Great With Child - Dinner #66

     This December, I find a sense of joy in the fact that, because of Jacqueline,  I get to share in a little of what Mary must have felt.  Luke 2:5 describes her as “being great with child”, and, at 36 weeks, this Christmas, that is exactly where I find myself! Knowing the desire in my own heart for everything to be clean, and comfortable, and ready for when this baby arrives, I have a keener sense of the FAITH Mary must have had!  She was traveling, probably walking miles upon miles, with no knowledge of where her Baby would be born, or if she’d even make it to Bethlehem in time.  How many nights did she lay awake, imagining herself giving birth out in the wilderness, somewhere? Wondering if Joseph and she would know what to do, when the time came? 

     Luke 2:6-7 tells us, “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Labor was upon her, there was no shelter for them except a humble stable, and Mary did what she had to do – She was specifically chosen by God - the right mother for the job!  It is a beautiful and comforting thought to me that, no matter under what circumstances Jacqueline is born, when the days are “accomplished” that I, too, should “be delivered”, I’ll be the right mother for the job!

     During these final weeks of my pregnancy, I sometimes find myself tearfully wondering if I’m really ready to take care of TWO children.  During one such recent night of reflecting, the Lord sweetly gave me II Timothy 1:7 to hold onto: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” I don’t have to be afraid of having two little ones . . . The Lord will give me the strength and the love that I need to care for them, and will help me to keep my sanity, in the midst of it all! SMILE!  He has CHOSEN ME to be their mother!

     So many special things followed the birth of Mary’s Baby Boy: the arrival of the shepherds, the admiration of the wise men, the rejoicing of Simeon and Anna, the night flight into Egypt . . . Mary had to be the right Mommy for God’s chosen Messiah, through all of that! She needed peace, and tranquility, and faith – all of which came from the Lord! This December, as I begin quickly approaching my own due date, I want to have a little more of the faith and the strength that Mary must have had!  I can’t just crumble because I’m a bit scared that nursing a newborn and taming a toddler at the same time, is going to be too much!  If I want Brooklyn and Jacqueline to one day be women of faith, I need to maintain that godly faith, myself! In II Timothy 1:5, Paul says, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Genuine faith is an EXAMPLE to the generations following!  One day, my girls are going to be calling to cry on MY shoulder about their mothering fears and anxieties, and I want to be ready when they do!  I want to be ready to say, in all honesty, “The Lord helped guide ME through such days, and He will be right there to help you, too!”

     This Christmas, I write to you, battling back aches, fatigue, mood swings, and Braxton Hicks contractions, but I’m THE RIGHT WOMAN FOR THE JOB! SMILE! I GET to bring another little life into the world!  I GET to help raise another young lady for the Lord Jesus! I GET to look into another beautiful little face and know that God has richly blessed the love my dear husband and I have for each other! This is my PRIVILEGE! When Mary thought about all that the Lord was doing IN her and THROUGH her, she lifted up her voice and said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making me and enabling me to be a MOM!

     A very special “Merry Christmas” to all of you, Ladies! God Bless!

That Promise Will Not Fail . . . - Dinner #63

     What a month of ups and downs! What a month of struggling doubts and blessings!  How we rejoice as we watch a precious little life on an ultrasound, and then how we stumble as we wonder how we will ever take care of two instead of just one . . . How we praise the Lord as He provides unexpected groceries at just the right time, and then how we falter as we realize just how many hundred of dollars a long-distance move would cost us . . . In the midst of this daily faith and frenzy, the Lord showed me a beautiful verse in His Word:  Joshua 23:14 “ . . . not one good thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.” Not one! When you read the promises of God’s Word, it is as though you can say, “THAT promise will not fail!” and “THAT promise will not fail!”, after each and every one! What a joy that is, to think about! If God has said it, it will NOT fail! And how VERY MANY wonderful promises God has made to His children!

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Isaiah 40:29 “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

Isaiah 43:2 “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

Proverbs 1:33 “But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”

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

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

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

     When all else crashes about you, God’s Word will never fail! His promises are ever true! Others will fail you miserably, but His “faithfulness is unto all generations” (Psalm 119:90). How can we ever doubt such a wonderful Savior? Why do we ever take matters into our own hands and worries into our own hearts? Joshua 23:14 declares, “ . . . not one good thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you . . .” He is a TRUSTWORTHY God!  When the trials come, may we say to the Lord, just as David once said, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” (Psalm 56:3)

Trusting God - Dinner #23

     Are there things in your life that are overwhelming you today?  Unpaid bills that are frightening to look at?  Burdens that you just can’t seem to keep out of your mind?  Psalm 19:14 declares, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”  As your mind is racing all day long, in what or WHOM are you placing your trust?  Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”  What is your “chariot” or your “horse”?  Are you trusting that your tax return will carry you through? Are you trusting that you’ll be able to keep your job for many years to come?  SOME may trust in these things, but WE must “remember the name of the LORD our God.”  Psalm 33:17 tells us that, “An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.”  It is a vain thing to think that getting better health insurance would solve all your problems.  It is a vain thing to think that getting a raise at work would suddenly make life perfectly easy.  “Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.  For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.” (Psalm 33:20-21)

     In a ladies’ Sunday School class I attended, a woman once gave us the phrase, “For THIS I have Jesus.”  Matthew 9:28  “. . . Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this . . .?”  No matter what your “THIS” may be, God is there for you!  Psalm 56:3 declares, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”  Stepping out in faith often brings with it apprehension and fear, but we can safely put our trust in the Lord.  It was said of Abraham, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Romans 5:20-21)  Abraham was FULLY PERSUADED that what God had said, He would surely do!  Has God told you He will provide?  Then He WILL!  Has God told you that all will be well?  Then it WILL!

     In trying to trust the Lord, it is easy to fear being ashamed.  Psalm 25:2 says, “O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.”  It seems like foolishness to the world for a mother without any savings, to become a stay-at-home-mom after the birth of a baby.  It seems like foolishness to bring a baby into the world without good health insurance coverage.  What if this doesn’t really work out?  What if God doesn’t really want to step in and do this for us?  We need not fear failure!  The Bible tells us that, “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles . . . The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” (Psalm 34:17, 22)  The chorus of a precious hymn declares, “God will take care of you, Through ev’ry day, O’er all the way;  He will take care of you, God will take care of you.”  If we are seeking to follow in faith where God has led us, He WILL take care of us! 

     But how do we have faith in God?  Do we muster it up within ourselves?  We must not only EXERCISE faith, but we must ASK God to GIVE us faith!  The father of the demon-possessed boy cried out to Jesus, “ . . . Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) Did you know that when you are LACKING in faith, you can plead with God to give you more?!  I know there are mountains facing my little family right now!  What are YOU needing to trust God for, today? 

Faith Unseeing - Dinner #7

     I love the stories in I and II Kings about the prophets Elijah and Elisha.  So many miracles and tales of faith are found within those two books!  One of my favorites is found in I Kings chapter 17, when Elijah is hiding from Ahab during the years without any rain.  Elijah was not alone or forgotten during those years.  God was with him, protecting and providing for His servant. 

    

I Kings 17:4 “And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.”

I Kings 17:7-9 “And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath . . . I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”

     One step at a time, God led Elijah and sustained him.  God didn’t reveal to the prophet everything all at once.  He didn’t say to Elijah, “First I’m going to provide for you by giving you water from a brook to drink and food brought by ravens, and then I’ll send you to a widow in Zarephath who will feed you.”  He had Elijah trust Him for provision, one step at a time.  When the water dried up, THEN God showed that He already had another plan to provide for him.  

     But Elijah wasn’t the only one in this story who had to trust God without being able to see ahead.  When the prophet comes to the widow of Zarephath and asks her for water to drink, she goes to fetch it right away.  But as soon as he mentions that he would like some food as well, her attitude changes. 

I Kings 17:12 “And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

     Three verses before this, however, we see that God said, “I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”  Before Elijah even arrived, God had already told this lady what she needed to do, but she was afraid of what might be required of her.  She didn’t mind about the water, but the last of her food supply took faith.

I Kings 17:13 “And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.”

     Feeding the hungry prophet FIRST also took faith.  If he ate the last of what they had, there would be nothing left for she and her son!  But the widow woman obeyed, and stepped out by faith.  I Kings 17:16 tells us, “And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.”  When God says He will take care of you, you need not doubt!

     In II Kings chapter 3, we find another faith story, but this time with the prophet Elisha.  This story tells us of three kings who joined armies to fight against Moab.  Verse 9 indicates that the group soon became parched on their journey:  “ . . . and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.” The kings then decide together to inquire of Elisha as to what they should do.  In verses 16 and 17, we find the prophet’s reply:

“And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.  For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.”

     Isn’t that a precious verse?  I love it!  Elisha says, “You’re not going to be able to see it or understand it, but God WILL take care of you.”  I don’t know about each of you ladies, but this is a verse I, myself, need to joyfully cling to this week.

II Kings 3:20 “And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.”

     Not just enough for each man to have a short drink – the country was FILLED with water!  What about groceries for next week? What about money for unpaid bills? You may not be able to see how, but God WILL provide!  Is there something in your own daily life requiring faith at this moment?

Psalm 34:15 “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”