When God hides ...

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"Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior." (Isaiah 45:15, English Standard Version)

God hides Himself? Doesn't He want everyone to know Him? That verse gave me pause as I was reading this morning, so I checked several other versions. Here are a couple that shed some light.

"Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior, you work in mysterious ways." (New Living Translation)

"Clearly, you are a God who works behind the scenes, God of Israel, Savior God." (The Message)

God is not playing a cruel game of hide and seek with us, but He is working in ways that we do not always see. He wants us to engage with Him in such a way that we are looking for the evidences of His hand in all of our circumstances. He wants our attention, but He does not always seek it dramatically. He wants to be known, but He does not want to be figured out.

God may seem hidden in your circumstances right now. I promise you that He is at work behind the scenes. Look closely. Trust even when you can't see.

Question: What are some ways you can deliberately seek God when He seems hidden?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to learn from you.

Leaning confidently

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"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord." (Psalm 112:7, Amplified Bible)

I needed this verse this morning. It appears that my step-mother is headed for heaven in just a few days. I only use the term "step" to distinguish her from my mom. I could not love either of them any more than I already do. One is "Mom" and the other is "Thingy". There's plenty of love to go around.

God's purposes are not always clear. Mom is a 25 year cancer survivor. Thingy's cancer was diagnosed 7 months ago. Could God heal? Of course! Has He? Mom's temporary healing has lasted 25 years and continues. Thingy's permanent healing is just around the corner. That, my friends, is the reality of those whose hearts are firmly fixed.

Question: What keeps you from leaning confidently on the Lord?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.

In Whom do you trust?

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"Many put their hope in chariots, others in horses,but we place our trust in the name of the Eternal One, our True God." (Psalm 20:7, The Voice)

I have often rested in this verse in times of crisis, distress, and confusion. I have preached it and written about in numerous times in my various writings. It's one of my "go to" verses.

At this moment, I am sitting in the waiting room of my dermatologist's office waiting for my annual checkup. I am remembering previous years when there was removal of pre-cancerous lesions in office. There was also a year when a basal cell carcinoma was discovered. That resulted in MOHS surgery and a really cool ear bandage.

(This was how I had to cover the bandage in the shower)

30 Minute Pause
I have seen the doctor and I am all clear this year! Now onto another doctor appointment and then a meeting to clarify some future direction on a church consultation.

The truth is that I need to trust in God for everything. I have some great resources and great networks, but none of those mean much if I start putting my trust in them. My "chariots" and "horses" could be education, experience, colleagues, intuition ...

It is only in the name (person, character) of the Lord that I can place complete trust.

Question: How will you focus your trust today?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.

Trusting God for Today

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"Place your trust in the Eternal; rely on Him completely; never depend upon your own ideas and inventions. Give Him the credit for everything you accomplish, and He will smooth out and straighten the road that lies ahead." (Proverbs 3:5-6, The Voice)

This has long been one of my favorite Scripture passages, though I had never read it from this translation. This one may be more familiar to you:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (King James Version)

Regardless of translation, the message remains: We are not wise enough or strong enough to accomplish the task of living (trust in The Lord ... Don't lean on your own understanding). 

We don't deserve any credit when things go well--no matter how hard we worked at it (in all your ways acknowledge Him).

If we try to go it alone, we may as well plan on a lot of stumbling and uncertainty (He will direct your path).

I have shared these verses with graduates, newly married couples, newly ordained ministers, and others at significant life transition points.

Could they also be a good reminder as we simply transition into a new day?

Question: Which part of these instructions is hardest for you to follow?

Please leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.