s abiding protection of her chicks in their state of vulnerability.  He is our Abba Father.  Romans 8:15.

“Abba” is the word framed by the lips of infants, and betokens unreasoning trust;  “father” expresses an intelligent apprehension of the relationship… Vines

This description of Abba Father reflects not only the character of our faith, but also the character of our God.  As the Father He is able to deal with our areas of immaturity and need for growth;  My Abba is ready to help me up as I learn to walk and then to run; My Abba is my support in times of great vulnerability.  He is also the Father of the spiritual depths of understanding he reveals to us.  He is the Father of the serious tests of commitment, the life challenging stands we must take for Him, even unto death.

“His truth, [#571, His stability, his trustworthiness, his faithfulness] is my shield [#6793:  a hook as pointed, a large shield as if guarding by prickliness} and my buckler [#5507] my large surrounding buckler; He is my wall of surrounding protection.  Psalm 91:4

Psalm 91:5  I will not be afraid for the sudden alarm by night, nor for the piercing that causes wounds by day, nor for the destroying plague that walks in darkness, nor for the ruin that devastates in broad daylight.   (Paraphrase based on Strong’s word definitions)  Satan’s attempts to trip us up know no time limit:  day, night, dark, broad daylight.  But the Protection of our Heavenly Father is surpassingly constant and infinitely more wise and powerful.

“ I turn my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot give way;  your guardian will not slumber;

See, the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!

The LORD is your guardian, the LORD is your protection at your right hand.

By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will guard you from all harm;

He will guard your life.

The LORD will guard your going and coming now and forever.”  Psalm 121 Tanakh

In the midst of sudden alarm, in the midst of the arrows that wound, in the midst of the destruction in darkness and the devastation in broad daylight, I know Who you Are, my Shelter, My Impenetrable defense, My Powerful God, My Father, My Abba.

#370  Aiming at Eternity  2 Corinthians 4.18

I felt heavy with sadness over some of the experiences that family members were going through.  I prayed many prayers for His wisdom, strength, and overruling for all those involved.  But the sadness remained, to the point of fringes of depression.  In the midst of prayer, words came to my mind, a song to write for one who is not consecrated, and has lost their way in life.  In part, here are some of the words:

Facing crossroads, time for choices, many options, many voices: where to go and what to do to find your Dream and make it true.

Looking back you wonder when the road will turn, where it will end; What map to follow, how to choose a life of worth.

So much to lose. The road you choose can make you strong, however hard, however long. The road can bring you to the place of courage, risk, and power to face each rocky steep incline to come to summit of road’s challenge won.

I see you on the mountain peak. I see you finding what you seek when value of your life you see, embracing strength and honesty;

Beyond the dark, beyond the blame, beyond the aimless road of pain to life that reaches out with song inspiring others to be strong.

The immediate effect of the last verse in the above song lifted my spirits.  And I realized that when we exercise our spiritual vision to see the Victory over sin and death, a victory that may begin now, or a victory that may take place in the Kingdom, it changes the whole tenor of the problem.  A compassionate heart is wonderful, but compassion is not meant to end in just a feeling.  It is meant to lead to action.  “And seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.  The he said to his disciples,

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to sent out workers into His harvest.”  Matthew 9:36-38

We can ask the Lord that we be MOVED with compassion to act according to His will by asking what to pray and what to do.

The principle from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 is powerful.  “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  We must be aware of the sorrow and experience it.  We must deal with the sorrow or whatever the situation presents.  But we can get lost in the sorrow or the problem.  2 Corinthians 4:18 helps us to guard against this.  The word “look” is Strong’s #4648:  to take aim at, (spy); figuratively regard.  We aim at what is eternal and perpetual: the Victory over sin and death for the followers of Christ, and then for our whole human family.  In order to aim at something, we must give it our close attention.  If we close our eyes, if we look away, if we focus on something else our aim will be off.  Our vision and target is eternal blessing for all.  When that is our focus amid sorrow and challenge it changes our perspective and thus it changes our experience.

I heard a discourse from the Harvest Convention that mentioned Philippians 4:6-8, and it fits into this scenario.  “Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.” (Phillips)  “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”  (NASB) These verses epitomize the foundations of Eternal blessing.  We must be very aware of the present circumstance; we pray for wisdom to deal with our circumstance and the people in our lives, we pray to be and do what will please Him.  We can also maintain our aim for eternity by using our spiritual imagination to see the Kingdom potential in every person and in every challenge we face.

Not only do I pray for the birth of faith in the hearts of others according to God’s time and way, but I focus my attention to picture what that will look like, and to rejoice in the finished work of God and Christ in both the spiritual and earthly Kingdoms.  My heart is still saddened in this experience, but now there is a lightness in my spirit, an even deeper gratitude for the hope of the Kingdom, and for the privilege to be touched with the feeling of the infirmities and struggles of others, according to the example of Jesus.  Hebrews 4:15-16  Aim at Eternity and carry the vision of Kingdom blessing for all in our spiritual imagination and in the midst of sorrow and struggle, and the fringes of depression are transformed into depths of gratitude.

#369  Faith and Hope in the Midst of Challenge Isaiah 41.10

As the Lord’s people, we are being fitted for a future ministry of kingship and priesthood with Christ.  Revelation 1:6  This role of the priesthood is described in Hebrews 5:1-2  “He can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness.”   We deal with the sin in ourselves through the power of Christ, and we must expect to experience many facets of human weakness in others also.  Mental illness may be an area we deal with.  As our experiences unfold in our dealings with people we come to know the depth of human need and the darkness of the human experience, as well as the joy of nobility and their deep longing for a better life and a better way.  We come to know that His love and Iron Rule will firmly and wisely deal with the fallen human mind-set.  Revelation 2:26-17  The strong and loving authority exercised by Christ and His Church in glory will break the old ways and habits of the world so that the vessels can be made new.  The length and breadth and high and depth of the love of God in Christ Jesus can reach down to any depth of darkness with the opportunity of healing.

We know that He will “Consider the covenant; for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.”  Psalm 74:20  He will act upon His promises in Christ and the Iron Rule Opportunity of firm love will be experienced by all with the end result of Vibrant Life.  “…at the name of Jesus every should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:10-11 See Isaiah 45:22-25  Imagine the time when all will experience opportunity for healing and the joy of forgiveness.  In that day Israel and then all the world will have no more reason to fear and they will say “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.”  Isaish 12:2  “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.  And in that day you will say, ‘Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name.  Make known His deeds among the peoples; make them remember that His name is exalted.  Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth.  Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”  Isaiah 12:3-6

In the meantime we set our hearts to trust Him, in our own spiritual battles, and in the battle of spiritual darkness that wages rampant in our world.

“Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear, for I am with you…

“Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? I will put my hope in God, and once again I will praise him, my savior and my God.” Indeed, whatever the ills pushed upon us, this is the right medicine: God is with us…!  RM

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

Anxiously look about you: Strong’s #8159: to gaze at or about (properly for help); by implication to inspect, consider be nonplussed

WE KNOW WHERE OUR HELP COMES FROM!  So there is no need to look around anxiously!

I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you:  SURELY!

When the Mighty God of the Universe says I WILL, it is a SURE THING!

I will strengthen you:  Strengthen:  Strong’s #553: to be alert, physically (on foot) or mentally (in courage)

I will empower you with awareness to keep your footing and mental courage and fortitude to go forward in My will.

Surely I will help you:  Help: Strong’s #5826:  To surround, that is protect or aid

I will surround you with My keeping power.

Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand:  Uphold: Strong’s #8551: to sustain by implication to sustain, keep fast; figuratively to help, follow close

I will continue to sustain you for I am with You continually, following closely.

I WILL [of coarse SURLEY, because His Word is SURE] continue to sustain you with My righteous right hand.

The power He exercises in our lives is in Integrity and Righteousness through Christ. 

 He commits His power in our lives to be used in Highest Integrity for Highest Good.

And His Highest Good is silently at work soon to bless all people!

#368  What to Forget, What to Remember  Psalm 103:2

Some time ago, someone in Christ I barely knew passed away. I realized that even now I was defining them by a few incidents when they said some things that really hurt me.  I also observed that there are others that I remember in the same manner.  The challenge expands when I consider other people in my life that do not share our faith.  I do not want to define any person’s life by how they have hurt me or how they have hurt those I love.  I prayed about this, and the LORD answered me.

I want to see everyone according to the mind of Christ, the newness of the renewed mind.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17  “So from now on we regard no man from a worldly point of view [NIV] …therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” NASB   “…everything has become fresh and new.”  (Phillips)  For those in the faith we share the common ground of Christ our righteousness.  For others I imagine the time when they will truly experience the love of God and Christ, as alluded to in the Isaiah scriptures below.

Our Heavenly Father does not define us by the mistakes in life.  He sees us through Christ.  Romans 8:1-2  “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  Psalm 103-10-14

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”  Ephesians 4:31-32

A most riveting verse brought me great inspiration.

In the context of the Kingdom that will soon bless Israel and all the families of the earth, (Isaiah 26:1-6, 9; see also Isaiah 14:1-2) there is a stunning statement.

“O LORD our God!  Lords other than You possessed us, but only Your name shall we utter.”  Isaiah 26:13  Tenach

“Other masters besides Thee have ruled us” NASB.  Throughout the temporary reign of sin and death there have been many ‘masters,’  i.e. governments and regimes that have brutally misused their power, persecuting and oppressing the Jewish people and others of our human family.    This verse suggests that the brutality and anguish of these misuses of power, and I think of the holocaust in this context, will pale in the presence of the love of God and Christ revealed and experienced in earthly Kingdom blessing.  “But only Your name shall we utter”  NASB   The word “utter” is Strong’s #2142: to mark, so as to be recognized, that is to remember, by implication to mention.

The holy outcome when the oppression has ceased (Isaiah 14:5-6) is described in Isaiah 14:7, “The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; They break forth into shouts of joy.”  Every painful memory and experience will be transformed into powerful learning and blessing.  Isaiah 55:12-13

We have the privilege of experiencing this newness of experience now.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18,  Philippians 2:8-14!!

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits…”  Psalm 103:1-2

The word forget is Strong’s #7911: to mislay, that is be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention

[Mislay: unintentionally put an object where it cannot readily be found and so lose it]

Instead of forgetting or mislaying, let us remember all of His benefits.  This would fill our minds and hearts with overflowing joy and peace.  Psalm 103:3-5

“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.”  Psalm 103:4

He surrounds you with kindness and compassion (as if cherishing the unborn child).

We tend to mislay, to unintentionally place our focus on the negative experience, so that the gift cannot be readily found.

O LORD heal the roots of these experiences and heal the ‘story’ of what we made these experiences mean about ourselves and others.

The power of Your Spirit and Blessing is stronger than any hurtful memory or experience.

#367  Ready to Turn My Life Around for God  Psalm 19.7-14

I was defensive in response to some criticism and I needed His Help!  He gave me Psalm 19.

These verses really help me deal with criticism from others with a more positive and grateful attitude.

Psalm 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect [8549, from 8552; entire, literally, fig, morally; also as noun integrity, truth Converting [7725 to turn back, hence away] the soul

I am willing for the Truth and big picture integrity of God to turn my life around!

The testimony of the LORD is sure [539:  firm, faithful, to be morally true and certain] making wise the simple [6612:  silly, seducible]

I realize that I can be deluded by my perceptions that I think are so right and that I need the guidance of God’s Word.

Psalm 19:8  the statutes of the LORD are right [3477 straight] rejoicing [8055 to brighten up, make gleesome] the heart

I will be ready to see the joy in God’s righteous standards

The commandment of the LORD is pure  [1249, fm 1305: to clarify, that is brighten, examine, select;   1249 beloved, also pure, empty]

enlightening the eyes  [215 to be or make luminous]

I will be ready to SEE things differently, in the LIGHT of His Truth

The fear of the LORD is clean [2891 pure[, enduring [5975 to stand] forever

Reverence for the LORD is pure and that reverence is forever appropriate;

I stand always for reverence and awe for who the LORD is in every circumstance.

The judgments  [4941 verdict, sentence] of the LORD are true [571 from 539:  stability, fig certainty, truth, trustworthiness] and righteous altogether 3162, fm 3161 proper a unit, that is unitedly]

I see the decisions of the LORD as true, stable and trustworthy;  unitedly righteous:  consistent and faithful when seen in context and in eternity.

Psalm 19:12  Who can understand [separate mentally or distinguish] his errors?

Cleanse [5352 to be or make clean, in an adverse sense to be bare, extirpated, ie root out and completely destroy]

from secret [hidden] faults.

I cannot always distinguish between my natural and spiritual thinking:  I need Your help!

So do what You must to give me that help.  

****That means I will accept and be open to see whatever is accurate from criticism and come to gratitude for the criticism.

Psalm 19:13  Keep back [2820 to restrain] thy servant from presumptuous [2086 arrogant] sins;

Let them not have dominion over me;

Then shall I be upright [8552 to complete]

and I shall be innocent [5352] from the great [7227 abundant] transgression [7588 revolt].

O LORD I do not want to be involved in abundant revolt against You!

So show me what I need to see, regardless of the cost to me.

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable [7522 from 7521:  delight]  in thy sight, O LORD, my strength [6697, a cliff, rock boulder, fig a refuge] and my redeemer [1350 to be next of kin; to buy back]

O Lord, my strong refuge, the One who has bought me through Christ—freeing me from sin, 

May what I speak quietly to myself and what I ponder be a delight to You.

#366  Triumph Over Circumstance:  Don’t kill the Messenger!  Philippians 4.11

“How great a blessing it would be for all spiritual Israelites to learn well this lesson; viz., that if we accept the results of any matter as being good, and if we realize that we were guided to those results by divine providence, we should think and feel most generously, most kindly, toward those who were the instruments used by providence, notwithstanding the fact that they might have been unwilling instructors, or, like Joseph’s brethren, have verily intended opposite results. Those who are enabled to take such a view of affairs and forces operating in their daily lives are enabled “always to triumph through the Lord,” as the Apostle expresses it. And such find no room for bitterness or railing either against Satan or against any of his servants.  2 Cor. 2:14; Jude 9.” R2896

“Turn my eyes away from worthless things. Give me a new life in your ways.” Psalm 119:37 GW

“Not only have our eyes needed turning always toward the Word and towards God, but especially our hearts.”

Blaming and accusing thoughts are worthless when we focus only on them.  When we ask the LORD ‘what is Your message?’ ‘the worthless’ becomes treasure because it opens our mind to the expanse of His will.   What is the message behind these thoughts and feelings?  What is the Lord’s leading in regard to my own responsibility?  What adjustments is He indicating that I make?

“Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.”  Psalm 119:36 ASV

“My dear Father, help my heart! Let me refrain from any and all wrong spirits and habits and tendencies. Let me find the rules of love governing my words and meditations this day. Let me bring sweetness to the air all around your name.”

“The daily experiences of life have a most important mission to us, and the manner in which we receive them should be a matter of deepest concern; for according to the use we make of them each day’s prosperity or its adversity and trial bear to us a blessing or a curse…Sorrow and griefs may, and perhaps often will come in like a flood, but the Lord will be our Stay and Strength in every experience which He permits.  R5802

The dear one that sent this quote to me, then wrote, “God be with you and give you strength on the battlefield today!”  so timely and appropriate!

It is our USE of each experience that creates our experience of it.  The intention of our Heavenly Father is always Highest Good and Blessing, but if we do not look for the gift, discover the gift, and treasure the gift, the gift has no meaning or worth to us.  The gift can escape our notice.

The circumstance itself is not the issue.  WE get to determine whether an experience will be a blessing or a curse.

“I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be.

I know now how to live when things are difficult and I know how to live when things are prosperous. [Phillips]

In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  [NASB]  Philippians 4:11-13

#363  Escape from Stress When We Don’t Understand Habakkuk 2

Amid human reactions from myself and others, I am seeking His will.

The issue seems complicated and I think of it as intimidating.

But when I remember Who my Lord is I am humbled and calmed in spirit.

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who give to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without any doubting…”  James 1:5-6

We are instructed to ask the God who gives bountifully, without doubting, with full trust in Who He Is.

In His Holiness and Faithfulness and from His boundless resources He will answer.

There are some beautiful lessons in the book of Habakkuk.  The prophet questions the judgments of God and the conquest of Babylon over Israel.  “Why are you silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?”  Habakkuk 1:13  There was an application to this prophecy historically in the Babylonian captivity of the nation of Israel.  There is a greater application of these prophecies in the end of this age regarding the overthrow of Babylon and all the nations of this present evil world, culminating in the question, Why does God permit evil?

Habakkuk then seeks an answer from God.

“I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart.  And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me…”,

Like a sentinel looking out from a tower, he will withdraw from his fellow-men and turn his eyes heavenward in expectation of an answering message from God.  Soncino

We go to Him apart from human reasoning.

“And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply (#7725 to turn back with the idea of return to starting point, to retreat) when I am reproved (#3198:  corrected).”

We must come to the same attitude.  When we do not understand we are to seek God’s answer and be ready for His answer to result in our ‘return to the starting point.’  We need to be willing to let His correction and instruction replace our own impressions and opinions.  We need to be ready to‘retreat’ ‘start over’ and surrender our view to His.

God answered the Prophet with a vision, and a promise that in the proper time the vision would be fulfilled without delay.  Habakkuk 2:2-3  The vision included the judgment of the oppressor Babylon, and a promise of world-wide blessing.  “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”  “But the LORD is in His holy temple.  Let all the earth be silent before Him.” Habakkuk 2:20  In the current application of these prophecies the blessing of all the families of the earth begins with the deliverance of the nation of Israel.  Isaiah 14:1  “Thou art come forth for the deliverance of Thy people, for the deliverance of Thine anointed; Thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked, uncovering the foundation even unto the neck”  Habakkuk 3:13 (Masoretic text)  This vision of judgment and blessing was revealed and recorded by the Seventh Messenger of this Harvest period.  But there are still principles we can apply to ourselves from this account.

His Highest Good is always at work, even amid the darkest hours!

The Prophet has an emotional response to the reality of the Lord’s judgment.  He trembles and he can barely support his own weight.  3:16  And then he states strong declarations of faith:  “That I should wait for the day of trouble, when he cometh up against the people that he invadeth.”  (Masoretic text)  He was determined to wait calmly for the Lord’s will to be done.  Regardless of the temporary difficulty and challenge, “though the fig tree should not blossom..and the fields produce no food…and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD….” Habakkuk 3:17

Sometimes the will of the Lord is hard for us to accept.   But regardless of the circumstance He is the God who keeps His promises and we can exult (Strong’s 5937) or “jump for joy” in Him, for He will equip us to deal with any terrain of experience.

“Yet I will exalt in the LORD,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

The Lord GOD is my strength,

And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,

And makes me walk on my high places.”  Habakkuk 3:18-19