While pondering the peace of God I came across this “giving” theme in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  At first glance it might seem this verse is solely about the difference in Jesus’ peace and that of the world. But there is another message in this verse separate from the topic of peace, equally important to take notice of; the difference between how Jesus gives and how the world gives because He gives not as the world gives.

Just look at what God gives to us! Our heavenly Father gave us the best gift of all time – His Son, Jesus, who gave us the best gift of all time, His life so we may have life. Then Father sent us the best gift of all time – our precious Holy Spirit, our Helper and Comforter! Yep! Three best gifts!

I learned many years ago from one of my daughters “best” cannot be reserved for only one person or thing. She had several “best” friends and no matter how many times I told her “best” implies only one, so people can’t have more than one best friend, she insisted they were all her best friends.  To appease me she called them her “highest” friends but again, I would tell her highest infers one stands above the others. But she stood her ground, applying her theory to just about everything in life, always seeing more than one thing as best or highest!

Through the years because of my relationship with God, I have come to understand, appreciate, accept, and yes, even agree with her logic.  It is impossible to pick out one thing that is best about God; one quality that stands above the others, one gift I like best, or one thing I love best about Him.  And there is nothing about Him that could be described as just “okay, fine, or good”.  There isn’t anything less than the best because everything about Jesus is the best, the highest!

This includes how He gives! Jesus gives authentically to enrich our souls for all eternity, not just here on earth. When Jesus says He gives not as the world gives, we can conclude the world gives imperfectly while everything about His giving is perfect! James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” His perfection in giving is also evident in His timing and foreknowledge because He gives before we ask! Matthew 6:8 “…For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

Later in this section of Scripture Jesus says not to worry because He gives us what we need, including food, drink, and clothing therefore we can spend our time seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and the rest will come!

Earlier in this chapter Jesus teaches us how to pray and tells us to say, “Give us this day our daily bread”.  Notice, we aren’t asking but declaring He gives us everything we need each day.  Some people think that sounds a bit disrespectful or making an assumption. However, the reality is we are simply agreeing with what God already told us He has given because He doesn’t give as the world gives. So, wouldn’t it be better for us to spend our time agreeing with Him for our daily bread and then asking for the things we are told to ask for in the Word of God?  For example, His Holy Spirit?

Luke 11:11-13 “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”

Most people settle for whatever God wants to give them, thinking it’s almost sinful to ask Him to give us His Holy Spirit. But the Word says Holy Spirit is given to those who ask!  And if we ask our fathers for earthly things, shouldn’t we ask our heavenly Father for spiritual things? We are encouraged to ask for good things because that’s what He gives! Matthew 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” 

Evil in this context doesn’t mean we are terrible, wicked people, but we are sinful and imperfect. BUT still, being evil, we know how to give good gifts so it would seem only reasonable to expect good things from our perfect Father!  All we have to do is ask for good things.  Do we ever stop to ponder the good things He is willing to give? And if so, do we ask Him? Or do we get stuck wondering what they are or feel selfish asking for good gifts? It would seem Christians are often opposed to “asking” God for specific gifts, especially His Holy Spirit, preferring to take whatever God wants to give us.  Yet clearly, these verses speak of God giving in response to our asking.

What is even more confusing (in my opinion) than our unwillingness to ask God for good things is our willingness to ask for the things we should ask for because He has already given them to us.  For example we ask Him to give us peace in the midst of turmoil.  But He told us He left us peace and gave us His peace. We already possess it so should be abiding in it not asking for it!  Or we ask Him to be with us, comfort and help us even though He said He will never leave or forsake us, not to mention He is our Comforter and Helper. Or we ask Him to give us direction and guidance when He promises to lead us beside the still waters, and His Holy Spirit teaches us all things.

If you feel defensive at this point because those are things you ask of God daily, please don’t take offense too quickly.  Rather hear His Word and start living in the reality of what He has given.  Your life will never be the same if you stop asking for what is already yours, and start asking for the good things He gives.  Then we will ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking until we receive, find, and have doors opened to us!   Luke 11:9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

There is something incredible about the way Jesus gives “not as the world gives”. When He gives something of Himself to us, He doesn’t just give us title or deed!  He actually gives us possession of it.  But if we only grab the title, thankful for the rights and privileges of ownership,  but don’t take possession of what He gives, letting them live in us as we abide in Him, it’s like owning an illustrious piece of property or a fancy vehicle, glorying in the title or deed but never dwelling on the property or driving the car. Now seriously! It’s no big deal to own something and never enjoy its’ benefits.  Bragging rights are just that – bragging rights – which does nothing for us or others.

Jesus said he gave us His peace.  We possess it! Knowing we have His peace is great, but if we don’t abide in His peace, experience it authentically, and let it rule our hearts, we don’t benefit from it even though it is ours! We can boast all we want about knowing our Prince of Peace, knowing about His peace and how it fills our hearts and minds, but if we live in chaos, strife, worry, fear, and doubt, void of peace, it is just knowledge!  We still have the title but we are empty if we do not take possession of what He gives.

Another unique thing about how He gives is its independence from anything else going on in life.  Whatever He gives is ours to possess completely and wholly!  If we spend our time asking the Giver of all good gifts to give us what is already ours…well… that just doesn’t make sense! Ask Him for more and ask Him what to ask for! And remember – knowing Christ opens our hearts to understand He gives not as the world gives and so we should receive, not as the world receives. God doesn’t tell us to ask for the things the world can give to us. We have to set our sights quite a bit higher!

There is so much more we can expand upon and explore in regard to God’s giving but let me give some last thoughts for today.  Our asking has everything to do with life in Christ, not our life here on earth.  Our asking has everything to do with Christ not us!  Our asking has everything to do with bringing Him glory not bringing ourselves glory, comfort, or satisfaction in this lifetime.  Our asking has everything to do with building the Kingdom of God, not building our own kingdom.

Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to HIM be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Ultimately, our asking is a result of what He has asked of us! Our giving is a result of what He gives to us! No need to feel selfish about asking God for gifts or His Holy Spirit.  He will give gifts and then teach us how to use them to bring Him glory on this earth, to shine like stars, that others would see our good works as a result of His giving, and glorify their Father in heaven.  Friends, it isn’t about us! We need His gifts to bring Him glory!  It’s time to ask from the One who gives not as the world gives, but as He alone can give!

But there is a peace that passes our understanding, is tangible, relevant, and independent of whatever is happening around us!  This peace encompasses so fully we can literally live untroubled lives amidst troubling times. This peace is bequeathed to people who know, love, and obey the One who left it to us, Jesus! John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  

Jesus is the Giver!  Whenever something is given however, it must be received and then used or applied in our lives.  When I was in high school and college athletics “back in the day”, it was common for star athletes to bequeath their numbers to younger players whom they believed had potential to lead the team once they were gone. It was a special honor to be bequeathed their number.  Along with that honor though came responsibility to work hard, to be a person of integrity, to show respect for the school and sport, and to carry on the legacy of the last person who wore that number. Bequests are at the discretion of the giver, never the receiver. In other words, people don’t get to ask for something be bequeathed to them.  The one who bequeaths to another considers it an honor and privilege to pass on and bless another person.

When Jesus chose to leave us His peace, this was solely His decision, not ours.  He is honored to bless all those who believe in Him with His peace.  Now, it is our responsibility to walk in His peace, bringing Him honor as we do, demonstrating respect as we live in it, and carrying on the legacy of the One who gave it to us.

Notice Jesus gives a directive after leaving and giving His peace!  He said not to let our hearts be troubled or afraid.  Wait!  Isn’t that what His peace is supposed to do?  Take away the trouble in our hearts and all fear? Isn’t that His job to take us to a place of tranquility, serenity, and calm where we are untroubled and free from strife? No!

But it is this kind of thinking which keeps us searching for peace in this lifetime and rarely finding it. We want peace to overtake or cover up the disharmony, warring in our soul, tumult, turbulence, and pandemonium in our lives. We ask Him for peace without realizing it is already ours, it has already been left to us because Jesus bequeathed it to us. We need to stop asking for something He has already given to us!

We have had the order wrong.  His peace doesn’t come in after our life is full of all sorts of hullabaloo!  The peace He left with us is meant to fill our hearts; that is, our emotions, thoughts, desires, so when the hullabaloo happens in life we are at peace!  When we start with peace, we will end with peace and we will not let our hearts be troubled or afraid.

We must understand that peace does not erase the tumult in life and peace does not keep our hearts from being troubled.  His peace is experienced in the midst of tumult and we are not to let our hearts from being troubled or afraid.  Jesus tells us how and it is very simple – Believe! John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”  

Believe in God, believe in Jesus, let Him be Lord and master keeps our hearts untroubled and free from fear, living in His peace! That’s right! The pathway to an untroubled heart is belief in Jesus! Understand that believing in this context means in faith we literally give ourselves up to Jesus.  We are sold out, knowing we cannot do anything in or of ourselves. When we give it up for Jesus, our hearts are not troubled.

There you have it!  And it isn’t so much that we keep our hearts from being troubled, but rather He keeps our hearts from being troubled.  As we keep ourselves in Him, we let nothing else keep us!  Our part is really all in the “letting”.  Let not your heart be troubled.  If we are troubled it is because we are letting our hearts be given up to someone or something else!  Believe in God instead!  Give yourself up to Him.  Believe in Jesus!  Give yourself up to Him! Let Him in!

 Most often when it comes to the peace of God, Christians pray and ask God to give His peace to them in the midst of tragedy, loss, struggle, turmoil, and devastation.  In truth, we should not ask Him for something He said He already gave to us!  When He gives us something it is ours!  Could the absence of peace in our lives exist because we don’t believe He really left it with us? Or because we haven’t received what He gave to us?

If we believe in Jesus and receive the peace He gave to us, we know it is within us!  We know we own it and have a responsibility to use, apply, enjoy, and live in it!  His peace is tangible, authentic, powerful, and it is OURS! This is the stance from which we let our hearts not be troubled. Knowing His peace comes from the inside out, not from the outside in!  We aren’t asking Jesus to download peace into our lives.  Instead, it rises up from within.  When His peace rises up within our hearts, it literally drowns the troubling and fearful thoughts and emotions that come from the outside.  I hope you caught that! Troubling and fearful thoughts, carnal desires, and the like come from the outside.  We can receive those and let them trouble our hearts or we can take them captive into obedience to Christ and let our hearts NOT be troubled.

Peace!  It no longer needs to be an elusive, coveted, rarely lived in state of being!  Peace is in you if you believe in God – if you believe in Jesus! He left us His peace – He gave us His peace! Let’s do something with it!  Let His peace rise up and overflow within you today! AND, let not your heart be troubled or afraid!

It is amazing how quickly things change isn’t it?  We pulled into our driveway after a leisurely time of looking at antiques to shout “Happy New Year” to our neighbor across the street and received the same loud and happy greeting in return.  Ten minutes later an ambulance and police car were parked in front of their house and her brother was being taken to the hospital.  On Facebook I see a picture of a lovely lady and her three young children with a short explanation of how she lost her husband, their dad, earlier this year, and this was a “celebration of life” photo shoot.  I read about a family in mourning after their 23-year old son was home on leave from the army and passed in his sleep the first night home before Christmas. I read about babies healthy one minute and in the hospital the next with croup, pneumonia, and the like. In a moment, life changed for each of these people and everyone around them.

While looking at antiques, a man seemed to follow me from aisle to aisle, talking loudly on his cell phone about a man he is “fed up” with, who one minute is in jail and the next is out, who continues to hang with his drug buddies, doesn’t have a job, and who ought to be locked up for a long time so he really “feels the pain”.  He tells the person on the other end of the call that his mom and sister borrowed money to buy his kids Christmas gifts and then he turned around and sold them all to buy more drugs.  He vents his frustration loudly about a man he thinks is beyond hope of change.  My daughter tells me of a young 29-year old lady who had a stroke and dies almost instantly.  A policeman is shot in the head protecting a girl from a man who had “lost it” and later dies as a result.  In a moment, life changes for each of these people and everyone around them.

Oh, there are good things that happen suddenly as well.  Babies are born and though it may take hours of labor, in a moment, they come from “in” mommy’s body to “out” in this world!  Weddings take months or even years of preparation but in a moment, people go from single to married state. People spend years in school and in one moment, they go from student to graduate. Teenagers take driver’s education classes, complete their behind-the-wheel hours, practice driving with licensed drivers for months, and in a moment, they take a test and get their license.  One minute they are not allowed to drive alone, and in the next they can go it alone.

My husband recently added another senior pastor position to his ministry and though it took months of prayer, searching, and preparation for the Church and us to decide and then start but when he stepped into his office on that first day, he went from “pastor to be” to “senior pastor” in a moment. Our daughter went to beauty school.  Every haircut, color, perm, highlight, facial, etc. had to be “checked” by an instructor. But when she finished all requirements, passed all her tests, and graduated, she was on her own!  One moment she needed an instructor to check her work, the next she didn’t.

And so it is that with each passing year, the new one comes in a moment! One second it will be 2011 and the next it will be 2012.  People are planning their celebrations, deciding where they will be when the clock strikes midnight, who they want to be with and how they will bring in the New Year, and ultimately, nothing and everything changes in that one moment. Well, maybe more realistically, we have no idea what will change or what will not change in any given moment or any given year! The only thing we are assured of is that change happens.

At the end of most things, including years, people rehash or reminisce about what “was”.  At the end of life we celebrate the person.  At the end of pregnancy we celebrate life. At the end of schooling we celebrate no more need to study.  At the end of sickness we celebrate health.  In our celebrations, we generally recall the good and the bad, focusing more on one than the other depending on the situation and our outlook on life.

At year-end we think about all we did or didn’t achieve, we recount our failures and successes, our gains and losses, and our dashed hopes or expected fears realized.  We hear people say the coming year has to be better, or that it can’t be any worse than the last one.  Or some are so excited because they are getting married, having a baby, graduating, or starting something else new to them.  Also at year-end, people generally move onto thinking at least a little bit about goals and expectations for the coming year, renewed hopes and dreams, and/or make resolutions they “vow” to keep this year.

What does all this mean?  The New Year is coming whether we like it or not.  The clock will tick, midnight will strike, a new day arrives just like every other one, and a new year begins.  We can choose to embrace all that it brings, the good and the bad, but whether we embrace them or not we WILL experience many things just like every other year.

In the same way that a new year comes, Jesus will one day return.  The Bible tells us that one day, in a moment, everything will change. Whether we believe it or not is just a matter of what will happen to us personally in that moment, just like any other moment here on earth.  The question is will we embrace what that moment brings or not. Because with all certainty we will all experience it at the same time.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed–in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  

You see, this coming and change, like most things in life is a mystery. 2012 is coming and will bring with it changes in our lives, but at this point they are mysteries. We don’t understand exactly “when” or “how” the changes are going to occur upon Jesus’ return but it will happen just as assuredly as the clock turns midnight each passing day and year.

The truth is most everything in life is a mystery.  Marriage is a mystery in that we have no idea how deep and intimate this union can really be as we give ourselves totally and completely to another.  Pregnancy and birth is a mystery because we don’t know how this child will change our lives. We don’t know the challenges, hurts, and joys we will experience through this life.  What happens after graduation is a mystery.  Will all our education pay off?  Will we get a job?  Will we be able to use all the knowledge and expertise we have gained through years of study out in the world?  What happens after the death of a loved one is a mystery.  What will life be like when we imagined a lifetime WITH this person?  Will we always be sad, look at life differently, feel the void, and wonder “what if”?

So they mystery of living in Christ and His return isn’t as far-fetched as some people think, when we know that life itself is mysterious and that in any given moment, any time we blink our eyes, life can change!  One minute you are here and the next you might not be.  One moment your spouse can be with you, the next they can be gone.  One moment you are unemployed, the next you have a job.  One moment you are a student, the next you are a graduate.  One moment you are a single man or woman, the next you are a husband or wife. One moment you are a woman or man, the next you are a mommy or daddy.  The list goes on, and on, and on!

You see, whether you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or not, He is still coming back, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet!  Is it a mystery?  Absolutely!  But so is life! Everything in life unfolds with each passing day, with more mysteries awaiting us!  Jesus reveals Himself more to us with each passing day, with more mysteries awaiting those who believe.  That is what makes life in Jesus so incredibly exciting and blessed!

My prayer is that those who believe in Jesus will live each moment in a heightened awareness of His return!  And that those who don’t believe will live each moment in a heightened awareness that maybe, just maybe, this Jesus is real, that He does love them, and that He does have a plan of salvation for them as well.  Because truth is:  He Is and He does!

Happy New Year!

We must face impossible situations before we can live in the realm of possibility with God. If we never experience true earthly impossible situations than we cannot truly “get” how nothing is impossible with God!  And by the way, impossible situations don’t need to be bad, just humanly impossible.

Gabriel told Mary nothing was impossible after he told her she was going to conceive and give birth to the Christ Child. This was impossible in the natural because she was a virgin and would not be having sex to get pregnant. Then Gabriel told her someone else was pregnant. Luke 1:36 “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.” This was also impossible in the natural because Elizabeth had been barren her entire life and no longer got her monthly cycle so could not get pregnant.

We can imagine Gabriel saying “For with God nothing is impossible” in answer to an unspoken thought from Mary.  After all, he had just told her about two impossible pregnancies!  Think about it! It would have shocked Mary enough to hear she would be pregnant but add to that her old, barren cousin is pregnant too? In her head she might have thought “That’s impossible!” I can almost imagine Gabriel “hearing” her thoughts thus responding quite simply “For with God nothing is impossible”, shocking her even more! And then when Mary hears those words, it really clicks for her “NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE!” Not her pregnancy, not Elizabeth’s pregnancy, NOTHING!

Her very next words were “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be according to your word.”(v.38) Mary is ready to run with the impossible revelation within!  Gabriel leaves her presence without further instructions so she does the next plausible thing, she runs to the city of Judah to greet Elizabeth (the old, barren, pregnant lady) and share her good news. (I wonder if she told her fiancé Joseph that she would be gone for a while).

In all likelihood Mary knew little about pregnancy or birth, so what comfort and excitement in knowing her cousin was in a similar situation so she was not alone.  I wonder if Mary rushed to Elizabeth because they had a close relationship and she couldn’t wait to share her miraculous news, or if she was so excited to see her older cousin pregnant, or both.

Pregnant women are a rare breed for sure!  Try eavesdropping on two pregnant ladies and you will hear details you never needed to know because they love to share every minute detail. These were first time pregnancies for both women but most assuredly, Elizabeth would be able to share helpful information to young Mary about what she could expect in the coming months, being six months along herself.

But something amazing happens when Mary arrives at their house. “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”  (Luke 1:41, 44)

Baby John is so excited to meet his Savior who is tucked away in his own mother’s womb that he leaps for joy in his mommy’s womb! Imagine that experience! Pregnant women get to enjoy the movements of their unborn children within the womb for several months. Sometimes women complain more than marvel at those movements, whining about their babies kicking and pushing on their ribs, or pushing down too hard, or how it feels like a boxing match going on inside!  Yet it is an indescribable sensation to feel babies move about, stimulated by certain voices and sounds.

But John literally leaped with joy!  We get the impression this wasn’t John just swimming around, stretching, or enjoying his freedom in mommy but that Elizabeth was visibly shaken (in a good way) by his leap, not to mention she got filled with the Holy Spirit. This was a defining moment in Elizabeth’s life, and John’s as well, as they met Jesus in spirit and in truth!

Now for anyone who might doubt what unborn children feel, experience, or hear, this little narrative proves how intricately woven the unborn child is at six months in development.  John HEARD, John RESPONDED, John LEAPED, and John FELT emotion.  Not to mention the connectedness of mother and child.  As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting in her own ears, John responded.  How cool is that!

Elizabeth, now filled with Holy Spirit, has full revelation of Who Mary is pregnant with and comprehends the privilege of being in their presence. She is humbled that Mary and Jesus have come to visit her.  Picture Mary beaming with delight as the word of the angel is confirmed when Elizabeth prophesies over and blesses her, without Mary saying a single word.  “Then she (Elizabeth) spoke out with a LOUD voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.’”  (Luke 1:42-45)

Mary has said very little from the time of her visit with Gabriel up to this point.  But after Elizabeth speaks Mary explodes with rejoicing.  It is as though she can’t hold it in anymore.  She is PREGNANT with GOD!!!!!  Now it’s her turn to prophesy! When you read this, remember who Mary is – a lowly virgin girl from Nazareth who found favor with God.  Remember she is now pregnant with the Christ Child, a girl who simply said “Yes” to God!

Luke 1:46-55 “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.  For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.  For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.  He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, and He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”

That is an amazing narrative which ushers Mary and Elizabeth into their three-month visit together.  What a special time for these two women. First of all, Zacharias, Elizabeth’s husband can’t talk!  Imagine two women together for three months with no man to interrupt their conversations! (that was supposed to be funny). Here they are, both supernaturally pregnant, both knowing they were giving birth to sons, both names given by God, both knowing the purpose of their boy’s lives, and both first time mommies.  Elizabeth pregnant with John, the one who would prepare the ways for the Lord, going before Him, prophesying and giving the knowledge of salvation to people (Luke 1:76) and Mary pregnant with Jesus, the Savior of the world.  We can only imagine what their conversations were like those three months; amazing, enriching, encouraging, and full of the wisdom and knowledge of God.  Just as God was preparing His boys in the womb, He was preparing the mothers to raise and let go of them.

Whether you are reading this before or after Christmas we have the same opportunity to experience with God nothing is impossible!  We, like John, can leap with joy when we hear His voice and get the revelation of Jesus Christ! We too can be pregnant with the things of God.  We too can overflow with praise, with “Yes and Amen’s”, and with servant hearts.  We too can listen to what God says and reply “Let it be according to your word!”

Just as pregnant women revel in the life growing within them, we as followers of Christ, as those who abide in Him can revel in the Life growing inside of us! Mary and Elizabeth were two very special ladies!  We are special too!  They saw themselves as God saw them!  We too must see ourselves as God sees us!

Today, let’s explode with rejoicing in God our Savior, with our souls magnifying the Lord like Mary!  He regards our lowly states!  He is Mighty and has done great things for us!  Holy is His Name!  His mercy is on those who fear Him! He shows strength in His arm and scatters the proud!  He puts down the mighty and exalts the lowly. He fills the hungry with good things and the rich He sends away empty.  He helps His servants because He remembers His mercy.  He spoke to our fathers and He speaks to us today!

Excitement fills the life of pregnant women who want to have a baby. They follow their baby’s growth and development online or in books, are able to see their babies through amazing imagery with ultrasound, hear heartbeats, feel movement, and enjoy the life being created within.  Pregnancy for women who do not want a baby will likely have more hurdles to climb before they are able to embrace the miracle of life within. But when a woman gets pregnant, wanting or not wanting a child is not the issue. She is expecting!  And not only is she expecting a baby, but she can expect her life to change drastically.  The only question becomes will the expectant mother fill those nine months with eager anticipation or unenthusiastic drudgery.

Now imagine being a virgin, getting pregnant, (still a virgin) meaning you got pregnant without having sex.  This is what happened to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  An angel showed up out of the blue and announced she was going to conceive and give birth to a Son, Jesus!  It really didn’t matter if she wanted a baby or not, she was going to be expecting.   And “want” was probably not a question because most likely having a baby hadn’t even entered Mary’s mind.  Why would it?  She never had sex and wasn’t planning to, yet was going to be pregnant.  Ready or not – motherhood was upon her.   

Mary’s life changed dramatically the moment she heard she would be pregnant.  Not only would her body change, but her living situation and marriage would look much different. And that didn’t even begin to touch on how her relationships with other people would change because as an unmarried pregnant girl, she would endure much scorn and rejection.  No one would actually believe she did not have sex.  

However Mary knew and believed something others didn’t know or believe.  She knew the Holy Spirit had come upon her and the power of the Highest had overshadowed her to conceive, and she knew Who she was pregnant with.  This truth must have filled her with just a wee bit of excitement and eager anticipation yes?  It must have brought encouragement and comfort to her as she journeyed the path of pregnancy and childbirth.  What an incredible feeling!  Carrying the Holy One, the Son of God, Jesus, in her womb. What a powerful, blessed, intense nine months!   If women today spend their entire pregnancy thinking about their unborn child, imagine Mary’s thoughts, knowing the child within was the Messiah!  Her thoughts of Jesus would have superseded anything and everything!

This Christmas we have opportunity to let thoughts of Jesus supersede anything and everything else.  Mary’s thoughts about Jesus may have included:  What would He look and act like?  Would He be perfect?  Would He ever cry?  Would He mature faster than the average child?  Would He have God’s features?  Would He look anything like her?  Just how crazy was life going to be for her now? Imagine the longing in her heart to finally “see” Him!

Our thoughts of Jesus might include: How are You moving in my life today? What surprises do You have in store for me?  What are Your thoughts and feelings focused on today Jesus? How can I serve You?  What are You teaching me?  Do we long to “see” Him?

The great news is we carry God in our hearts and lives every day!  We get to live a powerful, blessed, intense lifetime with Holy Spirit living in us.  We can think and gaze upon God because He is with us – Immanuel! Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” 

We know what He looks like when we see Him with eyes of faith and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  

We get to look like Him as our lives are transformed more and more into His image. He in us and us in Him!  1 John 4:13 “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”

Thinking on Jesus at Christmas – Only Jesus!  The Child who came to save us and now lives in us!  May our curiosity about Jesus skyrocket!   As we think on Him, He will show us more! We must not be in a hurry to move on to thinking about other things – only Jesus!  Enjoy being in His presence! 

When we go to church on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day we are sure to sing some glorious songs about Jesus! Let’s also take time to sing to Jesus, take time to think and meditate on Him! Let’s not be in a rush to move on and out of holy moments meant to be enjoyed with the family of God! 

Mary had nine months to carry Jesus, thirty-three years to live with Him, and the rest of her life she was carried by His Holy Spirit!  We likewise have a lifetime to live with God in us with an eternity of living in Him! Let that thought supersede anything and everything else in life! 

May we embrace and want to be pregnant with the things of God because we are expecting Jesus!  Ready or not – Christmas is coming!  May it be spent thinking on Jesus, only Jesus!

Merry Christmas!

This is all good but we don’t seem to think much about angels outside of this. Well at least not real ones.  We do think about angels once in a while, using angelic descriptions when someone is really nice to us, our kids are behaving extremely well, or when loved ones die. For example I heard someone say their “Christmas angel” blessed them by bringing a cup of Starbucks coffee to their job. Or when loved ones die we may hear people say God needed another angel in heaven, or they graduated to heaven and got their wings. Parents call their perfect children “little angels”. Some people believe loved ones return to earth as angels to watch over us.

None of these is harmful unless it keeps or hinders us from knowing and embracing God’s truths about His angels. God never changes and just as He used angels to speak good news to people we read about in the Bible, He can use angels to speak into our lives today.  He speaks to His people through His Word, His Spirit, creation, His appointed leaders, and yes, even through angel messengers.

Imagine wanting a baby and praying for decades to get pregnant but it didn’t happen and now you and your spouse are aged, have moved past the thought of “what could have been”, and accepted life without children.  Suddenly, out of nowhere an angel shows up and says, “Guess what?  I’ve heard your prayer! You’re going to have a baby.”  What do you think your reaction would be?  Mine would be something like “Are you kidding me?  I USED to pray that prayer but we’re old now, barren, and CAN’T have children anymore. It’s not physically possible not to mention we are old enough to be grandparents! I don’t want a child anymore!”

Or imagine being a young virgin girl, engaged to a handsome guy, looking forward to marriage and family when an angel swoops into your life out of the blue with news that you’re going to conceive and give birth to a son, you are told what to name him and what he will do in life. Would you laugh, cry, faint, argue, get angry, or be thankful?

Or imagine you’re a farmer or rancher and you’re checking out your herd one night with your boys, making sure all is well, when suddenly an angel stands before you and bright light encompasses you.  Would you be paralyzed with fear?  After all, it’s just you and your sons out in the pitch black overseeing your herds.

All imagining aside, this really happened to Zacharias, Mary, and some shepherds!  We read about their angelic visitations in the narrative surrounding the conception and birth of Jesus in Luke 1-2. God sent the angel Gabriel with shocking and life-changing news to Zacharias and Mary, and an angel of the Lord was sent to the shepherds. These interactions should trigger some intrigue as to the possibilities of God’s interaction with us today.  Perhaps by looking at these visitations we will stop settling for our earthly angel sightings and recognize God moving in our lives, even through angels.

We learn from these accounts that receiving an angelic visitation has a lot to do with our own positioning.  For example, Zacharias and Mary had God’s attention, being in right standing with Him! Luke 1:6 “And they were both (Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth) righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” Verse 28 “…the angel said to her (Mary), ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’” It is safe to say we are likely to recognize God’s visitation, whether He comes through His Spirit, the Word, His appointed leaders, or angels IF we are in right standing with Him.  We must stop being about our own business, making up the rules as we go and start living righteously before Him, in every aspect of our lives, completely sold out to Him, resisting the temptation to sin, in the fear of God.

We learn from these accounts that angels just show up!  We don’t look for them, long for them, pray for them, or focus on them.  They are God’s messengers not ours. Luke 1:11“Then an angel appeared to him (Zacharias), standing on the right side of the altar of incense.” v.28 “And having come in, the angel said to her…”  Luke 2:8-9 “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them…” We need to spend our time here on earth serving the Lord, doing what we’re called to do.  He’ll take care of the rest.

We learn from these accounts that when angels show up with a message we will probably be afraid. Luke 1:12 “And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.” v. 29 “But when she (Mary) saw him, she was troubled at his saying… Luke 2:9 “….and they were greatly afraid.” Certainly there are those angels sent by God we will never see who guard, protect, and go to war on our behalf.  There are also angels who come as strangers into our lives, whom we do not recognize as angels to test our hospitality in the Lord (Hebrews 13:2).  But these angelic visitations instantly instilled fear because these angels were clearly not human and very intimidating. Today, fear will probably accompany such a visitation.

We learn from these accounts that angels sense our fear and will minister truth to remove our fear of them to set our heart on the One whom we should fear. Zacharias, Mary, and the shepherds did not speak out their fear, but Gabriel and the angel of the Lord sensed it and said “Do not be afraid…” (Luke 1:13,30; 2:10) The lesson for us is to stop speaking out of fear and let God speak truth to remove our fear of anything outside of Him. We may feel fear but we have nothing to fear in this world and nothing to fear when God sends His messengers to us.

We learn from these accounts that we will not worship angels if we see or hear from them. There is no indication that Zacharias, Mary, or the shepherds were even remotely tempted to worship the angels.  Instead their attention turned from the angels to the God who sent them. In fact, once they overcame the fear factor through angelic affirmation, they listened to and received the messages from God.

It’s like receiving a gift through the mail, FedEx or UPS.  You don’t run out and throw yourself into the arms of the delivery person, fawning over him or her, pouring out gratitude for bringing your gift. You thank them for bringing the gift BUT your thoughts immediately go to the person who thought of you, bought you a gift, and wanted to express their love to you.  Your attention is naturally on the giver of the gift not the person who brought it to you.

So it will be for us if when we recognize an angelic message – we will focus on the Sender not the messenger! We need not fear worshipping angels or giving them undue attention if we understand their purpose of bringing messages, guarding, and any other purpose for which God sends them. Angels show up and impact our lives to drive us into the arms of our loving Father in heaven, not to gain attention for themselves.

This Christmas let’s see angels – through God’s eyes not our own!  Let’s be observant of what God is doing in our lives, how He is doing it, when He does it, and where He chooses to do it. Let’s be open to God’s intervention in our lives no matter how He chooses, through His Spirit, His Word, His appointed leaders, or through His angel messengers. Let’s position ourselves before a holy God, refusing to live in sin, refusing to conform to this world, choosing to be righteous in God’s eyes even though that means we will be rejected by many in this world. Let’s look for God sightings, the “suddenlies” of God.  Let’s receive His encouragement today “Do not fear!”  And let’s start seeing angels for who they really are and not what we’ve made them to be.  We might just be surprised!  Angels come and go – but the Lord?  He is with us always! Let’s join the heavenly host praising God this Christmas, being Merry in Christ instead of trying to be happy in a holiday!

Luke 2:9-15 “And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’”

Let us go now to our Bethlehem’s, our church families, and see and celebrate our Lord Jesus this Christmas!

Often at Christmas, as we celebrate the coming of our King as a baby in the manger, my mind wanders to young Mary, a virgin, engaged to Joseph, and pregnant with the Son of God. Today I think about her conversation with the angel, Gabriel, whom God had sent to Nazareth (Luke 1) And I wonder if we are available to receive a visit from an angel of God, to hear God’s words of encouragement, to follow the path He establishes for us like Mary was.  Christmas is a great time to reassess our relationship with God. Mary had lots of things going on in her life yet she stopped everything, changed direction, and followed the course set before her.  I pray as we look at this exchange between Gabriel and Mary, we will stop in our tracks, listen to God and His messengers, and be willing to let the coming of the King transform us all over again.

First off, we see Gabriel just “shows up”!  He “came in” to speak to Mary out of nowhere.  She wasn’t prepared for this visitation.  She didn’t know anyone was coming.  She was just being about business with a right heart before the Lord.  She, like others of that time, was waiting for the coming of the King. And in her waiting she stayed hopeful and obedient in faith, and SURPRISE!  An angel shows up with a very important message. 

As we prepare to celebrate once again the coming of the King, we must stay hopeful and obedient in faith because God has surprises in store for us as well.  We are no longer waiting for the birth of King Jesus, but we eagerly wait for His coming back to bring us all home.  We have no idea when or how God might bring a message to us. Why not take a lesson from Mary and live righteously, positioning ourselves to receive anything and everything God has for us?

The first word from Gabriel’s mouth when he shows up is “REJOICE!”(v.28)  What a great word reminder to redo joy again and again! “Re-joying” is something we get to do constantly!  Go ahead – renew yourself in joy daily! Take joy in the life of Christ repeatedly!  The act of rejoicing is life changing and sustaining! This was a common greeting at that time, one I think should be resurrected in the church today, not just at Easter, but every day!  Instead of saying “Hello” which requires nothing of us, we could say “Rejoice” and be reminded to return the joy we have received as children of the King and get more!

Mary was caught off-guard when Gabriel just “comes in” and says “…Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”  (v.28)   I don’t know about you, but this makes me ask the question “What does it take to be highly favored?”  Is Mary the only one EVER highly favored or can we too experience this favor?  I think most of us gloss over this favor of God because we see Mary’s visitation as not just a “once in a lifetime” happening, but a “once in eternity” event (which it was and is).  Obviously, she is the only one who ever carried the Son of God within, literally, as a baby, and that isn’t going to happen again! But, can we  want to be so in love with our Lord that we rejoice daily, and find ourselves in His favor, presence, and blessing?

Praise God for Mary and her willingness to bring our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to us AND praise God that He has more in store for the rest of us as well.  We should be encouraged and desire to hear God say the same of us.  Since He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He has favor, desires our presence, and calls us blessed today as well.  Is it possible to get caught “off-guard” today or do we think God never visits His people anymore?  

Mary’s reaction to Gabriel’s appearance is the same as most of us would react today.  She was troubled, didn’t understand what was happening, and curious about his intentions.  Without her saying a word, Gabriel sensed her trepidation and said “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (v.30)  Just as suddenly as he showed up, he was able to set her mind at ease.

Truth is, those words should set our minds at ease as well.  When we live in the fear and awe of God, we trust in His favor, we fear nothing but Him, AND words of reassurance are still necessary.  It is better to humble oneself and let God lift you up than be full of pride and have Him put you down. (James 4:10) One of my daughters was in a music production and one day the director called her down in front of the entire cast on stage. She immediately was troubled in spirit, quickly assessed what she might have done to get in trouble, and humbly stood before him. She had fear even though she couldn’t think of anything she had done wrong. He immediately put her at ease when he pointed out there was a person in front of her who WAS messing around and he expected my daughter to help straighten her out or let her know she wouldn’t be on stage anymore.  Not that she enjoyed holding someone else accountable but at least she knew she was in right standing and had found favor with the director.  She presented herself humbly and he raised her up. 

In the same way we may know we are living in the grace, knowledge, and obedience of our Most High God, but when He shows up with a message, when He speaks into our lives through His Word and Spirit, we react with humility, coming before Him in fear, even troubled if need be, standing before a holy God, and just maybe, we will hear these words of reassurance that we have found favor and are blessed.   

Next up?  Mary gets more good news from Gabriel.  “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.” (v.31)  Well, that’s good news NOW, but can you imagine being Mary and getting this news for the first time? You’re just minding your own business, loving God and loving life and an angel shows up to tell you how highly favored you are and because of that, He has a job for you?  Yeah, you get to be pregnant with His Son. Hmmm… What? Finding favor gets a girl pregnant?  Won’t everyone assume the worst? That’s what I get?  That’ me thinking – Not Mary though.  Again, before she can even respond, Gabriel brings assurance. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (v. 32-33)

Personally, I wonder if Mary “caught” any of those awesome words.  I mean seriously.  She is just hanging out in Nazareth, maybe planning her wedding and future marriage to Joseph(a good-looking carpenter), thinking how blessed her life is, and Gabriel shows up out of nowhere, telling her how special she is, AND, oh, by the way, your whole life is about to change.  Trash your wedding and future plans because God is about to change the course of your life drastically!  How do you focus on the “greatness” of the child you are going to be pregnant with when you’ve never even had sex?  Okay, those are just my thoughts AGAIN…But Mary?

We can tell where her thoughts were because her first response is “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (v.34) She moved right past “Who” she would be pregnant with to a more pertinent question in her world, “How?” She isn’t asking this in doubt or lack of faith in a God who does the impossible.  She is simply inquiring how she is going to get pregnant since everyone knows there is only one way for this to happen, and Mary KNOWS she hasn’t done that!  She knows the Messiah will come through a virgin but her? So how?

Gabriel has spent more time talking about her Son but pauses his discourse about Jesus to answer her question as to “how” it will happen because her motives are pure.  “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you…” (v.35)   Well, there you go!  That clears it all up! Haha!  Not for me if I was Mary! Again, if it were me I would be thinking questions like; Huh? I’m not going to have sex but I’m going to be pregnant? Holy Spirit is going to come on me?  What? Am I going to feel it? Will I know when it happens?  Do I have to do anything special to prepare myself? I just don’t get it!

Not Mary though.  She listens.  There is a reason she is highly favored.  She knew how to listen.  We need to learn from Mary! Listening is imperative to being used by God. Real listening – not just nodding our head in approval without giving thought to what is said. When we listen, we hear, and when we hear we receive, and when we receive, we do!  No questions needed!

Immediately after Gabriel tells her “how” he returns to proclaiming news of Jesus “…therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (v.35) The message was and always will be about Jesus.  Notice something about this dialogue between Gabriel and Mary.  She only says ONE thing!  God via Gabriel does the talking. We likewise need to do a whole lot less talking and whole lot more listening.  Our lives reflect our ability and willingness to listen.  Mary listened to God before this visit from Gabriel, during, and after.  It’s why she was highly favored! She pondered everything in her heart as she listened to the voice of God.  

Friends, Christmas is not about us!  It never was and never will be! Christmas does however afford us a time to reflect! And today, may it be a day of reflection on where we stand before a holy God, our willingness to have Him visit and change the course of our lives, and discovering our listening skills.  We might not have an angel “come in” and bring a message to us.  But then again, we might!  The important thing is that we live humbly before Him, expectant, and ready to follow His steps, even though He might turn our lives upside down and inside out!  Mary’s life would never be the same!  Can we say the same? 

I have two words from the Lord moving from Christmas 2011 into the New Year of 2012.  One concerns God’s peace!  This will be a season of discovering His peace at a new, deeper level, experiencing and living in it authentically, letting it rule our hearts for real, and setting us free from the many things in life we have let rule us. I have already written two blogs on God’s peace before knowing He wanted to emphasize this for 2012.  I hope you enjoy those and tune in for more in the coming weeks.

The second word He is speaking to me is about transition and push!  For years, the body of Christ has been in transition and many have been alerted to clocks and seeing the times, 11:11 and 1:11 way too often, understanding the number eleven to symbolize “transition”.   We have felt this transitioning for so many years our family and friends are at the point of smiling every time we hear or see the number eleven and someone remarks “What DOES that mean?”  It gets to the point we wonder if transition will ever end though the pressure and intensity would suggest it is soon.

Having given birth to several children I know the transition stage of birthing is supposed to be the shortest.  As I correlate natural childbirth to transitions in life and ministry, I have questioned God about our own “transition” along with the life of His Church saying things like “Seriously God!  We can’t STILL be in transition right? Transition doesn’t take years!  What gives?”

It’s not always WHAT we ask God but the WAY we ask it that gets us in trouble!  I didn’t go to Father God with an inquiring mind, I went with a “Come on God – enough already” mindset.  Fortunately, He knows my heart and I am truly willing to stay in transition as long as He wants but still, the question has come up many times over the years, “How long?”

Now, when I least expected it, He answered.  But first, He reminded me He doesn’t move by my time!  Whoops!  I’m sorry Lord!  That’s right!  He can take as long as He likes to transition us.  I was being ignorant of something most important with God.  And thankfully, ignorant doesn’t mean stupid.  It just means you don’t know or you are forgetting something very important.  2 Peter 3:8-9 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”  Other versions say do not be ignorant or do not forget the fact that God’s definition of time is different than ours.  But notice the term of endearment “Beloved”.  He wasn’t beating me over the head for letting this fact escape my notice, just reminding me.  And though this transition may have gone on for what seems forever for us, the Lord doesn’t count slow like we do.  So…thank You Lord for reminding me about time! 

Then He started speaking to me that transition is coming to an end.  Now this could cause some of us to shout “Hallelujah! Finally!” but we shouldn’t be too quick to celebrate the end of something because it also means the start of something else.  Sometimes we come through transitions in life and think it is time to settle down, take some deep breaths, relax a little, and thank God the intensity is over.  But No!  That’s not really what happens after getting through transition.   

In childbirth, transition is actually only the end of the FIRST stage of labor.  The intensity and pressure are at their peak but now the work really starts!  Spiritually speaking, I am hearing the year 2012 is a year of PUSHING! Now, I don’t know if it will be an entire year of pushing, if it starts right away in January, or if it is going to last more than a year. All I know is  we are moving into a time of pushing, having been in transition for a LONG time.

In the coming blogs I will be speaking on peace, transition, and pushing as Holy Spirit shows me more of what is coming for those who are seeking Him and wanting to know what is on His heart for His people. What exciting times we live in yes?

Stay tuned if you like!  I am excited to share what He is showing – I’m not so sure we will always be excited to walk it out – but in Christ nothing is impossible! 

Every day things happen that threaten to disrupt, if not totally dismantle any peace we might be experiencing. Yet we should live in God’s peace no matter what is happening around or to us!  And I don’t say that haphazardly or without being tested in this truth.  As I write about peace, I get plenty of opportunity to practice what I preach.  For example, the other day while running errands with my husband, the driver in front of us started to take her right turn and my husband did the same.  As he looked left to continue his merge, she changed her mind and stopped.  He didn’t.  It was just a little bump, a little mark that could most likely be removed easily, but enough for her to be concerned about the “damage”.  And of course, most of us know auto body estimates are usually high, often including a bumper replacement because of one little scratch.  

How frustrating this can be and how easy it is to step out of feeling the peace of God and into the chaos and irritation caused by one little mistake.  Not knowing how much money it will take to cover this blunder carries with it the potential to steal our peace while we wait. But as with most everything in life, we have a choice; we can choose to complain and worry or we can choose to trust God, soak in His assurances, and experience His peace no matter the material cost!  The thing is, we must intentionally make the right choice or risk alienating ourselves from the peace He has given us!  Living in His peace is not dependent on waiting for anyone or anything to “settle down” or “line up” properly in our lives.  It IS dependent on positioning our minds to experience it continuously.

 When I think about God’s peace it just doesn’t make sense. There is no good reason to experience peace when thinking about throwing money away to fix a scratch or watch insurance rates climb. There is no good reason to experience peace when disease strikes, unemployment hits, children wander away, finances dwindle, or relationships get complicated. But when we realize our inability to make sense of it opens us to His ability to lavish us with the revelation of His peace, we stop trying to make sense of it and learn to acknowledge and live in it.   

God showed me how to experience His peace 24/7, by illustrating stitching and weaving in their simplest forms.  Stitching is the joining together of two pieces of material while weaving is actually “creating fabric”. Stitching is certainly useful for mending, decorating, and making clothes or other items but compare it with weaving, the process of creating fabric or cloth by interlacing threads or strands and you can sense the disparity.  Then we also note a difference in strength and durability between the two.  Woven fabric is difficult to undo without altering the entire piece while stitching is easily undone without affecting the appearance.  (Seamstresses and sewers – don’t be haters!  You do lovely work just like weavers! It’s just the basic “concept” I’m addressing)

Moving this model then from fabric to God’s peace, we can say it is woven into our lives not simply stitched to them. God doesn’t simply attach His peace to us nor does He use it to mend our brokenness. He actually weaves it into our existence so it creates in us an ever-present sense of strength and durability that cannot be easily undone without affecting our entire being. This reveals the profundity inherent in God’s peace as it literally touches every aspect of who we are.  When God formed us in our mother’s wombs, His peace was woven into the fabric of our being.  We are not merely cloaked in His peace, it is not an additive, but we are created in it!  This enables us to let the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

We access His peace within by keeping our minds set on Jesus.  Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  Here’s where the weaving/stitching concept helps us out.  If we KNOW God’s peace is already woven into us, we know we can get access to it because it is already WITHIN.  We are not looking for it somewhere OUT THERE.  We don’t need to try so hard to keep our minds stayed on the Lord because He is in us and is Lord of our lives, having created and now keeping us in perfect peace.  We can only “keep” things we already have!  He keeps us in perfect peace because we already have His peace woven into us.  It is easy to trust Him and stay focused on Him when we know we already have Him!  Knowing He keeps us in perfect peace frees us from looking elsewhere for it, waiting for life to settle down so we can feel it, or hoping to experience it.  It is time for us not to just pray for His peace, but to believe we already have it, and then act like it!

The next time you don’t feel “at peace” stay right where you are and remember it is within you, because God is in you.  Don’t try to create a state of peace.  Don’t try to find it, stitch it into your life, or ask God to give you His peace.  He already did!  John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Think about God weaving His peace into every fiber of your being when He formed you.  Let your mind be renewed as you meditate on your Prince of Peace, Jesus, and then let His peace that passes your understanding guard your heart and mind in Him. Your life will never be the same as He keeps you in the perfect peace in which He created you!

The story is of a young girl, Dynah, raised in a Christian home, never knowing a time in her life when she did not know Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior.  She loved Him with her whole being, worked at a nursing care facility while attending a Christian college, and was engaged to be married to the love of her life, a future pastor, the next summer. One night because her car was in the shop, Dynah decides to walk to the bus stop alone instead of calling for a ride from her fiancé or friends. She was advised by one of the residents to wait for someone or ask a co-worker for a ride but she doesn’t want to bother anyone.  She was ever mindful of the dangers lurking in the shadows but was confident of her safety as she trusted God to protect her in every situation.

Unfortunately, this particular night Dynah was violently attacked, raped, and later discovered she was pregnant. This book is a very true to life account of this young woman’s journey, one most of us will never take, but will probably all have opportunity to be part of someone else’s similar journey. This story probes the very heart of one of the most sensitive yet volatile subjects of our generation, abortion.  When considering the whole topic of abortion, one must know more than the facts, since if that were enough, this multi-million industry would have been out of business decades ago when medical science itself proved life begins at conception.

Anyone who knows what goes into writing knows it is hard work.  A good novelist does much research, talks with experts, gathers facts, gains access to the subject matter through interviews and gives readers an up close, accurate, and often personal account of real life.  Francine weaves information about abortion as a whole throughout this novel; physical, financial, moral, psychological, relational, and most importantly for Christians, theological.  Abortion affects everyone!

Though this story is fictional, it helps us discover what we really believe about life and death. Christians often get sloppy in their faith when “difficult” real life situations hit home in their own lives.  In other words, Christians will stand on the Word until someone close to us is affected. For example, Bible believing Christians know homosexuality is sin, but when a family member is actively living that lifestyle, some Christians waver in their belief, entertaining the idea perhaps God made them that way.  Christians know sex outside of marriage is wrong but if it is financially convenient or if people are really in love and planning on getting married someday, it only makes sense to live together as husband and wife before actually tying the knot.  Christians can know and believe God hates divorce until there are irreconcilable differences, then we say God makes exceptions. We may know and believe ending life through abortion is murder but if a young girl gets pregnant as a result of a brutal rape, naturally we assume this can’t be God’s will so abortion is acceptable in this situation.  How confusing this attitude is for believers and non-believers alike!

This is just one of the many conflicts Francine Rivers tackles in this story.  Dynah witnesses all her friends and family “changing” their views on abortion once it is discovered she is pregnant from rape. Where once they were all opposed to abortion, suddenly they not only advise her to get an abortion, but encourage her to get rid of “it”, even suggesting it is God’s will.  Where once her fiancé believed God has a plan and purpose for everything that happens in life, suddenly this was not part of the plan and purpose.  Where once people were sure of God’s plans for her future, suddenly they didn’t know what His plans were.

Dynah’s story begins with her decision immediately after the attack not to follow the doctor’s advice to take the “morning after” pill in the unlikely event she was pregnant as a result of the rape. Her cries to God often resulted in silence, at other times He spoke His words of promise, and at other times He gave direction.  She felt alone, void of His presence, questioned what she had done wrong to deserve such treatment, got angry, confused, depressed, and felt abandoned.

We all feel this quandary of questions and emotions in times of crisis, yet, through Dynah’s story, we get a real-life glimpse into a true personal relationship with Jesus. Hearing His still small voice in her journey of pain was difficult because of all the very loud voices of reason from the hospital staff, police, college leaders, friends, parents, and her fiancé to get rid of this “problem” sooner than later. But it was Jesus who was there, who stood firm, who was unwavering, and who didn’t change His plan for Dynah because of the sin of this one man who changed the course of her life when he raped her.

God’s Word is truth.  If He means for there to be exceptions to the rule, He makes sure we know them.  This book goes tenderly yet vividly through the myriad of emotions of both the “victim” and those who love the “victim”.  It is a tough read no matter who you most closely identify, be it her fiancé who couldn’t manage to live with the reality because of his reputation; to her parents who didn’t want the responsibility of raising a child from rape and wanted to save their daughter the pain of an unwanted child; to the pastors who felt it wasn’t their place to tell hold her firmly to the truth of God’s Word while standing with her if it was just too much of a burden; to her friends who just wanted to help her “get rid of the problem”; to Mom and Grandma who went through it themselves but didn’t want to expose their own deep dark secretes in fear of the pain it surfaced for them as well as what others would think.

In times of crisis we discover we often do not believe what we say we believe when times are good.   Dynah is a shining example of coming through the valley of the shadow of death by walking closely with God even when she couldn’t hear or feel Him; even when she didn’t understand; even when she felt alone and abandoned; even when she felt it wasn’t fair. She held on faith in a God who never let her down, whose Word is true, whose truths were unwavering even if not understood.  She waited on Him to speak every time – when He was silent she did nothing.  When He spoke she was quick to obey.

At one point in the story as Dynah is in the abortion clinic with her mom when God speaks “No, there’s another way.”  Listening to Him caused anger to rise up since she didn’t know what the other way was or where it would lead. Plus, she was unaccustomed to feeling angry with God. Her struggle is real, engaging, and true to life. He tells her to come out from among them and be separate. That meant she needed to leave those who were speaking in love, but were lying to her because of their own lack of faith.

Christians must learn to wait on God, to listen, to accept just the next directive.  God rarely lays out His whole plan for us. We couldn’t handle it.  But if commit to knowing His Word,stand on it, be honest and raw in His presence, and then let Him have His way instead of making our own way, my, life would be so different for people. This book is a soulful search for truth in the midst of unjust events.  Where is God when we are violated?  If God has a plan to prosper and not harm us, to give us hope and a future, what is His plan with rape, incest, and pregnancy as a result?

I personally LOVE tackling these questions anytime and anywhere.  But perhaps a novel is a safer place for most people to explore those questions. This is a great read for any one who has been raped, experienced unwanted pregnancies, had an abortion, or struggled with the possibility of abortion.  God’s Word is true and doesn’t change no matter how hard life gets.  But that’s a good thing!  He will walk us through the valley of the shadow of death and He does have a plan for our lives.

Our biblical views are challenged when “bad” things happen to those we love the most.  The question is do we change our beliefs to handle the things in life that are contrary to God’s Word?  Do we compromise and rationalize the Word of God to supposedly make people feel better or accept them? Doing so only leads to further deception and separation from the One who loves you most.

We can be a blessing to people who have been victimized without changing God’s Word!  We can be compassionate and truthful at the same time!  Dynah stepped out of victimization by keeping in step with the Savior of her soul.  It was a tough journey, and her life changed dramatically, but in step with Jesus, everything would be alright.  Yes, it’s a novel!  But how many Dynah’s do you know?  How many do you want to know?  How involved do you want to be?

These were just my thoughts as I read this book on Black Friday, the day retailers hope to end the year financially in the “black” not in the “red”. As Christians, we have opportunity to end every day in the “black” because of the “red” blood Jesus shed on the cross for us, to forgive, cleanse, renew, and redeem us!  Our part is to hear His voice and follow!