Stand in Awe

Here I am again in Psalm 4 that I talked to you about in that blog a few weeks ago. I cannot get away from Psalm 4:4a...”STAND IN AWE, AND SIN NOT.”

Wow! What events have been taking place since early March! As my daughter’s pastor asked once: “How do you like God’s ways?” Doesn’t that make you stop and think and try to be honest with your reaction to problems and events that come into your life and “throw you for a loop”? What is God doing? Why did this happen?

What can I learn from these short, six words from the Psalms? “Stand in awe, and sin not.”

The phrase at the end of Psalm 4, verse 3, is a promise:
“The Lord will hear when I call unto him.”

This is a firm statement in God’s Word. So IF I have called on the Lord AND He has heard me, my next step is simply to “stand in awe, and sin not.” Let’s “unpack” this a bit.

Why am I to “stand in awe”? Because I have just been speaking to my Heavenly Father (the Creator of the universe) AND Jesus Christ is on His right hand interceding for me. Romans 8:34: “...It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, WHO is even at the right hand of God, WHO ALSO MAKES INTERCESSION FOR US.” By the way, this is one reason why Jesus had to ascend to the Father...to take His place at the Father’s right hand and to intercede for us! He talks to the Father about us!!

Also, the Holy Spirit takes those hidden, heart-wrenching cries and (Romans 8:26) “makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

SO...WHY SHOULDN’T WE STAND IN AWE? The Trinity is waiting to hear our prayers!

As we were eating breakfast today, the sun from our skylight fell on this plaque that was a gift from my children.  I had to smile. It just prompted me along to this thought of standing in awe.

This is not a suggestion. We are to “call unto Him” and then “stand in awe” to see how He will answer. Words usually fail a person who is “standing in awe.” There is a feeling of amazement, reverence, even expectation.

The next phrase is not a suggestion either: “SIN NOT.” I have been using this quite a bit lately in my own heart  about our family, the world situation with the virus...and now, you dear Grace friends, the tornado that totally “uprooted” your world...so easy to worry!

How do we “sin not” when we feel all is falling apart? We do this by going back to the first phrase...Stand in awe, be still and know that He is God, and see what our God will do. I have to be honest. I battle with this just like all Christians do - to  totally trust our God that He can put (Psalm 4:7) “gladness in my heart” no matter the circumstance. Someday we will be able to “connect the dots” in these challenges and see how God put them all together in a beautiful picture in our lives. Then we will truly be standing in awe at what God did.

--Maylou Holladay

Your Stuff is Broken

A few weeks ago I began a project that I thought was a good thing. In fact, I truly thought the Lord wanted me to do that good thing. Immediately after I began, one of my tools broke. Next, two needed machines broke down and had to go to the repair shop. Our vehicle (irrelevant to the project) had a problem and needed to go to the shop. Even my weed eater (also irrelevant to the project) died! I was just baffled. I didn’t know what to say to God, other than my fallback prayer, “Help!”

Monday after the tornado, we were in too much shock to come up with any coherent thoughts. Tuesday morning, trying to work on my project with inadequate equipment, I knew what I wanted to say, and I said it, with tears. “God, your stuff is broken.” Tools, machines, vehicle, weed eater, the church building, school buildings, mission houses, friends’ homes. “It’s all yours. Your stuff is broken.”

If “He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,” it is all His. We paid for our machines, vehicles and homes with our money. But that was His money and, therefore, His machines, vehicles and homes. Hundreds of our church members and school families have poured their lives, work, money and prayers into the buildings on our church campus. But our lives, efforts, money and even prayers were all His to begin with.

I don’t know if it helps you, but it helps me to point to the things and tell God, “It’s your stuff. It’s broken.” Of course, we knew all along it was His. It’s just nice to think it’s ours when all goes well.  It’s a relief to acknowledge everything is God’s when all is broken. If He could create the whole universe and keep it in motion and still have time to hear our concerns, save our souls, and keep track of the quantity of our hair, I doubt He’s going to pieces over a few machines, or even some large buildings.

Yes, we are the stewards. We put effort into those things, and we are in some ways responsible for them. Yet, we have just seen that we do not have all power; therefore, we do not have all responsibility. We can’t protect our stuff. We can’t even protect our people.

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” That about covers it. Earth, everything, and all people. It’s not just our things that belong God. It’s us, too. We are His. We were broken, too. (Dead, actually.) But He wanted us so much He allowed Himself to be broken. On one day in history, everything in the world was broken at the same time – all things, all people, even God the Son. And in a moment, He made all things new. He arose! The broken body became a heavenly body.

Broken stuff is God’s business. He has a bigger plan than we do. He has a bigger plan than we know.

He heals His people. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” II Cor. 5:17 NIV

He heals His things. Almost the last words in His Word are:

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev. 21:5 NIV

We believed Him in the past. We believe Him now. And we will believe Him forever.

 --Lynda Shenefield

What's In a Name?

“What’s in a name?” Romeo famously asks in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet; “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” And while that statement may be true for the names that Shakespeare chose for his characters, the names of John Bunyan’s characters in Pilgrim’s Progress carry heavy meaning. The name of each character says something about him or her. Take Faithful, for example,  a man on the journey to Celestial City, who stays faithful to God even when it costs him his life at Vanity Fair. Or take Pliable who quits his journey to the narrow gate when times get difficult. There’s also Worldy Wiseman who finds Christian’s beliefs foolish, arguing against him with the wisdom of the world.  In Bunyan’s allegory, each name implies what the character is like before he or she even says a word.

A few months ago, I asked my middle school students as we finished studying this book to write a paragraph about what they would want their names to be if they were characters in this allegory. What would they want to be known as? What would they want their names to say about them? Reading these assignments proved quite interesting. I came across names like Loyal, Encourager, Faith, Perseverance, and Friend. But the one that brought tears to my eyes was from a student whose life over the last few years has not always been easy. The name she chose and explained in her paragraph was Trusting-Sheep. I have thought about that multiple times since reading her paper. And I find that in the situation we now face with a pandemic that has brought our nation and our world to a halt and caused us to clearly see our lack of control, this is a name that we as believers need to be sure that we are wearing. For this name would say a lot about us and our God to a world that is bound by fear.

How would Trusting-Sheep face the fears of a virus that has proven deadly for thousands? Specifically in my case, how would Trusting-Sheep face the fact that her husband has cancer? How would she react when his surgery and multiple-day hospital stay must take place in the midst of the pandemic?

I sat on my couch two weeks ago, the day after finding out that the hospital in which my husband would be having surgery would not allow me to stay with him or even visit him during his time there. Overall I had not been anxious about the upcoming surgery (a testimony of God’s great work in my life over the last year), but this news caused fears to take root in my mind. My bible study for the day led me to Abraham’s life, and the author of the study noted that throughout Abraham’s life events, it was as if God repeatedly asked him the question, “Abraham, do you trust Me?” Immediately, God turned that question on me. Though I didn’t audibly hear His voice, I knew He was asking, “Amy, do you trust Me?” So, I asked myself, do I believe that this is God’s timing for my husband’s surgery? Do I believe that He is sovereign and good over this virus and how it may or may not touch my family and friends?  And my only answer is “Yes, Lord, I trust You.” The outworking of this trust then is that I leave my concerns and fears with Him. That I choose the name Trusting-Sheep.

You see, sheep are not smart or fierce. They can’t protect themselves, and they have no control over their lives. This is why they need a shepherd. They need a shepherd who is far wiser than they are, who has the ability to protect them, and who will lead them through the dark valleys. All they need to do is trust his leading and follow him. It’s no wonder that in one of the most famous psalms, the Bible compares us to sheep and the Lord to our Shepherd. The New Testament expounds on this as Christ walks amidst a broken world and calls Himself the Great Shepherd whose sheep know Him, hear His voice, and trust Him enough to follow Him (John 10:27). We, as His sheep, can entrust ourselves to the Shepherd, Creator, and Overseer of our souls (I Peter 3:25; 4:19). I have found that there is freedom in realizing that as a sheep, I can control nothing, but that my Shepherd holds all I love in His capable hands. My job in this dark valley is to keep my eyes on Him, trust Him, and follow His lead.

Sister, what is your name right now? What does your family know you as? What name are you projecting on social media? What name are you giving forth to the unbelievers around you? I am not saying that trust is easy or that we can never be honest about our fears. But we must show forth to others and ourselves that despite our fears, or even through them, we trust. We speak truth to ourselves and others. We don’t let panic and uncertainty take hold. For we have a Shepherd who is leading the way for us. We keep our eyes on Him though we don’t see the path ahead or know where He’s leading. For while we don’t know what tomorrow will hold, we do know what eternity holds and nothing can take that away (John 10:28-29). And we know that our Shepherd on Whom our eyes are fixed is leading us with loving care. We are His; He will not abandon us. May all who know us hear these unspoken words as they witness our lives: “Hello. My name is Trusting-Sheep.”

(A side note: I wrote this two days before my husband’s surgery. According to the surgeon, the cancer is now removed. Praise the Lord!)

--Amy O'Rear

Hope Revisited

On a shelf above the window in my dining room is a gold glitter word.  It stands about five inches tall.  The word is HOPE.

In this strange world we live in right now we “hope” that we won’t get the Coronavirus.  We “hope” that our family members and friends won’t get the virus.  We “hope” that this strange self-isolation won’t last long.  We “hope” we will still have a job. We “hope” we will have enough hand sanitizer and toilet paper.  We “hope” there will be enough respirators, masks, medical equipment for those who need them.  Could this quarantine last longer than this month?  Will the economy recover?  What will the new normal look like after the pandemic has run its course?  The list of “hopes” could continue forever. But that “hope” is very uncertain.  We don’t know how that hope will play out.

That word on my shelf represents a far different hope.  This week I have been tracing the Biblical hope through Scripture and I am much encouraged.  The Biblical definition of hope is “confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.”  What a different view of hope!

Hebrews 6:19, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.”

Psalm 42:5, “Why are you in despair, O my soul?  And why have you been disturbed within me?  Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, for the help of His presence.”

Psalm 62:5, “My soul, wait in silence for God only.  For my hope is from Him.”

Psalm 71:5, “For you are my hope, O Lord God.  You are my confidence from my youth.”

Psalm 71:14, “But as for me, I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more.”

Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

II Corinthians 1:10, “We have set our hope on Him, and He will yet deliver us.”

I Timothy 4:10, “We have fixed our hope on the living God.”

Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

I Timothy 1:1, “Christ Jesus is our hope.”

I will end with this line from the hymn, The Solid Rock.  “ My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”  I do not fear this pandemic.  My hope is in Jesus Christ.

Faith Himes Lamb