HOPE

Today I don’t feel hopeful. After discussing the news and reflecting on my reactions to a comment during a conversation, I feel a sense of disquiet, and I become frustrated to find myself still reacting this way!

Can you relate? Is there an action or area of life you still struggle with?

I know I have a choice. I can choose to focus on how I feel (justified or not) OR on the One who loves and delights in me. When I focus on my God and who He is, not to mention what He has done, I feel a sense of reverential awe begin to stir. I gain a better perspective of the One my focus is on – God. He is the Creator, the One who knows my thoughts, the One who understands me, and oh, how He loves me. Can you relate again? Do you know the One I am writing about? You can.

I was reading Isaiah 11:10  today. I was struck with the idea that the people listening to the words of Isaiah would have believed they would see You, Lord Jesus. They would have anticipated seeing You standing as their banner, seeing the nations come to You, and You being glorious… and they died believing this. So too their children, and their children’s grandchildren and so on – for hundreds of years.

I know this can sound a tad depressing if you don’t know the rest of the story.

BUT GOD, You had a plan – You always have a plan.

When I reread the verse in the context of the story of God’s people at this time, I see that You offer signs of what will occur before the day spoken of in verse 10. I am reminded that we who are called Your sons and daughters live in eternity, which offers us a ‘now and not-yet tension’.

I can get caught up focussing on what is currently happening (now), and I certainly need to live aware of what is happening; however, You invite me to look beyond, to gain an eternal perspective, to see the not-yet. You encourage me to allow this to stir hope within me.

Though I sometimes feel unfaithful or faithless, I remember and focus on the fact that He is always faithful, and I am reminded that the very fact that I believe in Him is an act of faith – my faith! So, the more I choose to focus on Him and stir my faith, the more this stirs my hope. He is my hope, and I begin to put my hope in Him and not in me trying to sort out my current circumstances.

Jesus encourages me to seek His Kingdom and righteousness first – to focus on Him, which activates my faith and stirs my hope to better choose to focus on my situation from His perspective. I can then begin to see my situation through His eyes rather than through mine with my limited view. The tension in ‘now – not-yet’ is lessened, and I start to feel brave and hopeful.

Pause and consider

I can ask – God, how do You see my situation? And God, what is Your perspective on this?

I can say – Even if I have faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, I know that You, Lord God are my hope, and I will choose to trust You. (If you don’t know Him to be this and would like to, please email me so I can discuss this further.

Reflect What is one thing that stops me from focussing on God?

What is one thing I can do to support my choice to seek Him?

Dear God, thank you that knowing You makes change possible. Thank You for loving me and wanting me to succeed. 

Further reading

“In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:10 ESV

“Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” Hebrews 11:1 TPT

““So above all, constantly seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly.” Matthew 6:33 TPT

“Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us. Our faith guarantees us permanent access into this marvelous kindness that has given us a perfect relationship with God. What incredible joy bursts forth within us as we keep on celebrating our hope of experiencing God’s glory!” Romans 5:1-2 TPT

Different isn’t wrong, it’s just different

It’s easy to look at behaviour and criticise, label and judge a person. It can be as subtle as thinking you know the taste of someone’s music, what they’d like or not like. You then do or don’t engage with them according to what we perceive. 

There are times this influences the way we see a particular demographic.

Our criticisms, labelling and judging of another are behaviours that can (too) often cause us to react in a particular way and again (too) often with a sense of superiority and entitlement.

We can tend to believe our thoughts, opinions, and behaviour are warranted and correct, and in this, we are, by default, espousing that their behaviours, beliefs, and ideas are wrong. We can forget that different isn’t wrong; it’s just different.

In this, we are expressing our behaviours that are noticed and open to criticism, labelling and judgement by others who then have a choice to react – and round and round it goes.

Pause and consider: Imagine if we took the time to consider what we see. We can be the one who makes a difference, and in this posture of humility – change is possible.

What is one view I have that is different to someone I love? How is it different?

David, Goliath and 5 smooth stones – Part 6

David’s five stones. David’s battle included his five stones; along with these, he had skills and abilities. I am unsure what you’re currently facing. I wonder if you can see your way to using some or all of the stones mentioned in the previous posts – your knowledge of God, trust, grace, worship, knowing who you are and whose you are, as well as your skills and abilities to support you walking this journey?

I know that despite our capabilities, there are times when instead of relying on them alone, we need to look up and know this God I have written of. Times we’re we vulnerably choose to trust Him to win the battle for and with us. His grace is sufficient for us in our times of need when we lean into Him and ask Him. Sometimes this sufficiency will come through a friend, a stranger, a written or spoken word, a song or the sight of a sunset. Your heart grows a little bigger, hope rises, and you realise my circumstances are not changing, yet I am changing in them.

 Know that He has called you by name – You are His son, His daughter, His beloved – you are enough, and from this place of knowing – one’s response is to turn and give thanks, to worship Him.

Pause and consider: We can choose to worship Him in our circumstances, to worship out loud (lift your voice), or with a sigh – from your place of sorrow, hardship, joy, from a place of living loved or feeling unloved. I encourage you to worship Him as best you can and know – it is enough because he sees you, knows you, understands you and oh, how very much He loves you.

Know that the battle belongs to Him, even when our own actions brought us into battle – all that we surrender to Him becomes His.

David, Goliath and 5 smooth stones – Part 5

Stone 5 = worship. David wrote and sang worship songs from a heart full of hope in God. David knew God loved Him and His people. David understood the power of words and dialogue; he knew it was okay to tell God exactly how he felt. We also see throughout the Psalms (found in the Old Testament section of the Bible) that David most often finished his times of lamenting, pouring his heart and feelings out to God with words of worship. Words that spoke of God’s faithfulness, His majesty and might; words that spoke of God being worthy of honour, words that thanked and worshipped Him for who He is. This reminded David and us that God is for us. This worship of God positioned David to cultivate a soft heart toward God and His ways and to see things through God’s eyes. This, in turn, assured David that this current battle with Goliath would end in victory (1 Samuel 17:37 & 45-46). David declared that through his success, many others would also come to know and praise the living God (read V47). David knew this battle was God’s, and where others were looking to a king (Saul), David’s eyes and heart were focused on the King of kings.

Pause and consider: Often, we feel as though we can only tell God nice things. We may have learned the ‘rule’ – if you can’t say something nice, say nothing, and we don’t realise that God wants us to pour out our joys, as well as our griefs, sorrows and lamenting to Him. Our words poured out to God help us to know Him more deeply, to know His acceptance of us – just precisely as we are – and this, in turn, positions us to worship Him with a heart that knows His love and acceptance. We learn that He is for us and loves us beyond measure, giving us the courage to face the battles with Him and in His name.

What are three things you can thank God for today?

David, Goliath and 5 smooth stones – Part 4

Stone 4 = know who you are and Whose you are. David was overlooked, taunted, misunderstood and belittled by one who was family (1 Samuel 16 & 17:28). David knew not to consider or rely on man’s wisdom or opinion. He knew to rely on the wisdom and opinion of the One he knew He belonged to (V32). David knew that the wisdom, opinion and labels of others didn’t match God’s wisdom, opinion and label of him. This knowledge of who God was, and who David was in Him, enabled him to turn away from those who saw him as not enough and turn toward the one He called Lord.

Pause and consider: It is helpful to know who we are. Many of us have been overlooked, or we struggle with our identity, and have heard words spoken over us that tell us we are not ‘enough’. Have you had times when you have been overlooked, misunderstood, rejected, and felt as though you were not enough? Do you know what God’s opinion of you is? God loves you just exactly as you are and He says ‘you are enough’.

What is one step you can take toward finding out more about God and His opinion of you?

David, Goliath and 5 smooth stones, Part 3

Stone 3 = grace. David knew God’s grace had saved him from a lion and a bear, enabling him to win those battles. David also gave credit to God for gracing him with skills and ability (as recalled in 1 Samuel 17:34-37).  By God’s grace, David turned away from his brother Eliab (1 Samuel 17:30) and this enabled him to position himself to focus on the ‘real’ battle.

We can be easily distracted by smaller grievances and become entangled in these, instead of calling out to God to pour His grace, faith and love upon us (1 Timothy 1:14). This positions us to walk through the current battle we are in.

Pause and consider: How do I recognise God’s grace? When have I seen God’s grace support me in previous battles? When have I offered grace to others?

Grace is a very cool stone to have in a sling. Who can I sling it toward today?

David, Goliath and 5 smooth stones – Part 2

David, Goliath and 5 smooth stones –

Part 2

Stone 2 = trust. David trusted the One he knew. David recalled previous experiences when he spoke to King Saul (1 Samuel 17:34-37). It would seem David’s attitude was – I can’t believe you guys don’t realise what the battle is really about and who this giant is up against! I can’t believe you’re falling for the bluster and bluff!

How often the ‘noise’ of the battle causes us to be surprised and draws our focus to the noise maker instead of the Way Maker.

Pause and consider: When I am in the thick of a trying time, what support do I need to remember the victories I have achieved? Take a moment and consider a previous battle where you have come through successfully. What made the difference?

What supports do I need to help me walk through this current situation?

David, Goliath and 5 smooth stones – Part 1

David, Goliath and 5 smooth stones – Part 1

Part 1. There’s a story in the Bible about a shepherd boy (David) who slays
a Philistine giant (Goliath), and the story records how this took place, as
well as the changes that David experienced. This is a story of amazing courage
and purpose and I believe each of us has faced or will face giants in life. In
each battle, we have an opportunity to experience victory when we choose the
specific stones needed for each specific battle. Why not grab a cuppa as we
look at this together over the next 6 or so weeks?

David’s story – you can check this out in the Old Testament of the Bible, in
1 Samuel 17. You can also look it up online at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+17&version=NIVUK

David chose five smooth stones from a stream and put them into the pouch of
his shepherd’s bag and with a slingshot in hand, he approached the Philistine
giant. These were physical, literal stones that present a question – why 5?

Have you been there? You have had faith to step into what you see needs to
be done, you’re fully aware of the battle being bigger than you and you need a
Champion – and you’re unsure if you need a plan b? Please hear me, I’m not
saying David had a plan b, I’m simply referring to us here today. I know I have
a sense of something I’m to step into and then my head gets in the road. My
logic points out the idiocy of the idea, and my inner critic tells me as if
you can…

I want to explore 5 ‘stones’ that we can engage with in life and pick these
from the life of this mighty man David.

Stone 1 = Knowing God. David came to know God through the many experiences he had as a shepherd boy. This relationship, this ‘knowing’ was two-way – David knew God and God most certainly knew David. It was an intimate relationship borne out of the many conversations David had enjoyed with Him. These times of communication allowed David to know God’s heart and to develop his own way of seeing God and developing a love (heart) and life after the One David loved. David knew that this Philistine giant was defying God and His plans and purpose for the children of Israel (V26). David personally knew this God who could deliver, this God who called David by name.

Pause and consider: It can be helpful for us to consider our view of God. Some see Him as a cranky old man waiting to jump on them when they make mistakes. Perhaps we see Him as someone who doesn’t care, who is too busy or just can’t be bothered. You can imagine this view of God means we will find it difficult to trust Him.

How do you see God?