Psalm 84: Beautiful Redemption in the Valleys of Our Pilgrimage

Psalm 84: Beautiful Redemption in the Valleys of Our Pilgrimage

by | May 18, 2022 | Devotional, Foundations of Fatih

Beautiful Redemption in the Valleys of Our Pilgrimage

A Restful, Refreshing Retreat

Almost three weeks ago, I had the joy of attending a four-day retreat called Abide hosted by Sixty-One Acres (SixtyOneAcres.com) and Spacious Place, a retreat center in Okeechobee, Florida. It was such a beautiful, refreshing time. There were thoughtful lessons, amazing home-cooked meals, stunning sunrises, lots of laughter, sweet surprises, and best of all, a lavish amount of personal time just to abide with Jesus. One of the Scriptures we read was Psalm 84. Here are some things the Lord has been showing me as I have continued to meditate on this Scripture.

Psalm 84:5-7

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5-7 

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You…

We are blessed if we know and believe that our strength is found in God alone. If we  understand and acknowledge that all of our physical, spiritual, and material strength, our wealth and prosperity, our health and well-being, our inner-fortitude, integrity, and confidence is in Him, and sustained by Him. 

Acts 17:28

For in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

He strengthens us, He helps us, and He upholds us. 

If God is the one upholding us, we experience what it means to be blessed. When we have God’s blessing, He is offering us His favor, His protection, and His peace. When God’s favor is over my life, I can see His hand in everything. I see Him working within me, in my relationships, in my circumstances—every aspect of my life. 

Whose heart is set on pilgrimage…

A pilgrimage is a journey. When we are a part of God’s kingdom, our understanding of ‘home’ changes. We begin to understand that this is not home… we are sojourners, people who are on a journey. But we are not on a wandering, aimless journey. Our journey is like a pilgrimage. We are walking this journey with Jesus, and we are partnering with Him to bring forth His Kingdom here on earth. Our journey is not without purpose and destination. 

Inherent in pilgrimage is movement.  We are in motion, we are not stagnant, standing still, or settling down. Knowing there is purpose in our journey, we continue forward with definite direction toward our destination. Yes, it’s tempting to settle down into being satisfied with our ‘creature comforts.’ But when my heart is set on pilgrimage, I can’t settle or stop or quit. So I stay the course, listening for Holy Spirit to direct my next steps.

Don’t misunderstand me—we need rest, and we need a house to live in, and we can call that place “home.” But there is an eternal Home that we long for when we embrace God’s Kingdom reality.

The Lord is drawing us, inviting us to set our hearts on the pilgrimage we are taking with Holy Spirit, and to live as sojourners, traveling through a ‘foreign land.’ 

As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring…

Most translations will provide a footnote giving the meaning of Baca which is “weeping.”

And we know that a spring is a source of water, which is sustenance and life. Spring here is also defined as a ‘source of satisfaction.’

So … 

As they pass through the Valley of Weeping, they make it a source of satisfaction.  

How can sorrow and weeping be a source of satisfaction? 

We must all, at times, travel through the Valley of Weeping, where we experience challenges, difficulties, and loss. Pain and grief are part of the human experience. 

In His great kindness, doesn’t the Lord meet us in times and seasons of grief? He journeys close beside us, even carrying us at times. He comforts us, He counsels us, He reminds us of all the ways He has brought us through before. In these times He may also be revealing hurts or wounds we are harboring from the past. And in fact, He may be wanting to heal our hearts of more than just the pain of our current loss. 

Intimacy With Jesus

When we journey with Jesus through seasons of pain or hardship, the intimacy we experience with Him becomes our source of life, our source of satisfaction.

My healing journey was this to me. Three years of counseling and inner-healing was a long season of grieving. Yet through the grieving and the healing that I found in the process, I was given back my life. And I wouldn’t trade that season for anything. My Valley of Weeping became a life-giving spring to me… and as that living water flows out from within me, it can become a source of strength and encouragement to others.

In the Valley, Not Beyond It

Note here… that this Scripture does not support the idea of “putting the past behind us” without first facing it, as I have often heard people say. The spring is made in the valley, not beyond it, and I believe this is very purposeful language. We don’t ‘move on’ to happier times to find the spring.. They make it (the Valley of Weeping) a spring.  

The place of weeping is the very place where the spring is birthed… the place of weeping is where we meet the Lord… and where the Lord meets us. It is a place of reconciling ourselves to truth. The place of weeping is where the life is, because it is where we are choosing to face our pain, accepting what is real; we are acknowledging what has been lost, and allowing Holy Spirit to minister to us in our grief.

At times, it is the place where He wants to reveal “truth in the inward parts” — to show us the reality of our inward condition. Maybe we have harbored bitterness or unforgiveness; maybe there are idols we have made of certain pictures or relationships or things we think we can’t live without; maybe we have been living with unhealed wounds that He wants to heal.

The Fires Of Sorrow

John 12:27-28

Oswald Chambers writes about ‘the fires of sorrow’ based on Jesus’s words in John 12:27-28 …what shall I say? ‘Father save me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name…

Chambers writes: 

“Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow… We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, we are foolish…Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me…The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrows…You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you…if you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.” 

Surrendering All to God

Blessed is the man who turns to the Lord in his dark hour, his Valley of Weeping, and invites Jesus into his pain, asking Him to reveal Himself in that very thing that hurts so much… who invites Holy Spirit to minister in the midst of heartbreak, who submits himself to Gods sovereign power and His ways. Like Job, he can say, Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.

The Passion Translation translates Psalm 84:5 this way: Even when their paths wind through the dark valley of tears, they dig deep to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain.

The rain also covers it with pools… 

Early Rain

The Hebrew word for rain is also translated, “early rain.” The early rain is the rain that falls to soften the earth before the plowing. It signals to the farmers that its time to plow. The early rain also helps the seeds that are sown to germinate and begin to grow.

In our Valley of Weeping, the Lord sends His early rain to soften our hearts so that the seeds He sows within us are able to germinate and begin to grow.

Interestingly, the word for rain is also translated teacher.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit as our teacher—softening our hearts, leading us, guiding us, revealing His ways to us in the midst of our Valley. 

The word for pools refers to a blessing or benediction, and prosperity. 

So in our Valley of Weeping, as we invite Holy Spirit to walk with us through it, comforting and counseling us, He sends His early rain to soften the soil of our hearts, that we may receive what He wants to plant there and be receptive to what He wants to teach us. Over all of this, He is covering us, providing pools of blessing, which means His favor, provision, and peace.

They go from strength to strength…

Here the Hebrew word for ‘strength’ is different than the word for ‘strength’ in verse 5. Verse 5 (ʻôz or oze) is more about the strength of our being—our well-being, the strength of our inner-man, and the strength of our resources and security. 

Here in verse 7, the Hebrew word for strength is chayil, which is more about  ‘force,’ particularly in terms of men, means, or other resources. Some of the words in the explanation for chayil are: army, wealth, virtue, valor, substance, train. 

So chayil is more about the strength of ability to move forward or to advance, like an army, or a train. 

Think: Advancement of God’s Kingdom. Forward movement (like pilgrimage). Taking ground. 

When we are journeying with Jesus, this is our promise: 

They go from strength to strength.

They take ground and then they take more ground, and then more. 

They are advancing like an army against the enemy, and they advance again and again. 

Each one appears before God in Zion…

Deuteronomy 16:15-17

In Deuteronomy 16:15-17, We find this same phrase: 

Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all you produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice. Three times a year, all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as He is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you. 

These instructions were given to the Israelites as a way to observe and acknowledge God’s constant blessing and provision. It was a way to continually remember where their provision came from, and to offer back to God their reverence, thanksgiving and praise. 

Each one of us ‘appears before God’ every time we come to Him, and we don’t come empty-handed, because He has been our strength, and has blessed us, protecting and and providing for us.  

But we will also appear before Him in the final judgement as it is written in Revelation 20. If our names are written in the Book of Life, we will live with Him forever. 

Revelation 21:3-5

Now, listen to what we are promised: 

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne  said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:3-5

God is Our Destination

God is our destination! We are blessed if we find our strength in God, if we set our hearts on pilgrimage. We will walk through the Valley of Weeping, but it will never be in vain. It will make our love for Him deeper, our life with Him richer, our strength in Him stronger. On the other side, we will know His redemption of it, and we will not stop thanking Him for it.

He never leaves us for a minute, but walks with us on our journey, offering His favor and blessing to keep us and sustain us. With Him, we will advance His Kingdom purposes again and again, continuing from strength to strength, victory to victory, until we meet Him face to face, and He has made all things new.

Birth of Jesus Ushers in New Era of Hope

Birth of Jesus Ushers in New Era of Hope

by | Dec 21, 2021 | Devotional, Foundations of Fatih

The Birth of Jesus and the Bigger Picture

More To The Story

Something I’ve been learning lately is that there is always more to the story that what we first get. I have found that my ‘enquiring mind wants to know’ the More. I want to understand that bigger picture. So I ask for revelation and understanding, and God says Great–let’s go! and He takes me on a journey. This month, as I was in Isaiah, reading the Messianic prophesies foretelling the birth of Jesus, I started wondering. What was happening when Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah? The Holy Spirit took me back into the chronicles of the kings of Israel and Judah.

In the Days of the Kings of Israel

After the time of king David and his son, Solomon, Israel was divided into two kingdoms. There then became a Northern kingdom (Israel), and a Southern kingdom (Judah). The pattern in recording the reign of each king reads:    

In the ___th year of King Thus-n-Such, king of ______ (Israel or Judah),  So-n-So became king of _________ (Judah or Israel). And King So-n-So did what was _________ (right or evil) in the eyes of God.   

Now there were lots of evil kings and there were some kings who did the right thing, or tried. but even the good kings were often only kind-of good. They were not always passionate to obey God’s instructions. Maybe they were just trying to be good human beings, but they didn’t really have a heart that was toward God and wanted to truly please Him.

For example, some kings “did what was right in the eyes of God” but didn’t bother to take away the high places, so people continued to burn incense and make sacrifices on pagan altars. Or the king did right for a time, but then turned proud, and turned away from God. And whatever the king was doing, the people were mostly following him. If God wanted to have a working love-relationship with people, this was not a very reliable system. 

 

Moses Tried to Tell Them

Deuteronomy 10, 11

Listen to how Moses addresses the children of Israel as they prepare to go into the land God promised to give them: 

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? 

And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil…

If you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him—then the Lord will … put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread…

Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. (Excerpts from Deuteronomy 10 and 11)

Notice any repetition here? Moses was emphasizing this over and over: If you will just love God and obey Him.

God Gave His Law Out of Love

We love our kids and want to see them succeed and live meaningful, prosperous lives and have loving relationships and compassionate hearts.  And just like us, God wanted that for His children. If we didn’t give our kids any instructions, if there were no consequences for misbehavior, if we let them decide what’s “right for them” and let them make their own rules, so to speak, without interfering…we would not be loving them. In fact, this would be the opposite of love—this would be neglect.

God didn’t give the people rules because He was a mean, angry tyrant. Rather, He gave them rules because He loved them—instructions that would lead them to life. Rules like “don’t murder” and “don’t steal” and “don’t commit adultery.” But no matter how fervently or how often they were instructed to love God and follow Him, they could never seem to keep it up.  And as time went on, the people got more and more lost. They just could not get it right. God’s instructions were good, and for their own good. The Law was good and right and just, but it could not keep men good, righteous, and just. It could only reveal the hopeless plight of men trying on their own to be good, righteous and just.

Isaiah 60:2

Over time, things got very dark. And those whose hearts were toward God understood that the darkness was only getting darker.  Isaiah prophesied, For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. Is 60:2. 

The Days of Isaiah the Prophet

It was in the days when the kings were doing evil in the sight of God and the people were following the kings instead of following God, and things were not going well, and getting very dark, that the prophet Isaiah lived among the people and watched what went on, and spoke and wrote down what he heard God say. 

I’d imagine he experienced many of the emotions that God had through this time. He probably felt broken-hearted and angry at their wayward hearts, and their betrayal. And He probably felt saddened at the depravity they were subjecting themselves to, hardening their hearts and embracing evil ways.

God was sticking with them though because He had made a covenant with Abraham. I don’t think He was caught by surprise that things were going to happen this way. It is hard to watch people you love turn away from light and truth and blessing, toward ways of darkness, and depravity. But He knew it would happen.

Isaiah Prophesies the Birth of Jesus

So, as people were becoming more and more depraved, as they were giving themselves over to deception, as they were rejecting God and His ways, as they were closing their ears and eyes to truth and wisdom and justice, and embracing evil, when it seemed like the light was going out and darkness was beginning to cover the earth and deep darkness the people, in the very midst of this, God deposited these beautiful, hope-filled words into Isaiah’s heart and onto his lips:

Isaiah 9:6,7

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined…for unto us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over Him kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6,7)

Prophecy of Zacharias About the Birth of Jesus

Luke 1:76-79

Isaiah lived about 700 years before the birth of Jesus. When Mary was pregnant with Jesus, a priest named Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied about Jesus. After the birth of his son John, Luke records that Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets who have been since the world began …

And you, child, [John] will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:76-79)

The Birth of Jesus Brings Our Dayspring

God’s tender mercy toward the people of Israel, and toward us, meant Jesus came as our Dayspring—our heaven-sent Sunrise. The Hebrew word for Dayspring is Anatole (a rising of light or dawn). It can be traced back to two Hebrew words: Ana which means “into the midst” and telos which means “the end to which all things relate, the aim, the purpose” (as in a goal). Today, the word Dayspring is used to mean ‘a new era’ or ‘a new order of things.’

So today, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are remembering the ‘Dayspring from on high’—the rising Light (sent from Heaven) that dispels the darkness and brings a new order to things. We might even say that with His arrival, the Most Important Thing (the end to which all things relate —the purpose of all things) has come into our midst. 

And the darkness within us that deepens—with our sins and failures, our unsatisfying successes, and the reality of our emptiness apart from the Life-Giver—that darkness is dispelled as we invite the Dayspring in—in the very moment that we admit our sin and our need for saving. In that moment, God floods in with His love, His forgiveness, His truth, His hope. A heaven-sent Sunrise breaks in and gives us a brand new beginning.

Thank you Father for Your tender mercy toward us, and your great love. My heart wells up with love for You! Thank You for coming into our midst. Thank You for making a way for us to have a Life-giving Love-relationship with You that will never end. 

Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people. Luke 1:68

The Spirit of Truth: Our Powerful Guiding Light

The Spirit of Truth: Our Powerful Guiding Light

by | Jan 8, 2021 | Foundations of Fatih

The Spirit of Truth: Our Powerful Guiding Light

John 16:13

…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come (John 16:13).

In the Beginning

John 1:1-4

In the very beginning, the Living Expression was already there. And the Living Expression was with God, yet fully God. They were together —face-to-face, in the very beginning. And through his creative inspiration this Living Expression made all things, for nothing has existence apart from him! Life came into being because of him, for his life is light for all humanity. John 1:1-4 TPT

Truth begins with the One who set all things in motion. Jesus existed before everything, and that means that Jesus is Eternal—He has always been, and he always will be. If we wanted to, we could call Him Eternal Jesus. Eternal Jesus created our beautiful world. He also created all of the humans. The humans are beautiful too, and within each created one, a special power is deposited.

 Through all the ages this special power has been used for both good and evil. It has caused unimaginable pain; it is responsible for brokenness in our homes, our lives, our hearts, and our world; and this special power enables a tragic amount of creativity, ingenuity, and calling, to go unrealized.

 On the other hand, it places within our reach the potential for greatness, and empowers us to accomplish and produce and succeed. Moreover, this special power leads us into adventure; it can be an instrument of reconciliation; a messenger of forgiveness, grace and peace.

 Consequently, it can dramatically change the trajectory of a life, for better or for worse.

 This special power is the Power to Choose.

 

Choose Truth and Life 

We choose simple things, like what to eat and what to wear; we choose how to treat other people and how to treat our planet; more substantially, we choose how to spend our time, what to believe, what to embrace, and what to reject. And we choose whom and what to love.

 Of particular significance is that we choose who and what will have access to our minds and our hearts. And whatever fills up our senses and flows into our thoughts and our hearts, is being given permission (by our choosing) to lead us toward Truth and Life, or toward Delusion and Death.

John 1:10  

Jesus… entered into the very world he created, yet the world was unaware. He came to the very people he created—to those who should have recognized him, but they did not receive him. John 1:10 TPT

 It’s remarkable to me that the Divine Person who created us also gave us the freedom to reject Him. It makes sense though. “Forced love” is not love. I can’t make someone love me. Real love can only ever be given freely and must be received freely. It cannot be demanded or taken by force.

Jesus loves the people He made. Yet He does not demand our love in return, nor does He insist that we accept His love. We are free to choose. We can accept or reject Jesus, His message and His love.

Jesus’ Message and Love

Here are some of the claims of Jesus—this was His message to us:

I Am Statements of Jesus

 John 6:35

 I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35 NKJV

John 14:6

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 NKJV

John 10:9

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 NKJV

John 10:11

I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:11 NKJV

John 10:27

My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. John 10:27 NKJV

John 10:17,18 

He demonstrated His love when He allowed the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman authorities to crucify Him:

 …I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. John 10:17,18 NKJV

 Who’s Got the Truth?

Jesus—the One who created the world and then entered into that world and then died to save the people from eternal separation from God, and then rose from death to life again (this is a good article on Historical Evidence for the Resurrection) so He could carry on being Eternal Jesus and we could be eternal with Him—is the One who holds all Truth. There’s no one more In-The-Know than Eternal Jesus. The road that leads to Truth and Life begins by believing Jesus—believing His message and accepting His sacrificial act of love.

 

He Will Guide You Into All Truth

Jesus told His disciples this:

John 16:13

 When He, the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth…John 16:13 NKJV

 The Truth is discerned by our spirit; the Holy Spirit reveals the truth to our spirit. When we freely choose to accept the message and the love of Jesus, He gives us His promised Holy Spirit:

Ephesians 1:13

And because of him, when you who are not Jews heard the revelation of truth, you believed in the wonderful news of salvation. Now we have been stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 TPT

So when we choose to believe Jesus’ message, and we choose to receive Jesus’ love, then God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth (God’s Spirit) guides us into all Truth.

 Lovers of Truth

The only way to even come close to being able to discern what is true and what is false as we are going through this life, is to become a Lover of Truth. Are we desperate to know the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth??? We choose whether or not we will love the Truth. And this one detail is hugely important. Here is why:

2 Thessalonians 2:11,12

 …those who are perishing…rejected the love of the truth that would lead them to being saved. Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion that leads them to believe what is false. 2 Thessalonians 2:10,11

Isaiah 11:2

If we do not cling to the One who holds the Truth, we will be led to strong delusion. When we choose to reject Jesus, Who is our only hope for reconciliation to God—we, by our own choice, are rejecting God and His protection, His favor, His blessing, and the covering He offers us through the blood of His Son, Jesus. We are also rejecting, by choice, the counsel of His Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit is not only the Spirit of Truth, but the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2).

We Have an Adversary

On the other hand, to willfully reject God’s covering is to to subject ourselves to a very real Adversary (see Ephesians 6:12) who, according to 1 Peter 5:8 walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Jesus says in John 10:10, The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. As He is challenging the Pharisees in John 8:44 he says to them, You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44 ESV)

Guided by the Spirit of Truth

Lovers of Truth love Jesus, who is Truth Incarnate. When we love Jesus, God gives us the Spirit of Truth, who will guide us into all Truth. And even then, we will not always get it right, because we will not always be listening—because most of us are not *always* tuned in or paying attention to His voice. BUT when we are, we will be able to discern between what’s true and whats false, between fact and fiction, in our everyday life—in relationships, in situations, in current events, etc. We will be led to and drawn to sources—speakers and leaders, journalists, media, organizations, books, podcasts, resources, etc. that speak Truth. And when we hear things that are not true, or things that oppose the truth, we will recognize it as deception and falsehood.

In this way, our prayers remain aligned with God’s purposes and ways, we are not easily swayed, angered, or manipulated by what we are hearing and seeing, and our faith remains unshaken. We have the peace of God that passes all understanding, and we don’t need to be anxious for anything (Phil 4:6,7).

 Let’s be Lovers of Truth! Let’s keep our ears open, our hearts soft and humble, and our our spirits sensative to the leading of God’s Spirit of Truth within us.

John 3:19-21

The Light of God has now come into the world, but the people loved darkness more than Light, because they want the darkness to conceal their evil. So the wicked hate the Light and try to hide from it, for the Light fully exposes their lives. But those who love the truth will come into the Light. John 3:19-21

To Dwell In Love: Trading In ‘Just Deserts’ for the Love Kingdom Way

To Dwell In Love: Trading In ‘Just Deserts’ for the Love Kingdom Way

by | Dec 31, 2020 | Devotional, Foundations of Fatih, Inner Healing, Stories

Dwell In Love

Lessons on Love with Little House

Matthew 5:43

Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 5:44

 If you missed the first installment of my Little House post series, you can read it here. 

 My daughter and I are currently reading the seventh book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series. In Little Town on the Prairie, Laura is accused by her new school teacher, Miss Wilder, of being a trouble maker. Laura’s Pa, Charles Ingalls, and two other school board members have dropped in during class one day, after hearing rumors that Miss Wilder has had trouble keeping the class in order. Flushed and frustrated, Miss Wilder tells them that Laura Ingalls is singlehandedly responsible for the rampant misbehavior and continual chaos that has taken over her classroom. At home, Laura truthfully denies Miss Wilder’s claims, but Pa challenges her to think where Miss Wilder might have gotten this idea. As Laura retraces her steps, she suddenly realizes that an unkind comment she made to Nellie Oleson on the first day must have been twisted and used by Nellie to set Miss Wilder against her, as the two (Nellie and Miss Wilder) had been spending  recess times indoors, visiting together.

Just Deserts

Any who are familiar with the series will know that Nellie Oleson probably provoked, even “deserved” whatever Laura said to her. As Laura is explaining to her parents what she said to Nellie and why, she is hot and angry:

“I meant to make her mad. When we lived on Plum Creek she was always making fun of Mary and me because we were country girls. She can find out what it feels like, herself.” 

“Laura, Laura,” Ma protested in distress. “How can you be so unforgiving?” That was years ago.”

“She was impudent to you, too. And mean to Jack,” Laura said, and tears smarted in her eyes.

Reading these words yesterday, I suddenly teared up, too. This isn’t the first time it’s happened while I’m reading to my daughter, and it always seems random at first. But it’s never really random, is it—these moments that catch us by surprise? So I prayed, and then I started thinking.

We Want Justice

It is noteworthy to mention here, that reading the part of the story where Laura puts Nellie in her place gave rise to no emotion within me besides gladness. No empathy for Nellie. No check that Laura shouldn’t have said that. I just relished, unreservedly, Laura’s triumphant moment of revenge. Sweet Revenge!

 Isn’t there a part of us—if you are like me, the lion’s share— that feels a sense of satisfaction when a “mean girl” like Nellie gets her just deserts? We want justice—we want things to come right. Since Nellie made fun of Mary and Laura for being “country girls,” then it feels downright satisfying to know that now the tables are turned, and Nellie is the “country girl.”

 And yet Laura’s “justified” meanness did not serve her well. It may have felt satisfying in the moment, but in the end, it only produced more trouble.

The Law of Newton

I am seeing this a lot lately in my children, with the Law of Newton presiding. Every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. One will take something or do something that makes the other feel wronged, and the second retaliates. It happens quick, and it is always an attempt to make things right on their own terms. I can’t tell you how many times in the last month I’ve said (out loud or just in my head) Two wrongs don’t make a right. The first wrong never justifies the second. I’ve a feeling its something I’m supposed to be paying attention to.

Trusting Our Just God

No matter what anyone does or says, it is not my job to retaliate. I am not called to put them in their place. We are not called to explain or defend ourselves, or to prove our rightness to those looking on. We have to trust that God sees it all and is on the job.

Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7). We can know that is true and trust It’s steadfastness. It is God’s Law that no man can bypass.

 Nellie had already been demoted—whether by hard times or bad luck or Providence— it was not Laura’s job to repay her unkindness. Life already had. It was Laura’s job to forgive and love. Not only for Nellie’s sake, but for her own.

 In her book Miracles Are Normal VIrginia Killingsworth writes: “Every problem, without exception, is a manifestation of a violation of the law of love. Every struggle in your life, at it’s very root, reveals an inability to love and be loved by God, an inability to love and be loved by others, or an inability to fully love and honor yourself!”

Acting Out of Our Wounds

Nellie Oleson was unkind to others because she did not feel loved, she didn’t feel worthy of love, and she did not love herself. She had received and believed the idea that a person’s value is measured by their position and wealth. In the past, her family had been wealthy. Laura and Mary didn’t have money, but they had love. They felt loved and valued by their parents. Nellie had money, but she didn’t have love. If she had felt loved and valued just for being herself, she would not have felt the need to diminish others to feel important or valuable.

Nellie said hurtful things out of her wounds. When Laura made her comment to Nellie, she did it because somewhere inside, she still felt the pain of Nellies hurtful words. She had not forgiven, and she had certainly not forgotten Nellie’s meanness. She hurt Nellie back because of her own hurt.

God’s Way is Different

In the natural, Laura’s actions are justified. We might justly feel that Nellie got what she deserved. But in God’s kingdom, which is a kingdom of Love— we don’t dish out what people deserve. We forgive, and extend underserved grace, because this is what we, ourselves, have been given.

 I think I got teary reading this because through it, the Holy Spirit was reminding me of my own heart, and many hearts. Yes, so many of us have been hurt. Yes we have all experienced great loss. And yes, we could justify all the ways we have responded to it—there are many ways to try and make things right on our own terms. There have been many times we have felt misunderstood, mistreated, betrayed, unfairly judged, hurt, dismissed, falsely accused, wronged, or shamed.

 But by a God Who redeems everything, we have been invited into a way far more rewarding and satisfying than evening up the score will ever be. If there are areas where we harbor unhealed wounds, then in those areas, we will interact and respond to people from a place of wounded-ness rather than love. But if we will allow God’s Spirit to show us the places where we still have wounds, and if we will let Him heal those wounds, then we make room for Love.

A Lens of Love and Kingdom

I believe that we are coming into a time when God is asking us to begin to look at things more intentionally through a lens of Love and kingdom. His kingdom is a Love kingdom. Think about how unimaginably different things must be in heaven than they are here on earth.

Mathew 6:10

But Jesus prayed, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

 God’s ways, His will and His kingdom are all meant to be manifested here on earth. Heaven is the unseen realm, while we live here on earth—the realm that we can see. But Jesus prayed that the unseen realm, heaven, would come and occupy and operate here in the seen realm of earth.

 2 Corinthians 4:18

Paul writes that we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18).

 If we have dedicated all of our energy to making sure our opinions get heard, reminding people of their shortcomings, and fighting for our rights, then looking at life through this lens of His Love kingdom might be like getting new glasses. We will see other people and our circumstances in a different light, with more clarity and more understanding of what is really important and what is not.

Trading In Our Just Deserts

God’s Love kingdom means surrendering everything we think we have a right to. God’s Love kingdom means no control. No rights. No paybacks. No just deserts. No score-keeping. And maybe that feels unfair or even scary, but maybe God is asking us to trust Him and let go anyway. Let go of our right to be right. Let go of needing to be understood. Let go of what people might think. Let go of worrying over what might happen if we don’t hold things together. Let go of what the other person did. Make a decision to forgive, even when there was no apology or repentance.

 To clarify—I’m talking about what goes on within our hearts. This is a conversation between me and God. How will I choose to approach this situation or this person? We still have to use wisdom, we still need to have healthy boundaries, and we still choose safe people. But we can let go of the need to defend our position or convince people of anything. We can forgive where we have been hurt, and we let God be our defender.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 TPT