Life

Seeing and Believing

/ Gail Johnson / 4 Comments

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

In 1998, the movie Prince of Egypt came to theaters and my five-year-old-going-on-thirty watched the familiar story of Moses come to life on the big screen. He empathized with the slaves as the whips came down unmercifully on their backs. His heart ached as he watched Jochebed put her baby son into a basket and release him to the river not knowing if he would survive. And he laughed when the camel pulled Moses from the sand.

child-praying-hands-1510773_1920Of course, he had heard the story many times, but seeing it, brought it to life. Through the animated characters, he was able to experience their struggles and heartaches. So much so, that he wanted the captive set free even if he had to do it himself! “Take that, mister!” But nothing prepared him for the wall-to-wall deliverance in the final scene.

Imagine if you will, Moses and the children of Israel marching to freedom. All seems to be going well until they reach the Red Sea and realize Pharoah hasn’t kept his promise. All eyes turn to Moses. As Pharoah’s army approaches, Moses suddenly gets a familiar look on his face, lifts his rod Heavenward and thrusts it into the water. Suddenly the sea stands up and separates!

At that moment, my son turned to me and declared. “I want to be a Moses!” Throughout the years, I have often thought of my son’s response to God’s deliverance of His people.

So can we be a Moses? Joshua? Deborah? Elijah? Jeremiah? Peter? Paul?

Absolutely! On our knees, we can move mountains, calm seas, and defeat the enemy.

The truth is this world needs to see a miracle! As children of God, we may never turn a river red with blood, or unleash a plague of frogs, or part the waters to walk on dry land. But there is one thing that we can do. We can pray.

Prayer…

  • unleashes the power of God.
  • sets the captive free
  • heals the broken-hearted
  • meets the need
  • changes circumstances
  •  brings victory

Remember, there is nothing too hard for the Lord! Let us lift up a prayer for our world. Together we can make a difference.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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Blessings in Disguise

/ Gail Johnson / 8 Comments

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2

This past week I read an article written by Courtney Westlake on Michelle Cushatt’s blog, Making Peace With an Imperfect Life. In the post, Westlake talked about preconceived ideas in our lives—how we think something should be or ought to be.

Life teaches us to expect certain outcomes in certain situations. Plant a garden, reap produce. Get married, have babies. Work hard, enjoy retirement. Serve God, be blessed. Right? But what happens when things don’t turn out the way we imagine? What if the blessings come in unrecognizable packages?

“Sometimes, when something is different than we anticipated or hoped for, it leaves us disappointed, confused or even grieving a kind of loss.” Courtney Westlake

As you can tell, the story resonated with me because I’ve lived long enough to know we don’t always get what we imagined. As children, we imagine a blessed life to be:

  • happily ever afters
  • healthy babies
  • perfect jobs
  • more-than-enough income
  • successful kids
  • retirement
  • disease-free lives

But then life happens and the enemy whispers, “Where is your God in all of this?”

Sometimes, the questions are instantly silenced. Othertimes, years may pass before the taunts are quietened. Still, other questions will never be resolved until we stand face to face with Him. In those instances, let us be reminded we are not alone.

I don’t think…

  • Job thought he would lose all and be stricken with a disease that left him sitting on a trash heap listening to accusations from his so-called friends.
  • Joshua and Caleb pictured themselves remaining in the wilderness for forty years watching their kinsman die when they departed Egypt.
  • Mary imagined herself pregnant and unmarried.
  • The disciples visualized their Royal Deliverer hanging on a cross and buried in a grave.

 

At the onset of heartache, we see nothing but what we didn’t get or what we’ve lost. That is the goal of the enemy of our souls. However, whether that heartache is divorce, disease, or even death,  we are blessed because God is right there with us through it all. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

  • Job talked with God.
  • Joshua and Caleb saw the promises of God.
  • Mary birthed the Savior, Emmanuel, God with us.
  • The disciples realized Jesus was more than just an earthly King. He was the Lamb of God.

Truth, we will face heartache that will almost destroy us, but in the end, if we allow God access to the deepest regions of our heart, that heartache will make us stronger. And what we see as a trial, will turn out to be the very blessing we need to teach us of God’s faithfulness.

We are blessed no matter our circumstances. God has always been and always will be with us through the waters of uncertainty, the rivers of faith, and the fires of impossibilities. And. He. Will. See. Us. Through.

May we always recognize the blessings in disguise!

What about you? Have you any blessings in disguise?

 

 

Click here to read A Different Beautiful

Click here for more on Courtney Westlake

 

 

Focus

/ Gail Johnson / 1 Comment

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34 KJV

dictionary-1149723_1280In today’s world, we can easily become distracted. However, when our hearts are out of focus, we often miss the opportunity to fulfill our purpose.

In the above scripture, Jesus recognized the spiritual need and moved with purpose. He saw the people as sheep needing a shepherd. They needed guidance, protection, and sustenance.

The disciples, on the other hand, focused on the people temporal needs and their own inabilities.

And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. Mark 6:35-36

Isn’t it remarkable how we state the obvious when focused on the wrong thing? The disciples focused on place and time and shared their insights with the very One who had created both!

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3 KJV

Lord, I’m not in a good place. This land is so dry! This isn’t a good time! How can I minister to others when I’m in need myself?

Have you ever been there?

When Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread, Philip fixated on the disciple’s insufficient funds.

“Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” John 6:7 KJV

Am I guilty of such observations? Yes. Yes. And yes, again. Over and over I state the obvious while the spiritual purpose of my present circumstances stares at me.

Thankfully, the Lord doesn’t leave me in my bleary-eyed state but commands me to take inventory of what I have, what I know, and what I can do. Then I am to place it all in His hands and allow him to bless and multiply it.

He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. Mark 6:38 KJV

And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. Mark 6:41 KJV

I’m learning that faith isn’t ignoring the circumstances around me. Faith is seeing every difficulty but remaining focused on the One standing in the midst Who is Faithful to supply every need.

And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. Mark 6:42-44

Where is your focus?