But what about Mondays?

 

Trusting in the Lord is not always easy. Honestly, trusting in general is often hard. People let us down. Times are hard. We put our faith in things that disappoint us. In people that fall short.

Thankfully, God is totally trustworthy. Do you believe that?

If you’re unsure, look at a few verses with me.

Numbers 23:19 KJV - God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Deuteronomy 7:9 KJV - Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Psalm 9:10 KJV - And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Deuteronomy 31:6 KJV - Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Are you convinced yet?

“Oh, but that’s Old Testament, you say.” Okay. Let’s jump into the New Testament then.

Hebrews 10:23 KJV - Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;

Philippians 4:19 KJV - But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV - Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Need I go on?

The trustworthiness of God is revealed all throughout the pages of scripture. Countless stories reveal his perfect character and prove God keeps his promises.

If you have put your faith in Christ Jesus and call yourself one of his children, then you have proved that you trust him with your eternal destiny. This shows that you believe he will do what he has promised. You believe that you have a home in Heaven. You believe that he forgives sins. You believe that you have been justified, redeemed, chosen, loved and bought with a price.

Why is it then, that we so readily trust him with our lives and yet we don’t trust him with our Mondays?

What do I mean?

Well, we say we trust him. But when Monday rolls around, we begin to fret and to worry. We’re concerned we won’t be able to pay our bills. We worry about our health. We worry about what will happen if we lose our job or our house or the car breaks down for the 4^th time.

How is it that we trust him in the big things like where we’ll go when we die, and then we don’t trust him to enough to provide for us. We worry about how we’ll make our paycheck stretch to afford the grocery bill? We don’t trust him quite enough to supply the small things.

Hands up if you’re guilty. Me too. Me too.

Just today I’ve been struggling with some disappointing news. Something I thought was finally an answer to prayer. Long prayed for and finally coming to fruition and then a spanner was thrown in the works yet again. And instantly my mood began to change. A cloud began to form over my head and the doubts arose.

How was this going to work? And why would God let it happen? And what was the solution? And sadly, I confess, the question arose in my head, not exactly worded like this but it was basically what we all do, “how can I help God out with this problem?”.

Stupid, right? Who do I think I am that I think I would even begin to be able to ‘help’ him out? As if the creator of all the earth and sky needs my help.

I am reminded of a well-known verse found in Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:5,6 KJV - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

We know this verse so well, some of us having had it memorized since early childhood. But do we actually put it into practice?

That word ‘lean’ is not a casual leaning. In Hebrew, it actually means ‘to put your whole weight on’. So, we can put all our weight, all our cares, all our fears on God with all our hearts and as we acknowledge his greatness and his ability, he will direct our path.

And sometimes, directing our path means allowing things to go dark for a bit so we can see his light. So, we can follow his leading.

I became a Christian at an early age and over the years I have grown to love the Lord more and more as he has proved himself faithful and trustworthy. I have never yet doubted that he died for me on that cross. I have never doubted that he has all power and all authority and will swing wide heaven’s doors so I can enter in. Washed. Cleansed. Seen as righteous.

But all too often I doubt he can do the small things. I worry he won’t provide. I worry he won’t work out the problem I’m facing.

What about Mondays?

Are you trusting him with the everyday? With the little things. With the mundane. With the minor annoyances. With the unpaid bill. With the broken-down car. With the job rejection.

How often do we read on to verse 7 in Proverbs chapter 3?

Proverbs 3:7 KJV - Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Do you see what it says there? Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Don’t think your understanding is best. Don’t think that you have it all figured out. God has ways of showing us very clearly that we don’t!

The Bible tells us we are like a fool if we follow our own wisdom instead of God’s.

Proverbs 26:12 KJV - Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Today, I needed the reminder that the God who holds the universe in his hands, can handle my Mondays, or Tuesdays or any day for that matter.

If it matters to me, it matters to him.

Big or small. Whatever it is. He knew about it before time began and he is able to take care of it. Without our help, I might add!

Our job is to trust. To wait. To submit. To obey.

He is able to do more than we ask or even think.

Ephesians 3:20 KJV - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

What an awesome God!                   

 

When the Enemy Attacks, 

Fly Higher

 

(Sometimes I find myself in need of a sermon preached to myself. This is the case today. The enemy is rearing his ugly head and trying to thwart God's plans, and in light of that, I was reminded of something I wrote a couple of years ago that needed revisiting)

I read something really interesting the other day regarding eagles and crows. There’s a reason a group of crows is called a “murder of crows”. Not a very complimentary name, is it?

Crows are often called the ‘gangsters of the sky’ and the reason they’re given this title is because their attacks are cunning, crafty and overwhelming to their unsuspecting victims.

They may be smaller in size in comparison to other birds, but their sense of entitlement pushes them to lay claim to anything appealing and they don’t have a preference as to what or who stands in their way.

Not only are crows cunning and crafty, but they are also thieves. Hunting takes a lot of energy, and so they resort to theft of another’s food.

Individually, they are small, but together, they are a powerful force. They are intelligent and they are fast. Doing a little research, I found that the jury is still out on a correct number, but it seems that crows can fly at speeds of up to 100 km per hour!

Crows don’t ‘fight fair’. They will use their numbers to intimidate and confuse their victims, with their incessant cries and their tag-team tactics, they slowly wear down their victim.

But there is an interesting scenario that has been witnessed and photographed many times. A lone crow will choose an eagle to torment. An eagle! One of the largest of birds, powerful, grand, and the strongest bird of prey.

The crow will dive bomb an eagle, peck at it, pull its feathers and sometimes land on its back. It’s hard to imagine that the eagle, an undisputed king of the air, predatory and powerful, would be so tormented by a common crow.

They do this for many reasons. Sometimes it’s simply the fact that crows are territorial and are not keen on sharing spaces. Another reason is for protection of their young, they often keep in groups to keep predators from getting too close to their nests. And as I mentioned before, they are thieves. Hunting for food is time consuming and difficult, so if a crow can steal another’s birds’ eggs or food, they will gladly do so. By using numbers to their advantage, they can often distract a larger bird and catch them unaware.

If a ‘murder’ of crows begins to torment an eagle, or a brave lone crow decides to take on an eagle on its own, the eagle does something very clever.

Before I tell you what that is, remember, that although the eagle is more powerful, the crows are incessant and don’t give up easily. They will chase their opponent for miles and miles. Pecking, dive-bombing, using their loud cry ‘caw-caw’ to drive their victim into a state of confusion and frustration which leads to mistakes being made and harm being done, or food being stolen.

So, what is this clever, ingenious way the eagle has to defeat the crow? Keep in mind that despite the eagle being one of the deadliest birds of prey, they are not eager to get hurt as this could damage their hunting prowess and cause a food shortage.

When a crow or many crows attack, the eagle does what it does best. It climbs higher. It turns its focus upwards and heads for heights that a crow cannot reach.

The eagle can fly to heights of 10 000 feet, while a crow can only reach 7000 feet. Anything above that and the crow will become dizzy and faint due to their lung capacity being so much smaller than an eagles.

When a crow is on its tail, its only option is to fly higher. It can only really be safe when it reaches an altitude that the crow can no longer reach, which causes him to give up on the fight.

Okay, so what to do with all this information about eagles and crows.

Did all this talk of cunning, craftiness, theft, incessant cries and torment remind you of anyone?

The Devil.

We are told that our enemy, the Devil is a thief and a liar, he prowls around seeking to devour us. He desires to bring us down, to defeat us. He wants to intimidate us, rob us, hurt us.

When God is about to bless us, the Devil is close by, ready to snatch it out of our grasp. He is relentless, and his whispers of lies, negativity and accusations hope to wear us down, pecking at our minds, pulling at us from every angle.

So, what are we to do when the Devil hops on our back and begins his persistent attack? We turn our gaze upward and climb higher.

We don’t stick around, dwelling on the negative and harmful thoughts. We don’t focus on the attack, listening to the voices. We focus our attention upward.

We have to forget what the enemy is doing and remember what God has already done. Satan is already a defeated foe. Christ has already won the victory.

We have to go where the enemy can’t follow. Higher. Upwards. Into the presence of God.

Easy to say, but how do we do that practically? Where is God’s presence?

Look at this verse in the Psalms.

Psalm 22:3 KJV - But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

This verse tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people. In other words, one way we can defeat the enemy is with our praise and worship of God!

If you’re still unconvinced, let me give you some examples in scripture where an act of praise and worship caused bonds to break and victories to be won.

David’s worship caused an evil spirit to flee from Saul (1 Samuel 16:23)

Paul and Silas’ worship broke their chains and freed them from prison (Acts 16:24-26)

Jehosaphat and the people of Israel praised God and God fought the battle for them (2 Chronicles 20:19-22)

Don’t ever underestimate the power of thanksgiving, praise and worship. When the enemy is attacking and you make the choice to praise God and focus your attention on what he has done in the past and what he will do in the future, the Devil has no choice but to fall back.

We have to focus our attention on getting higher. We have to rise above the circumstance, the depression, the hurt, the fear, the doubt. We have to draw closer to God.

The closer you draw to God, the less the enemy can stand it. The air will get too thin for him, he won’t be able to breathe, he won’t be able to stand your praise of God, and he will drop off his attack.

But don’t be fooled that he’s given up completely, he will rise to fight another day, so you have to be on your guard. Keep your spiritual armour on (Ephesians 6) and be watchful.

As you meditate on God’s goodness, his love, his mercy, his compassion, his almighty, unchanging power, the enemy will begin to seem small and insignificant in comparison.

Keep in mind this promise to claim and praise God with all your heart, soul and mind.

Psalm 121:1-2 KJV - I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

When the enemy attacks, use worship and praise and thanksgiving to put wind under your wings and lift you higher, out of reach.

Fly higher!

 

 

Whose voice is loudest and 

which one are you listening to?

 

Be still. What picture comes to mind when you read those two words? Be still.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

I have written about this verse before, but today it is in my thoughts again.

Being still is something I have great difficulty in doing. I don’t have any trouble being busy, crowding my days with activities, running back and forth from task to task. But being still? Not so easy.

It’s so difficult to be still in such a restless world. It’s such a challenge to stop and be still in a world that calls us to busyness, that pulls us along in its current of always needing to ‘do’ something or ‘be’ someone.

This year has been a very busy year for us. In February we made some changes in the direction of our transport business. Just after that, we had a local flood in our little town of Katherine. In June we had the wedding of our daughter, and now yet another wedding is in the planning phase for our youngest daughter. Another daughter is due to have baby number six any day, and another daughter is expecting her sixth in December. I have a Ladies Conference in just over 2 weeks that our church is hosting, and I am speaking for and that only begins to scratch the surface.

As you can imagine, I have felt like I’ve been pulled in a hundred different directions, and I feel like a dog chasing its tail. Running around in circles, not really accomplishing a whole lot except working up a sweat and panting in frustration. I just finish one task when another one hijacks my time.

Everything in me screams to keep busy, keep running, don’t stop, don’t rest.

Can anyone relate? Does this sound like your life at times?

What does God call us to do in this verse in Psalms? To be still.

Yes, there is definitely a need to be busy and get things done, but there is also a need for stillness. For quietness. For solitude. For focused meditation on God and his Word.

The being still in this precious verse, has to do with surrender, letting go, forsaking and striving no more.

”The word used here - from raphah - means properly to cast down; to let fall; to let hang down; then, to be relaxed, slackened, especially the hands: It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort; not putting forth exertion; and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue.” Barnes.

Being still carries the idea of being quiet and easy, not fretful and impatient or restless, but resigned to the will of God. It doesn’t mean to be inactive and unconcerned, but quiet. A quietening of the heart.

My word for the year, that I chose in December of last year, is REST. And this ‘being still’ really reinforces the lessons I am trying to learn in this area. Surrender. Letting go. Taking time to breathe. And more importantly, taking time to sit in God’s presence, in stillness and with a heart of submission, eager to hear what he wants to say to me.

It’s been harder than ever to make time for quiet meditation and study of God’s word. The devil is very busy trying to thwart the plans of a time set aside for study, learning, connection and spiritual growth. But as one of God’s children, I need to make time for stillness.

To be still is a choice. And often it’s a hard choice. We are all carried along by the tides of busyness, and we all have important things to do, but there is a time to just sit, and be still. And more importantly, to be still and know that God is God. To take time to tune out of the world and into God. To listen for that still small voice.

It’s so hard to hear God speak when we are letting the world scream in our ears. God speaks in the stillness. The devil screams in our busyness.

We find this phrase ‘be still’ in another place in the Bible that is worth mentioning. Look how it is used here.

Mark 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

The difference here though is that in the Greek, these words, be still, mean to be silent or be dumb. So, in essence, hush or shut up. The Lord told the waves and wind to shut up! And I think sometimes, we need to just shut up, be silent and listen.

We fill our lives with so much ‘doing’ and not a lot of ‘listening’. We dart from one task to the next, always on the move, never resting, never stopping to catch our breath. But God requires us to come into His presence and just be still. To quieten our minds and our bodies and listen to what He has for us.

I think of Mary and Martha and the ‘encumbrance’ of Martha in contrast to the ‘quietness’ of Mary as she sat at Jesus feet. Mary chose the one thing that was needful. And that was to sit and be still and listen to the Lord. (Luke 10:42)

Sometimes we are intimidated by silence. It forces us to address issues we might be running from. It makes us stop and think. It causes us to focus on other things. But silence can be a great healer. It can be a time of communion with the Lord and gleaning guidance and wisdom from Him, without the distraction of a noise-filled world.

This is something I have been learning to do over the past few years. Sitting in the silence and letting God speak to me. I am becoming comfortable with stillness. I have begun to crave moments of solitude and times to sit and let God’s peace wash over my soul.

It has been said that we have upwards of 50 000 thoughts a day! And a lot of those thoughts are not healthy. They are anxious or fearful thoughts. We have to tell our minds to be still. To hush. To shut up! But quieting the mind takes practice. And it takes God’s help. We have to renew our minds and be transformed. (Romans 12:2)

Every day is a struggle. A battle of sorts. To keep our minds focused on God while we go about our crazy and hectic days. A constant renewing of our minds. A conscious effort of quieting our hearts and letting God speak to us. Of listening in the stillness.

If I can just force myself to stop and take the time to be still and surrender my will to God’s perfect will and sit down in body and spirit and really focus in on what He has for me, I find that the ‘noise’ quiets for a time and I am able to learn more about God’s purposes for my life and I find precious promises in His word that help me as I go about my day.

Sometimes I think that our being still is more like a little child that is sitting down on the outside but standing up on the inside. They’ve been told to sit, but there is rebellion in their heart as they only outwardly obey.

We sit still, we ‘look’ like we are quietly spending time in prayer and study, but on the inside, we are anything but still. Our mind is distracted; we are not focused on the words in front of us or the prayer on our lips. Our to do list is running endlessly through our mind.

Being still is not just an outward appearance. It is a matter of the heart. It is an attitude of stillness. If we are not going to quiet our hearts and minds, we might as well keep running. God sees us through and through and He knows whether we are truly being still.

And so, here I sit. At my computer. Quiet music playing from the speaker on my phone. The air conditioner whirring softly above me.

And it’s not because I have nothing else to do. If I could only explain what I am neglecting in these quiet moments, your mind might explode. The morning has been very busy attending to the admin side of the business, babysitting precious grandchildren, fielding phone calls, doing household chores and the list goes on.

But in a moment of quiet, with little ones off home and the dishes and washing now done, I felt the pull of my to do list, I heard its call loud and clear, but something else was calling me. Or should I say, someone else was calling me.

God was calling me to be still. He was calling me to lay it down and rest for a moment. Not sit and scroll but sit in his presence. Meditating on the Words of scripture. Listening for his voice. He was calling me to commune with him.

Can I encourage you to let God’s voice be the one you listen to? Busyness will scream at you. Your to do list shouts. And often God’s voice is quiet. But it is there. And he longs for you to make time for him.

Stop thinking about your to do lists, put down your phone, just for a moment. Sit before the Lord. Dwell on his holiness. Listen to his whispers to your heart. Ask for a heavenly perspective on whatever it is you are facing. Focus on his presence. Set your mind on things above. Take time to worship him. Read your Bible. And don’t just read it, study it. Learn from it. Write it down.

If we want to hear God speak to us, we must sit still before him and read his Word. We need to take time to cry out to him, laying all our cares at his feet and let his peace flood our soul as we soak in his mercy and love and goodness, bringing the much-needed rest we crave. 

Give yourself a piece of quiet. Give yourself a moment’s peace. Take time to be still. Do whatever it takes to make time to spend in God’s presence. It’s not only our bodies that need rest. We have to give our souls time to catch up. We need soul refreshing. We need renewal. And the only way we will get it is to get with God. Alone. In the stillness. Surrender your lists. Take a long, deep breath. Let God speak to you.

Stillness is not a lack of noise. It’s a time to pause and reflect on God’s presence in our lives and his goodness to us as his children.

Isaiah 26:3 KJV - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you letting him make you into His Bijar?

(Anxiety was a gift)

Often, I don't know why God puts something on my heart to share, but I know that if he puts it there, I'm supposed to listen. And so, I am reposting something I wrote a couple of years ago, with the confidence that someone out there reading this, needs to hear it today. 

God bless xx

 

Have you ever seen a Persian rug? I mean a ‘real’ Persian rug. Not a knock off version you might find at your local cheap shop. I’m talking about the real deal. The world renowned Bijar rugs that are woven in the city of Bijar, located in the northeast of Iran, in the Kurdish province.

Bijar has been famous for its rugs since the time of the first Persian Empire in 5^th Century BC.

A genuine Bijar rug is a hand-woven Oriental rug, woven by Kurdish weavers in the city of Bijar, Iran using time honoured weaving techniques that are unique to this particular area.

They have often been dubbed the “Iron Rugs of Persia” because of their remarkable durability, able to withstand up to 200 years or more, of heavy use.

The reason for their amazing robustness is found in the way the rugs are made. The Bijar rugs are made using a technique called “wet weaving”, a technique not used anywhere else.

This technique involves compressing the strands of wool tightly between rows of knots. After each row of knots have been tied, the weaver then inserts a weft. The weft strands are the horizontal threads that are interlaced with the vertical warp threads that form the foundation of the rug.

The wet weaving process requires dampening the wool as it is woven, giving it a pliability it wouldn’t normally have.

After the weft has been inserted horizontally, a heavy metal comb or hammer is used to beat down the weft strands and the knots, creating a dense, tightly woven fabric that as it dries, shrinks somewhat, leaving a very compact, firmly constructed, strong, durable and long-lasting rug.

The dampening, the tightly formed knots and the heavy pounding are what gives the rugs their extreme durability and longevity.

So, how does any of this apply to us and our Christian walk?

God wants to turn us into his Bijars.

Yes, you read that right. God wants to use the poundings in our lives, the trials, the difficult seasons, the job losses, the cancer, the grief, the unexplained anxiety, the debilitating depression – to weave a divine strength into our hearts.

Just 8 years ago, I was a different person than I am today.

For 6 months I fought an internal battle. An unexplained battle with depression, anxiety and panic attacks that literally took my breath away, threatening to take me out completely. It had made itself at home and nothing I could do seemed to shake it. Everything I tried failed.

But as I struggled along, fighting attacks of the devil, fighting within myself, crying out to God, letting my emotions overwhelm me, I began to let the Word of God wash over my soul. I began to read my Bible more. I began to pray like never before. I wrote out countless verses on little note cards and plastered them all over the place. I cried through more worship songs than I can count, I played the piano for our church through tears, eyes closed, the turmoil raging inside of me.

But while I was being pounded by waves of fear, while I struggled through days where I didn’t want to get out of bed, while I neglected friendships and often tried to put on a brave face hoping others wouldn’t notice, God was working. God was weaving threads of strength through my pain.

God was weaving a divine strength in my heart that would stand the test of time. He was using his iron tool to beat me down, but not with the intent of crushing me and rendering me useless. He was doing a purifying work, a work that would see me rise up stronger, more reliant on him, more compassionate towards others, more useful in his work and with a heart that desired him more than anything else.

By God’s grace, I did come through my period of trial. I had victory over anxiety. I had victory over fear.

With each day, I became increasingly stronger. My faith grew. God’s hammer of anxiety began to add a row of knots into the tapestry of my life, dampened with my many tears, the weft he wove added strength to my inmost being. And eventually, I realized that anxiety had no power over Christ. Fear had no hold on God. It couldn’t hold God and it couldn’t hold me.

I recognized that no matter what, Jesus would hold me. He wouldn’t let me go. He would continue to love me. To defend me. To keep me. He wouldn’t forsake me, and all my emotional needs were met in him. He was enough.

The fear that paralyzed me no longer held a deathly grip on me.

The depression that threw me into the dark abyss no longer overwhelmed me.

The cloud of anxiety that hung overhead was no longer there.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

But just because I was able to make it through this difficult season of my life, doesn’t mean I don’t find myself struggling with anxiety every now and then. It no longer has a hold on me, but I do feel its sting from time to time.

The difference is that the fear no longer paralyzes me. It doesn’t dictate to me my course of life. The peace that Jesus gave me then, I still have access to now.

All the verses of Scripture that I read over and over and the promises I clung to are still found in the pages of my Bible and they still apply.

I have more ammunition in my tool belt to fight off Satan’s attacks and I have a strength woven into my being that wasn’t there before.

So, when those moments of fear come upon me and I feel like I might go under, I rise up and hold onto what I learnt in those dark days. I cry out to God and remind him of his promises. I remember my past victories, and I open my lips and praise him.

God wants to make us his Bijars. His rugs that stand the test of time. Durable. Strong. Still vibrant and useful after years of use. Beautiful works of art.

You may be in a season of pounding right now. God may be using things in your life to build strength and resilience and reliance on him.

You may be facing things in your life that make you wonder if you can even last another day.

You may be hammered by trials, by fear, by rejection, by insecurities.

Don’t resist his iron tools, his wetting of the fabric of your life, his tying of knots and weaving in and out. He is working to create a masterpiece. A work of art.

His pounding can bring new strength.

Romans 5:3-4 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

I never realised at the time that my anxiety was a gift. It felt like a cruel cross that I had to bear. But God used it to purify me and help draw me closer to him. He developed in me a love for him and his Word. He gave me a hunger and thirst for the Words of Scripture and a desire to study and grow in my relationship with him. He helped me to build a stockpile of promises I could cling to when times got rough.

He helped me to see the needs of others with a heart of compassion. He began to stir my heart to be sensitive to those around me and reach out and love others that needed a friend. He brought a peace to my heart that I had never known and a peace that could be a testimony to others of God’s goodness.

I am not the same person I was back then. I am being made more like Christ. Slowly but surely, through the trials God allows in my life, I am growing. I am far from perfect, but God is doing a work only he can do. He is cleaning out the things in my life that shouldn’t be there and replacing them with threads of various colours. Each line of weaving tells a different story. Each knot another tale. And the more I resist his workings, the uglier my tapestry becomes.

If I lay still under his hand, allowing his work to go on unhindered by my attitude and actions, he is able to create a masterpiece. Something that can show his glory and reflect his love. Oh, how I pray that I wouldn’t resist his workings and that I would submit to the hand of the master weaver.

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: 

when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; 

and renew a right spirit within me.

 

 

 

You can ask Him for it

 

After a conversation with a friend this morning, I have begun diving down a rabbit hole to try and make more sense of a verse I’ve never fully looked at. So, if you’re interested, put on your head lamp and climb down with me.

Psalm 86:17 KJV - Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

It’s this idea of a ‘token for good’. What does it even mean? Maybe you’ve already got it all figured out, if so, feel free to scroll on. But for those of you who want to learn more about what David was talking about when he penned this particular Psalm, stay with me.

Let’s start at the beginning.

The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 Hebrew poems, songs, and prayers that express praise, lament, thanksgiving and trust in God. It was written by multiple authors over a period of approximately 900 years beginning with the time of Moses. It is divided into 5 books, so scholars tell us, and this particular Psalm is part of book 3.

It is the only Psalm in this part of the book that is labelled ‘a prayer of David’.

We are drawn straight into the Psalm with a cry for help. Psalm 86:1 Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. David paints a picture of prayer and urgency and emotionally charged fears.

This Psalm was written during a time of persecution for David. Either Saul’s pursuit (1 Samuel 19-26) or Absalom’s revolt (2 Samuel 15-18). David was in distress, surrounded by his enemies and he knew his limitations and that he couldn’t fight his battles on his own.

We see David asking for mercy. For help. For God to listen to his cries. But we also see praise. We see him speaking of God’s goodness, his mercy, his greatness and for his ability to listen, answer and forgive.

So, when we come to the last verse of the Psalm, we see David asking for a ‘token for good’. Interestingly, he is not only asking it for himself, but also so that God may be revealed to his enemies as a God that is stedfast and loving. He wants God to be seen for who he really is. He wants others to see the goodness and greatness of God.

I’ve often quoted the phrase that we read in this verse, ‘token for good’, but not really thought too much about it. So, I decided it was time to think on it.

The word token is derived from the Hebrew term ‘ot’ which simply means a sign, or a proof of God’s favour. This particular word is used 79 times in the Hebrew, sometimes as token, sometimes as sign, miracle or mark.

“Tokens in biblical times held significant cultural importance. They were often used to signify agreements, treaties, or divine promises. The Israelites understood tokens not only as physical reminders but also as assurances of God’s presence.

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, covenants were often sealed with tokens or signs. These symbols served to remind both parties of their commitments. Similarly, in the Bible, tokens are often presented as divine assurances to reinforce the faithfulness of God in His covenants with His people.”

One of the most well-known mentions of a token in the Bible is found in the book of Genesis (9:12) when God gives a rainbow as a token of his favour and a sign that he will never flood the earth again. It is a token of hope.

We see it again in Exodus (12:13). Here the token is blood. The blood of the Passover Lamb is a token of God’s protection and deliverance to the Israelite people.

When David asks for a token of good, he is asking for a sign from God that he is working on his behalf. He wants to receive clear evidence of God’s goodness. He wants a reminder of God’s faithfulness.

And I believe that we are well within our rights as a child of God, to ask of him, a token for good.

Sometimes, when the waves rise above us, when the clouds are dark and the pathway before us becomes hazy and unsure, we need a token. We need a reminder of God’s goodness.

David didn’t just cry out for help. He asked for a clear sign that he was not abandoned. He was honest about how he was feeling. He laid it all out, but he held onto hope, kept praising in the storm, and waited in expectation for deliverance, asking for a sign to help him keep the faith.

It wasn’t so much that he doubted God’s goodness, but that he needed tangible evidence that God was still working, so that he could keep believing.

I don’t know what token it is that you need today that will speak to you. I don’t know what evidence it is that you need to keep you from letting go. I can only speak from personal experience.

Sometimes for me a token for good is the sound of a butcher bird singing his song on a quiet morning. Sometimes it’s a cool breeze. Sometimes it’s a cloud in the sky. Sometimes it comes in the form of a verse of scripture given at the exact moment it is needed. Other times it is a text from a friend. An encouraging word. A song or a moment of silence in an all too noisy world.

Whatever it is, it is yours to ask for. Ask God to give you a token for good. Ask him to reveal himself in a way that speaks to you.

It’s okay to ask for reassurance. We can ask for a sign of God’s presence in our lives. These assurances help to strengthen our faith during difficult times. It’s okay to ask. It is part of the faith journey we are walking.

Whatever it is that you are dealing with today, be open and honest with God about it. Don’t ever feel guilty about pouring your heart out to God. Be raw. Be vulnerable. Be real. Let the tears flow if need be. Let the words of frustration come out. Lay it all out. Give it to God. And ask him to give you a sign. A message of hope. In whatever form he sees fit. And then, watch for it.

What is the token for good that you can hold on to?

Remember don’t ask only for yourself. Remember that David asked also that God would be revealed to his enemies. He wanted God’s greatness to be shown. We need our tokens for good to show to a lost world that God is faithful. That he keeps his promises. That he is good even when things are not good in our lives.

And lastly, have confidence in God that he will do what he says. David ends the Psalm with these words:

…………….because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me. He closes with a note of confidence. David had seen God work before, and he knew that he could do it again. God had a history of support and care in David’s life. God had actively intervened in his circumstances before, and David reminded himself of the fact.

Remind yourself of past victories and keep praising him in the storm. Ask him to show you a token for good.

Matthew 7:7,8 - Ask, (keep asking) and it shall be given you; seek, (keep seeking) and ye shall find; knock, (keep knocking) and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are you clinging to?

(one from the archives) 

“Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our blessings, but in the blesser Himself.”  Arthur Pink

How often do you find yourself longing for rivers of blessings and yet all you see are brooks that are dried up or only slightly wet from a trickle of water that slowly winds its way over the dirt and rocks?

I have found myself in past weeks, going back and forth from blessing to burden, burden to blessing and back again. Back and forth, back and forth.

One day, my prayers are answered, and the blessings come and the hope within me rises, and then, not only 24 hours later, down it all comes, and the burdens press in once more. Questions arise and fear wells up inside.

What do you do when it seems that God keeps giving you little glimpses of hope only to seemingly dash them just as you begin to rise from the ashes?

Well, you know what they say about riding a horse. When it bucks you off, you don’t give up, you get right back up there, settle into the saddle, feet in the stirrups and try again.

And so, when God gives and then takes away, you don’t jump off and quit trusting. No. You get right back to where you left off and keep trusting. Keep hoping. Keep believing.

You remind yourself of past victories and the blessings God has sent your way and the good he has done in your life. You remember the times he brought you through the deep waters and the raging storms. You focus on his goodness and what you know of him. You hold to the promises found in his Word. You pray, you wait, and you rest.

God does choose to give us blessings one day, rivers flowing and abounding with water, and he chooses to cause the river to dry up and the soil to cry out for thirst. Why? To cause us to trust him. To draw us closer to him. To teach us not to trust in the blessings only, but in him, the blesser and giver of all good things.

To our human reasoning, it seems counterintuitive. It doesn’t seem to make sense that he would withhold blessing from us, in order for us to love him more. But God, in all his wisdom, sees further than we ever can, and he knows that this is the path to growth.

It’s so easy to cling to the blessings and neglect the giver. When things are easy, the burdens are light, the days are bright and sunshiny, we can fall into the habit of walking in our own strength, content to run things our own way, blissfully unaware of who is giving us the very air we breathe.

But when the darkness falls, we suddenly realise our weakness and how small we really are, and we cry out for help longing for those bright blessing days to return.

God longs for us to cling to him through the day and also through the night. Not just on the hard days, but on those wonderful, carefree days too. He desires our worship and to hear praise on our lips, and words of thankfulness from our mouths. He wants us to be reminded of who he is and his faithfulness.

And so, he sends those dry times. He lets the soil be parched at times. He allows us to go through difficult seasons, longing for us to draw closer to him and cling to him. He knows that it’s at these times we need him most and it’s through the trials he sends that we learn more of his character and we see his love all the more clearly.

It is at these times, we begin searching his word in earnest, longing to read the precious promises of comfort we find there and seeking the rest and peace only he can bring. We find ourselves in prayer more often and longing for his fellowship.

If we only had light, we wouldn’t understand the blessing of a rainbow after a storm. If all we had were easy, happy and carefree days, we wouldn’t know of the power of God and his ability to raise the fallen, strengthen the weary and lift the burdened and overwhelmed. We wouldn’t experience the exhilaration of the sun breaking through the clouds after torrential rain and boisterous thunder.

God knows exactly what we need, and he knows just when we need it. The blessings he sends and the trials he allows in our lives are not just an accident. They are carefully planned and orchestrated by the creator of heaven and earth, the Redeemer of our souls.

Although it may seem that at times, God is far away and silent, turning a deaf ear to our pleas, it is far from the truth. He is always near and always watching and leading and guiding, waiting for us to turn to him. It is not him that has moved, but us.

We are the guilty party. We are the ones who neglect to give honour to the blesser. We are the ones that cling to the blessing and neglect the giver.

Let’s not be guilty of only resting in our blessings. Let us rest during our trials too. Clinging to the one who brings peace and comfort. Let us be like the tree planted by the water that is so rooted in God and so content in his workings, that we don’t fear the drought, we’re not afraid of the heat and the pressures that come, because our faith is in the Lord and we know he will bring beauty from ashes and our leaf will stay green and our fruit will keep bearing, showing to all that God is good and he can be trusted.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers to Prayers not even Prayed

 

I prayed my usual prayer for safety on the road, for alertness, for tired eyes to stay open, for a trouble-free trip, for no delays.

And then I got the call that he had been held up getting loaded and the hours began to slip away. And then another call to say that the highway was closed due to an accident and wouldn’t reopen for many hours.

Frustration.

Another day of work banking up due to hours wasted in waiting.

Or was it?

The more I walk this Christian life, the more I am beginning to see that what we call frustration, annoyance, upset plans, delays, God calls divine intervention.

You see, if he had not been held up getting loaded, if he had been on the road when he had planned, he would have found himself on the highway at the particular spot the accident happened and could very well have found himself in a ditch in disastrous circumstances.

God’s delays are never coincidental. They are always planned.

There was divine intervention that day. God knew all along.

God answered my unspoken prayer. He answered a prayer I didn’t know I needed to pray. He answered the prayer that asked for him to be held up so that he would be able to park safely, in reception, near a roadhouse so he could have a meal, and sit and rest for a few hours after a sleepless night.

How were we to know that the upset plans were all part of God’s plan? Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but looking at the circumstances in the moment, it’s not always easy to be content.

Every day we have prayers answered that haven’t even been prayed. We have blessings from God that we don’t even recognize or think to ask for.

Isaiah 65:24 KJV - And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Did you know that there are invisible blessings?

There are blessings that only show themselves by not showing up.

Think about it. How many kilometres has your car gone without getting a flat tyre? How many years have you driven without being in an accident? What about that big tree in the front yard that has never dropped a damaging branch onto your house or car? Or maybe a very scary medical condition that you have never had to face, although you know many personally who have. Or maybe it’s God’s hand of protection over you when you didn’t even realise you were in danger.

These are blessings hiding in plain sight.

We have so many blessings showered upon us that we can’t even see or imagine. The goodness of God is so abundant.

1 Corinthians 2:9 - But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

God has done so much for us, and he blesses us every day. Whether they are evident or not, they are there. We can’t even fathom the depths of God’s love for us and the things he has prepared for us and saved us from.

Often the reason we don’t see the blessing is because we are too focused on the burden. We have chosen to dwell on all the negative things we see in our lives, letting them sit at the forefront of our minds, when if we changed our view and looked at things from a different perspective, a heavenly perspective, with gratefulness in our hearts, our eyes would be opened, and the blessings would be revealed.

God wants to grow a thankful spirit in the heart of every person. He longs for us to remember that he is the giver of all things and the very breath we breathe, comes from him.

In order to recognize what God gives, we have to have our heart open and alert. We need to be on the lookout for blessings.

And so, keep praying. Keep the communication lines open to heaven’s door. Keep knocking. Keep seeking. Keep asking. But remember that God answers prayers not yet prayed and be sure to give him thanks when those invisible blessings reveal themselves.

But don’t cling to the blessing. Cling to the blesser himself. The Lord, the Creator, the giver of all things good.

Psalm 107:1

O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.