Divine Appointments

This is a regular post, but, as by divine appointment,

it also happens to intersect with

Part 8 of the Beyond Trophies Series

I’ve just got to tell you about something that totally amazes me, and if you’re reading the Beyond Trophies series, today’s topic is the foundational key to beginning to understand what ballots must add up to.  (What Ballots Must Add Up To and what God is doing through them is what I’ll be focusing on the next time, too, but this just has to come first.)

Nobody will ever convince me that there’s no such thing as a divine appointment!  When Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the Passover (see Luke 22), He told them ahead of time whom they would meet when they arrived in the city.  And it wasn’t that He just gave them an address where they were to hope to find somebody in the vicinity.

No, the designated man was to be en route carrying a pitcher of water, and his path would intersect with Peter and John at the very moment they would enter the city.  Peter and John were to follow the man into a house and then ask the owner (who, by no accident, of course, would be home at this moment) where the guest room was where “The Teacher” (Jesus) could eat the Passover with His disciples.  The owner would then proceed to show them a large, furnished upper room.  No confusion, no surprise, no hesitancy, just hospitality from the owner of the house.  Doesn’t that whole scenario strike you as just a little out of the ordinary?

Don't miss this

If we’re familiar with the Bible, sometimes these things can slip right past us, but to be honest, I don’t want anything to slip past me.  I aim to read it like I’ve never read it before, like I don’t already know what happens next—to read it like it’s the first time.  And I’m blown away.

And not just blown away by Jesus telling them exactly what to expect.  Oh, no, it gets even better: “They found everything just as He had told them.”

This is the God I serve.  Nobody else plans and executes like that.  He has the perfect power to carry out His perfect plans to accomplish His perfect purposes.  He is more than able to put us in the places He needs us to be, and at just the right times, so that His purposes for us—personally and in His overall plan—will come to pass!  For you team policy debaters, we’re talking about solvency considerations.  There are no holes in God’s agency, enforcement, funding, or timeline!

NOTE TO SELF:  Time to quit stressing.  Pray for direction, plan in light of His Word, and be available.  The next person I meet is my next divine appointment.  (Including, in the world of competition, the next competitors and judge I meet.)

Your divine appointments

Speaking of the world of competition, are you seeing the implications of God’s choreography and orchestration here?  Let's bring it a little closer to home for you competitors.  Your judges and your ballots are not just haphazard coincidences.  God divinely appoints the judges he needs to accomplish His purposes for you (and for them) and makes sure they get to your rounds.

When it’s time for awards, God has the power to appoint every single competitor to the place where He needs them to be—whether that’s on or off the platform—and arrange them in the order He chooses!  Will you trust God for that?

If you will, then you can relax and enjoy the ride much more than if you think you’re at the mercy of out of control circumstances.  Do you feel sometimes like trusting God about this seems like somewhat of a challenge?   Well, I’m pretty certain Isaiah knew someone else who may have struggled with this…

“Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, 

the One who leads forth their host by number, 

He calls them all by name;

 Because of the greatness of His might

 and the strength of His power 

not one of them is missing.

[WOW, okay, I’m listening…]

Why do you say, O Jacob [O debater], 

and assert, O Israel [O speaker],

 ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, 

and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?’”

Isaiah 40:26-27  

[brackets mine]

The One who keeps the stars in place would assure you that He’s not looking the other way at ANY time, and certainly not during ballot distribution or while your judges are filling out ballots.  Our days are no accident.  “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”  (Psalm 139:16) 

I challenge you to view your next day, even your next hour, and yes, your next tournament, as a series of divine appointments, and watch expectantly to see what happens!

Breaking News:  God interrupts this post…

to bring me a divine appointment!

I had written only as far as the “note to self” section preceding (the “next person I meet is my next divine appointment” part), when I had to stop to go do some errands.  And guess what?  I found myself in the middle of an amazing divine appointment!

I had been in the men’s shampoo aisle wondering what in the world caffeine in a shampoo does to a person’s hair and trying to decide which product—glue, paste, wax, or gel—was right for my son’s hair (…was he going for spiffy or casual?), when someone approached me and asked me for help.  But not for help with the hair stuff.  He began to explain his need.  I never know for sure in these kinds of situations whether I’m being sold a scam or not, but I felt he was genuine.  In case he should read this someday, I want to be careful how I tell this, but I can tell you that when I gently listened and bought him groceries, he literally cried out of gratitude and stayed to hear the good news of the gospel!

Please understand that I’m nobody extraordinary, but I’m here to tell you that our God is.  And I absolutely love to be a part of the plans He’s working out through divine appointments!  How about you?

P.S. If you haven’t been following the Beyond Trophies series and would like to catch up, you can click on “Beyond Trophies” near the top of the page to find the rest of the series (or click here).  The whole world, it seems, is all about competition, from backyard races to basketball tournaments and job promotions.  The Beyond Trophies series is about navigating the world of competition with a Biblical compass and it's relevant in any arena of competition!

No Exception To Nothing

So when was the last time God answered a request with this one:

"Sorry, that job is too big."?

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh;

Is anything too difficult for me?"

Jeremiah 32:27

"NOTHING will be impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

There's no exception to nothing.  Okay, my worries are looking pretty irrelevant about now.

The Prequel to Family Forever

So this is what lead up to the previous post…

Some days, life is just hard.  “Lord, I need You more than ever.”  And He meets me where I am, comforts me, heals me, fills me back up.  It was one of those days.  He met me initially in Luke 22 & 23.  I was feeling really weary (…the details don’t matter so much, and I’m sure you have personal wearying things of your own…) and I needed time in my Father’s arms.  Here’s a window into what happened.  (Backdrop: Luke 22& 23)

My sympathetic high priest

Lord, You faced tremendous stress even from a human perspective, not to mention the fact that You were going to bear the sins of the whole world.  Humanly speaking alone, it must have been awful, knowing that one of Your own was going to betray You, totally stab You in the back.  And then the ones You had poured so much into, the ones who, on all the earth, were closest to Your heart and most understood Your ways, got into an argument about which of them was the greatest.  How incredibly discouraging after all You had taught them.  Then, to know that Simon Peter was going to deny You, not once, not twice, but three times before morning.  On top of that, You knew their lives were about to get much, much harder very soon.

Were they up to it?  NO.  Would Your power in them sustain them?  YES. 

You cried and sweat blood as You fervently prayed about what You knew was coming to secure our redemption.  Your best friends couldn’t even stay awake to support You.  Then Judas came, and Peter lost His temper with the sword.  The priests, who acted as mediator between God (not realizing it was You) and the people, rejected the God to whom they prayed when He (You) stood before them.  Your ears heard Peter insist He didn’t even know anything about You.

I look to You

Friend and foe alike piled distress high upon You.   Made fun of, beaten, put through sham trials, and turned over by a spineless Pilate to the Jews to be crucified, You took it all.  For me.  To redeem me.  So I could be Your friend.  (John 15:12-15)  So You could be my Father.

You emptied Yourself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  You humbled Yourself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  (Philippians 2:7-8)

My Lord, I am going to fix my eyes on You, the author and perfecter of my faith, You, who for the joy set before You endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  I will consider You, who endured such hostility by sinners against Yourself, so that I will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Thank you for reminding me that sometimes I, too, must go through hard times for a greater purpose, maybe known only to You for now.  Yet none of my troubles even touch the depth of what You went through for us.  You kept Your eyes on Your purpose, on the joy to come.  Help me to do the same.  I know You can understand anything I face.  You have been tempted in every way like I have, and You overcame.  You can sympathize with me, and You comfort me like the precious Father You are.  (Hebrews 2:18)  I will hold fast my faith.  I will hold fast the confession of my hope.  I will draw near to You, to your throne of grace, confident that I will find Your mercy and grace to help me in my time of need.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

I will not lose heart

And I now have the words to the verses for a song I’ve been writing, though there really aren't words adequate to describe these two incredibly amazing aspects of His mercy and grace--refreshing forgiveness and free access to the Father.  (If you have my CD, you will recognize the words in the chorus.)

(Verse 1) Mercy, mercy for me, for me…

How can…how can it be…it be?

You covered my sin;  (Hebrews 7:25-27; 9:11-14; 10:10-18)

You took me in—to Your family.  (Romans 8:14-17)

Now I stand without blame;  (Jude 24,25)

You took my shame;

You see me holy, beyond reproach.  (Colossians 1:21-23)

(Verse 2) Mercy, mercy for me, for me…

How can…how can it be…it be?

Forgiven is just the start;

Now You fill my heart—with unquenchable joy.  (John 16:22)

Your mercy and grace

For each day of the race

Is my confident hope at Your throne.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

(Chorus)  O Holy God, Your blood paid my ransom;

You mercy redeemed me; I’m forgiven and free!

Once and for all, your blood gives me life.  (Hebrews 9:11-12)

Your life indestructible lives now in me!  (Acts 2:24; Hebrews 7:16; Galatians 2:20)

(Tag) I will hold fast; I will draw near;

I put my hope in You, the ever faithful One.  (Hebrews 6:19; 10:19-23)

What about you?

Friend, He died and rose for you, too, to offer you legal status: forgiven and loving sonship forever!  Will you believe it?  If you want to know more, write to me at unsmotherabledelight@gmail.com.

Do you already know Him, but feel like your joy has been hijacked?  I can’t give you some pat answer formula because there isn’t one.  But we do have His word that He will hear you.  Use your words; pour out your heart before Him, and trust that He, the real and living God, will respond in just the way you need.  The fruit of His Spirit always has been and always will be joy and peace.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:8

Family Forever

Sometimes I just have to share, or I'll burst! 

This is definitely one of those times.

I was weary,
needing a gentle reminder that His grace is so good.

He took me out of the mire and set me back on the rock--

and gave me a new song--like in Psalm 40:1-3.

How very like Him, such tender grace!

I am increasingly seeing that the impact of God’s mercy and grace is manifold.  On one hand, in Jesus death, His mercy and grace accomplished the once for all payment for our sin, sealed our forgiveness, and obtained our standing as blameless in the sight of the Almighty Judge.  As Jesus Himself said, “It is finished!”—the Greek is literally “Paid in full!” (John 19:30)  Our sin debt is cancelled when we place our faith in what He did.  (Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 1:13-14)

There's more mercy and grace

But—and here’s what’s so recently blessed my heart—it doesn’t stop there!  Though that most wonderful thing has been accomplished for all time, His mercy and grace also have a most glorious on-going effect, too.  By His mercy and grace, continual access to the most intimate relationship with God is forever opened to us.  Through His blood we have confidence to enter the most holy place, to confidently draw near to His throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need!  This is the every moment relationship reality of the spilled blood of Jesus on our behalf!  And this would be impossible without the death of Jesus.  (Hebrews 4:16-17; 10:19-23)

Eternal life is...

Yes, though almost impossible to comprehend, His mercy and grace mean even more than the magnificent and unfathomable blessing of status as forgiven subjects of the King of Kings.  This gift of forgiveness is the starting place where unlimited access to the Father forever as sons begins.  Jesus, in the prayer His disciples overheard on the night he was betrayed and arrested, talked with His Father about their plan to give eternal life.  According to Jesus, talking to His Father, “this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God…”  Our forgiven status is the door to knowing Him, to intimate access as sons.  His gift of eternal life is to know Him!

More than the granting of legal status: forgiven, which alone is immeasurably glorious and more than enough to inspire praise to Him forever, God’s mercy and grace also mean His intentional, generous, yes, even lavish, gift of loving sonship forever!
(Ephesians 1:3-8)

The strength to live

This is what keeps me going from day to day—mercy and grace in my time of need from my precious Father who lavishes His love on me!  We are not doomed to be weary, with our heads barely above water! 

The writer of the absolutely amazing Psalm 18 understood this, and this can be the song of any and all who will put their hope in God!

“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised…

He heard my voice out of His temple…

He bowed the heavens also, and came down… [WOW!]

He sped upon the wings of the wind…

He took me; He drew me out of many waters…

He rescued me because He delighted in me…[yes, delighted!]

The Lord my God illumines my darkness…

And by my God I can leap over a wall…[or more]

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him…[okay, I'm in]

Your right hand upholds me…

Your gentleness makes me great…[Almighty, yet gentle]

Exalted be the God of my salvation!” [yes, my salvation]

[brackets mine]

By the way, the long version of Psalm 18 is even better! 

Honestly, this really isn’t the whole story, but I didn’t want to make this post any longer.  So, I'll share more on where I started in weariness and how God led me to this place of rejoicing—and the new song He gave me—in my next post.