Confirmation

 

As the daily news seems increasingly to confirm that we are in the End Times, it reminds us that time is short to experience precious moments with our families, adventures we have often dreamed of, and especially opportunities to spread God's Word. Shortly after I wrote the post below about a trip my husband and I took in 2018, the world experienced the Covid pandemic, which kept many under lockdown and severely curtailed opportunities for travel. So I thought I would repost this as a reminder to "Carpe diem -- Seize the day!" 

While browsing through my junk emails, I spotted what appeared to be a good deal on a trip to Costa Rica. My husband and I have always heard of the pristine beauty of this country and had spoken of visiting one day, yet that day had never yet seemed to come.

And while I’m not a fan of bucket lists, I also had come to realize that zip lining was an adventure I had always longed to experience – a perfect blend of my love for “flying” (which partly explains why I so love Theatre Arts dancing) and for nature. There are several such attractions in Florida where we live, but somehow hanging suspended over alligators didn’t sound too appealing.

My husband was also intrigued by the opportunity to visit Costa Rica, but we both wondered whether we should spend the time and money, when there were so many pressing concerns in our lives at home that we needed to address. So we agreed to pray about it.

After a few days of prayer, I still had no clear sense of direction, so I asked the Lord to give me some sort of sign. Although Jesus spoke of the Pharisees as being a wicked and adulterous generation because they needed a sign (Matthew 16:4), His Word also promises to give wisdom liberally to all who ask Him (James 1:5).

Shortly after I prayed for confirmation from the Lord, I ventured onto Facebook, where the first post I saw pictured a wistful elderly woman with the caption beneath, “Do what you’ve always wanted to do today, for we are not promised tomorrow.” (James 4:14)

“That seems pretty clear, Lord,” I prayed. “Would you mind very much just sending me one additional confirmation?”

Now I felt like Gideon, asking God for yet another miraculous sign, except that I felt even more presumptuous as I was asking for guidance about whether or not to take a vacation, and not about a decisive battle that would affect the lives and destiny of many people (Judges 6:36-40).

But the Lord is interested in all our needs (Matthew 6; 10:29-31), and no matter is too large or too small to bring to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6). If we don’t bring our prayer needs to Him, how can we expect Him to answer? (James 4:2-3)

So as I happened to check my emails, the most recent message was a solicitation from Barclay’s Bank, which caught my eye as Barclay is my maiden name, even though I am no relation.

“Make this the year you resolve to travel more,” said the message!  I rushed out to tell Richard that God had sent me two clear confirmations that we should take this trip, even though they came from sources as unlikely as Facebook and a solicitation email.

It is true that God most often speaks to His children through His Word (Psalm 119:105), through sermon messages (Romans 10:17), and through Godly counsel (Hebrews 10:25; Proverbs 27:17). But we should not put God in a box and apply our expectations to His infinite powers, for He can also speak through dreams (Genesis 31:11), nature (Proverbs 6:6), and presumably even seemingly trivial communications crossing our desk, mailbox or computer screen.

We both then felt at peace about embarking on this journey and eagerly planned our stay and excursions. We continued to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17) for safety and health while we were gone, both for ourselves and for our loved ones; for safe, smooth, comfortable travel; for pleasant accommodations, excursions, food, weather and company; and to grow closer to each other and to Him (James 4:8) as we experienced the majesty and beauty of His creation (Psalm 19:1).

Praise God, He answered every prayer! He allowed us to experience a land we had long dreamed of, to see a vast variety of wildlife in its natural setting, and to interact with pleasant people and to share God’s love with them (John 13:34-35). We distributed Gospel tracts carrying the message that all who trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven will have eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 3:16).

The trip was a much needed opportunity for relaxation and continued restoration (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 23:2-3) after a long period of stress and illness, and we are blessed and thankful that we interrupted our usual routine to take it, and to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

We honor God when we turn to Him for guidance in all matters, great and small (Psalm 27:8), and I believe He honors His promises to answer prayer in the best possible way, from His perfect, omniscient, omnipotent viewpoint of infinite love. Jesus told us to seek, and we would find; to ask, and it would be answered; and to knock, and the doors of opportunity would be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

As the zip line guide fitted me with heavy rigging before we sailed over the treetops, she asked if I had ever done this before, and if I were nervous. “This is my first time, and I’m not at all nervous, but I am praying a lot,” I answered truthfully, filled with the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

This peace (Isaiah 26:3) carried me through some challenging moments on the zip line, such as when my body weight was insufficient to carry me to the next platform and I had to turn myself around on the cable, climbing hand over hand backwards along the cable to pull myself to my destination!

Perhaps being just a little closer to Heaven added.to the joy of experiencing the jungle canopy, the plunging descent of the waterfall beside us at one point, and the exhilarating feeling of flight. Praise God that He guides us, answers prayer, wants to bless us with good gifts (Matthew 7:11), and gives us richly all things to enjoy!  (1 Timothy 6:17)

© 2018 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Be Still, and Know...

 

Photo by Vian 2018

One night as I Iay awake, my mind churning through dark waves of shoulds and coulds, of “if only I’d…,” and “what if…,” I felt my heart pounding against the rocky cliffs of failure, doubt and despair. But the Holy Spirit brought a verse to mind that calmed me as no other could, as I meditated on it word by word:

Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

Be. To be, not to do, that is the answer. As if I could do anything for God on my own merits or in my own strength – without Him, I can do nothing (John 15:5). I had gotten so wrapped up with doing that I forgot that more than anything, God wants me to just be. Be the Shepherd’s sheep (Psalm 23), the Father’s child (Romans 8:16-21;9:26: Galatians 3:26), the Son’s bride, the Spirit’s student (John 16:13). Only then, when I let go of my own identity, my will, and my pride, can He use me as a fully yielded vessel (Romans 9:21; 2 Timothy 2:21) and do works through me for His purpose (Ephesians 2:10), making me an ambassador for Christ (Ephesians 6:19-20).

Still. Not clamoring for worldly attention (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13), not bewailing my fate (Job 2:9), not reciting my shopping list of wants to God (Matthew 6:7-8; James 4:3) and calling it “prayer.” Listening instead for that still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13) Who will guide (Proverbs 3:5-6) and comfort me, leading me beside the still waters (Psalm 23:2). The peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) comes only from stillness, from waiting on Him (Psalm 27:14; 37:34) to reveal Himself and His specific plan.

And. Stillness in and of itself is not enough – God wants more. Stillness is not passively waiting; it is actively seeking His face (1 Chronicles 16:11; Psalm 27:8; 105:4), which requires faith, or knowing that He is Who He says He is and that He will do what He has said He will do (Hebrews 11). He commands us to know Him through faith in His recorded Word, as well as to be still. And yet, being still is a prerequisite to knowing Him. He promises the reward of knowing Him if we are still enough to drink in His presence.

Know. When I pray to God or read His Word, do I hope that He will hear me, or that some of His promises might come true, depending on His whim? If so, I am just performing a religious exercise while denying its power by my own lack of conviction (2 Timothy 3:5). Or do I truly know, in every fiber of my being, that God is unchanging (James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8), faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Corinthians 1:9), and true to His Word (Titus 1:2), and that if He said it, it is so? Only that degree of resolute faith can tap into the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) that He gave us through the indwelling Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30) at the moment we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.

That. What specifically does He want me to know? I could know all the genealogies and prophecies and quote Scripture and verse for any occasion, yet I could miss the point entirely (1 Corinthians 13:1-3), unless I set all knowledge into its proper place in the framework He has so clearly built.

I. It’s all about Him. It’s not about me, what I want, what I can do, how lovable I am, because I’m just a wretched sinner (Romans 3:23) deserving eternal punishment in hell (Romans 6:23), and all my self-righteousness is like filthy rags in His sight (Isaiah 64:6). The danger is that any ministry, any service, any act of worship could be directed to the idol of Me (1 John 5:21) if I fail to give Him the pre-eminence (Colossians 1:18). Christ alone is worthy (Revelation 5:12), and I must decrease so that He can increase (John 3:30) and take His rightful position on the throne of my life. Reserving any part of my life for my own selfish desires amounts to partial obedience, which is disobedience (1 Samuel 15:22). He bought me with the priceless sacrifice of His own precious blood (Romans 3:25; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).

Am. He is the great I AM (Exodus 3:14), the eternally existent One (John 1:1), the completely self-sufficient One (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:27), the Beginning and the Ending (Revelation 21:6; 22:13), the timeless One Who was, and is, and is to come (Revelation 1:8). He made me in His image (Genesis 1:26-27), for His pleasure (Psalm 147:11; 149:4), so because of I AM, I can be.

God. God is Love (1 John 4:7-8), which is the framework in which all knowledge, faith and works must rest if they are to have any power or meaning (1 Corinthians 13:8-10). His infinite love led Him to give His only Son (John 3:16) as the perfect sacrifice on our behalf, so that whoever places their faith in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven will be saved. God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5), for He is perfectly holy. And God is Spirit (John 4:24), empowering His love and purity with complete might.

So to be still and know Him, I must walk in love (Ephesians 5:2), in light (1 John 1:7), and in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25). Yet these are not deeds or good works, but the source of power for good works, allowing my life to bear fruit as I abide more deeply in Him. The branches do nothing in themselves to grow grapes; it is only their utter dependence on the Vine that accomplishes the purpose for which they are created (John 15:5).

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10).

Ultimately every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10), but for our lives to glorify Him in this short span of earthly time He has allotted us (James 4:14), we must first be still, and know…

© 2014 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Confirmation

While browsing through my junk emails, I spotted what appeared to be a good deal on a trip to Costa Rica. My husband and I have always heard of the pristine beauty of this country and had spoken of visiting one day, yet that day had never yet seemed to come.

And while I’m not a fan of bucket lists, I also had come to realize that zip lining was an adventure I had always longed to experience – a perfect blend of my love for “flying” (which partly explains why I so love Theatre Arts dancing) and for nature. There are several such attractions in Florida where we live, but somehow hanging suspended over alligators didn’t sound too appealing.

My husband was also intrigued by the opportunity to visit Costa Rica, but we both wondered whether we should spend the time and money, when there were so many pressing concerns in our lives at home that we needed to address. So we agreed to pray about it.

After a few days of prayer, I still had no clear sense of direction, so I asked the Lord to give me some sort of sign. Although Jesus spoke of the Pharisees as being a wicked and adulterous generation because they needed a sign (Matthew 16:4), His Word also promises to give wisdom liberally to all who ask Him (James 1:5).

Shortly after I prayed for confirmation from the Lord, I ventured onto Facebook, where the first post I saw pictured a wistful elderly woman with the caption beneath, “Do what you’ve always wanted to do today, for we are not promised tomorrow.” (James 4:14)

“That seems pretty clear, Lord,” I prayed. “Would you mind very much just sending me one additional confirmation?”

Now I felt like Gideon, asking God for yet another miraculous sign, except that I felt even more presumptuous as I was asking for guidance about whether or not to take a vacation, and not about a decisive battle that would affect the lives and destiny of many people (Judges 6:36-40).

But the Lord is interested in all our needs (Matthew 6; 10:29-31), and no matter is too large or too small to bring to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6). If we don’t bring our prayer needs to Him, how can we expect Him to answer? (James 4:2-3)

So as I happened to check my emails, the most recent message was a solicitation from Barclay’s Bank, which caught my eye as Barclay is my maiden name, even though I am no relation.

“Make this the year you resolve to travel more,” said the message!  I rushed out to tell Richard that God had sent me two clear confirmations that we should take this trip, even though they came from sources as unlikely as Facebook and a solicitation email.

It is true that God most often speaks to His children through His Word (Psalm 119:105), through sermon messages (Romans 10:17), and through Godly counsel (Hebrews 10:25; Proverbs 27:17). But we should not put God in a box and apply our expectations to His infinite powers, for He can also speak through dreams (Genesis 31:11), nature (Proverbs 6:6), and presumably even seemingly trivial communications crossing our desk, mailbox or computer screen.

We both then felt at peace about embarking on this journey and eagerly planned our stay and excursions. We continued to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17) for safety and health while we were gone, both for ourselves and for our loved ones; for safe, smooth, comfortable travel; for pleasant accommodations, excursions, food, weather and company; and to grow closer to each other and to Him (James 4:8) as we experienced the majesty and beauty of His creation (Psalm 19:1).

Praise God, He answered every prayer! He allowed us to experience a land we had long dreamed of, to see a vast variety of wildlife in its natural setting, and to interact with pleasant people and to share God’s love with them (John 13:34-35). We distributed Gospel tracts carrying the message that all who trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven will have eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 3:16).

The trip was a much needed opportunity for relaxation and continued restoration (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 23:2-3) after a long period of stress and illness, and we are blessed and thankful that we interrupted our usual routine to take it, and to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

We honor God when we turn to Him for guidance in all matters, great and small (Psalm 27:8), and I believe He honors His promises to answer prayer in the best possible way, from His perfect, omniscient, omnipotent viewpoint of infinite love. Jesus told us to seek, and we would find; to ask, and it would be answered; and to knock, and the doors of opportunity would be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

As the zip line guide fitted me with heavy rigging before we sailed over the treetops, she asked if I had ever done this before, and if I were nervous. “This is my first time, and I’m not at all nervous, but I am praying a lot,” I answered truthfully, filled with the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

This peace (Isaiah 26:3) carried me through some challenging moments on the zip line, such as when my body weight was insufficient to carry me to the next platform and I had to turn myself around on the cable, climbing hand over hand backwards along the cable to pull myself to my destination!

Perhaps being just a little closer to Heaven added.to the joy of experiencing the jungle canopy, the plunging descent of the waterfall beside us at one point, and the exhilarating feeling of flight. Praise God that He guides us, answers prayer, wants to bless us with good gifts (Matthew 7:11), and gives us richly all things to enjoy!  (1 Timothy 6:17)

© 2018 Laurie Collett