I Believe God

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Isaiah 43:10-12

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.

I have revealed and saved and proclaimed - I, and not some foreign god among you.

You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God."

Belief.  Faith.  Little words that can be big obstacles when someone is considering the existence of God and His work in our lives.  The enemy so often sows seeds of doubt in our minds, but God's Word calls us to consider His past faithfulness, so that we might believe.

In John 14:1, Jesus comforts His disciples by saying, "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me."

A friend recommended the devotional book Streams in the Desert - a book that offers daily wisdom and encouragement through scripture - so I ordered it recently.  It arrived the day I began writing this devotional and, before I opened it, I thought to myself, "How cool would it be if today's lesson was about 'belief'?"  So I opened to that day's lesson and found this:

"I have prayed for you...that your faith may not fail." Luke 22:32

Dear Christian, remember to take good care of your faith, for faith is the only way to obtain God's blessings.  Prayer alone cannot bring answers down from His throne, because it is the earnest prayer of one who believes that leads to answers.  Faith is the communication link between heaven and earth.  It is on this link of faith that God's messages of love travel so quickly that even before we ask, He answers.  And while we are still speaking, "he hears us" (John 5:14). 

What a special gift God gave to me to help strengthen MY belief.  And with that belief comes assurance, peace, and power in prayer.

Erik's great Auntie Grace went to heaven earlier this year at the age of 99.  Her funeral celebrated her belief in God and His work in her life.  She was born and spent most of her life on Vashon Island in Washington State.  While she was hospitalized in Seattle in the week before her passing, she told Erik's mom, "I want to go home."  Erik's mom responded, "Do you mean home to Heaven, or to your house on Vashon?"  She simply replied, "Either one."

As evidenced by those two words, her belief in her Savior gave her joy in her living and peace in her passing.


Consider all that God has done in your life.  All that he can do, has done, and will do.  And with that assurance, let your life tell the world - "I Believe God."


Cowman, L.B. Streams in the Desert. Edited by Jim Reimann. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan (1997).

I Bless Your Name

Acts 16:23-25 

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

 Flogging. Imprisonment. Darkness. Feet in stocks. And…singing? Paul and Silas did not know the rest of the story. They had no idea that an earthquake would loosen the chains and burst open the doors. They had no idea that the jailer and his family would enter God’s family as a result of their testimony. They had no idea that they would eventually walk out of that prison to continue the work to which God had called them. And yet they prayed and sang in that inner prison cell, giving glory to their Lord and Savior.

On January 12, 2010, a powerful earthquake hit the country of Haiti. Trapped under the rubble of the Hotel Montana was a man named Dan Woolley. A graduate of Azusa Pacific, he was visiting Haiti on an assignment to gather stories about Compassion International’s work with poverty-stricken mothers and babies. Immediately following the earthquake, Dan was confined to the “inner cell” of an elevator for 65 hours before his miraculous rescue. He writes about his experience over these 2 and a half days in his book Unshaken and on his personal blog.

Somewhere between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, my first night after the earthquake, I was trying to calm my spirit and align my heart with God’s heart. I knew worship would help, but I was having trouble getting my mind there, so I indulged in an hour of iPhone battery power and listened to worship songs, there in my broken elevator.

The chorus of the song “My Savior, My God” was encouraging to Dan that night. He writes:

Then the chorus is one of my favorite sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs-in-the-car choruses

“My savior loves, my savior lives, my savior’s always there for me…My God He was, my God He is, my God is always gonna be…”

Can you imagine how encouraging those words were to me in my situation? I literally had to force myself to hold back my voice, because I was afraid i’d spook the others trapped with me (just picture me absolutely rocking out at the top of my lungs at the bottom of six stories of rubble–they’d think I lost it!). *

After reading this story, I wondered if Dan eventually found himself singing those praise songs in that dark inner cell of the broken elevator. So I was able to reach him by phone and I asked! He said that yes, singing hymns and songs of praise really ministered to him during that time. 

Imprisoned under six stories of rubble, trapped in the darkness, injured and in pain. And giving praise and glory to his Savior, not knowing that he would eventually be pulled from the ruins of the Hotel Montana.


Bill and Julie Davis, a young couple who used to attend PFB but are now living in the San Diego area, are currently walking through a time of unknowns - waiting and praising in that "inner cell." On November 26, Bill was mountain biking with friends from church when he hit a rock, flipped his bike, and landed on his head and back. He immediately couldn’t feel his legs. In surgery, it was discovered that there was damage to his spine, with an unknown prognosis for future mobility. Now, 2 months later, he is in intensive therapy in an attempt to regain muscle strength and control in his legs. Three days after his accident, his wife (Julie) wrote this: 

Bill is giving God glory in the midst of this horrible accident and choosing to Praise God when He gives and takes away…

About two weeks after that, while Bill was still intubated in the hospital, she wrote:

The amazing thing is Bill is very much awake and communicating via a sheet that has the alphabet on it. He just spells out the words with his thumb. It is good because it makes him focus. He keeps hugging everyone who comes in his room and he had me and Julia tell them that the hug was from Jesus because He loves them. He also had us play some worship music and he was lifting his hands and praising the Lord. Such an amazing man he is. I am so blessed by him. He is at total peace about the tubes because as he typed out… "it is God’s will." **

Imprisoned by tubes and paralysis, facing daily pain and the darkness of an unknown future. And giving glory to God.

Wow. Only a God who consumes our very being, who changes us from the inside out could bring beautiful music from a dark place. Only a God who has the power to move mountains could stir our souls to sing in spite of the chains of physical and emotional pain.

Psalm 47:6-7

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. 

For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.

Nehemiah 9:5 

…Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. 

Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.

Click here to see a video of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing I Bless Your Name.

* Excerpt from Dan's blog found here.

** Excerpt from Bill's blog found here.

Blessed Jesus

 Glorious, marvelous, grace that rescued me;

Holy, worthy, is the lamb who died for me!

What comes to mind when you think of great rescue stories? 

Maybe you think of the Chilean miners who miraculously survived their entrapment a mile underground for two months.

Or the astronauts on Apollo 13 who put their lives in the hands of their Houston-based team to bring them safely home from the void of outer space. 

How about the miracle on the Hudson River when, after the skillful landing of that engine-less airplane, every passenger and crew member was shuttled to safety away from the frigid water and sinking plane.

One rescue story that captured the hearts of Americans 25 years ago was the story of Jessica McClure - "Baby Jessica" - an 18 month toddler (the same age as my Levi) who was one moment playing with other children in the backyard, and the next moment tumbling deep into an unused well.  Trapped in the dirt and darkness for 2 ½ days, she was finally reached and pulled to safety by a team of dedicated rescuers.  Across the country Americans rejoiced at the news that she was safe.

Dirt, darkness, separation from her mother and father, fear, pain.  And Baby Jessica’s fall could have ended in death if it hadn’t been for those who bravely dug, drilled, and crawled until her rescuer’s hand finally grabbed that little pant leg and slowly pulled her inch-by inch back into the embrace of her loving family. 

This heroic story is a reminder of the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known.  Psalm 34:22 says “The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”  This promise was fulfilled when Christ left the glory of Heaven to enter our dark, dirty, pain-filled world to reach out, grab us by the pant leg, and pull us back into the safe embrace of our Father.  And all of Heaven rejoiced!

Blessed Jesus – our Rescuer, our Redeemer, our Savior.

Colossians 1:13-14 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Psalm 103:2-4 “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”

Unlike Baby Jessica, whose fall was accidental, we have placed ourselves in that pit.  But despite our rebellion, despite our sin, God still pursues our hearts to redeem what was lost. 

Romans 7:24-25 “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

I Will Exalt You

Psalm 145

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. 11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. 14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. 

Exalt is defined as: “to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate; to lift up; to praise; extol.” 

January always gets me thinking about priorities. With the changing of a calendar comes an urgency to make this year better than the last. Faced with the reality that another year is behind me, I want to make the most of the time God has given to me. So I start thinking about priorities. 

Family is more important than work. How do I make sure that my family feels valued amidst a busy work week? Relationships are more important than pastimes. I’m I spending more time pursuing a hobby than pursuing a friend in need? Do I truly exalt what I value the most? 

Above all, the most exalted should be my relationship with God. His creative work, as seen in the world and people around me, should be the first thought as I rise and the last thought as I lie down. 

Psalm 19: 1-2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 

Surrounded by his majestic creation, how can I go through my day without exalting Him to His proper place in my life? And yet distractions push their way in, and schedules get tight, and before I know it, I’ve replaced my time with the Lord with my to-do list. In my hurry through the day, I’ve completely missed opportunities to see His beauty and allow His guiding hand to bring joy and peace into my life.

Priorities. Now, I’m sure everyone has already made their New Year’s Resolutions (and some of us have already broken them!), but what if the ONLY thing we resolved to do this year was to exalt our mighty creator God above everything else in our lives. Above our to-do lists. Above our pastimes. Above SLEEP.

Psalm 99:5

Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. 

May this be our New Year’s Resolution, this year and EVERY year for the rest of our lives.

Psalm 34:3

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. 

I Have Seen the Light

Light. 

The Bible is filled with references to light, from its creation in Genesis 1:3 

And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light 

to our eternal destiny in Revelation 22:5 

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. 

Nothing so pierces the darkness as the tiniest glimmer of light. Darkness causes fear and stumbling, while light suddenly makes our way clear. Have you ever tried to make your way through a lightless campground without a flashlight, or found yourself suddenly in a dark house during a power outage? There’s a moment of panic – the lack of boundaries, the fear of the unknown. The moment you light that candle or flip the switch on the flashlight you feel a physical sense of relief, a comforting awareness of objects around you, the confidence of where to place your next step.

Into a dark, dark world, Jesus was sent to illuminate our hearts and bring an everlasting light.

Matthew 4:16, which echoes the words of Isaiah 9:2 says, ”the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

The following verses speak of Jesus as the true Light:

John 1:4-5

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

John 8:12

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. 

John 12:46

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 

Just as the bright star in the sky led the Magi to seek and worship, so His light today draws us into his Holy presence.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 

Many of our Christmas traditions revolve around lights – a twinkling Christmas tree, bright light displays on houses, and my favorite – Christmas-y scented candles around the house and in the windows. Each of these traditions help us to remember the One who was sent to bring true Light into the world. As we enjoy every glowing light this Christmas season, let us pause to thank Him for bringing the light of salvation into this world. And may our lives be a reflection of the light that is within.

Ephesians 5:8

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.

Let All Things Give Thanks

Psalm 69:30

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 

Our song this week gives praise to our Creator God – our protector, our Savior, our Almighty King. Just the being of God and His relationship with us gives us a lifetime of thanksgiving. This is the easy part.

It’s much harder to remember to give thanks for the little stuff, the day-to-day life stuff, the hard-to-see-God-in-it stuff.

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

Wait…but if you’re praying for something, what is there to be thankful about?

You may have heard the story of Corrie Ten Boom.  During the holocaust, she was the only member of her Dutch family who survived the Ravensbruck concentration camp after being arrested for hiding Jews in a secret room in their house.  The lessons that she learned and wrote in her book The Hiding Place are always good to hear again.

     "That's it, Corrie! That's His answer. 'Give thanks in all circumstances!' That's what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!"

     I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.
     "Such as?" I said.
     "Such as being assigned here together."
     I bit my lip.  "Oh yes, Lord Jesus!"
     "Such as what you're holding in your hands."
     I looked down at the Bible.  "Yes!  Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here!  Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages."
     "Yes," said Betsie.  "Thank You for the very crowding here.  Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!"  She looked at me expectantly.  "Corrie!" she prodded.
     "Oh, all right.  Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds."
     "Thank You," Betsie went on serenely, "for the fleas and for -----"
     The fleas!  This was too much.  "Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."
     "Give thanks in all circumstances," she quoted.  "It doesn't say in pleasant circumstances.'  Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."
     And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas.  But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

Later in the story, Betsie comes to this realization and shares it with her sister:

     "You know we've never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room," she said.  "Well---I've found out."
     That afternoon, she said, there'd been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they'd asked the supervisor to come and settle it.
     "But she wouldn't.  She wouldn't step through the door and neither would the guards.  And you know why?"
     Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: "Because of the fleas!  That's what she said, 'That place is crawling with fleas!"
     My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place.  I remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for. *


What are the fleas in your life and are you thankful for them? Does your life reflect a habit of thanksgiving - pausing often to say thank you for the big things, the little things, and even for the hard things?

This month, I followed the example of some of my friends on Facebook and committed to give thanks for something every day during the month of November and then share it. What a difference it has made in my perspective! It’s hard to dwell on the stress of the day when you’re considering something to be thankful for.

This attitude of thanksgiving is truly blessed by the Lord. He delights in the praise and thanksgiving of His people.

Jeremiah 30:19

From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.

*Excerpt from The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill.  Published in 1971 by Spire Books, Old Tappan, New Jersey.

Lord, Have Mercy

Psalm 86:5-7 (NIV)

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, 

abounding in love to all who call to you. 

Hear my prayer, LORD; 

listen to my cry for mercy. 

When I am in distress, I call to you, 

because you answer me. 

Kyrie eleison – Lord, have mercy
Christe eleison – Christ, have mercy

These two phrases have been an important part of liturgical church services for hundreds of years. They represent an acknowledgement of our sinful state and a humble request for forgiveness.

The origin of these words comes from Luke 18:9-14 – The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

 
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 

Gulp.

How often do I compare myself to others and think, “I’m not THAT bad.” How quick I am to compare, to criticize, to judge others…and for what? To put myself in a higher position before God? Absolutely NOT. In fact, the pride that brings me to that point of judgment is one I need to humbly confess before the Lord.

In my Bible study this week, we learned about the legalism that threatened to divide the early church. My teaching leader posed this question: “Is my spirituality focused on myself and others (keeping a scorecard of rights and wrongs) or on Christ and being a grace-giver?

Do I lift myself up like the Pharisee or do I allow God to lift up my head as I bow before Him in humility.

Lord.  Have.  Mercy. 

And He offers it…unconditionally.

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV) 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead… 

Thank you, Jesus, for your mercy and your unmerited gift of salvation.