"It is Well"

Her son was dead. The miracle baby born to her and her much older husband at a time when she no longer expected fruit from her womb. As a matter of fact, when Elijah had told her nine months earlier that she would embrace a son, she had replied, "O my master, O Holy Man, don't play games with me, teasing me with such fantasies!" (2 Kings 4:16, The Message). She didn't believe him. But in the very next verse we read, "The woman conceived. A year later, just as Elisha had said, she had a son." However, some years later, in what seemed like a cruel twist of fate, the child lay dead at home, in the same bed Elijah slept in when he was in that part of town.

She asked for an ass and with her servant, went hastily to Mount Carmel to meet Elijah, who, when he saw her in the distance, sent his servant to her with questions of concern - "Is something wrong? Are you all right? Your husband? Your child?" to which she answered, "Everything's fine," or as the KJV renders it, "It is well" (v.26). Didn't she hear the last question clearly? Nowhere do we read of a public mourning over the death of her only child.  Her husband did not know the child had died; she had simply told him, "Don't ask questions; I need to go right now. Trust me" (v.23b). She had not told the neighbors, no expression of anger at God, but even as she laid the boy in the room, and despite her soul being in distress (v.27), deep within her was a quiet resolve that if she could get to the man of God, all would be well.

In verses 28-37, we see how after a series of events, the boy was miraculously brought back to life. But as this story ends with a mother and son reunion, we are individually challenged by a lingering question: How would you and I respond if God, in His Sovereignty, took someone or something from us that was very near and dear to our hearts? 

When Horatio Gates Spafford received news from his wife that their four daughters were lost at sea, he made his way to his grieving wife. Later when the two met Dwight Moody, Spafford told him quietly, "It is well. The will of God be done." Spafford would later write the words: "When peace like a river, attendeth my way / When sorrows like sea billows roll / Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say / It is well, it is well with my soul."

What would you do? Could you say and believe those words?

Down But Not Out

In the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, the main character Forrest, played by actor Tom Hanks, quotes his mother as saying, "Life is like a box of chocolate . . . you never know what you gonna get" and boy, isn't that the truth! It is not without significance that life is said to be a journey; a very eventful one in which we experience highs and lows, surprises and disappointments, sadness and happiness. That journey is broken down into days and each day is given to us, wrapped like a present, and we have no idea what that package contains. Days of immense happiness can be followed by devastating tragedies, and somewhere in the mix of experiences is the realization that this life is not quite fair. 

The tragedies and disappointments we sometimes experience can often leave us feeling like we have been in a heavyweight fight with boxer Mike Tyson in his prime. We get broadsided by the unexpected at times when we least expect them, or have no reason to expect them. Our individual experiences often overwhelm us, provoking some of us to feelings of anger, betrayal, disbelief, tears, frustration, helplessness, and if we are not careful, to shake our fists in the face of God at what we consider to be His and life's unfairness. I know; I have been there.

The psalmist David realized this condition when he wrote: "When my heart is overwhelmed and weak; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [a rock that is too high to reach without Your help].  For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the enemy" (Psalm 61:2-3, AMP).  By ourselves we cannot survive life's storms and the things that threaten to destroy us. However, as long as we allow Christ to lead us to the rock that is higher than ourselves, we can find refuge and strength in the strong tower who is our Saviour.  It is refreshing to know that regardless of what we find in our "box of chocolate," we do not have to become victims of those circumstances; we do not have to be knocked out.  Like Bozo the clown, though we may stagger at what life throws at us, we will be back on our feet every time the enemy thinks he has knocked us down.   

The apostle Paul puts it this way, "We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair; hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).  We may go down, but by God's grace we will not stay down.  Thank God!  Though we may not know what life will throw at us, we know we have a place of refuge for the times when we feel overwhelmed and need to be somewhere safe. Jesus being there makes all the difference.  I know; I have been there. 

Born to Win

The day's motivational quote was from motivational speaker Zig Ziglar and I thought it was profound: "You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win."  What stood out for me was the lack of passivity despite being born to win.  In other words, though we may be born to win, winning could not be taken for granted.  It was not going to happen without planning, preparation, and expectancy on our part.  We are active participants in the process to realized our expected end; we must do something.

 

These thoughts came to mind as I reflected on God's promise to the  Israelites as they made their way across the wilderness: "Look, I have set the land [of the Caananites] before you; go in and take possession of the land which the Lord swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them’" (Deut. 1:8, AMP).  Notice that though the land was given to them, they could not just sit by the river Euphrates holding hands and expect the promise to come to pass.  The instructions were clear, "go in and take possession."  That would involve planning, preparation, and expectations of winning because God was on their side.  As we know, there were a number of wars along the way to claiming the promise, but God kept His word.  Just because we have a promise from God doesn't mean the road to the promise will be easy, nor does it mean we do not have a part to play.

 

As Christians it is not uncommon for us to use and fall back on religious cliches - "I am a conqueror!" "I am a warrior!" "If I hold my peace, God will fight my battles!" and such the like.  Well, how does one conquer? What do warriors do?   Christian warriors know that we are engaged in a spiritual warfare, one that requires us to have our spiritual weapon in our right hand even as we go about our daily lives.  Yes, we are promised the victory but we were never promised there would  be no war.  For there to be a victor there must be a vanquished and often times that require our  planning to win, preparing to win, and expecting to win.  Believe me, the enemy of our souls is doing the same thing as it pertains to you and I.   He continually plans and prepares strategies to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  It is no wonder Peter exhorts believers everywhere, "Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable] " (1 Peter 5:8-9a).      

To resist is to oppose or offer resistance through actions or words and so to "resist . . . his attack" is never a passive exercise.   Battles are not won sitting on our hands and waiting for God to move the enemy out of our way.  More times than not we must engage the enemy, not in our own strength and resources, but like David said to Goliath, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.  This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.  And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel" (1 Samuel 17:45-46).  Despite his confidence in God, David also had a slingshot and five stones!   Goliath was not killed by a lightening bolt from heaven, but by a stone from David's sling.  David planned to win, prepared to win, and expected to win.  What is your mindset as you get ready to claim what God has promised you?    

Holding On To God's Word

When Jesus got to Bethany on the occasion of Lazarus' death, as He stood at the graveside amidst grieving family and friends, He said to those nearby, "Take ye away the stone." John tells us, "Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto Him, 'Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days'" (11:39, KJV). Judging from that response, one would think that Jesus was oblivious to the facts as they were. In v.17 we were already told of Lazarus that "when Jesus came, He found that he had lain in the grave four days already," yet in Martha we see the human tendency to call our respective situations as we see them.  Usually, that is far removed from how God sees them.

I am intrigued by Jesus' response: "Said I not unto thee, that, 'if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?'" (v.40). The words "said I not unto thee" springs forth from the pages because they tell us that while standing there in front of her brother's grave, looking at the reality of what was, Martha forgot whatever it was that Jesus had told her previously. The facts had overwhelmed any promise He had given her, yet even as we look at her, we can see ourselves so clearly. We read the Word, the Holy Spirit quickens that Word in our hearts, yet in the face of our adversities how quickly we forget the promises of God.  When Jesus comes on the scene, the facts give way to truth. For example, fact - I am broke, truth - My God shall supply all my needs (Phil. 4:19); fact - I'm worried, truth - as long as I trust in Him, His peace will stand watch over my heart and mind (Phil. 4:6,7). In other words, for every situation that confronts us, we have a Word from God for that situation.

Our challenge as believers is to understand and hold on to the word that God has given to us, especially words that speak to our specific situations. Jesus taught, "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart" (Matt. 13:19).  It is when we lose that Word, often through lack of understanding of it, that we find ourselves in distress, doubt, and defeat. Without the promises of God, we have no reason to see beyond the present state. But thank God, because we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), with the Word appropriated in our hearts, we can say like the Apostle Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). Equally important, we know that He keeps His promises.  We are reminded that "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19).

What "dead" situation in your life are you looking at? What has He said to you concerning it?  What are you going to believe?

A Place Called Heaven

According to the news report, the one bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom apartment located in New York city was on the market for a cool US$2.075 million and carried monthly maintenance fees of almost $1,500. It was only a year earlier that the seller bought the unit for $1.695 million, an appreciation of $380,000 during that time.  For a 850 square feet one-bedroom apartment.

 

As I read the story, it occurred to me that interested buyers would be individuals for whom money was not a problem. Individuals like you and I could only dream of living in a place "on a casually plummy, townhouse-lined and tree-shaded block on the the Upper West Side of New York City" that "occupies the entire top floor of a handsome, turn-of-the-century, mid-block brownstone that's just half a block west of the Museum of Natural History." Must be nice! I tried to picture the "casually plummy" block of luxury townhouses in my mind, but had no idea if the image in my mind was anywhere close to the reality.  It was then that it occurred to me that this apartment, no matter how luxurious, was nothing compared to what God has prepared for those who are His.

 

The apostle Paul echoed the words of Isaiah when he reminded the believers in Corinth: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV).  Bible Scholar Matthew Henry puts it this way: "There are things which God hath prepared for those that love Him, and wait for Him. There are such things prepared in a future life for them, things which sense cannot discover, no present information can convey to our ears, nor can yet enter our hearts."  While most of us could never afford the home being advertised, we are all presented with a picture of a city called heaven that defies comparison with any place on earth.  In the book of Revelation we are told of a river, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb [Jesus] down the middle of the city. On each side of the river there will be a tree of life, yielding twelve kinds of fruit every month. The streets will be pure gold, like transparent glass. The walls of the city will be adorned with every kind of jewel, emerald, onyx, amethyst, topaz, etc. There will be no need for a sun or moon, and no need for a temple or church. The presence of the Lord will be its light" (Revelation 21, 22).  We cannot begin to imagine what this city and its environment look like.

 

One remarkable thing about this city is that all the money in world could not buy one of its mansions. These have been prepared by God "for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed]” (1 Cor. 2:9b, AMP).  If you are one of those persons, a mansion, paid for in full, awaits you!  If you are not, then securing your place in this city is fairly easy for "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9, KVJ).  It starts there and it really is that simple. What are you waiting for? We just might end up being neighbours!