Category Archives: Hard Grace

True Exodus

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The Israelites were freed from Egyptian slavery.  In the process of their release they witnessed the hand of God move supernaturally on their behalf:

The plagues

The Passover

The parting of the Red Sea

Yet, they still grumbled, doubted and feared in their liberty.  Their freedom wasn’t what they envisioned, not necessarily how they planned.  So, they came out of Egypt but “egypt” remained in them.

I shake my head in wonder but know in truth, we – I – have done the same.

We struggle to trust the One who has given us life and has for us a design.  “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.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

We find ourselves trusting our plan – even believing at times it is His.  Then when the menu changes and itinerary looks different from what we expect.  We fight in our own strength to make it work.

Sadly, in the midst of this struggle, we inevitably lose sight of His hand and His will.  We spend too much time looking at the ground around us trying to get our footing where our footing isn’t meant to be found.

Sometimes the battle within is tougher than the battle without.

Pride has us holding tight – fighting hard.  Pride has us revisiting time and again the issue looking for a different answer.  Pride has us searching for answers for all the wrong questions.  Pride has us holding on to dreams and visions that weren’t meant to be ours in the first place.  Pride causes us to forget His hand and to seek our own.

Have you been there?  I know I have.

We fight so hard.

Yet, our boldness in battle cannot be established in our own strength and for our own expectations but rather in the faithfulness of our God and His plan.  I read this quote this week, “Sometimes God breaks off the purposes of your heart so that He can bring you into His.” (Bob Sorge).  Breaking isn’t easy but at times it is necessary.  Sometimes it is the only way we will let go.  If we fight for what isn’t meant to be, we lose.  Losing is never easy but even less when you fight hard.

In defeat we retreat, seeking safety in what we have known.  It is a retreat not of faith but of fear.  It is the “egypt” that holds tight.

Out of all the Israelites that left Egypt, only two from the exodus entered into the Promised Land.  The two who wholly followed; the two who trusted God’s plan rather than their own and for that they entered in.  Two out of many doesn’t make it sound easy.  It is not.  If faith were easy would it really be faith?

Yet faith is what we need to trust His hand in the new and the unknown.  Faith is what gives us the ability to release our hopes and dreams.  Faith strengthens us to humbly submit to His purpose and plan.  Faith always moves forward even when the journey isn’t quite what we thought it would be.  Faith allows us to trust when we can’t see what is ahead.  Faith allows us to stop fighting a losing battle and enjoy the victory He has already given.

Faith in Him is the true exodus where our complete freedom is found.

No Longer a Slave…

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I am no longer a slave to sin.  I am a child of God.

I am no longer a slave to what others think.  I am a child of God.

I am no long a slave to fear.  I am a child of God.

I am no longer a slave to lies.  I am a child of God.

I am no longer a slave disappointment.  I am a child of God.

I am no longer a slave to comparison.  I am a child of God.

I am no longer a slave to bitterness.  I am a child of God.

I am no longer a slave…I am a child of God.

We shackle ourselves to too many things.  We claim it is our “personality”.  We claim it is “hereditary”.  We claim it is “who I am”.  We claim it is “where we are supposed to be”.

We are prisoners of our own choosing.  Shackled and yet, holding the key of freedom in our hands.

Unlock the chains.  Let them fall.

Whatever it is that weighs you down.  Release it.

Stop holding onto things – to people – to dreams that leave you empty.

Begin to believe who you are in Christ.

You are God’s:

Possession

Child

Workmanship

Friend

Chosen

Witness

Beloved

Jewels

You have been:

Set free

Forgiven

Adopted

You are:

Complete in Him

Loved eternally

Light in the darkness

His sheep

Secure

Healed

Sheltered

Hidden

You have:

All things in Christ

A living hope

An anchor for your soul

Authority

Boldness and access

Peace

Mind of Chirst

Power

You can:

Do all things through Christ

Find mercy and grace

Come boldly to the throne

Quench the fiery darts

Declare liberty to captives

Pray always and everywhere

 

You are a child of God.

 

 

A Winter’s Journey (reprise)

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It seems fitting that the seasons have marched on. For as much as my surroundings have reflected the solemn barrenness of winter, I can’t help but feel its echo in my life.

Of late it has been like looking into a frozen pond and seeing a fragmented reflection. Life has handed some difficult assignments. Frankly, I would rather not have endured any one of them but the choice is not mine to make. It is what it is. Even so, my path is not the most difficult which makes me feel selfish in my misery.

There are those who have lost more and whose suffering will remain even past a season’s change. Theirs is a path I will not tread. I cannot tread. Ours is a solitary journey to make. Yet, in the days to come our two paths will meet and in that moment we will have the opportunity to be to each other what we cannot be to ourselves.

It is for such times that my soul longs for the whisper of faith and embrace of grace. Reassurances that in the midst of the bleakness there is hope. A promise that in the moment when our paths converge I will be prepared to be what is needed – not for me but for her.

While my life at times appears to be wilderness living, I am no John the Baptist. Yet, the song from Zechariah’s lips resonates in my heart.

…you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him. , to give his people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.
Luke 1:76-79

My breath hangs heavy in the stark cold air. In its ebb and flow there is a visible reminder life remains. This life, this breath compels me to walk on in faith preparing the way for Him.

 

(This is a post I wrote a few years back but its words feel new even now.)

Winter Winds

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There is a chill in the air.  It is the breath of “old man winter” blowing softly in.  I am not sure if I am ready to welcome this change but yet, my readiness doesn’t prevent its coming.  I haven’t been prepared for many things in my life.  Still, they came ready or not.

The seasons are God’s gentle reminders that life is not intended to be stagnant.  It is meant to change and transform.  The living and growth often follows times of death and slumber.  Winter precedes spring.  Nature is His handiwork and a testimony to our hearts of His presence in all of creation.  Its wonder surrounds and yet, we still miss its grand design.

We live our lives so busy insisting we must do and be more than He ever destined for us.  I wonder how many times we have ventured far off the trail He has placed before our feet.   We find ourselves caught in the whir of a life out of control.  It is our doing, not His.  In His plan falls a rhythm, a season of sorts.  In ours, the cadence runs sporadic and wild.  Rest becomes elusive and purpose is disoriented.

We begin to lose ourselves.

Even more tragic, we begin to lose our sight of Him.

 You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You.   Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run. 

St Augustine

Come sweet winter winds remind us with your breath that even in stark and barren moments, His hand still moves and His heart can still be found.  Draw us back from wild chaos and into the gentle rhythm of His grace.

A Night’s Surrender

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It is a moment of surrender when I leave the cocoon of my bed to wrestle with a wide awake mind in the shadows of the night.  To give up the comfort of sweet slumber and lean into the darkness.  I search for purpose and reason for this rustling of heart and soul but searching doesn’t mean finding.  Tonight was one of those answerless nights.

It is a night when words echo back like a slumbering breath – when darkness obscures vision and my heart begs to see.  Yet, in this hollow moment my soul feels strangely warmed.  For even now when I feel most alone, His Presence beckons me to come.

Come into the darkness and reach for the hand of God.

 I entrust my spirit into Your hands.  You have redeemed me, O Eternal, God of faithfulness and truth.

Psalm 31:5 The Voice