I’m well into my summer reading list.  Vacation time is such a great opportunity to catch up on all the books I’ve been wanting to read.

My current read is “Forgotten God – Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit” by Francis Chan (David C. Cook Publishers,  2009).

The title of Chapter 6 caught me by surprise:  “Forget About His Will For Your Life”.  Huh?

 But here is what Chan is getting at:

I think a lot of us need to forget about God’s will for my life. God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than what we intend to do next year.  In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s decisions.

It is easy to use the phrase, “God’s will for my life” as an excuse for inaction or even disobedience.  It’s much less demanding to think about God’s will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes.  It’s safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day.

That’s something to really think about.  Am I more concerned with tomorrow than I am with today?  Do I fret too much about the future while this day is quickly passing by with hardly a thought of what God wants me to do with it?

Today needs to be my priority when it comes to God’s will for my life.  While planning for and seeking God about the future is a good idea, what Chan said is so true.

The decisions I’ll make next year or even next week will be profoundly affected by the decisions I am making right now.

I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments…  Dueteronomy 30:16

But exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” … Hebrews 3:13

Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.  Isaiah 55:6

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2

…you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  James 4:14

They didn’t slow down.  They didn’t hesitate.  They just blew right through the stop sign.

My porch faces a parking lot. I know, it doesn’t sound like a very good view.

But there are some nice tall pine and palm trees scattered about, so it’s not all pavement.  I was sitting out on the porch one afternoon a while back, and watched with astonishment how many cars just plowed right through one of the stop signs at the end of the lot.

Admittedly, one can see clearly whether there is anything to stop for, but that’s not the point.  The powers-that-be decided that a stop sign should be there.  And therefore, cars should stop.

I bet the stop-sign ignorers stopped the first time they drove through that parking lot.  I bet they stopped obediently, looked both ways and then proceeded.  And then I bet they realized there was hardly ever anyone coming the other direction, and even if they were, they’d be able to see them long before they got to the sign and other people didn’t stop and nothing bad has ever happened.

Yet.

One of these days the reason for the stop sign will become evident.  One of these days we’ll know why they put that stop sign there to begin with.  And let’s hope no one gets hurt – or worse.

God gives us stop signs in life, too.  And at first we obediently stop.  And then sometimes we look around and we don’t see any danger coming and we argue about why the stop sign is there to begin with and other people are ignoring the stop sign and nothing seems to be happening to them.  And so, we begin to go right through it.  And we might get to the point where we’re not even cautious.  We don’t even care about the stop sign anymore.

But one of these days the reason for the stop sign God put up will be evident.   And we might get hurt because we didn’t stop.  Someone else might get hurt because we didn’t stop.  We should have stopped like we used to, but we didn’t. 

If God says stop, then stop.  Don’t ask questions. Don’t compare yourself to others who don’t stop. 

Just obey the signs.

You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice;  Deuteronomy 13:4

Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.            Psalm 119:133

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Psalm 32:8

Therefore you shall obey the voice of the LORD your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.                              Deuteronomy 17:10

Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you. Jeremiah 7:23

 

I’m going on a dig this summer.

It’s not an archeological dig, where I sift through dirt and rocks and soil for relics or arrowheads or dinosaur bones.  It’s a theological one, where I sift through verses and passages and books for spiritual truths and treasures.

I’ve decided that I don’t want to just take for granted what I’ve come to believe.  I don’t want to simply accept something because someone important or influential says I should.  I want to know what God says and what God wants me to see.

I’ll need His help.  I’ll need Him to shine a light on the dark things, the things that are difficult to see. Then I’ll need Him to open my eyes so that I can understand the things I find.

I’m not sure there will be any major surprises or developments.  It may be that I’ll find what I knew was there all along. 

But the only way I’ll know is to dig.  For myself.

I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.  Psalm 77:6

If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.  Proverbs 2:4-5

Search from the book of the LORD, and read; Isaiah 34:16

And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; Ecclesiastes 1:13

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18

And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.    Luke 24:45

…the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints;     Ephesians 1:18

Have you ever wanted to just…escape?

I have.  Lots of times.  I’ve wanted to escape…run…hide…leave…delay…avoid.

One morning on my way into work, I actually seriously considered what it would be like to keep driving and turn towards the Interstate instead of staying straight on the road into downtown.   I didn’t do it.  I went to work like I do every other day.  And of course in hindsight, whatever it was I wanted to escape from or avoid was probably not all that bad.  It appears I survived.

But those thoughts creep into our minds every once in a while when life becomes difficult.  We think it would be so much better to just get away from it all instead of having to face the problem or the person or the circumstance or the challenge.

Seems we’re not alone.  Even King David – you know, the one who as a boy faced down a certain giant with only a sling and some stones – said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.  Indeed, I would wander far off, and remain in the wilderness.  I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.” (Psalm 55:6-8)

Wings would come in handy sometimes.

But God didn’t make us with wings, so I’m thinking that He created us for something other than flying away.  I’m thinking that He created us to face down the giants instead of looking for the escape route. 

So the next time the temptation to run away starts stirring in my heart, I’ll stay put and face whatever it is I need to face. 

And I know I won’t be alone.

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.   Deuteronomy 13:6

Fear not,  for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.   Isaiah 41:10

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?  Psalm 139:7

Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD. Jeremiah 23:24

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”            Genesis 16:13

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:13

I’m thinking it could have been one of the “lost” parables. Right behind the one about the shepherd with the lost sheep, the woman with the lost coin and the father with the lost son.

And He spoke a parable unto them, saying, “and what woman, when she has lost her Canon PowerShot camera, does not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?”

OK, maybe I’m stretching it a bit.  But the camera had been missing for months.  And my apartment is not that big.  Much searching.  High, low, in, around, behind.   I finally resigned myself to the fact that it was lost forever.  Sad.

That’s probably why God couldn’t have included it in the parables.  Those parables are about sticking with a search until you find whatever you’re looking for.  

And I had given up the search.

So one morning last week I was looking for a tote bag to haul some stuff to work and found the one I usually take to the beach.  It’s summery orange and pink and yellow plaid canvas.  When I picked it up, it seemed a little heavy when all that was inside was a plastic fork and some sand.   Apparently that lovely summer plaid successfully camouflaged a hidden pocket on the side of the bag.

And there it was.  The missing camera.

I love finding lost things.  Especially when it’s something that’s been gone for a while.  That’s why I like those “lost” parables.  I love that the Shepherd looks for and finds the lamb that wandered too far from home.  I love that the father runs to welcome the son who did some wandering of his own.

I love that God doesn’t give up a search.  I love that He keeps looking for the lost ones so He can bring them home.  And in the same way He knew where my camera was all along, He knows where His lost sheep and prodigal children are.

And for the ones I’m praying for, that’s quite a comforting thing to know.

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  Luke 15:4

Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds ? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’  Luke 15:8

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.  Luke 15:10

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. Matthew 18:11

I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; Ezekiel 34:16

 

There’s a funeral home across the street from my office.  And there is a mango tree in the lot next door to my office.

And this morning, it seemed weird.

It seemed weird to walk outside to stretch my legs and pick up juicy, ripe mangoes off the grass, while the parking lot of the funeral home was filled with cars, and serious-looking men in sunglasses and dark suits were waiting by the long vehicles with orange funeral flags attached to the hoods.

Someone had died.  And I was picking up free fruit off the ground during my break.

And all I could think was that I am glad that God can juggle so many things at once.  I am glad that He is all-seeing and all-knowing and that while I’m oblivious to what’s happening in a flower-filled room across the street, He’s totally aware of every need and every heart. 

And I thought about the fact that on the days when I need Him, on the days when my heart is breaking and mangoes are the last thing on my mind, He’s not tied up with some other problem.  He knows my need and my heart.

I didn’t expect a lesson on one of God’s attributes under the mango tree this morning. 

But He knew I needed it.  Imagine that.

 

You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.   Psalm 139:2-3

Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?  Job 31:4

For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps. Job 34:21

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.  Proverbs 15:3

For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face.    Jeremiah 16:17

For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved;  in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”  Isaiah 30:15

Would we be strengthened to do what is required of us and to bear what is laid upon us? It must be in quietness and in confidence; we must keep our spirits calm and sedate by a continual dependence upon God, and his power and goodness; we must retire into ourselves with a holy quietness, suppressing all turbulent and tumultuous passions, and keeping the peace in our own minds. And we must rely upon God with a holy confidence that he can do what he will and will do what is best for his people. And this will be our strength; it will inspire us with such a holy fortitude as will carry us with ease and courage through all the difficulties we may meet with.  

Matthew Henry on Isaiah 30:15

Actually, Isaiah 30:15 doesn’t end where I stopped it when I copied it above.  That’s the part of the verse most of us are familiar with. It goes on to say, “But you would not,” and the next few verses tell the story of what happens when we do not allow God to provide us with strength through our quiet confidence in Him.

Not good.

May it never be said of me, “But Sharon would not…”.  In quietness and confidence SHALL be my strength.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.  Jeremiah 17:7

God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?    Job 9:4

My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Isaiah 32:17

Well, I didn’t need a calendar to tell me what time of year it is.  All I needed was the thick insert in Sunday’s newspaper.

It is about to be….Hurricane Season.

Yes, every year, on the Sunday before June 1^st, we have “the insert”. The “STORM GUIDE 2011” insert.  Yes, the headlines are all in capital letters.  And yes, I feel like they are screaming at me. 

It is packed with full page ads for emergency generators, storm shutters and impact resistant windows.  There are evacuation routes and emergency shelter maps and lists of food items to stockpile.  There are dire warnings and statistics about how we are due for a major storm, and how few people take it seriously, how we have short memories and we’re complacent and lazy.

Once I get past the emotional trauma of being yelled at and chastised by a newspaper insert, I can read the very helpful and timely information about what I should be doing to prepare for a possible storm.

But am I just as prepared for life’s storms? When the darkness and the winds and the thunder and the lightning come battering into my life as they inevitably will, do I have a plan?  Do I know where I’ll go for protection and shelter and comfort and peace?  Do I have a stockpile of spiritual food?

God has given us the perfect Storm Guide.  And if I pick up my Bible and read it now, daily, instead of waiting until something dark is looming on the horizon, I’ll be in much better shape to face the storm.

It’s a whole lot better to be prepared.  And because I know the One who controls the storms and wrote the Storm Guide, I can be.

 

The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.  Psalm 37:31

When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.  Proverbs 2:10-11

For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm.  Isaiah 25:4

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  Matthew 8:26

Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; In You I take shelter.  Psalm 143:9

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.  Psalm 57:1

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  James 1:22

 

 

 

 

I’m not talking about forgetting where you put your car keys.  I’m not talking about forgetting to pay a bill or send a birthday card.

I’m talking about forgetting God.

Asa was a good king*.  He was a godly king.  He confidently asked God for a miracle and he got it when his little, chariot-less army defeated a million enemy soldiers who had 500 more chariots than he did.  He called his country to repentance.  He got rid of the idols.  He even got rid of the Queen Mother – because she had made an idol.  He brought treasures back into the house of God.  These were good times.

But 25 years later, he forgot.

Twenty five years later, he gave the treasures from the house of God to another country’s leader to seal an agreement for protection.  Instead of trusting God like he did when God helped him defeat a million soldiers, he tried to do it on his own.  And six years later he died, angry at God and angry at the people who tried to remind him what God had done for him.

And it made me wonder why. 

It made me wonder why someone who trusted God for so long would suddenly make such a huge mistake.  It made me wonder why someone who had seen God’s amazing and miraculous intervention thought he could do a better job by himself this time.  Did he get complacent?  Lazy?  Prideful?  Or did he just forget?  And it made me wonder, could it happen to me? 

I think it could.  I think it could happen to me if I forget what God has already done for me.  I think it could happen to me if I forget to daily surrender my life and my heart to Him.  I think it could happen if I get complacent, lazy and prideful.

I don’t want to end up like Asa.  I don’t want to ever…forget.

(* 2 Chronicles 14-16)

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 

I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember your wonders of old.  Psalm 77:11

They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law, and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.  Psalm 78:10-11

They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel.  Psalm 106:13

The signs were all there.  Subtle, but definitely there. 

“Please stay on the path”.

To end my personal retreat time last weekend,  I stopped by the Morikami Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach.  It’s a beautiful, tranquil place.  A good place to think, to pray, to breathe. 

There’s a long, winding path to follow, taking the visitor by different ornamental gardens, through a bamboo forest, along a lake, across architecturally stunning bridges.  It was about halfway through my time there when I noticed the small signs placed strategically and often throughout the park.

“Please stay on the path”.

I must admit there were times when it was tempting to leave the path to get a closer look at something or get a better camera shot.  But the signs were there for a reason.

The garden caretakers know that if you go off the path, you could do damage to the things they have worked so hard on, you could get lost and end up someplace other than where you are supposed to be.  You may even unintentionally encourage others to do the same. It wouldn’t be good.  So they gently and yet firmly remind you to just stay on the path they meant you to be on.

God has a path for us to be on, and He reminds us (not so subtly sometimes) to stay on it.   If we wander off His path, it won’t be good.  We could do damage to the work God has been doing, we could definitely end up someplace other than where God intended for us to be, and yes, we could unintentionally encourage others to follow our wandering footsteps.

And so, our God gives us this simple, yet vitally important command.  He has beautiful places for us to see, and amazing experiences He wants us to have. 

But we must stay on the path.  His path.

Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.  Proverbs 4:26

My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside.            Job 23:11

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Psalm 37:23

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:11

Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.  Psalm 119:35