From the monthly archives:

February 2007

Allow me to share a testimony of God’s faithfulness and provision:

We’ve had some financial difficulties since last October, and though we are making progress, we still have a ways to go before everything is back to normal. We have tried a number of conventional solutions–refinancing and so forth–and none of them has worked out, though it seemed like they should have. And each time, I was not surprised, because I’ve concluded that God wants to work in our finances in a different way than the conventional. And that’s okay, though it has been a challenge at times when it seems like a simple loan approval would have taken care of everything. I’ve seen enough of God in action to know that often He has bigger plans than the immediate need, and so I’m willing to see how He wants to handle things and be blessed by and in the process. In the meantime, we’ve worked on bringing in more money, being careful with our spending–making the changes we need to enact to be good stewards.

In the process, we have seen God increase His provision through Teddie’s drapery business and sewing classes; she has had a record income since the first of the year, mostly through her classes. But even with this increase, I saw that it would not be quite enough to take care of February’s bills. For one, our car tags are due in February, and then we’ve had sick kids with doctor visits and prescriptions. (And yes, I know that we should have budgeted monthly for the car tags and for medical expenses–we haven’t done that in the past, but we’re getting there! Part of God’s bigger plan in this is teaching us stewardship skills that will eliminate the need for loan-getting skills.)

For the past week, I’ve been praying daily over our finances, bringing specific bills and amounts before God, because it was more than we could naturally expect to come in from Teddie’s work or any other “normal” source–I knew God would have to move supernaturally. And on almost a daily basis, we’ve seen God provide through Teddie’s work; for instance, on Sunday she had seven students show up for a demonstration class, when she had expected only three–in other words, God more than doubled the expected income from that class. read the complete post

Last night over coffee, a group of us were talking about God’s plans for our lives and learning to wait while the plans unfold. The conversation turned to Joseph and Moses, who both knew God had called them to something great and yet waited a long time to see it come about.

What did these men do while they waited, Joseph in slavery and prison, Moses in the wilderness? Did Moses have aspirations to one day return to Egypt and free his people, or did he settle down into family and work, assuming that was all that was left for his life? We’re not told how Moses knew he was to deliver Israel, but Stephen tells us that “He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand” (Acts 7:25); clearly, Moses sensed a divine destiny.

In contrast, Joseph had two vivid dreams that showed him he was destined for great authority; he knew from God that something was ahead. read the complete post

peace in the nature of God

February 14, 2007
This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series peace

Last time, I wrote about the names of God, looking at a handful of psalms for the ways that God is described. As I meditate on and come to believe that God truly is “my stronghold, my refuge, my light, and my salvation,” I will find it easier to experience the perfect peace that Isaiah promises to those who stay fixed on God.

It’s knowledge of God that allows us to trust Him, and knowing these names is one way to know Him better. The Psalms also reveal His nature in more detail as David and other writers praise God at length for different aspects of His character. Today, I want to point you toward just a few psalms that can build our faith in God.

Need a reminder that God is able? Take Psalm 29, as an example; David begins with “Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.” The rest of this psalm describes God’s majesty and power. For instance, David tells us: continue reading

Read the full article →

peace in the names of God

February 12, 2007
This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series peace

Several months ago, I wrote about calling on the name of God, citing a number of passages that talk about the power of God’s name. What I didn’t do was point you toward passages on the names of God. This seems like a good time to do that; in yesterday’s post, peace: a matter of focus, I wrote about knowing God as a key to trusting Him, and by extension, a key to having peace. We looked at Isaiah 25, which tells us that God is “a stronghold to the poor.”

Psalm 9 links these two concepts, God’s name and God as stronghold: continue reading

Read the full article →

peace: a matter of focus

February 11, 2007
This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series peace

Last time, I wrote about God's perfect peace that comes to those who stay focused on Him. We find this wonderful promise of peace in Isaiah 26:3:

You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.

According to Isaiah, the key to keeping our minds stayed or fixed on God is to trust God. Sounds simple enough, and those of us who have been in church for long know we ought to trust God. This is one of those times, though, when it’s easier said than done. Circumstance gets in the way, and many things compete for our attention. My work is not going well: do I keep my mind fixed on that problem or on God? Money is tight, my child has a health problem, a tragedy has occurred to a close friend–the list goes on. As the commercial says, “Life comes at you fast.” And with each problem, we are tested in our focus.

And it really is a matter of focus. continue reading

Read the full article →

peace, perfect peace

February 6, 2007
This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series peace

In my previous posts, I’ve touched on the role of our thinking in regard to peace: the peace of Christ rules in our hearts when we submit our thoughts and feelings to peace (Colossians 3:15), and the peace that passes understanding can guard our hearts and minds when we let go of anxious thinking and […]

Read the full article →

peace on the inside

February 2, 2007
This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series peace

Tuesday, I wrote about letting peace be the umpire in Colossians 3:15 and started to explore what that entails. Submission is one part; an umpire, by definition, has authority to make a call, and the umpire’s authority necessitates my submission to that call. And that leads me to the second big idea: an umpire only makes […]

Read the full article →
  • translation & tools

  • Dan on Twitter

    • oops! Twitter appears to be down right now.
  • tags

    action Andrew Murray anger authority catholicism change Christ Christian music David faith father fear forgiveness Frederica Mathewes Green freedom God Holy Spirit humility Isaiah Jesus Lent Lent and Easter Wisdom life love mercy movies obedience Oswald-Chambers parenting peace poetry Pope John Paul II power prayer priorities promise Psalms relationships rest sin strength thinking time management trust worship