Category Archives: God’s sovereignty
Jephthah’s Story (Judges 10-12)
We continue our study in Judges with the story of Jephthah, a fella with a rough background, a dysfunctional family and the humility to overcome it all.
Humility to overcome trials? Yup.
Usually we think of strength and tenacity when we talk of victors, but not this time. A major point in Jephthah’s story is how he overcame by obedience to God. He didn’t use privilege, excuses, power or force. God used Jephthah because of his humble availability and faithful submission. Jephthah serves as an example of fully trusting God’s sovereignty despite our circumstances, our fears or even our hopes for the future.
Before I get into details and applications, I encourage you to read the entire text of this week’s focus: Judges 10-12. We can talk all we want, but we must start at the Source.
Here we go again.
- Judges 10:10—16
God is awesome. That fact simply cannot be missed in this section of Scripture.
He appears here as the merciful, gracious, long-suffering Father. He has already rescued the Israelites again and again. I’m not talking about Egypt, Moses, the Red Sea or even wandering in the desert or conquering Jericho. He has rescued them dozens of times just here in the book of Judges! God’s faithfulness is matched in consistency only by human forgetfulness. In this passage, the Israelites cry out to Him again.
I must admit, I like seeing God close to the end of His patience here. As a parent, I struggle to be long-suffering with my kids, and, frankly, while reading the book of Judges (after reading the years of complaining in Joshua and before), I’ve grown short on patience with the Israelites, too.
On the other hand, I am exceedingly grateful that our God offers second chances. And third chances. And one-hundred-ninety-seventh chances. How amazing is that??
His grace extends to those who are forgetful and to those who are faithful. Like Jephthah.
Jephthah
- Judges 11-12
- Hebrews 11:32
The son of a prostitute disowned by his half-brothers, Jephthah came from a dysfunctional family. He likely had a rough childhood that led to a difficult adulthood. But he didn’t use those as fodder for a victim mentality. Instead he stood up as a man of faith, one willing to serve God even for the benefit of those who had betrayed and abandoned him. It reminds me of Joseph back in Genesis.
Before rising up to save those family members who had harmed him, Jephthah made a vow to God. Most people in this situation would like make a vow that if God helped them win, they would lord it over all those annoying brothers and their families for all time. Not this guy. He vowed that the first thing to come out of his house upon a victorious return would be given to God. So instead of securing his own glory and future, Jephthah promised to greater glory to God. Unfortunately for Jephthah (and his family), the first thing to greet him was his only child, his unmarried daughter.
Now it may have been a foolish vow, but he made it anyway. More importantly, after conquering the Ammonites, Jephthah chose to keep that vow, even at great personal sacrifice. He could have backed out or tried to manipulate God (as if that were possible) with some excuse of “But I didn’t know!” Rather than seeking a loophole, Jephthah kept his word. He was a man of honor, one who trusted that God completely.
- What in my background or my present do I use as an excuse for not fully following God?
God is our merciful Father, but He is also the Great Reverser of fortunes. When Jephthah kept his vow, he surrendered his future. His security. By all human expectations, that should have been the end for him. He should have been forgotten upon his death. But a thousand years after his death, he was still remembered. Not just remembered, but listed in the great Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11.
“For this is what the Lord says: ‘For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths and choose what pleases me and are faithful to my covenant, I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument that will be better than sons and daughters. I will set up a permanent monument for them that will remain.”
– Isaiah 56:4–5
Through those who are faithful, God can build an everlasting legacy greater than anything accomplished through mere human efforts. He’s not limited to human understanding or means.
So Jephthah never had sons. He had a God greater than sons and his faithfulness to this God secured his future. An everlasting future.
- What great reversals have you witnessed?
I shouldn’t blog today.
Let’s see … considering my absolute lack of sleep last night, my wacky hormones this week and the snarky attitude that seems to have attacked me this morning, all of which have left me with barely a thread of emotional stability, I should probably just stay clear of living beings today. Even those who only know me through this blog.
The world would probably be safer that way.
However, after my last post, I fear some of you may be waiting for an update. Here it is: we’ve got at least two more weeks of the cast.
We had everything all set for the cast to come off yesterday. We had plans for what to do after and how to celebrate. It was a big day, and everyone was excited. Read the rest of this entry
The Newest Dennis Adventure
Not all of you are on facebook, so you may be a bit in the dark about this week’s happenings around here. It’s been rather exciting in a totally “this-is-not-what-we-would-have-planned-but-God-is-still-good-and-in-charge” kind of way.
Here’s the story.
We went to Pennsylvania on Sunday to visit family. After dinner Rick and his mom took the kids to a super cool wooden playground. It was there that Zach, while running and chasing and having a wonderful time, somehow got his foot caught and flipped so that, when Rick turned toward the screaming, Z was suspended upside down over monkey bars with his leg still caught in the platform above. Read the rest of this entry
Battling Agendas: Opportunity or Distraction?
John Piper said:
“The world sets the agenda for the professional man; God sets the agenda of the spiritual man.”
I’ve been thinking on this much lately. “Lately” meaning for over a year.
One of my goals – Have you noticed that people only talk about resolutions in January? I like the term “goals” better. Resolutions provide too much guilt when you miss the mark, but goals seem to encourage lasting growth. Or maybe my choice of semantics simply reflects (and justifies) anticipated failure. Oh, that could be a whole blog post of pontifications, don’t you think?
Aside from attempting to stop interrupting myself with random tangents and other frequent exhibitions of ADD tendencies, one of my goals for 2011 is to be more intentional. (How’s that for a perfectly vague aspiration?) To be more specific, one aspect of this is to focus more on my writing by pursuing additional avenues of publication.
As a side note (Doesn’t “side note” sound better than “tangent?” It’s almost intentional, right?) — As a side note, whenever I set this goal, my blogging frequency drops off. I started blogging as an intentional practice for my writing, but four-plus years later, the practice has morphed into a form of procrastination. The two, while intended to be cooperative, seem to possess an inverse relationship. The more I blog, the less I write. The more I write, the less I blog.
But my goal extends beyond the realm of writing. I want to be intentional with my projects, yet, but also with my time, my energy, what I teach my kids and how I interact with others. Basically, I want to think more about what I’m doing and why. I want to be focused. The problem is that I’m not sure precisely where that focus needs to be.
Too often I fall into the easy rut of seeking a lifelong mission, a purpose toward which all my daily dealings point. However, (and I’ve blogged about this before) I believe the Christian life is more about daily living and less about grandiose plans. I believe knowing God is the objective of life and the daily doings are the means by which we achieve that objective. I believe those daily doings can add up to a grandiose plan, but I believe the orchestration of that plan is God’s responsibility, not ours. Our responsibilities lie solely on the small, seemingly mundane, one-day-at-a-time acts of obedience.
I fear that when I seek to fulfill the grandiose plan on my own, I lose all proper focus. Roles are transposed. Instead of feeding God’s glory and accepting His sovereign role in the universe, I feed my personal pride and inflated sense of worth. I take matters into my own hands rather than trusting Him fully. When striving to produce my “big picture,” I too often follow the world’s agenda.
As should be expected, the more I seek focus, the more distractions come my way. Orders are stacking high for my book purse business, I’ve received surprising opportunities to write and have even gained new editing projects. Are these distractions or opportunities? Is it God’s divine direction or is it the world trying to keep me from following His agenda?
Here are a few tips toward knowing the difference. If you face similar uncertainties, ask yourself these questions.
Does it glorify God? This is the most important question. If it dishonors Him, if it goes against Scripture, you need to stop immediately and run in the opposite direction. Remember Joseph’s famous flee? Do likewise!
On the flip-side, this doesn’t mean that every hobby, every word, every action must blatantly point to God, but rather that whatever you do, you do it with an attitude that honors Him. See 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Does it utilize your gifts? God has given us all talents and gifts, both spiritual and physical. We need to use them! I’m not a fan of tests and classifications of gifts. I feel those lead to over-analysis. God is passionate and natural, and He made us in His image. I firmly believe that God not only gives us gifts, but He also gives us a passion to use those gifts. Is there something you really love to do? Something that comes naturally to you? Chances are your gift lies somewhere near that.
Does it show love to others? The entire Bible is saturated with the importance of love. We must love God first and love our neighbors second. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that no matter how great our gifts may be, if we do not possess love, our gifts are useless. Not just useless, but annoying.
Does it pull you away from previous commitments? Remember the guy who started building a tower and then ran out of money? (Luke 14) Everyone laughed at him, called him a fool. You know what else? I bet no one ever hired him to build another tower. God is eternally faithful, dependable. If we aspire to be like Him, we must try our best to reflect those characteristics. If you said you’re going to do something, do it. Complete the job before moving on to something new.
Your turn! How do you decide if something is an opportunity or a distraction?
Training for Something
I’m having another one of those theme weeks. Or maybe it’s a theme month. Let’s be real — God has been trying to teach me this lesson for at least ten years. The problem is I still can’t succinctly define that lesson.
It’s something saturated with the need to love God fully, with my whole heart, mind, soul, energy, resources … everything. I have to do this while recognizing that my everything has absolutely nothing to do with me. I must absorb His unlimited, unconditional love for me along with His infinite wisdom and strength. The lesson also ties in His sovereignty and His desire to use me in His plans — not because I’m worthy or even capable (because I’m not), but because He wants to reveal Himself through my inadequacies and to grow me into the person He created me to be.
This morning I lay in bed, my mind buzzing in a thousand different directions. My husband, being the wonder that he is, could sense my unrest. We talked about my current inner struggles (that are now exhibiting outer stress) until I burst into tears. I complained about how hard this is and how difficult this uphill battle will be (if I choose to accept it). Rick reminded me that I can’t do this by myself. My response: “Then God should have chosen someone stronger.”
My own pain-filled words continue echoing, pointing out my real conflict. It’s not about my circumstances or what I may or may not do to “fix” all this. It’s about my lack of faith. My lack of trust.
Do I trust God to know what He’s doing?
Do I trust that the Holy Spirit can guide me? Or do I really think I’m all alone in this? Why do I need other people to agree that God’s plan is, indeed, a good one?
Do I trust God can use me, of all people? If He can’t use me, then what does that say about His power and strength? Do I really believe my faults are too great for Him to overcome?
Do I trust that God really loves me? Truly and completely? Or am I still trying to earn His grace? Why am I so fearful of making a wrong choice, of saying the wrong thing, of causing irreparable harm to others and His plans?
Do I trust Him? Do I love Him? Truly?
If I don’t, then I’m basically saying He’s wrong. He lied. It’s really difficult to question one part without questioning it all, but God — trusting God — is an all or nothing deal. You either believe and accept it ALL … or nothing makes sense.
I believe God is who He says He is. Oh, I have questions and I have doubts about my role in all this, but if I believe He speaks truth, then I cannot doubt He loves me. He loves ME. His grace is sufficient. He wants to use me. Yes, even me. He wants to mold me and grow me. He has a plan for me. He loves me. He is bigger and stronger than all my worries and mistakes, past, present and future. He is good. He knows the future. He can overcome all my fears and insecurities. I am never alone.
Jeremiah 12 keeps returning to me lately. The prophet asked God why the wicked prosper and why the lazy receive wealth with ease. God didn’t really answer Jeremiah’s question.
At first this bothered me. I mean, this is the greatest question non-believers have with Christianity. “If God is love, then why do “good” people suffer?” It’s the question of the ages! Jeremiah was tight with God, so if anyone would get a direct answer, it should have been him – right? But Jeremiah received no flat-out this-is-why answer.
Seemingly changing the topic, God said this:
“If you have raced on foot against men and they have worn you out, how will you be able to compete with horses? And if you feel secure only in safe and open country, how will you manage in the thick undergrowth along the Jordan River?”
We are in training for something. Just because we can’t see the finish line or even the purpose of the race doesn’t mean we should stop running.
So, tell me, are you training with horses or with men? Better yet: in your training, are you trusting God for your strength or trying to survive a marathon on your own?
Read with Me Girls: Are you still reading? What is God teaching you?
My Tale of Real Estate: (Hopefully) Nearing a Conclusion
Now sit right back and you’ll read a tale,
A tale of real estate.
I’ve never seen Gilligan’s Island,
but think the theme song’s great!
Okay, now that THAT tune is firmly planted in your subconscious, I will confess the truth. Much to the dismay of my uber-fan brother-in-law, I’ve never seen a complete episode of Gilligan’s Island. I did, however, play Mary Ann as a camp counselor. You know those fun little start-of-the-day skits the counselors do to embarrass themselves entertain and teach the kids? Yup. I can’t remember if Gilligan’s Island was the theme for that week or what. Regardless, I was an adorable Mary Ann while my then-boyfriend played the gorilla. It was fun. I wish I had pictures of that …
Has anyone noticed my ADD this morning? I think it’s in high gear. What is this post supposed to be about? Oh, right! An update on our house situation!
Let’s see … we started this in April – right? Our house was on the market for three weeks when we got an offer. After some negotiations, we came under contract. Just hours after that, our buyer left the country — for two weeks. Unfortunately, just days after she returned, her mother passed away. Then she became very ill. All this left us in a torturous state of uncertainty. Her home inspection was postponed three times. Every deadline was missed or moved. Inspection issues were excessive and argued to the point of absurdity. All the while, we were under contract for our new house in a precarious state of contingency. Our new mortgage was secured and daily moving toward its expiration, while our buyer had yet to start her mortgage process.
Each week that passed reminded us that we are in control of nothing. Fortunately, we know the ONE who is in control of everything! One moment everything was great, the next everything was falling apart. We went from having no sale to having a sale and a purchase and an unexpected tax refund to having two houses to having none. On more than one occasion my husband believed we would be homeless before the end of the summer. It seemed details consistently built up beautifully only to be knock-down seconds later.
Long story short, we had to surrender our new home and take a firm stand with our sale contract. (Read: an ultimatum.) We were fully prepared to re-list our house and find a rental, if necessary. Convinced of God and His power, we found peace and a rather bizarre state of fearlessness. That’s when everything fell into place. The owners gave us an extension on our contingency. The buyer moved into action. Even the mortgage companies came together. Our inspections (yes, plural — I think we’ve had a total of six on our sale and one on our purchase.) passed as well.
So where are we now? Philadelphia. 
Well, not exactly, but kind of. The dates work out so that we actually are homeless for a while, but that’s okay. We’re staying with family and counting the days. Eleven. In eleven days we should have the keys to our new home. In eleven days we should be done with all this hub-bub. In eleven days I can breathe a sigh of relief as I acknowledge none of this has been in vain.
But I’ll not wait eleven days to praise God. He has been — as He always is — immeasurably faithful through this whole process. He has brought us to deeper understandings of His Scriptures, to a closer relationship with Him and each other, to a closer walk with Him. He has orchestrated details and made Himself seen by those who do not yet believe in Him. Our agents, even our attorney, said they’ve never dealt with such a crazy case of real estate. Now they have seen that chaos evolve into order, all while hearing us proclaim His sovereignty and rest in His grace.
God is so good. In the face of all we’ve endured, the heartaches, the uncertainty, the disappointments and the triumphs, I will CHOOSE to say “Blessed be the name of the Lord!”
That’s my tale.
Random things Mama loves
Mama loves that I haven’t felt a bit guilty for not blogging this week. I haven’t felt the need to explain or offer excuses. I’ve been perfectly at peace in my silence.
Mama loves Zach’s imagination! He recently proclaimed a house fly as his new best friend. He named him “Chung” and cried hysterically when I set Chung free out an open door. Later he explained that Chung would be back. He was on his way to Africa and would soon return with lots of pictures.
Zach has also been very vocal about his “big brain.” If ever I ask “How did you know that?”, the answer is always the same: “My big brain told me so.” Today he said that he didn’t remember a particular thing because his “big brain flipped over dinners” and made him forget. I’m not sure what that means, but I love it.
Mama loves summer! Yes, we have a lot going on, but there is something absolutely delightful about sunshine and sweet breezes and days free of regular routines.
Mama loves that no matter what happens, God is in control and we can rest contentedly in His mighty embrace. I really wish I had an update for y’all about the house. I want to show you pictures and celebrate, but it still feels premature. This whole process has been a tremendous roller coaster, and we’re not unbuckled yet. I wish we were! But we’re not. And that is perfectly fine because we KNOW who is ultimately in charge.
Rick and I have been talking about Zach lately, and the truths he represents to us. Now, I’m going to be totally honest here, so don’t judge me. We didn’t want him. When we found out I was pregnant — again — we both kinda freaked out. Ellie was only 8 months old; we were still figuring out this whole parenting thing. It had taken us four years and a butt-load of tests and procedures to get Ellie, so Zach coming — while we were actively trying NOT to get pregnant — was a shock, to say the least. And neither of us was happy about it. It took us time to adjust to God’s plan. We are SO THANKFUL that He didn’t listen to us!! I look at that gorgeous son of mine and am overwhelmed. I can’t imagine my life without him! He is absolutely precious … a miracle … and I love him to pieces.
So, who am I? Who am I to know what my life should contain? Whatever God wants me to have — or not have — I’m there. Bring it on! Because I know from the depths of my toes that God’s will and timing are perfect. They’re PERFECT! I love it.
Your turn! What are you loving today?
Gladitudes
My plan was to tell you I haven’t anything to blog about. We have a LOT going on — house stuff, ministry stuff, family stuff and just other STUFF — and while the process of blogging is beautifully cathartic, I can’t allow some of those icky inner thoughts to be published so publicly. Suffice it to say my plate is full, my emotions are taxed, my body is weary and my faith … oh, my faith is being stretched. I would love to share all of this with you, but wisdom censors me.
Then I read Gretchen’s post. Sure, I’ve got a lot of stuff to distract me from God’s goodness, but I will choose today to focus on Him and all the blessings that too easily become overshadowed.
- We still have a beautiful home. Even if everything falls through with the house really, really want, we’re still in a pretty good spot right here. Is it what I would choose? No. But it is enough and I am grateful for it.
- It has been gorgeous here lately! Granted: today is crazy hot for May in Jersey and Ellie has already outgrown her new swimsuit for the year, but I am grateful. My kids are healthy and growing and we’ve a wonderful backyard to enjoy!
- Speaking of swimsuits and days in the backyard, I am very thankful that our children inherited my German skin that tans and not Rick’s Irish skin that burns. (Don’t worry, Mom. They’re still covered in SPF 50!)
- Rick and I are reading Scripture together. There was a time in our lives when we read books together and did daily devotions together, but then we had kids and jobs and a mortgage and a yard and ministry responsibilities, and somewhere in all this we came to value sleep over a shared spiritual journey. Don’t get me wrong; we’ve always shared bits here and there, but consistency somehow fell by the wayside. Thanks to the insane stress of real estate, the Read with Me challenge (Thank you, Kellie, for making me do this!), and all our current life decisions, we’ve gotten back into a regular thing. I love it! We don’t read together every day, but we talk about what we’re reading. Praying together doesn’t feel forced or obligatory any more. It’s become much more natural … like it used to be.
- School is almost out!!! I love school and I love having my kids there, but I am so ready for a break from the routine. I’m ready to be done with extra activities. I’m ready to be done watching other peoples’ kids ransack the playground. I’m ready to be done writing class letters and coordinating activities and feeling so responsible if any of the kindergarten parents feel “out of the loop.” I’m ready for summer and THANK GOD it’s almost here.
- I’m grateful for friends who love me no matter what, for friends who have been where I am before and who gently offer their pearls of wisdom. I am grateful that one day I’ll be able to do the same for someone else.
- I got two new editing clients this week! I know, I know … my plate is already full. But I love editing and even though I call it “work” it often feels more like “me time” than an actual job. Right now my “job” seems to be packing and living in a house with 70% of my things in boxes.
- I’m thankful we’ve been able to pack 70% of our things (give or take) with relatively little effort or chaos. I’m also thankful that we’ve clearly labeled every box so that we can unpack them with ease — even if the unpacking happens in this very house.
- Most of all, I am indescribably grateful the GOD IS IN CONTROL. I haven’t a clue what’s going on most of the time, but He knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen. He knows where my heart is and He loves me. Of this I have no doubt. And in this I place all my trust.
What are you thankful for today?
Being Made Holy (Read with Me)
“I am the LORD, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”
– Leviticus 22:32b-33 (NIV)
I read these words last week, but they still reverberate in my mind. A single day hasn’t passed without their insistent echo.
Lately I’ve felt a lot of pressure to make right decisions and present the perfect facade. Sometimes Christianity lends itself more toward pretension than authenticity. It’s not that we don’t want to be real; it’s that when we are, everyone seems to feel they need to “fix” us or show us the “right” path. In an effort to avoid hearing what we already know, too many of us pretend everything is fine.
You don’t have to be a Christian for long to know all the answers. Applying those answers (not just playing the part) is a completely different story.
I know I need to trust God in everything. That doesn’t make it easy.
I know He loves me unconditionally, no matter what I do or say or think. But I don’t always feel loved.
I know He’s in control and all will work according to His plan and in His timing. So why do I doubt?
I know the more time I spend with Him, the better I’ll know Him and the easier it should be to apply these truths. If only this knowledge could clear my schedule or strengthen my desire for solitary devotion.
I am what I am and I feel what I feel. And that’s okay because God knows me better than I know myself and it is HE who is bringing me to completion. It’s not my job to become perfect or holy; it’s His job to make me that way. I am humbled and honored. I would love to be able to do it myself, but I can’t. Just as I could not pull myself out of Egypt — the sin that ensnared me and made me a slave — I cannot make myself holy. PRAISE BE TO GOD who does all this for me! He has saved me from myself. He has saved me from my past. He has given me a new life and — here’s the best part — He’s not done with me yet. He is the LORD. He is my LORD.
I would love to hear what God has been teaching you. What has He revealed to you this week? How has He made Himself known?
If you’ve blogged about our Read with Me journey (today or anytime this month), link up. We’re in this together – right?
I’ll not post specifically where I am in our schedule. Just know I am still behind (quite a lot) in some books, but on schedule in others. Moving forward is more important that how quickly.
