As the rain and snow

“Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.” Genesis 47:27-28

The elderly Jacob, after early reluctance and limited trust, traveled with 70 from his family and household to Egypt to be reunited with the favored son he had long thought dead, and to survive. God had sent Joseph to Egypt decades earlier for the saving of His people, and although shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians, Pharaoh allotted this family, because of his love and respect for Joseph, the best of the land. And there, far from the promised land on this foreign soil, three generations of God’s chosen were fruitful, and multiplied greatly. (Genesis 45:5,7;46:34)

Sometimes the Lord takes us from a ‘home’ of comfortable and familiar, a place of health, harmony, financial security, ease, into a foreign land of illness, discord, fiscal upheaval, tragedy, the tangled and painful consequences of dark sin, or isolation, to plant us anew, teach us, and make us fruitful. When the place is at first strange, we cannot imagine anything more than adjustment, getting through- all is unfamiliar and uncomfortable and has not yet possibilities. There is no bigger picture or longer view. But once we agree to accept that God has brought us to this foreign soil, and release ourselves to the new venture crafted by His sovereign hands, we can begin to see beyond our own wants to a farther horizon, make inroads, put down roots, and begin to grow. Sometimes what never occurred to us, never showed as the slightest blip on our radar screen, is a luxurious next place for us in God’s grand plan, and we miss out when we refuse to set out on the journey He is prompting us to take.

“I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:16,5

Am I resisting new and different, foreign and difficult? If so, likely my eyes and fears are set on those very places and things, rather than on my Lord and Leader. His plans for new work, ministry, relationships, skills, service, involvement, even habits, are creative and good. The One Who calls not only enables, but finishes the work He intends, and that to His glorious praise. Why would I pull back, or turn away? Why would I choose complacency and famine over fruitfulness and spiritual plenty? (Numbers 23:19; Philippians 1:6)

Good Master, make me always willing to go where You call, and make the most of the lands and situations You appoint. Bear Your lasting fruit through my life.

“Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, please.‘ And they came near. And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come.”‘” Genesis 45:4-11

Joseph, mistreated and sold by his brothers, falsely imprisoned by Potiphar, forgotten for two years in prison by the released cup-bearer, now prime minister disguised from his brothers by his Egyptian position, garb, and language, finally reveals to them his identity. Note how fluidly he refers to God. His life is bound up with Him and His wide purposes, The goodness He works in all things. Joseph tarries not in present circumstances, but is fixed in the eternal ways of the Sovereign. (Acts 17:24-25,28; Romans 8:28)

Taking our view up a notch makes all the difference in our reception of our situation, and our handling of challenges that confront us. When, instead of getting fixated on events or curveballs, cruelties or difficulties, we put on our God-glasses, the helmet of salvation, the mind of Christ, we can say first “but God,” and “because God.” We learn to view all with a spiritual perspective, and look for the meaning that is deeper and always there. What is He doing, teaching, inviting me to see or change? When conflict arises, where can harmony be built? In disagreement, what can I do to bring unity? When I am unjustly treated, am I willing to ‘go to the cross’ and forgive as my Savior has? Praying for and intentionally loving our enemies softens our hearts toward them, seeing the lost as unable to discern spiritually helps me understand their behavior and attitudes. When my longings go unfulfilled, what can I learn of the spiritual fruit of patience, faithfulness, and self-control, what new attributes of Jesus are revealed in His consistent care and provision and lovingkindness? (Romans 15:5-6; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; Ephesians 4:32; Luke 6:35-36)

Gracious Lord, please train me in the long view, an eternal perspective in all my day-to-day. Keep me surrendered to Your will and expectant of Your handling everything to accomplish Your grand and good plans.

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother… For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. It is good not to… do anything that causes your brother to stumble.” Romans 14:1-6,12-13,15,17,19,21

The human tendency in the course of living is to establish our own standards and compare ourselves to others. Paul tells the Romans, be done with that! You think it’s alright to eat certain foods rejected by religious followers, you judge others who abstain or indulge, and even cause others to stumble by exercising your freedom because it caused them to doubt or go against their conscience- Stop! The Lord is Judge, all will stand before Him. You are focusing on and weighing the wrong things.

Our mission should be not to judge or stumble others, but to act in love, to make deliberate decisions that prefer others and promote peace, joy, and spiritual unity, to be willing to give up what is my privilege for another’s good and growth. This is what is mutually edifying: it builds up the weak and the less weak, it points us all to a higher way that is directed to Almighty God, not ourselves.

Who and what is it I really care most about? My comforts and pleasures? How many times do I hear myself say, “I want to..”? Or, maybe my chatter denigrates others’ choices,  political persuasions, activities or lack thereof, as though mine are superior. When I accept and bow before the Higher Judge, I am free to live and love the higher way, for the blessing and benefit and upbuilding of others for whom Jesus also died and lives.

Righteous One, forgive my low deliberating, my fleshly living, and elevate my energies in every way. May my words and thoughts be pleasing to You. Cause me to pursue what is highest and best for everyone, especially for Your honor and glory. (Psalm 19:14)

“One of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ And the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’” Mark 12:28-34 (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

The Scribes, always stirring chatter and controversy with the Pharisees and Jesus, had been trying to pinpoint Jesus on “to dos,” and He always pointed them higher and deeper than they’d anticipated. Now one with an earnest desire to understand asked which commandment was most important. Jesus responded that the greatest was not so much a task to follow or an activity to avoid, but a matter of who ruled the heart. The light seemed to go on for this honest seeker; he realized this was a call above and beyond offering tangible sacrifices, to love.

God is one, a singular God, not to be mixed with the strange and foreign gods of image, money, self, professional or personal accomplishments, family. And He is to be Number One, first and only on the throne of our hearts, the object of our soul’s deepest affection. The first two commandments emphasize this unique place of God, setting the stage for all other commandments, and the Shema (“The Lord our God, the Lord is one”), recited several times daily by the Hebrews, reminded them of the oneness of their God. It does us well to keep these truths at the fore also. (Exodus 20:3-5)

Our tendency can be to want to do things, to be busy, and check off commands with our deeds and meetings and work of our hands, when the Lord calls us to be sure our hearts are the true altar. Have I laid down self for my Savior? Am I acting from love for my God? Is my devotion to Him, or to the thing or deed or to serve my wants?

“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart;
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.”  ~Dallan Forgaill (530-598)

Lord on high, You are the One and Only. Captivate my whole heart with this truth, and engage all of my efforts to adore You before all else, and exalt You above all others.

“And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak…’” “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”  “Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.” “And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, ‘You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘I neither know nor understand what you mean.’” Matthew 26:40-41,57-58; Luke 22:31-32; Mark 14:66-68

Jesus the Master Teacher, knowing His crucial hour was at hand, had prepared and warned His disciples that Satan himself, the deceitful, evil one whose goal is to steal, kill and destroy, was crafting temptation against them, and they must watch and pray. They followed Him to Gethsemane, where, weighted down by heavy hearts and eyes, they surrendered to sleep once, twice, three times. Jesus, surely exhausted from agony and sorrow, persevered in troubled, gut-wrenching prayer with His Father, His only surrender being to His perfect will. He was alert when Judas the betrayer and the soldiers came.

Sleeping is not alertly watching. Willing is not doing. Following at a distance is not pressed close. Oh, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak! We can splash and play in the water, facing a peaceful shore, and be unaware of the lusty, bounding waves about to swallow us. We can think we’re firmly standing on solid ground when the sand beneath our feet gives way. It is more dangerous to think we’re immune to the very evils we smugly decry in others than to bloody our knees to wrestle in prayer, resisting temptation to the absolute point of NO!

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:18-25

Lord and only Deliverer, make me keenly aware of the lurking and ferocious enemy who would have me. Keep me watching, praying, surrendered fully to Jesus Christ my Lord. (Romans 16:17-20; 1 Peter 5:8)

“Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. ‘For,’ he said, ‘God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.’ The name of the second he called Ephraim, ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.’ Gen 41:50-52

Joseph, eleventh of twelve sons of his father Jacob, was hated by his jealous brothers. When, on his father’s errand, he checked on their welfare in the sheep fields, they stripped him, threw him in a dry pit, and sold him as a slave to Midianite traders. Then Potiphar, captain of the Egyptian Pharaoh, bought him, and in his service, Joseph was falsely accused and confined in prison, where “his feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron.” Later, when his brothers came to buy grain in Egypt, they admitted to having watched and ignored his soul distress and begging. In all his suffering, Joseph stays hidden in his Lord. While the names of his son’s hint at his hardship – longing, abandonment, affliction- he chose to emphasize God’s goodness, steering of his mind, fruitfulness, and blessing. The way he saw things, God ruled, God was present, God was good, God was using his circumstances to work all things for His grander purpose. (Genesis 37;39:3,5,21;42:21;50:19-21; Psalm 105:18)

How do I see things? Joseph’s was no fake or trite, “I’m fine;” his attitude was fixed in a true, God-graced, eternal perspective. Is mine? Joseph knew his God, and saw his every circumstance as sovereignly orchestrated by Him, and this freed him to make the most of wherever he was, pressing on to know God better, serving others with the compassion and wisdom He supplied. How about me? If I bore fruit during difficult times, would it be puny and weak and sighing, or large and robust and happy? If I were naming my ‘offspring’ in a land of affliction, would they reflect complaining or trust? Do I focus on and whine about my ills as a victim, or on God’s grace and His purposes as His chosen? Is my default thinking “woe is me,” or “Wow is God!”?

“Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Who, as on wings of an eagle, uplifteth, sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen How thy desires all have been                                                                 Granted in what He ordaineth?                                                                                                   Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee,
Who from the heavens the streams of His mercy doth send thee.
Ponder anew What the Almighty can do,
Who with His love doth befriend thee.”  ~Joachim Neander (1650-1680)

Father, as You superintend my life, my days and seasons, please fill my vision with You. Lift my head to see You rather than hardship, to be able to rejoice in the freedom and blessing You give in every turn of events that I might know You more deeply and make You known. May I name all my fruit, which You graciously allow and bestow, for You, for Your glory and praise.

“Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him,.. ‘Let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone…’ And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.” Genesis 35:2-3,14-15

Jacob had behaved himself in many situations that warranted the hatred, suspicion, and uneasiness he experienced. God knew him well, and orchestrated circumstances to teach and break and sanctify him; and for all his conniving ways, Jacob was spirited, determined, insightful, tenacious, and knew his God too. And so it was, after returning to his homeland with his wives and large family, he set to return to Bethel (“house of God”), where God had earlier promised him descendants that would bless the earth, to build an altar. This time, it was to more than a present and personal God, but to the God Who had stayed with him and answered every distress. (Genesis 28:11-19)

Jacob’s descendent David would say something similar of God, though his life was quite different and he faced different hardships. Others through the Bible, owning different personalities and proclivities and called to different lives, also knew God always answers us in our distress and is always present. (Psalm 34:4; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5)

God has many names, though His character remains the same. Certain attributes mean more to us at certain moments or seasons in our lives; our experience with Him identifies Who He is to us. As we go through life, God reveals Himself in new and different ways, and we can keep naming Him, crying out in desperation or surrender, anguish or adoration, memorializing distinct aspects of His infinitely good character. Our worship is elevated when we recount His names that have been especially personal in specific situations, noting them in a special way as we read through the Scriptures, voicing them in praise. How well do I know Him? For what shall I name and remember Him today?

Almighty God, You are the One Who sees after me, my ever present Help in trouble, my Everlasting Father, Good Shepherd, Prince of Peace. I adore and exalt Your name that is above all names. In all times, cause me to remember You and all You mean to me, singing and spreading Your glorious name with thanksgiving and joy. (Genesis 16:13-14;17:1; Psalm 46:1; Isaiah 9:6; John 10:11; Philippians 2:9)

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Isaiah 30:21; Psalm 32:8

“Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.                                                                                                                                      Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.”  ~ Walter Chalmers Smith (1824-1908)

Father, keep me pressing on, plunging in to all You have for me, trusting Your ways and  word and direction when I do not see You. May I faithfully follow You, the immortal, invisible, and only wise God, to Whom be glory forever. (1 Timothy 1:17)

“Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’” Genesis 28:10-17

At this point in his life, Jacob was no stellar individual. His name that meant “deceiver” had borne itself out in conniving, lying, and deception with both his brother and father. The consequence of the jealous hatred he stirred up against his twin Esau was ‘banishment’ to fetch a wife in Haran, a journey that would keep him away for decades and from seeing his mother again. But it was here, in this aloneness, that the covenant God, the LORD, met him.

Hard-headed Jacob slept with a stone for his pillow, and God in grace came to him by way of angels on a ladder that stretched to heaven. The Lord identified Himself, spoke personally of His promise to Jacob and his descendants. There was absolutely nothing Jacob had done to deserve this favor; all was of benevolent El Shaddai, and His pledge was broad in every measure. Jacob’s would be the land as far as he could see, numberless descendants, and the Lord’s abiding presence.  (Genesis 17:4-8; 25:23; 26:2-4)

It is often when we are at the end of ourselves, our effort, our expending of our misdirected energies, that God’s grace most beautifully comes to us. He gets us in a place where we cannot ignore or deny our stiff neck, and must acknowledge that He is the high and lofty One, He the One Who is constantly awake and at work when we are shrouded in the sleep of spiritual apathy, He the lover of our unlovable souls.

My Lord, thank You for Your abounding grace. Ever humble me before You, grateful for the low places You put me so I can glory in Your initiative and measureless love in my life. You Who are ‘in this place’ took my place on the cross, so I am able to live in the gate of heaven all my days. Hallelujah!

“The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:30-34

He had just been rejected in His home town by offended, accusing nay-sayers, His cousin and friend John the Baptist had just been cruelly, capriciously beheaded, and yet Jesus kept on, focused on His mission. Grief and being spurned were a very real part of life, as was pressure to work and teach and serve, but the Rabbi knew the importance of rest, and taught His disciples by example. It was vital for those who would follow Jesus to get away with Him, for leisure and rejuvenation. His communion with His Father is what clarified His priorities, renewed His energy, and fueled His lovingkindness toward the crowd. At once, many more chased Him down, needs and demands multiplied, winds of resistance blew, but Jesus was calm, orderly, in control. Fixed on His God, He lived moment by moment in His power and peace.

For us, as in this story, the flurry of temptation to activity, the pressure to check off to-dos and meet demands and expend ourselves to exhaustion, never wanes. We have one more load, email, task, appointment, note, chapter, errand… added to the weight of all that has gone undone, the unmet intentions, frustrated plans, still-unconfirmed decisions. Our self-imposed frenzy can often distract and muddy our thinking, deplete our strength, even rob our joy. It is imperative we regularly ‘come away’ with our Savior, to leave the coming and going, turn off the devices, close the door, and be still. Do we deliberately schedule, and guard, this time? We cannot control every interruption, sadness, practical need, or emergency, but we can take control of many factors that assure needed rest in Him.

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne, Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face, Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!  ~William W. Walford (1845)

My Lord, keep me accepting Your loving invitation to be with You, to believe Your word, and trust Your grace. May the soul rest I find in Thee supply all I need for life’s pressing crowds.