Most of us know what it is to feel that something about you "counts you out" of the better things in life. Whether it's your looks, your talent (or lack thereof), your social skills... I think at one time or another, we have all felt that we don't have what it takes. We often look at the promises that God has given to others and wonder, "What about me?"
This happened to me recently. I was so excited to hear an awesome prophetic word spoken over a friend. Yet later, when I stopped to think, I realized that no one had ever spoken a prophetic word about me. What about ME? My thoughts then went down that all-too-familiar "I'm not cut out for this" or "I don't have what it takes" path. And pretty soon, my friend's joy became my own self-centered pity party!
I've been studying Romans, and somehow this study has led me to think a little about the story of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham was a great man of faith. In fact, Paul held him up as the archetype by which we should model ourselves concerning faith. Over seven times in Genesis, God mentioned or promised to him that he would have many descendents and become a great nation. If anyone had a great prophetic word spoken over them, it was this guy! Especially in the face of his age and his own wife's inability to bear children, this guy stood fast. But what about Sarah?
Here's Sarah, hearing all of these great accounts of the wonderful words that God has spoken to her husband about how he's going to make him a great nation, and give him many descendants. But this woman is barren. Even early in Genesis (11:30) before any promises were made to Abraham by God, she's referred to as barren. This was a long-standing problem. And no doubt, Sarah felt that she was not enough, didn't have what it would take to help God's promise come to pass, and was counted out of this promise. In fact, we can see this in how she offered up her servant, Hagar, so that she could help God out in keeping his promise. We can even see her attitude towards herself in the way she speaks to Abram: "See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her."
This is a woman who looks at herself and her own inability and immediately counts herself out. In fact, she thinks that even GOD has counted her out. But what she doesn't realize is that because she is in a covenant relationship with her husband, God's promises to her husband will come through HER, because God honors that covenant and would never do anything in a round-about way. The promise of God isn't for everyone else but you. It is for YOU, because you are in covenant with HIM!
And thinking about it, the same goes for other covenant relationships you are in. If you're committed to a church body, and great words have been spoken over that church, it's time to start taking those words personally and grabbing ahold of them for YOUR life. I've heard too many times that a waterfall is about to break forth at City of Life and passively nodded or said "amen." But it's time to stop passivity. This is MY promise. This waterfall is for MY life. I will see signs. I will see wonders. It's not for everyone else BUT me. I don't have to be smart enough, anointed enough, beautiful enough, talented enough, or ENOUGH of anything to qualify for the promise of God! I'm included in the promise JUST as I am because God honors the connection that I have with the house and with Him. And you're included too!
And another quick note. In Romans, it says in chapter 4, verse 19 and 20, that Abraham was not weak in faith and didn't waver. It's easy to skim past that and take it at face value, but when we think of the whole Hagar fiasco, then we see that, yeah, Abraham did have moments where he didn't trust God. Where he did waver. Yet he didn't camp out in his doubt or his wavering. And that is what sets the great men and women of faith apart. Yes, they may have faltered. Yes, they may have sinned. But they didn't stay there. After their sin, they got up, dusted themselves off, and kept pressing forward. And because of their entire walk, not just one moment of failure, or even one HUGE mistake (like Ishmael), God called them "not weak in faith" and unwavering. Isn't that cool? Momentary moments of doubt don't downgrade your status as a woman or man of faith. God sees the whole picture. If you are a person who sometimes struggles, sometimes questions, but overall presses forward and keeps going despite faltering, you are still called "faithful" in His eyes!
Realize that God's promises are for you. Who you are doesn't count you out, because God likes you and takes great delight in You. If you'll stay faithful, you will see His promises come to pass in you and through you.
And if you happen to have tripped up in your faith and your pursuit of God, don't stay on the ground. Get up! Keep going!
"God-loyal people don't stay down long. Soon they're up on their feet." (Prov 24:16 MSG)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Rend the Heavens
Isaiah 64
1 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!
3 For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
7 No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and made us waste away because of our sins.
8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD;
do not remember our sins forever.
Oh, look upon us, we pray,
for we are all your people.
10 Your sacred cities have become a desert;
even Zion is a desert, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and glorious temple, where our fathers praised you,
has been burned with fire,
and all that we treasured lies in ruins.
12 After all this, O LORD, will you hold yourself back?
Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
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