Author: Eerig

Lord of the Sabbath


Bible Study discussions at our church on Wednesday nights are open discussions. We look at the scripture from all angles and interpretations. Last night, we were in Exodus discussing the Sabbath rulings given to the Hebrew people. Okay, so it’s not the most exciting topic, but it led me to a Scripture I don’t think I have ever really considered.
Matthew 12 tells the story of Jesus and his guys walking through a grainfield on the Sabbath. The boys were hungry and started helping themselves, only to be immediately jumped by the Pharisees, who were always lingering nearby.
Jesus reminds them that even their greatest of all time, King David, had broken some rules. Priests also worked on the Sabbath in the temple and were not condemned. Then he makes the following statement:

“6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”


Wow! It just hit me differently this time. How often, from a conservative Evangelical background, have we told people that they needed to “sacrifice” their Sunday work to please God? Chic-Fil-A has become a conservative icon for that very reason. How often have we condemned the “guiltless” who, for whatever reason, had to work on Sunday?
My point is not that we should all dump the Saturday or Sunday observance of the Sabbath and go get a second job. God instituted the day of rest as a gift of restoration because we need it! Rather, that we line up with the Pharisees when we insist on religious rule conformity and forget to give mercy to those who are struggling.


Jesus then gives an object lesson. He goes into the synagogue, where a man needs healing. Of course, the Pharisees attack again with questions regarding the lawfulness of his healing on Sabbath. I like that their motives are clearly stated “so that they might accuse him.”
Jesus responds that even they would help an animal in danger on the Sabbath. His obvious conclusion is:
“Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.”
Their obvious conclusion was that he was a dangerous radical.
‘But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”
Matthew continues describing Jesus’ ministry and then quotes one of my favorite prophetic descriptions of the mercy and compassion he revealed:


“This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Oh Lord of the Sabbath, give us your gentle hands of mercy! Still, our harsh Pharisaical voices that want to quarrel and cry aloud about our rights and righteousness. Forgive us for the times when our rules kept us from healing and feeding the hungry on the Sabbath.

(Painting by Brenna Richardson please do not copy. Prints available at Original Works of Art – rigsby-richardson-gallery (smugmug.com) )

Now I lay me down to sleep…

Now I lay me down to sleep…

Does anyone else remember this prayer? I’m sure there are variations, but the version I remember goes as follows:

Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Guide me safely through the night, and wake me with the morning light. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

I remember repeating it as a child at night, but I don’t recall teaching it to my children. Why?

Well, it’s a bit dark…all that dying in your sleep stuff. Not exactly the thought you want to implant in your child’s mind to send them into peaceful dreams.

However, I have been drawn back to it recently at this strange phase of my life. For a couple years, I have been dealing with a heart condition diagnosed as microvascular coronary vasospasms. It is not something that can be surgically fixed; it has to be managed with medication. Unfortunately, the condition keeps catching up to the medication. The bottom line is that a severe heart spasm can cause a heart attack and kill me. The other fun fact is that for me the spasms usually hit me around 4-5 am, and some have been pretty bad.

So here I am- strange how full circle this feels- praying “if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

Most of the time, going about my day, I don’t really think about dying. I believe my heart is “right” with God, or maybe more accurately, His great grace covers my multitude of failure, sins, mistakes, and downright stupidity. O how I love Jesus- because He first love me! (Wow! That early childhood stuff is really coming back!)

I have at least on one occasion when my husband was traveling woken up in a panic with the thought, “If I die in my sleep, no one will know!” Not sure why that thought was so overwhelming since logically if I’m dead I would be beyond caring. Still…

The funny thing is- based on my Psychology/counseling training- the best thing to do with an overwhelming fear is to tell someone. Naming it- disarms it. For example, a person who feels suicidal is less likely to do it if they tell someone.

So, I told my husband- he freaked out- I got lots of calls and attention from my boys. Actually…it was great! But I really wasn’t trying to scare them; just cope with my own head.

So, why am I writing all this? First of all, because putting it down in writing is how I have always coped with overwhelming things. Second of all, just in case, I want my friends and family to know that I love you all! I realize I have often failed to do that well, and I pray that God will give you the grace to forgive me.

I have a good Dr., thank the Lord, and I still plan to live for many years. I have goals. I’m attempting to live more fully in each moment. The hard parts are-

letting others do things for me,

worrying about who will take care of the people I love if I am not here,

feeling I must be failing God because I cannot DO all the jobs anymore.

I have a reminder on my phone now that goes like this:

Thank you for listening. You are loved!

The Ourself Marriage

The recent disruptive events that have shaken the church regarding issues of misogyny, clergy sexual abuse, and the role of women in the church have caused many pastors to reconsider the basis of their beliefs and teaching on these issues.

This writing space is too limited to address all the issues involved. So instead, I would like to consider just one area. That is the area of Christian premarital and marriage counseling. As a pastor’s wife and someone involved in lay pastoral counseling, I have been overwhelmed when looking back at the materials and counsel we have given, with the conviction that we have been doing it all wrong! A premarital curriculum focused on “meeting needs” slanted in the wrong direction. Placing blame and undue burden frequently resulted in one person in the relationship carrying the weight of a more “needy” partner. Not to mention the incredible amount of damage done using authority structures in marriage!

Surely God had a better model in mind. In fact, he did.

Genesis 2:24 Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 

Jesus was speaking in Mark 10:6-9.

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

There it is! The two shall become one flesh/ they shall become one flesh. 

Even in Paul’s interpretation of marriage in Ephesians 5:31, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 

Given the hierarchical-patriarchal structure in which Paul was culturally bound, this concept was almost too much for him, and he felt compelled to redirect the concept toward Christ and the church. Eph. 5:32 “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” 

Since he can’t imagine two becoming one as really happening in a marriage, he sums up his advice on marriage as follows: 33 “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

But God! God, who is intimately acquainted through the Trinity with a communion of personalities being one, said it is not only possible but that IT HAPPENS! They are no longer Two- They are One. Jesus said God joins them together.

It is not that their individual identities are lost. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are still distinct. The best way I can describe it is that an “Ourself” is created. The individuals-“Our”- have become one “self.”

The Ourself marriage can sound either like a blessed utopia or a hellish nightmare! For most people, the reality falls somewhere in between the two extremes. But I believe it happens whether we are aware of it or not.

How often have you noticed couples in long relationships begin to look, act, and talk like one another? How often has the loss of a marriage partner been described as a loss of self?

After marriage, everything you, as an individual, do affects the Ourself of the marriage. The oneness- I can no more explain how it comes about than I can explain how the Trinity functions- means that you can never again act privately. If you are selfish and domineering, you are damaging the other person and harming yourself. If you are needy and demanding, you are hurting yourself.

Paul did see that part when he wrote: Ephesians 5:28-29 “He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it.”

Every bit of nourishment and cherishing that a person pours into the marriage – they are pouring into themselves because now they are one.

If you lie, cheat, or are unfaithful in thought or action within your marriage- you are lying, cheating, and being unfaithful to yourself.

Whatever you put into the marriage, how you care for the “Ourself” can either heal and strengthen or fragment and tear at the oneness. As Jesus said in Mark 10:9, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Desensitized

So much is mixed up in Lent this year, in my heart and mind. Literally in my heart with various rounds of heart testing. The continuing trauma and heartbreak of Ukraine. The anxiety of Covid, inflation, gas prices, etc. All of the above and family concerns have made it difficult to focus on the passion of Christ.
But it’s more than that.
I hadn’t realized how much more until a recent conversation arrested my attention. I was speaking with an expert in the field of early childhood education. She was volunteering in her church in the preschool department. She was appalled when she was given a coloring sheet for the children that was a close-up of Jesus’ face with the crown of thorns and blood dripping. This is what we consider age-appropriate exposure to the gospel message for preschoolers? Someone being tortured! Even Christ on the cross…I mean, would I want them to see the pictures of torture and murder that are coming out of Ukraine? Wouldn’t I want to shelter them from that if I was a good parent or educator?
I realize many children watch movies, cartoons, and games that contain violence and murder. However, on some level, they know or should know that those things are not real. I wonder if Christian children’s early, constant exposure to images of Christ’s death has not done the same. I know my breath doesn’t catch, tears don’t come to my eyes, my stomach doesn’t clench in horror when I look at a crucifix the same way it does when I see the images of the bodies lying in the streets of Ukraine and hear the stories of inhuman atrocities. Why?
Because I have been desensitized. I have been exposed from birth to the coloring pages depicting the horrible, torturous death of Christ as just pictures in a story.
I am not claiming to know how we should change the narrative and the exposure of children in order to present Christ’s sacrifice in a meaningful way that does not lead either to traumatizing or desensitization to the horror. But I wish I had the answer. Somehow, we MUST find a way! It just seems that by the time our Christian kids leave home as young adults, it is no longer REAL to them.
Furthermore, is it still REAL to me? Even the best dramatic, cinematic presentations can feel like what they are- just a movie.


But reality hits hard with Ukraine.
When I feel the horror of the naked bodies of women raped- do I remember that Christ was stripped naked on the cross?
When my stomach turns at the signs of torture on the bodies of the Ukrainian dead- do I remember that is what the crown of thorns, the flogging, the beatings that Christ endured were torture?
When I cry, listening to the sobs of the grieving mother as she tells of her only son who was shot in the street- do I see Christ’s mother Mary prostrate with grief at the foot of the cross?
When I hear the calls, see the messages, asking for prayers for the missing, the lost- do I catch the anxiety of Mary in the garden, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where he is!”
As I beg God for mercy and peace for the country of Ukraine- can I imagine, do I really believe there can be a resurrection? Or am I a disciple who wants to run and hide in a locked room?
The wide-awake nightmare of Ukraine’s suffering is REAL. The passion of Christ is REAL.
The only hope is in the God of Easter, of resurrection! Only through knowing Him can we find meaning in it all.
Philippians 3: 10 “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
That is my prayer for Ukraine. That you may know Him in the power of His resurrection. You have shared in His suffering, become like Him in His death- may you now attain a resurrection from the dead.
I didn’t give up anything for lent this year. I just determined that I would not turn away from what was happening in Ukraine. Instead, I would stay with those I could find where I had some connection. To pray- to hold up their hands as the battle raged around them. To let them know they were not alone when they were crying out.
I didn’t expect it to hit me with the reality of Christ’s passion. We have a story to tell- not a cartoonish coloring page story, a REAL story of horror and death…for LOVE! God, please help us find a way to communicate that reality without desensitizing ourselves or our children!

2021- We’ve Got One Job

Here we are, facing a new year…but already, rather than feeling we are on the brink of a new and exciting future, most of us are dreading, even fearful, what this week or this year may bring. How can we find the courage to go forward into this year?

Paul wrote to the Philippians in 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own- But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

 So, what does it mean to press on?

We are a family who loves stories, and so I thought of Tolkien’s Sam and Frodo struggling to the last ounce of their strength to get up the mountain.

“I’ll get there, if I leave everything but my bones behind,” said Sam. “And I’ll carry Mr. Frodo up myself, if it breaks my back and heart.”

That is pressing on!

Or little Reepicheep from C.S. Lewis Voyage of the Dawn Treader:

 “My own plans are made. While I can, I sail east in the Dawn Treader. When she fails me, I paddle east in my coracle. When she sinks, I shall swim east with my four paws. And when I can swim no longer, if I have not reached Aslan’s country, or shot over the edge of the world into some vast cataract, I shall sink with my nose to the sunrise.”

Even Lewis himself kept his eyes on the goal:

“The Christian says, ‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists…If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing…I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.”

The early church father Augustine expressed a similar sentiment:

“I look forward, not to what lies ahead of me in this life and will surely pass away, but to my eternal goal. I am intent upon this one purpose, not distracted by other aims, and with this goal in view, I press on, eager for the prize, God’s heavenly summons. Then I shall listen to the sound of Your praises and gaze at Your beauty ever-present, never future, never past. But now my years are but sighs. You, O Lord, are my only solace. You, my Father, are eternal. But I am divided between time gone by and time to come, and its course is a mystery to me. My thoughts, the intimate life of my soul, are torn this way and that in the havoc of change. And so it will be until I am purified and melted by the fire of Your love and fused into one with You.”

So how do we, in a world reeling from a pandemic, divided by politics, increasingly deceptive and violent-

“press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,”

“make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same,”

(Stay) “intent upon this one purpose, not distracted by other aims, and with this goal in view, I press on, eager for the prize, God’s heavenly summons?”

There is only one way- Hebrews 12: 1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

LOOKING TO JESUS!

Not to any human leader, cause, political party, ideology!

He is the ultimate example of pressing on- He endured through all the hate, hurt, pain, and even death until He WON and was seated at the right hand of God. He did not overcome by trying to overthrow- He overcame by laying down His life.

Our instructions for 2021 have not changed. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” John 13:34

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

We have one job in this new year- to love like Jesus.

2020 – The Year of the Mirror

What a year this has been! This is even evidenced by the fact that after recovering my blog account, I have only managed to post two the entire year. I spent the lockdown in my garden, not at my computer -it was essential to my mental health. I realize some might equate this behavior with the ostrich sticking its head in the sand, but it was all too much. So here I am- a couple of hard freezes, and the garden is down for the winter, and I am back at the computer again.

What has been hardest this year is that each of the issues that have arisen has shoved a mirror in my face and forced me to confront deeply buried images of myself.

Racism, Politics, COVID-19, and the death of my Father have caused me to confront myself more than anyone else.

Where have I let racist attitudes, feelings of superiority, pride that I am not like that “other” person creep into my life? Am I too proud to even admit these attitudes are there? How do I love the African American grandparents with their tribe of little grand-boys who have to somehow raise them in a culture where the odds are stacked against them? Equally important, how do I love the most dedicated, honest, kindest lawman and his wife who fears daily for his safety when he goes out to do and be the best he can be for the public safety?

Politically- Can I still love people who are willing to let their version of politics come between us? How do I love people who will condemn my faith if my politics does not agree with theirs?

So many people have died this year, family and friends! I have had to face- not my fear of death but my anger and hatred of it! There is a reason why death is finally thrown into hell at the end of time- it is not our friend!

Revelations 20:14 “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.”

How can I protect the physically vulnerable people in my life from a deadly virus without being judgmental of those I feel would put them at risk? Is it even possible to adequately care for people and keep them at arms-length or 6 feet?

How do I say goodbye to someone I love but with whom I realize I have some unresolved issues? Especially since, given the progression of his disease, I would have had to talk to him ten years ago when I was too overwhelmed with parenting and making my own mistakes with my kids. What do you do with a hurt that was never intentional, but that happened?

So, I have seen my racism, pride, fear, hurt, anxiety, fear, failure- it has been glaringly revealed by the trauma of this year. I have heard the gentle rebukes of the Spirit as He touched the hurting or inflamed, tender places of my heart. It has been a painful year. I realize I still don’t know even the depths of my own heart…

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. NKJV

 There is also a danger in thinking that becoming aware of all these issues is enough. I acknowledge them, so now I’m done. I believe God expects me to do more than that…

James 1:23-24 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

There is only one way to face this new year without despair, and that is to fix my eyes on Jesus and allow Him complete access to all the ugly parts of me. Only He is capable of transforming me until I look and act like Him!

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. NKJV

“We are mirrors whose brightness, if we are bright, is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us.” C.S. Lewis

Looking forward to this next year, I thought of this song by one of my favorite artists Sara Groves.

You are the sun shining down on everyone
Light of the world giving light to everything I see
Beauty so brilliant I can hardly take it in
And everywhere you are is warmth and light

And I am the moon with no light of my own
Still you have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can’t be a light unless I turn my face to you

You are the sun shining down on everyone
Light of the world giving light to everything I see
Beauty so brilliant I can hardly take it in
And everywhere you are is warmth and light

And I am the moon with no light of my own
Still you have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can’t be a light unless I turn my face to you

Shine on me with your light
Without you I a­m a cold dark stone
Shine on me I have no light of my own
You are the sun, you are the sun, you are the sun
And I am the moon

Do Not Be Afraid

I know, that’s what it says, at least 365 references in scripture to admonish us not to be afraid. But seriously?! When the world seems to be falling apart? People are dying from something we can’t seem to stop or understand. People on the margins are losing their means to support themselves and their families. Racial injustice has led to despair and violence to destruction in our cities. Strong countries are preying on the weak and stripping them of their freedoms and autonomy.

How do we, in the midst of all this, not be afraid?

Let me confess that I do not consider myself to be a brave person. Fear is an issue for me, and so anything I have learned regarding it has come as a result of my personal struggle with it. For me, it all comes down to the following question: Do I choose to trust God, who says I do not need to be afraid?

I have found the writings of Henry Nouwen helpful in this struggle.          

“Our fear of illness, death, and the future takes away our freedom and gives our society the power to manipulate us with threats and promises. When we reach beyond our fears to the One who loves us with an everlasting love, then oppression, persecution, and even death are unable to control us. All forms of evil, illness, and death lose their final power over us. We come to the knowledge – a knowledge of the heart more than of the mind—that we are born out of love and will die into love, that every part of our being is rooted in love, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God…”

Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

 we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The hard part for me regarding those verses is that it doesn’t say that if I love and follow God, I get to escape all those bad things.

It says that EVEN IN all those bad things, I can live with the certainty that I am loved by God and, therefore not abandoned. Not only that, but somehow through Him who loves us, we are able to conquer/overcome all those things.

How in the world?!

“To the degree we are dead to the world, we can live creatively in it. To the degree that we have divested ourselves of false belongings, we can live in the midst of turmoil and chaos. And to the degree that we live free of fear, we can move into the heart of danger. Thus, prayer is the basis and source of all action.” Henri Nouwen

In other words, if I am relying on/trusting in anyone or anything in the world around me, that is a false belonging!

The only times and there are painfully few for 50+ years of living that I have been able to push through my fears and be brave in the face of danger- it was because I had an overwhelming sense of being compelled by the love of God.

My experience leads me to conclude as Nouwen did that a life saturated with prayer- conversation, communion, and connection with God is the only way possible to live as an overcomer in a world of fearful things.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We do not get to run away and hide!

We do not get to arm ourselves and defend ourselves against our neighbors! It’s impossible to fulfill Christ’s final command with that mentality! It can’t be “us” against “them” because the THEM is who we are supposed to be baptizing and teaching!

I know that for myself- it is only when I get close enough to hear the heartbeat of God for a broken world that I am not afraid.

I Sing!

In the midst of the raging storms of life,

Battered on all sides by injustice and strife, 

Threatened within by my own fear and doubting, 

I flee for refuge to the shelter of Your wings.

There within the shelter of the Almighty God, I sing.

I sing with a voice that is weak and tearful,

A song from a heart that is trembling and fearful.

You are my Rock, my Fortress, and my Foundation.

You are my Strong and my loving Salvation. 

You are my God, and I rest in You alone.

So, I sing in the shadow of Your wings,

Wrapped in the warmth of love never failing,

Absorbing the strength and peace of Your Presence,

Trusting my ways to Your faithful guidance,

Listening to the heartbeat of God, I sing!

(Meditation on Psalm 61, 62, 63)

Pick up Her Coat!

First, I heard of Mrs. Iva Dell’s passing and then of her dear friend Mrs. Raye Miles. I have to confess that the first thought that crossed my mind was that Iva Dell had beat Mrs. Raye getting home! They were such sweet close friends I could easily imagine there was a “see you soon” pact between them.

"borrowed" from Lori Ann Whann- hope you don't mind

Mrs. Ray Miles was one of my heroes. I don’t say that lightly. She is what I want to be when I grow up! Not just because she lived to 102 years old. She was a strong, gentle woman who was made of steel. The word “fierce” is thrown around these days as an accolade that somehow women should aspire to attain. When one met Mrs. Raye, fierce would have been the last word to come to mind.

But she fiercely loved her God and her family! I tried to remember if I have EVER had a conversation with her that did not include a prayer request for someone in her family. She carried them all on her heart. If someone from her family chooses to go down the wrong road, they will have to climb over her prayers to get there. Those prayers have built a wall of protection around them that only heaven will reveal.

But what now? How in the world do you go on when the umbrella of prayer that has protected you is removed? In My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers writes about this as follows:

It is not wrong for you to depend on your “Elijah” for as long as God gives him to you. But remember that the time will come when he must leave and will no longer be your guide and your leader, because God does not intend for him to stay. Even the thought of that causes you to say, ‘I cannot continue without my ‘Elijah.’ Yet God says you must continue.

Alone at Your “Jordan” (2 Kings 2:14). The Jordan River represents the type of separation where you have no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one else can take your responsibility from you. You now have to put to the test what you learned when you were with your “Elijah.” You have been to the Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are facing it alone. There is no use in saying that you cannot go— the experience is here, and you must go. If you truly want to know whether or not God is the God your faith believes Him to be, then go through your “Jordan” alone.

Alone at Your “Jericho” (2 Kings 2:15). Jericho represents the place where you have seen your “Elijah” do great things. Yet when you come alone to your “Jericho,” you have a strong reluctance to take the initiative and trust in God, wanting, instead, for someone else to take it for you. But if you remain true to what you learned while with your “Elijah,” you will receive a sign, as Elisha did, that God is with you.

Alone at Your “Bethel” (2 Kings 2:23). At your “Bethel” you will find yourself at your wits’ end but at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you come to your wits’ end and feel inclined to panic— don’t! Stand true to God and He will bring out His truth in a way that will make your life an expression of worship. Put into practice what you learned while with your “Elijah”— use his mantle and pray (see 2 Kings 2:13-14). Make a determination to trust in God, and do not even look for Elijah anymore.

God help us- as we lose the saints in our lives it is not time to despair! It is time to snatch up their coats before they hit the ground and begin to do the work ourselves!

To live with a single-hearted devotion to God that never wavers no matter what life throws at us.

To know Him as the one who never fails.

To walk with Him daily, moment by moment, knowing He is with us and we are not alone.

To love our family and friends fiercely- always believing in the best that each one could be.

To carry our loved ones in prayer for their protection, for their salvation, for their direction into a life of fully following God.

To stick with and love the family of God no matter their faults and failings.

The God of Iva Dell Ferrell and Raye Miles is the same yesterday, today and forever. We may not have the friendship with God that they knew, but we can begin today. When Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak and walked up to that Jordan River, he had no idea that God would do even more through him than he had done through his mentor. Let’s see what He can do through us!

Who is on the ship with you?

It does matter, you know, who is sailing through life with you. The sailors who boarded the ship with Jonah had no idea that the runaway prophet was about to seriously endanger their lives and their profits.

Jonah chapter 1:

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish…But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them…And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So, they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us…” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Priscilla Shirer writes the following:

“The simple seafaring mission they’d planned on taking became a death-defying voyage that cost them their cargo and made them doubt for a long time that they would ever see dry land again. This is why you must watch your boat, sailor. Take great care in choosing those you intend to travel any distance with…But before you enter another work arrangement or binding contract or serious friendship that seems like it’s going somewhere positive, see if their heart is tender toward God and submitted to His way…Because if a storm of discipline is coming in somebody else’s life, you don’t want to be in the line of fire.”

But all the scriptural examples are not negative. The apostle Paul took a mandatory S.S. Minnow voyage as a prisoner for his faith. He even warned them that they were heading into dangerous waters.

The story is in Acts 27.

“the voyage was now dangerous…Paul advised them, saying, ‘Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.’ But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said…the majority decided to put out to sea from there. But soon a tempestuous wind-struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along…When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned…

Paul stood up among them and said…’I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So, take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

But the centurion-ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so, it was that all were brought safely to land.”

For Paul’s sake, when the ship went down, God spared not only his life but also everyone else on board! Not a bad idea if the ship is sinking to be close enough to grab the coattails of the guy who is hearing from God when he jumps overboard!

So, we know we should avoid the Jonahs running from God and stick with the Pauls who are going to get to shore. But what about us? Which one are we, Jonah or Paul?

Are we the prophet who has the word of the Lord but is heading away from the will of God and threatening to take everyone down with us?

Or are we the apostle that even if the ship goes down, will pray everyone under the divine protection of his God and leave no one behind?  

We are all on the ship of life. Will we endanger everyone around us by running from God, or will we save everyone around us by sheltering them under the divine protection of a life in the center of God’s will?

A Third Option

Recently, I was challenged by one of my children for a polarization that had crept into my thinking. We see polarization all around us in our culture, and often the debates become so heated and hateful in the Christian community that any hope of Christlikeness is lost as tribal divisions and party loyalties divide us.

I long for a legion of divine armed warriors to make a round of appearances, to declare an answer to Joshua’s question, (Joshua 5:13-14) “Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” (Whose side are you on? It’s them or us, buddy!)

“And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” NEITHER SIDE!

That was what my child was trying to get me to see; there is a third option- it’s God’s showing up! I had laid out a particular scenario where two alternatives were all that I could see. Both were rather dreary and depressing, and I was prepared to accept either with teeth-gritting submission to the sovereignty of God. Because I had polarized my thinking that it HAD to be one or the other. The third option…

God could show up.

God could do a new thing.

God is a Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.

That -believe it or not- God might actually be capable of doing something I had not even considered.

Technically or maybe philosophically this mindset could be called engaging in a false dichotomy.

“A false dichotomy or false dilemma occurs when an argument presents two options and ignores, either purposefully or out of ignorance, other alternatives… (assuming that) they represent all of the possible options.”

My assumption had destroyed my ability to believe God could truly dig me out of the ruts in which I was prepared to be buried.

When you’ve struggled with declining options for seemingly forever, this mindset is despair in action. It’s definitely not faith. The widow who was out gathering sticks to make her final meal for herself and her son was at such a place. If she fed the bedraggled prophet her last meal as he asked- she died. If she cooked it for her son and herself- she still died, only maybe later. Despair had stolen her ability to see the third option was God showing up to fill the flour sack and the olive jar.

Even in the presence of great faith, we can still fall into this trap in our thinking. Take, for example, the three Hebrew children facing the fiery furnace. They told the king that God would deliver them from the fiery furnace or not. God decided to combine the two options-He did not save them from being thrown in the furnace, but he also did not let them die. AND He showed up to walk through the fire with them!

When Mary and Martha sent for Jesus when Lazarus fell sick, they assumed their friend would come and heal him, or he would die. Jesus did not arrive soon enough, and Lazarus was dead. Really dead. They only had two options in mind, but when Jesus (God) showed up- resurrection!

I guess what I am trying to learn is that my dilemma is false. Where I can only see two options, God has endless possibilities- like supplying physical needs, walking with me THROUGH the fire, and even resurrection. I like that third option!