We Can Admit When We're Weak and Struggling

When we read about Joseph in the book of Genesis, we can tend to praise him and lift him up. I’m not discrediting his faithfulness or obedience. I’m referring to when he’s used as an example for attributing our successes in life to our own abilities. I’ve heard his story be used as a self-help example of how to prosper and get what you want in tough situations. Genesis doesn’t describe Joseph’s situation that way, though.

The reason Joseph prospered at anything he did was because the Lord was with him and gave him success:

・“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered…the Lord gave him success in everything he did.” (Genesis 39:2, 3 NIV).

・”the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did (Genesis 39:23).

・“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will…” (Genesis 41:16).

・“It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering” (Genesis 41:52).

When Joseph’s father, Jacob, was on his deathbed, he blessed each of his children (Genesis 49). When it got to Joseph, Jacob acknowledged and reminded Joseph that his success and rescue time and again were blessings from the hand of God. Joseph, when attacked (sold into slavery and imprisoned), was able to stay strong because of God.

The next time you’re struggling and battling, don’t look inward. Look upward. Find your strength in the Word of God, and pray for God to be near you and to help you. I find it such a relief that I don’t have to get through life and all its ups and down through my own strength. I can admit when I’m weak and struggling. I can fall into my heavenly Father’s arms and ask him for help.

In the book The Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble looks to the story of Joshua as an example of where to find strength. She says:

“God repeatedly tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. But every time God gives this command, He precedes or follows it with the promise that He’ll be with him. Strength and courage aren’t things we muster on our own; it’s not just a mental pep rally or a mind-set we meditate our way into. True strength and courage come through being mindful of God’s presence in our lives. He never asks us to do things on our own; His nearness is what equips us to obey. He never asks us to be our own strength or provision— He provides all He requires of us. He’s where the strength is. He’s where the courage is. And He’s where the joy is.”

The next time you see a social media post that pushes you to live in your own strength or to rely on your own abilities, keep scrolling. Then remind yourself of where your strength comes from and thank God that He gives to you from His limitless supply of strength.

A Just God?

Have you ever been angry at God? Confused over what you thought was an unjust punishment?

“Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:6-7)

Have you ever wondered why God struck down Uzzah? The oxen carrying the ark stumbled, and Uzzah reached out to touch the ark to “help” it from falling. What was the sin in that?

There is a lot of backstory leading up to this point that you need to read to understand why they were transporting the ark in the first place. The ark represented God’s presence, and David is wanting to bring the ark back to Jerusalem. Go read the chapters leading up to this point and the chapter that we are discussing. I’ll wait here. :)

• The capture of the ark in 1 Samuel 4 and 5
• Return of the ark in 2 Samuel 6

To answer the question of Uzzah’s sin, let’s look to portions of the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary. First of all, there were specific instructions that were to be followed when carrying the ark.

The priests were supposed to use poles that slipped through four rings on the ark so that their hands would never touch the ark itself. But here they were carrying it around just like the Philistines did— on an oxcart. This story alone should tell us how God feels about the attitude that says, “I will worship God in my own way. It doesn’t matter how one worships God or what you do, as long as it’s sincere.” God does not take kindly to worship that disregards His standards.

Regarding Uzzah's specific actions: 

Uzzah’s touch represents a failure to understand his own sinfulness. Uzzah saw the ark headed toward the dirt, and he reached out because he assumed his hand was less dirty than the ground. Most of us would have done the same. But think of this: the earth has never committed the blasphemy of rejecting God’s authority. The earth has always obeyed the commands of God. Dirt could never pollute the ark. But the touch of a sinful man could. 

Uzzah did not understand this so he tried to do God a favor. David did not understand this so he got upset with God. But the reason we do not understand the judgment of God is that we do not understand the wickedness of our sinfulness. 

Our sin was apparently so heinous that Jesus, the Son of God, had to come to earth and be torn to shreds. Crucifixion was an unspeakable brutal process, meant to inflict maximum pain and to showcase a person’s shame. 

This was the punishment God Himself took for our sins. It was brutal. It was unbearable. It was disgusting. And that is precisely the point. The cross should remind us that our sin is unspeakably wicked.

God is so holy that He cannot tolerate impurity. The difference between Uzzah and us is that God gives us time to repent of our callous attitude. Do we realize the magnanimity of His grace toward us, that we can come into God’s presence, day after day, year after year, and not be struck down?

God would be within His rights as a just God to allow our story to end in verse 10, with Uzzah’s funeral. Yet the love of God breaks through once more, not as a result of any Israelite obedience but by the sheer mercy of God. Obed-edom, the newest landlord of the ark, has seen a change of fortune…his household has seen the blessing of God.

We risk missing the sweetness of God if we rush too quickly past this point. David’s last interaction with God led him to a crisis of faith, one that caused David to be angry and afraid. David had seen God in action and had pushed Him away. We might expect God to confront David for his disobedience. What we see instead is a slow process in which God woos David back to Himself. David has said to God, “Please leave me alone.” And God has gently responded, “I love you too much to do that.”

David hears the news of Obed-edom as a sort of promise for himself. God’s intention is not to be wrathful forever. So David ends the radio silence between him and God, determined to bring God’s presence back to his city with him.

These three months have been instructive for David, too. He must have done some reading because now, instead of using an oxcart to pull the ark, David has ensured that people are “carrying” it. The poles are back in place, and David is attempting to worship God the way God has revealed. 

The poles, however, are just the start. The caravan has not even taken a dozen steps before David calls a halt and offers up the chief picture of worship in all Scripture— sacrifice. The Israelite people were familiar with animal sacrifice, harkening back to the great sign of Passover. In the Passover, God had provided a way of salvation for His people: through the death of a spotless lamb, God’s wrath would “pass over” the household of Israel. And Israel’s worship centered on rehearsing this scene, reminding them that God’s presence with His people could only come at the cost of substitutionary death. 

Sin requires death. There is no getting around this. And there are only two options: either we reject God and pay the steep price ourselves, or we accept the sacrifice Jesus dearly made on our behalf. His grace is a gift, but it is a gift that must be received. David knew this, and he responded the only way people ever respond in light of God’s gracious love— with overwhelming praise.

There really is no way that I could have said it better. I learned so much from this book, and I highly recommend it for studying the book of 1 and 2 Samuel. The text I've included is just a portion of the depth the commentary covers. This insight was humbling and incredibly valuable in seeing how dirty and disgusting my sin is but also in seeing that God doesn't leave me in the mire. What a blessing it is to be forgiven and offered grace and mercy. And what a responsibility it is to pursue holiness and God's design. But it's a responsibility we don't do alone-- God leads and gives us the Bible to know His desires.

Living with Chronic Pain

Note: I posted this to my Instagram and Facebook last week. I wasn't planning on pushing it out anywhere else, but I think it's something I need to share. I live with pain. I have a great life, but I don't want to hide the part of life that really hurts.  So, here's a little photo and caption I shared last week when I was living in the pain. ♥

I’m waking up to day three of limited mobility. My edema flared up majorly this weekend and has affected my feet and legs to the point of not being able to do much walking. As I sat on the floor to get ready Sunday morning, since standing was uncomfortable, I wanted to pout a bit. I prayed and poured out to God my frustrations and limitations. I don’t normally do Bible study on Sunday mornings. I know I should. The rush of getting ready for church and the busyness of the day means I prioritize other things...like an afternoon nap. I also get spiritually fed really well on Sundays, but I’m starting to see that I need to be feeding myself that day too. While I was pouting, I ached for comfort from God. So I read my daily devotion, which happened to be about God placing us in hard situations for a purpose. Then I picked up my daily Bible reading, which was from Job and how God had a purpose in his pain that was not punishment as one of his friends believed. Those two readings sustained me as I spent most of the rest of day in bed, healing and resting. I’m still not very mobile, and I still have some aches, but this time has forced me to slow down, think, and ponder on what God is doing through my pain. I also have some really cute caretakers checking on me. We all have different pains and reasons for those pains, but God can sustain us and teach us through them all.

God Gives Boldness to "Ordinary" People

(click to enlarge)

God gives boldness to "ordinary" people.

Two things I learned today from the book of Acts:

•Photo 1: Peter and John were put in prison for preaching about Jesus. The sermon that got them arrested resulted in 5,000 believing in Jesus! When they were released from jail, they went back to tell their fellow believers (the church) about the threats they received from the Jewish leaders. Together they all prayed. They acknowledged that God had a plan and a purpose for the persecution. They didn’t pray that the circumstances would change or even argue with God’s plans. Instead, they prayed that God would enable them to keep preaching with boldness...and He did! Do I pray for circumstances to change, or do I pray for boldness in the circumstances?

•Photo 2: Peter and John spoke about Jewish history and the prophets and the prophecies of the Old Testament in order to relate to their fellow Jews. Peter and John must have been highly educated to speak outside the temple and to be questioned by the Jewish rulers and priests. Nope. They were “unschooled, ordinary men.” But it was obvious they had been with Jesus. I don’t have to have a seminary education to tell about Christ. I just need to spend time with Jesus. His Word and the Holy Spirit will teach me and enable me. It’s encouraging to know that we aren’t limited by a formal education that may not be available to us!

What lesson is God teaching you right now?

Milk Lessons: The Word of God's Kindness

I’ve been thinking a lot about milk lately. Bear with me. Since becoming a mother over four years ago, I’ve come to better understand Bible passages about milk and nursing. There are two examples I’ve been thinking about this week.

First is the above verses from 1 Peter. The picture is of me and Harlow when she was just a couple months old. She was sick and nursing quite a bit more than usual to feel better (the “magic” of breastmilk). I now read this in 1 Peter and understand it differently (better?) then I did before having Harlow. Newborn babies that are nursing crave their mother’s milk. They cry for it. They search for it, literally “rooting” for it. When they see the breasts, they even get excited about the milk! Once they begin nursing, they eat until they fall asleep or drain the breast (whichever may come first). They get their fill and find rest. When they are sick, they require even more of the milk, and the milk works to make them well. The milk is their ONLY life source, the only thing keeping them alive, growing them, sustaining them. As children of God, once we have received life from His Word and have seen the goodness of God in His Word, we want more of it. We crave it. We need it. It makes us well.

John Piper says it this way:

“Where did the readers taste the kindness of the Lord? The answer is: in the gospel, the Word of God. They were born again by that kindness through the Word of God. So the spiritual milk is the kindness of the Lord experienced through the Word of God. Or you could say, the spiritual milk is the Word of God revealing or transmitting the kindness of the Lord. You were born again by that Word— namely, by the powerful kindness of God in that Word, and now go on longing for that Word and for the day-by-day experience— tasting— of the kindness of the Lord through his Word.”

There are times, though, that I had to make Harlow eat. She was either too occupied or distracted or too sleepy. I knew that she needed the milk even when she thought otherwise. Ever been there?

Piper addresses that, too:

“If you feel stuck because you don’t have the kind of spiritual desires that you should, this text says, You do not need to be stuck! It says, “Get them!— Get the desires you don’t have.” If you don’t desire the milk of the Word, start desiring it! [In the New Testament], God gives even harder commands, but he also gives the power we need to fulfill them, through faith. Do you not have the longing? Get the longing! Do you not desire the Word? Start desiring it. Do not say, “I’m just this way.” It is not God’s will for you. Since you have been born again by the Word of God, now long for the Word of God. If you began your life with the Word, sustain your life with the Word. If the Word of God is powerful enough to create new Christians, then the Word of God is powerful enough to create desire in languishing Christian souls.”

If you have never studied the amazing properties and abilities of breastmilk, then you may not know what an amazing thing it is. Not only does it nourish the body, but it also heals the body, attacking bad bacteria and protecting the baby from illness. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but you get my point— it attacks what’s bad in the body.

When I began organizing my thoughts, I didn’t mean to make this a post filled with Piper quotes, but he also has something to say about how spiritual milk attacks:

“One of the ways the Word of God creates a desire for the milk of God’s kindness is by destroying desire for other things [malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander mentioned in verse 1]. This is the other side of longing for the spiritual milk of God’s kindness in the Word. If you want to experience desire for God’s Word; if you want your desires to grow; if you want to taste fully the kindness of the Lord, realize that as our satisfaction in God’s kindness rises, the controlling desires of malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and slander are destroyed. And the reverse is true: as you resist them and lay them aside, desires for God grow stronger and more intense. Don’t think that they can flourish in the same heart. Desire to taste and enjoy God’s kindness cannot flourish in the same heart with guile and hypocrisy.”   Quotes from John Piper

The Bible is how we experience and see the kindness of God!  Reading the Word shows us His goodness. We need the Word to grow— this good, decadent, life-giving, pure milk that is the Word.  Like newborn babies, we should crave it, long for it, desire it. The more we taste of it, the more we want. The more we have, the more we grow. When we don't crave it, we should make ourselves drink it in. It attacks what is bad in us. Oh, the kindness of God! You never outgrow this milk.

Who knew that my body that once produced life giving milk could help me better understand the One who gave me this body?

I’ll share the second milk lesson later this week.

Milk Lessons (Part 2): Learning to Drink

Free Photo: 2 Corinthians 3:5

Sunday night I spoke to some of the youth at my parents' church about how they can serve God in their youth and habits they should be forming at their age.  I had several Bible verses I encouraged them to memorize.  One verse that has been a constant reminder to me is 2 Corinthians 3:5.  It's a reminder that my talents and abilities are God given.  When I start think a bit too much of myself, I look over to this verse that I have framed on my desk.

I made up the simple graphic below and gave a framed copy to each kid.  I also wanted to share it with you in case it can be a reminder to you.

Right click to save.