The Superiority of Glad Submission

I am not a wife, so I cannot speak from first-hand experience, but the other day I had a pre-wife epiphany. I was reading through Ephesians and got to the wives and husbands section. Normally, I nod my head in agreement and just wonder what it could possibly look like for me in my future. But that day I found myself in a cascade of thoughts about the feminist-hating word: "submission." 


Christian women are called to submit to their own husbands, as to the Lord. (Eph 5:22) Christian men must feel respected and loved when their wives submit to them. But submission in and of itself isn't great if it's just part of my duty. How much more loved and respected a husband must feel, if his wife displays GLAD submission to his leadership. She more accurately reflects Christ when she gladly submits to her husband's initiating and sacrificial leading. Christ didn't just submit, he gladly submitted to the Father's will. 


Jump from the earthly picture for a moment. Then Christ, our husband, must get glory and respect when we submit to his will for our lives. And not just plain ho-hum submission to his will for our lives, but glad submission to his will. I find myself getting to a place where I say, "I'm finally accepting God's will for my life." I want to be at the place where I say, "I gladly accept God's will for my life." 


If I cannot gladly submit to God's will and leadership over my life, what makes me think that one day I will gladly submit to some man's leadership? If I can't gladly rejoice over Christ's perfect rule over my life, I will not have inclinations to gladly rejoice over a fallen, sinful man's leadership in my marriage. 


Praying that God moves my heart from submission to glad submission to his will over every area of my life. 

The Fourth Watch...

"...the boat was...beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea..." 
Matthew 14:24-25

Sometimes in the "storms" of our lives we often find ourselves fearful and desperate. We look for Christ, freak out, and then lose hope because he doesn't seem near. We have a great need for enduring faith. Perhaps we are only in the first watch of the night. Matthew says, "in the fourth watch of the night." We must keep looking for Christ, he will surely come. It may be in the night, and it might be in the fourth watch, but he comes. He has promised to be with us until the end of the ages. We can have faith in his presence in every storm. 

And let me not lay my pipe 
        too short of the fountain,
        never touching the eternal spring,
        never drawing down water from above


(valley of vision) 

Ten Thousand Joys Await You There...

Come, hopeless hearts, do not despair
Hide away in the love of Jesus
For ten thousand joys await you there
Hide away in the love of Jesus

Steve and Vikki Cook, Hide Away in the Love of Jesus 

The Sufficiency of His Relentless Grace

“God sometimes takes away the things that have become precious to us because they are supporting us in our life of sin and hardness of heart toward him. Alternatively, he sometimes takes away things that were good in themselves because he wants to use our lives as a powerful testimony of the sufficiency of his relentless grace in the midst of our weakness and loss. Invariably, though, he has not brought these trials and losses into our lives because he hates us or is seeking to afflict us, or to get even with us for our sin. On the contrary, if we are his children, he loves us and through this loss wants us to receive something far more precious than all of the trinkets to which we become so desperately attached. He wants us to give us more of himself.” 

Iaian Duguid

Though the fig tree should not blossom...

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength..." Habakkuk 3:17-19


Growing roots in the deep sovereignty of God and glad contentment in Christ will bear the wonderful fruits of faith in the goodness of God and unshakeable joy in God.

Dog Days Are Over

Happiness hit her like a train on a track... 

Parallels

I am loving all the parallels in my Scripture reading lately.

Gal 4:9--"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world."
Job 23:8-10--"I go forward, but he is not there...but he knows the way that I take..."

Psalm 57:2--"I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me."
Job 23:14--"He will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind."

Prov 27:1--"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."
James 4:13-14--"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring."

Deut 6:24--"And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he preserve us alive as we are this day."
Psalm 56:9--"This I know, that God is for me."

Wings Like A Dove

Oh that I had wings like a dove,
Then I would flee and run
But in the tempest and raging wind I feel Your love,
Jealous, unwavering, never done


Oh that I had wings like a dove,
Then I would soar to heavenly heights
To be with my Life above
All-satisfying Delight of all delights.

Sweeter than Sirens

This is my honest confession, 
Of a lifelong lesson:
Siren's melodies enchant with their ring
I need an infinitely sweeter song to sing


I have forsaken the Living Water
I run to waterless cisterns, not trusting my Father
I am dying of thirst
My soul feels cursed


These broken bones will rejoice
When You purge me with Your voice
The voice that creates with galactic power
I beg for You to speak a new heart into this old tower 


Oh bind me, bind me to You, O Lord
No other lovers will my soul adore 
If I lose my mind and wander
Ravish me, O Great Lover 


There is no other way to be free 
Unless I am bound to You eternally 
My crusty eyes fail
My heart begins to set sail 


Anchor me to You 
For no other love will do 
Breathe on me Spirit from above 
Melt this stony heart with Your love


Siren's songs will fade away to be heard no more  
When this heart sings heavenly notes for 
A love that is sweeter and better and supreme 
And there in freedom this soul will beam. 

Feelings vs. Reality = Daily Battle

Today I was greatly convicted while reading Deuteronomy 1. It was like I was reading my autobiography.  I think it was the following lines that really hit home:

"And you murmured in your tents and said, 'Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out into the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.' (vs 27)

"Our brothers have made our hearts melt..." (vs 28)

"You did not believe the Lord your God..." (vs 32)

The situation I find myself in presently, and the situations I know I will find myself in the future, show that inside me I have a murmuring, disbelieving heart. I actually think the Lord is not seeking my good. And I start to entertain thoughts that maybe he wants to destroy me.

All feelings the Israelites had, I confess that I myself have:

Murmuring.
Melting hearts.
Thinking that the Lord hates me and is seeking to destroy me.
Unbelief.

I kept reading. The words hit me like a splash of cold water.

"Do not be in dread or afraid... the Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night, and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go." Deut 1:30-33

The reality was that God went before them, God fought for them, God carried them, and God guided them. They felt differently. And there are times I feel differently too. But in reading stories like this I am reminded of the reality that God is working and fighting and guiding and carrying even when it seems like he isn't.

So I pray for faith. I pray that my heart wouldn't melt in the mire of my own unbelief. I pray that I would have eyes to see that God is carrying me, and it's not about me holding on for dear life. I pray that I would see that in every strange turn and through every wilderness God is guiding me. I pray that my murmuring heart would melt away in view of the goodness and greatness of God. I pray that I wouldn't doubt God's immeasurable love towards me for a single second.

I was convicted this morning for my unbelieving and murmuring heart, but I found myself rejoicing that Jesus' believing and grateful heart is my record. Only the gospel can do this. 

Not Resolutions

Just some general thoughts on things I want to either do or attempt to do in 2012. 

1. Laugh, a lot more. Daily. 

2. Run on new trails.

3. Seek mutually constructive relationships. 

4. In counseling others see the good, the hard, and the bad...in that order. 

5. Play more games. Find new games to play. 

6. Pour myself out for others. 

7. Take risks. 

8. Get a new schedule. 

9. Talk about books that I read, so I make sure I understand them and not just read them to read them. 

10. Try to learn something new from disciplines I may not be familiar with--physics, economics, astronomy, politics, literature, etc. 

11. Take more random road trips. 

12. Do things that get me out of my comfort zone. 

13. Seek to affirm. 

14. Find joy in the joy of others. 

15. Be alert to where God is taking people and what he's doing in their lives so as to help them become who he has created them to be. 

16. Enjoy the pleasant gifts God gives to me. 

17. Enjoy the painful gifts God gives to me. 

18. Cultivate strengths. 

19. Make traditions. 

20. Cook more. 

21. Practice hospitality. 

22. Dance more around the house. 

23. Tell more people about Jesus. 

24. Study something, someone and reflect on the creative prowess of God. 

25. Notice and delight in the small things. 

26. Write notes and give gifts to people just because. 

The Anti-Psalm 46

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea...God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 

Psalm 46:1-2, 5-6

The anti-psalm is a more accurate and honest reflection of my heart. 

In the midst of trouble I run to other people and things that can't really protect me or support me. This proves to be more disappointing and painful than my initial troubles. Because I feel like God is far from me, and because I don't seek refuge in him, it feels like my whole world is falling apart. I am deeply afraid. I am tossed into the heart of the sea. I am greatly shaken and morning seems like it will never come. I want to control my life and I seek to be exalted. Peace is a foreign word to me. I am restless. 

Lord Jesus, I confess that I often don't run to you in my storms. I am embarrassed to admit that I seek refuge in my tears and in my self pity. I seek strength in other things, even other people. 

But you are my only constant and capable refuge. You alone are strong enough to hold me and deal with my fears, pains, anxieties, and desires. 

Lord, I also confess that there are times when trouble comes and you don't seem very near. But that's a low view of your sovereignty. You are so near that it is in fact from your hand that my troubles come. Though troubles and pains are difficult, you are the only one greater than those troubles, more powerful than the pain. Oh, to have an unshakeable confidence in your care and your presence! Peace truly comes when I realize that you are God, and I am not. Purpose comes when my deepest affections are more concerned with exalting you than myself. 

From Theory to Reality

"Struggle through your own troubles in the light of Christ. Your anger, joys, anxiety, and discouragement, your successes, escapism, and sufferings, are all God's context for making theory real." 

David Powlison 

Expectation

Hearing the Christmas story every year means I always have to battle the danger of familiarity. When things get familiar, we miss important details and we tend to see the same things over and over again. We need fresh eyes. 

This year what has been eye-opening and soul-refreshing is the idea of expectation. Expectations can bring anticipation and anticipation can bring joy. But, expectations can also bring disappointment and sometimes disillusionment. As children eagerly await Christmas morning to see what is inside the presents, they are filled with delight and excitement. This is what the children of Israel must have felt when they were expecting and awaiting the Messiah. 

Since the beginning of time God had orchestrated his rescue mission and starting in Genesis we see the promise of the Serpent Crusher. Every story from the Garden of Eden onward hints at the coming King, who will rescue his people and make them his friends. The Prince who is coming to purchase his bride by dying for her. And in his great love, make her lovely. 

Their expectations for a King, a Messiah, a Prince were all true and biblical. Yet, God was coming the first time as a servant, in the form of a baby, to a virgin woman. Many of them were probably confused, disappointed, and doubtful. 

But Jesus came. He entered the earth. He was acquainted with pains, sorrows, griefs. He was made nothing and took the form of a servant so that we might be made righteous and God's children. He clothed himself with humanity and entered our world to rescue us because we couldn't rescue ourselves. He can sympathize with every human weakness. For those who had the eyes to see it, this was even better than what the children of Israel were expecting. Though many did not see it that way, and instead rejected Jesus as the Messiah. 

Sometimes I think my expectations are too low. I expect certain things to work out or go as planned, and when they don't I'm deeply disappointed and hurt. This is always due to placing expectations on man, or created things rather than the Creator. Christ is the one being in the whole universe who will not disappoint me. I can expect big and great and wonderful things. 

I can expect that my wilderness will be made a garden. 

I can expect that I will be made more into the image of Christ. 

I can expect that the work that God has started in me, he will surely complete. 

I can expect that he will never leave me or forsake me. 

I can expect that the Lord does good to those who wait on him. 

I can expect that the thirsty will be satisfied. 

I can expect that my darkness will be turned to light. 

I can expect that though I sin and make a mess of things, God's not breaking his covenant with me. 

I can expect that my faithfulness is not the standard for God's faithfulness to me. 

I can expect to be embarrassed by God's mercy. 

I can expect that grace will rescue me and transform me. 

I can expect that God will turn my mourning into dancing. 

I can expect that God is near to the brokenhearted. 

I can expect that God will supply every need of mine in Christ Jesus. 

Jesus came once as a suffering servant, but he will come again as a glorious king. And the most wonderful gift is that I have this newfound anticipation for the second coming. I am excited to see righteousness, justice, and peace reign. I long for the day where there will be no more, tears, hurt, disappointment, death and sorrow. Where there is no category for pain. The day when all things will be made new. Creation will be restored, all things will be fully reconciled to God, our bodies redeemed, and our adoption complete. We will see him face to face and will will know joy upon joy, endless joy. Maranatha!  Come, Lord Jesus! 

"Our soul waits for the Lord; 

he is our help and our shield. 

For our heart is glad in him, 

because we trust in his holy name. 

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, 

even as we hope in you." 

Psalm 33:20-22

"He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that will deliver us again." 

2 Corinthians 1:10

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God...And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." 

Romans 8:18-19, 23

"He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." ...To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment." 

Revelation 21:3-6