Tag: A Word for Wednesday

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No Time To Go Wobbly

She was aptly nicknamed, “the Iron Lady.” Known for her conviction, decisiveness and candor, former United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was a staunch ally with the United States and a strong force for freedom in the world. It was only true to character then that, as President George H.W. Bush prepared to rescue the tiny nation of Kuwait from invading armies from the North, she had a piece of advice for him, delivered in her own inimitable way, “Remember, George, this is no time to go wobbly.” He didn’t, of course, and Kuwait was delivered.

Some of us are visionaries and strategists by nature, imagining the possible and mapping out the best way to achieve it. Others among us are doers: just give us a vision and a plan, and we’re off to make it happen. Regardless of our natural inclinations and talents, however, it is easy to become discouraged and doubtful along the way and, ultimately, derailed from our plan. So, how do we stay the course?

It is encouraging to know our God is a relational God; He has plans for us, both as a people and as individuals. His proactive love for us finds voice through Jeremiah, the prophet: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”1 It is God’s nature to engage us with the promise of purpose and plans that matter. What more could we ask? Why wouldn’t we seek them?

It is in this certainty, then, that we align ourselves with God’s will by following life-changing advice from the apostle Paul, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”2 And as we see His plans unfold before our opened eyes—whether in the few momentous occasions in life or myriad every-day encounters—we proceed confidently in the wisdom of Solomon, trusting in the Lord with all our heart3, committing our work to the Lord4, not deviating from our plan5, knowing it is the Lord who establishes our steps6. In the will of God and by His power, there is for us “no time to go wobbly.”

Father, thank you for having plans for me, for loving and valuing me that much. Inspire me to trade my agenda for yours. Grace me with the patience to wait for your wisdom and the courage to go forth obediently and in your strength. In the name of Jesus and the power of your Spirit I pray. Amen.

Christ in Me is strength.

1 Jeremiah 29:1
2 Romans 12:
3 Proverbs 3:5,
4 Proverbs 16:3
5 Proverbs 4:2
6 Proverbs 19:9

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When It’s Our Time To Speak

The customer service line at the big-box hardware store had slowed to a halt that afternoon as the lone attendant awaited a price-check. As seconds amassed into minutes, the eyes bearing down upon her increased both in number and in intensity, and then the grumbling began. “Can you believe this?!?” a man fumed to my wife. Now, Peggy is among the more tactful people on the planet, and so she replied, “Yes, I know. Can you image how frustrating it must be for her right now, all alone and with no one to help her?” There was a pause. “I never thought of it that way,” the man said, more softly now, more introspectively. After another pause, he asked Peggy, “What do you do for a living?”

The world in which we live and breathe is far from perfect; indeed, we all contribute to its imperfection. Intentionally or not, we aggravate others and they irritate us; moreover, we sometimes find ourselves having to speak to others about their wrongdoings, not in judgment or self-righteousness, but because we care. Addressing someone’s moral shortcoming, however, is dicey at best, and at worst downright treacherous. So, what do we do? Perhaps Peggy should be the one writing this post, but I have observed this: it helps to accompany someone to a place where we can humbly behold together the good and right ways of God. The man waiting in line, for instance, was kindly shown a perspective from which a newfound compassion for another eclipsed momentary inconvenience for himself. Nothing more needed to be said in the moment, for the moment had said enough.

King David had his own big-box store encounter: despite all his power and wealth, he took from a common soldier the one thing that mattered most to him—his wife. This time it was Nathan standing with him in line, arousing in David a godly passion for honor and justice before confronting him with his own acts of contempt for them. Convicted in the contrast, David confessed his sin, the first step toward forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.

Be it in a palace or a hardware store, whether we are a prophet or an income tax preparer, there will be times when we are called to speak up. When those times come, may we be found faithful in the moment—carefully and prayerfully speaking truth in love.

Father, send me your Spirit of wisdom and discernment today that I might proceed lovingly when I must speak and refrain humbly when I must be silent. Strengthen me to trust you in all things. In the name of Christ and by the power of your Spirit, I pray. Amen.

Christ in me is wisdom.

Click here to see how tactfully Nathan confronted David in 2 Samuel 12:1-12.
Click here to read Psalm 51, David’s response to God after hearing Nathan’s message.

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After God’s Own Heart

It’s not that he never messed up. He did. He messed up plenty, just like the rest of us. So, I always wondered why God considered David—this shepherd, musician, king—to be “a man after my own heart.”1 What did He see in David—this adulterer, deceiver, murderer—that made him emerge so favorably from all the other wrongdoers in the world?

It’s not that this king of Israel’s “golden age” was inherently better than anyone else; his self-assessment mirrors our own, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”2 Knowing this sad state of the soul, David staked his life entirely on the absolute love and mercy of God. When his predecessor Saul faltered in faith, he distanced himself from God and wrapped himself in a thick coat of excuses. Not so, David! Quite to the contrary, when David messed up, he turned to the only place he could fine help, God’s own heart—running not away from Him in fear, but to Him in faith; spurning not God’s character with doubt, but honoring His goodness through trust; and not shutting out his God in shame, but opening himself completely before the only One who could remove it.

It’s not that God’s favor rested only upon David. Like him, we have every confidence in God because of His own unwavering faithfulness. To the church, the apostle Paul writes, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”3

This is the reality in which we who are in Christ now gladly live. Though we sin, Christ lives in us as our holiness,4 in fact, through Christ, God has taken the initiative to draw us near to Himself.5 So, we, too, live confidently before God, forgiven, reconciled to Him, and free from accusation—after God’s own heart, we might say, just like David.

Father, thank You for Your patience and your faithfulness. Help me to accept in faith Your great love for me, and free me to live before You and others in confidence, hope, and joy. May this life bring You glory. In Christ, I pray. Amen.

Christ in me is holiness.

1 Acts 13:2
2 Psalm 51:
3 Colossians 1:21-23
4 1 Corinthians 1:30
5 Ephesians 2:13