If Only……

“Again, the Israelites starting wailing, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna.'” Numbers 11:4-6

“If only”…..dangerous words because they keep us firmly in the complaint line…..never in the gratitude line. The Israelites were such a powerful example of this. God freed them from slavery in Egypt through awe inspiring miracles, proclaimed them His chosen people, and promised them a land of milk and honey. They just had to be faithful on the short journey to get there.

But they complained at every turn……constant whining about every situation they faced. They continually focused on what was wrong, what they didn’t have…..never on the miracles God was performing in their lives on a daily basis. They forgot the meat in Egypt came with the heavy price of slavery. They took for granted that God was already providing food in the form of manna. There was not an ounce of gratitude, only dissatisfaction.

Reading through Exodus and Numbers, it’s pretty shocking to understand the behavior of the Israelites. How could people who were given so much……complain so often? It took me exactly one day of noticing my behavior to see I’m right there with the Israelites.

The if only’s sneak in so easily, they can be hard to notice. The complaints enter my thoughts so quickly I am caught by surprise. What am I communicating to God? I want to be firmly in the gratitude line. Grateful every single day for God’s gifts of life, health, family, food, shelter, salvation…..and continually focused on seeing silver linings instead of clouds.

Take one day and keep tabs on your complaints vs gratitude. You may be surprised with the result.

 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”   1 Thessalonians 5:18

Prove It

Have you ever asked God for a sign? A sign that makes things more clear….proof that when he calls, you really, really understand what he’s asking? Because you certainly wouldn’t want to act on blind faith putting yourself at risk, right?

Can I tell you how much I identify with a guy named Gideon in Judges 6-7? When God called him to save Israel and promised him strength, like Moses, he immediately doubted because of his own weaknesses. God again promised strength, but Gideon not only asked for a sign, he asked God to wait while he prepared an offering. God graciously granted him a sign by blazing fire from a rock but Gideon’s fear drove him to ask for even more proof.

“Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.”  That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. Judges 6:36-40

Last night, my daughter sprained her ankle at practice and couldn’t walk on it. I was in my room praying before going to bed and I heard or really felt a voice, “Go and put your hand on her foot and pray.”  My first thought was, “Yeah, right….like that would make a difference.” I heard it again, “Go and put your hand on her foot and pray.” I thought, “But I will feel embarrassed…stupid….awkward.” I heard it a third time, “Go and put your hand on her foot and pray.” This time I got out of bed, walked into her room and bent down to look at her foot. “What are you doing?” she asked. “Praying for your foot.” I whispered. So very timidly I reached out and quickly prayed. I think I said two sentences, but I did it.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened….no outright miracles…..except that I answered the call and with only two arguments. Large for me. I left feeling a bit silly, but as I walked down the hall, a huge sense of inner peace washed over me.

Maybe the miracle was not about her foot, but God teaching me about Moses and Gideon so I can act with less doubt and less proof. Then I can teach my children to do the same. And in case you’re wondering, while my daughter’s foot still hurt this morning, she walked out of the house on both feet.

When God Calls

How do you feel when God calls you to act? Afraid, inadequate, unable? Are you like me and immediately focus on all the reasons you can’t or shouldn’t do what he’s asking? Do you question and make excuses?

We can take comfort that even Moses questioned God and pleaded to be let off the hook. Exodus 3-4 shows us that over and over he tried to hide behind his own inadequacies….

The Lord appeared to Moses and said, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”  But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Moses continues to question, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God continues to reassure him and even gives a detailed description of how He will deliver the people from Egypt.

But three more times Moses argues, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

“Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

“Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

Wow…..can you imagine if Moses did not act and finally follow God’s commands? We never know where God is leading us or how we play a part in his miracles. He already knows our weaknesses and limitations and is patiently waiting to provide an abundance of help the second we accept and act. We just need to trust and have faith in what he is asking.

MIRACLE on a Monday?

Okay, I know this is an uneasy subject for some people. The “M” word is BIG and BOLD and it’s much easier to just talk about coincidence or luck. But I see miracles all the time….little mini-miracles….and the bigger ones like last week.

The sermon this past Sunday was on tithing. I thought to myself, “Here we go, another one on giving more.” I settled in to zone out….sorry, I’m not perfect. But something quite different happened. I was hearing more about what I worship than what I give. A verse that I had written down in my Journal a week before popped up on the screen, “No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:24.

…Huh?

Then Jody, our minister said, “It’s not about money, it’s about your devotion.”

…Huh?

He went on to say, “Do you spend time worrying about money, paying bills, sending kids to school, retirement, etc.? Do you worry over building up and the bottom line? Do you worry that you just won’t have enough to retire? Do you worry about your house, your car, your jewelry, your lifestyle, your STUFF? Do you worship…. money?”

oh…..

Then a verse I had never heard before appeared on the screen. “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10

Gulp….We 100% worshiped money. You see my business of 20 years shut down in 2009 with the recession. We were carrying a two income life on only one and that income was based largely on commission. Daily, we devoted hours of time and energy worrying about how to juggle our money and our stuff. How could we possibly give more if we were having trouble paying for everything now?

BELIEVE. That night my husband and I pledged that we would immediately stop worshiping money. We would give a full 10% of everything that hit our bank account, we would save 10%, and we would live on the rest…and TRUST in God. We prayed and told God we were taking Him up on the Test.

The very next day at noon – I was eating a sandwich – my cell phone rang.               After 3 1/2 years of no work, a company was asking me to handle a large job with no budget and more to come. I could barely speak.

Miracles do happen on Mondays.