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!

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

Highly Irregular Meets Absolutely Amazing

To say that Jesus was impressed would be putting it mildly.  He said so—out loud. 

“I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith."

 Luke 7:9

Don’t you wonder what made Him say that?

The Backdrop:  Luke 7:1-10.  Those ten verses are packed.  This quick link will take you straight to it.

Highly Irregular

This centurion is not your typical Roman.  He is out of character for a Roman.  First of all, he is respected by the Jews, who, incidentally, think he is worthy of Jesus granting this favor.  Yet the man himself doesn’t think so.  Next, he loves the Jews and built them their synagogue.  I wonder if he worshipped Jehovah.

This centurion regards his slave highly--maybe because the centurion respected God.  He also has a good enough relationship with the Jewish elders that they are willing to go to Jesus to ask Him to save his slave’s life.  So let me get this straight . . . the Jewish elders get involved with Jesus for the sake of a Roman centurion’s dying slave.  This is really quite bizarre.

Here is a man who is willing to go against his own culture and tradition to identify himself with God.  He is willing to humble himself and acknowledge his own unworthiness.  He knows Jesus is his servant’s only hope, and that he himself isn’t worthy of asking Jesus for His help.  In spite of his unworthiness, he sends a delegation to ask for Jesus’ help. 

What was so great?

Was his great faith simply that he believed Jesus could heal his servant?  Plenty of others believed Jesus could heal.  So there must be more to it.

In purely human terms, Jesus was actually subordinate to the centurion.  Yet the centurion makes it plain that he believed that Jesus was far above himself (that he, the centurion, was unworthy).  So was part of his great faith that he recognized that Jesus was no mere man?  The Jewish elders did not believe this.  Nor did they share the centurion’s belief that he was unworthy of this favor.  Note that Jesus says that “not even in Israel” has He found such great faith.

And was part of his great faith also that he believed that Jesus was so full of grace that He would heal his servant even though he was unworthy of even coming to ask Jesus for help, unworthy of even being in Jesus’ presence (under his roof)?  Think about that.  He’s totally convinced that he is unworthy of the favor, yet he is determined to ask Him to grant it.  Why?  Even though he believed that Jesus had the power and authority to heal, he knew he was unworthy to ask for the healing.  So why would he still ask?

He must have been equally convinced of not only the power and authority of Jesus, but also the goodness, the generosity, and the mercy of Jesus toward the undeserving.  Jesus is not only able to heal; He is willing.

Absolutely Amazing Grace

Jesus is God; He has authority to heal.  God is good; He is willing to heal, in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve it. 

This centurion recognized both his own condition and Jesus’ position, and he trusted in Jesus’ wonderful mercy and grace.

Have you been afraid to ask for help?  Have you hesitated because you have felt you didn’t deserve His help? 

You are absolutely right that you are unworthy.  So am I.  Every one of us is unworthy.  But we should still ask.  Why?  Because the question of His help is not contingent on our worthiness.  His help is available on the basis of His character.

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

is anything too difficult for Me?

. . . I will rejoice over them to do good. . ."

Jeremiah 32:27, 41

Friend, there is no problem you face that is too difficult for Him.  His grace invites you to ask.

He Took Hold of Me

I said something two days ago that I now regret.  And it's been haunting me.  Ever had that happen?

I thought so.  So you can relate.

Well, I told some friends that my life was a logistical nightmare.  I was feeling just a bit overwhelmed--okay a lot overwhelmed.  So what's to regret about saying that?  Well, they certainly weren't the words of a faithful witness to God's capableness, and it just wasn't true.  First of all nightmares aren't real life, and secondly, it wasn't an accurate statement.  On top of that, I certainly didn't want my children to feel like I was insinuating that they were part of the problem; they're not.

My life may feel like a logistical challenge to me at moments, but it's not all up to me.  What was I thinking?!

Logistical challenges are nothing to my God.  

The real problem was that I took my eyes off my Redeemer and looked at the wind around me.  (Thinking just now I have a lot in common with the Peter of Matthew 14:22-34.)  "But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!"

Jesus didn't let the doubter sink; He didn't just let him go down.

"Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand

and took hold of him . . ."

And He didn't just let me go down either.

My God stretched out His hand and reminded me (Numbers 1-10) that He organized millions of His people in the desert after they left Egypt, told them who was to camp where--significantly, all centered around His presence, assigned their duties, set up the signals they would use to communicate, and directed when to set out and when and where to camp.  And, with my God's perspective, my life is beginning to look rather uncomplicated now. . .

My God--the One who holds me safely (John 10:27-29), whose everlasting arms are under me (Deuteronomy 33:27), and whose wings cover me (Psalm 91)--wants me to understand that nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:27).

There are days when I, like David did, just need Him to tell me again.

"O Lord . . .  say to my soul,

'I am your salvation.'"

Psalm 35:3b

"There is none like the God of Israel

 who rides the heavens to your help,

and through the skies in His majesty.

The eternal God is a dwelling place, 

and underneath are the everlasting arms . . ."

Deuteronomy 33:26-27

 "'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'

And when they got in the boat the wind stopped."

Matthew 14:31b-32

Life can be hard.  Sometimes it even gets darker before the light comes, but whatever it is, however big it is, however impossible it looks to you, He can handle it.  And He'll take hold of you, too.

Tell Me Again

There are days when I desperately need to be reassured of the Lord's love and care for me.  I think David must have had the same need, because I found a verse (Psalm 35:3) where he pleads with God, "Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'"  I am relieved to know it's okay to ask Him to tell me again. . . and again.

It was that verse, along with some others that reassure me of His love, that inspired the song lyrics below.

Though the music is recorded on my piano; I just haven't had time to record the words with it yet so I can share it.  But maybe you'd like to ponder already the words and the verses that inspired them.

May your soul, too, be made steadfast in His love.

Verse 1

Say it again to my soul,

“I am your salvation!”                Psalm 35:3

My only hope is in You, alone;   Psalm 62:1,2,5-8; Psalm 71:5

O LORD, be my helper.              Psalm 30:10

Chorus

Who is God, but the LORD?

Who is a Rock, except our God?           Psalm 18:31

You are God; there’s no one like you.   Jeremiah 10:6; Ps. 86:8

There is no rock like our God!               Isaiah 44:6-8

He rides the heavens to my rescue,

Through the skies in His majesty.         Deut. 33:26

Eternal Father, You’re my refuge,

And underneath are Your everlasting arms!  Deut. 33:27

              

Verse 2

Say it again to my soul,

“Cast your every care on Me.”        Psalm 55:22; I Peter 5:7

You’re never weak, never weary;    Isaiah 40:28

And I know you care for me.          I Peter 5:7

Chorus

Who is God, but the LORD?

Who is a Rock, except our God?           Psalm 18:31

You are God; there’s no one like you.   Jeremiah 10:6; Ps. 86:8

There is no rock like our God!               Isaiah 44:6-8

He rides the heavens to my rescue,

Through the skies in His majesty.         Deut. 33:26

Eternal Father, You’re my refuge,

And underneath are Your everlasting arms!  Deut. 33:27

              

Bridge
He bowed the heavens and came down;

Sped upon the wings of the wind…

He rescued me because He delighted in me!  Psalm 18:9,10,19

Copyright Carol Carpenter

              

Me Memorize Scripture? Yeah, Right.

" . . . I labor,

striving according to His power [italics mine],

which mightily works within me."

Colossians 1:29

Recently, I was inspired by a young woman we know who has memorized large chunks of Scripture.  Since the days of my more youthful brain are gone, I just assumed that I wouldn’t be able to memorize very much and that it certainly wouldn’t be easy at any rate.  That might have turned out to be true if my human ability were actually the determining factor in the case, but thankfully, it's not.

He always supplies the power to accomplish His priorities.  And I John 5:14-15 tells us that, when we pray according to His will, He hears and we have the requests that we asked of Him.  

So honestly, since when do our deficiencies inhibit His might? Aren’t we the ones who limit ourselves, while He has power of the same magnitude He used to raise Christ from the dead? Paul prayed that the eyes of his Ephesian friends' hearts would be enlightened so they would know "what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe"  (See Ephesians 1:18-21)   I think we are in need of the same enlightening.

" . . . not that we are adequate in ourselves

to consider anything as coming from ourselves,

but our adequacy is from God. . ." 

II Corinthians 3:5

So He helped me memorize the book of Colossians, and I originally wasn't going to tell anyone besides my family because I was afraid someone would think I was calling attention to myself.  But then I realized that, had I not known about our friend memorizing lots of Scripture, I might not have been inspired to trust God to enable me to do it.  It’s really all about Him anyway.  He says we should hide His word in our hearts and meditate on His word; He hears and answers requests in line with His will; He promises His power for His priorities.  

It is with the hope that you, too, might be inspired to trust Him that I risk telling you what He did for me.  He is more than able to help you, too.

P.S.  It does help to set a deadline and have someone to be accountable to.  Who will you ask?

Give Us This Day . . . Sweet Sourdough Lessons

I know I told some of you that I wouldn't tell you what I ate for dinner, so I won't.  But I am going to risk telling you, just this once, what I had for breakfast.

I've been making bread in a bread machine with commercial yeast for nearly twenty years.  It's a pretty foolproof process.  If you measure right, it always works, and in 190 minutes you can have fresh bread.  Once in while, we supplement with purchased bread. We've never been in want for bread; there's always been an abundance.

So whenever I read the example prayer that Jesus gave to us,

". . . Give us this day our daily bread. . . ,"

I always was thankful for our abundance of bread, but I don't think I ever understood the kind of dependence He meant for us to have.

. . . That is until sourdough.  Two years ago, a friend of ours who grew up in France explained how to make sourdough bread.  He even gave me some starter, so I could start right away.  It, too, seemed a fairly foolproof process, though a little more time intensive.  It was wonderful, and my family soon preferred it to our other home-made bread.

Unfortunately, and, viewed in retrospect, probably Providentially, my starter went bad and I had to start over.  I didn't want to impose on our friend for more starter; so I determined to start my own.

And I began to understand what it could mean to depend on the LORD for bread.

To start a sourdough starter, you mix equal amounts of water and flour and wait.  The next day, you discard half, add back more flour and water, and wait again.  And so it goes on for days and days.  There are a few other technical details, but that's essentially it.  How the culture actually grows is totally out of my control.

It's not a quick process, nor is the outcome guaranteed.  A lot depends on weather, specifically temperature.  The first organisms to grow in the culture are nasty; but their growth provides the pH the desired "natural" yeast organisms need.  A couple times, my culture got moldy before the right organisms were growing in it.  So again I had to start over.  And wait again.

And in the waiting process, I found myself praying for daily bread like never before.  When it was easy to buy or make bread, and when there was always an abundance, yes, I was thankful, but I overlooked the reality of my complete dependence on Him as Supplier.  It wasn't until I had no bread and was waiting on Him to make the sourdough process work that the Lord opened my eyes to more fully appreciate how helpless I am on my own for even the simplest of things.  I suspect that the one who waits for rain to grow the grain to grind for flour to start the sourdough leavening culture understands it even more fully.

I'm ashamed that I've taken so much for granted, carrying on as though my expertise accomplishes things.  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for including the call to acknowlege our utter dependence on Your precious Father and mine.

Yes, I had sourdough toast with an egg for breakfast.  And each morning that I am granted the privilege of enjoying sourdough, I am reminded that I depend on Him to give my daily bread—and so much more.