Raise Your Banner

Hang around me long enough and you'll learn this:  I'm madly in love with my husband.  I'm so in love that I still have a crush on him.  I could wax poetic about this man, exclaiming his virtues as father and provider and good smoocher, but my favorite thing about him is his heart for the Lord.

My husband is a church planter.  (I feel like this is a prerequisite for all female Christian bloggers of late.)  He is a trusting and courageous man who listened to that still, small voice when God told him to move.  To say I'm proud would be an understatement.  He was resolute in his desire to do what God asked of him.  And like any person beginning an arduous task, he asked for prayer and guidance from his friends; most of these fellows being pastors themselves. They rallied around Dusty and encouraged him, prayed for him, and counseled him.  Ahhh...having godly friends is golden, isn't it?

I remember vividly one of those encouragements because I thought it was so beautiful.  Nic, who is a children's pastor at Newspring, texted Dusty in the early days of our church and told him, "I want to be like Aaron, holding your hands up as you accomplish the work God has called you to do."

This, friends, leads us to a precious and mighty Old Testament moment.  It's found in Exodus 17 and recounts a battle of the Israelites and their longtime foe, the Amalekites.  As brave Joshua  goes into battle, Moses stands atop a nearby hill holding his staff into the air above the fighting as encouragement to the soldiers and in supplication to God for an Israelite victory.  His staff over the Israelite army served as a banner of sorts, a coat of arms for Yahweh; telling all that this is the cause we fight for:  God and His promises to His people.

As you can imagine, holding a large wooden staff above your head for hours on end wouldn't be easy.  (I have problems carrying more than three bags of groceries into the house from my car.)  When Moses' arms would falter, so would the Israelite army. When his arms remained high, the army would rally and advance with strength. Obviously, Moses and his banner were of utmost importance.  To help him, Aaron and Hur held Moses' arms up for him for the duration of the battle.

Needless to say, with God's help, the Israelites won.  Moses told them to build an alter at the site of the battle and call it "Yahweh-Nissi" or "The Lord is my Banner."

What an incredible thought:  accomplishing a task God has set before you or surviving a great trial or celebrating a victory under a banner which waves declaring:  I fight in the name of the Lord!

Banners are a tradition dating back to the most ancient of times.  For thousands of years armies have ridden under the banner of some king, some cause, or some country be it Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, the Ottoman Empire, the French Revolution, or the Allies of World War II.  A banner is a fine thing - boldly declaring allegiance, stating a cause, ascribing loyalty.

We can be brave and fight for something too, right?  What banner shall we fight under, friends?  What enemy or injustice is at our door daring us to take up arms?  I serve a God who can win any battle in which I find myself.  A God with many names.  A General.  A Mighty King.  An arsenal of weapons and battle plans in His possession.  Pslam 60:4 says this:

You are a banner to those who fear you, 

so they can raise up for the truth.

I want to raise up for truth!  Can you picture it?  What a glorious idea!  

So what Name of the Lord shall I ride under?  What coat of arms is painted on my banner?

Jehovah-Jireh?  The Lord Will Provide.  (Because I'm struggling financially and I'm scared.)

Jehovah-Rapha?  The Lord Who Heals.  (Because I'm facing a scary diagnosis or nursing a broken heart.)

Jehovah-Shammah?  The Lord is There.  (Because I just need His sweet presence.)

El-Elyon?  God Most High.  (Because I've been running and I need to submit to His authority.)

Quanna?  He is Jealous.  (Because I put other things before Him.)

Or do I just need to hear Song of Solomon 2:4 and remember that "His banner over me is love?"  Because, friend, His love ripples in the wind over you at this very moment.

Did you notice Joshua's arms did not grow heavy under the physical fight?  But under that spiritual warfare?  Boy, did Moses grow faint.  

Friends, we need to call on Him.  We need to ride under His banner.  Because with it raised high we succeed, we win.  But when it falls and we're left to fight the enemy on our own, I promise, we will fail every time.

I would rather spend my life shouting the name of God than whispering my own.

Fighting under my name alone is futile.  It may look like I'm winning in the short term, but the war will ultimately be lost.  I want to raise my banner during battle and declare whose side I'm on.

Dear El Shaddai (The God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People),

Just as your banner defeated the Amalekites, I need your banner to defeat my enemy, too.  You are many things to those who call on your name, but above all you are Yeshua - because you "will save your people from our sins."  Yes, I will ride under the name of Yeshua, of Jesus.  The sweetest name I know.

Lord, may it be so.

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The Worth of His Work

Sometimes I play a precious annoying game with my husband called "List the Reasons You Love Me." This game can also be called "I'm Feeling Needy and Fishing for Compliments." I highly enjoy it and am considering selling the rights to Hasbro.

Here are the rules:  Husband hugs me and tells me he loves me.  I say, "Tell me why."  Husband then lists at least three things he loves about me (This is a game minimum.).

Honestly, just typing this is embarrassing, but it's all true.  I actually do this. And my husband sweetly obliges. And I listen, hanging onto every word.

This man and I have been together for almost 15 years.  We've experienced the highs and lows of life and everything in-between:  overwhelming joy, sadness, loss, want, plenty.  Children, houses, jobs.  We have run the gamut together.  He is the epitome of loyalty and faithfulness and has never given me a moment's pause of his love for me.

So why do I need reminding?

Is it the feminine in me?  Demons from my childhood surfacing?  My ego?

Or maybe it's just because we all sometimes question our worth.

I think we as humanity, be us female or male or those facing demons from the past or those wanting an ego boost wrestle with this:

What is my worth?

I need to share a wonderful story with you; an astounding revelation God gave me a few years ago.  It was a normal day.  I was driving somewhere alone (which is a rarity). The sun was shining.  I turned right onto the main road near my house and the precious sound of Jesus came flooding into my head:

"Tell me how I feel about you."

A message was sent into my heart and I was overwhelmed with joy and brightness and love. Laughter was there, too.  It was like witnessing a father lifting a precious, smiling child into the air.  The father laughing along, eyes shining.

"Tell me how I feel about you."

"You delight in me."

"Yes!"

Sweet friends, do you need a reminder of your worth today?  Then here it is! The Creator of the universe, the Almighty God, the Ancient of Days, The Great I Am says this to you:

I delight in you.

The LORD your God among you is powerful— he will save and he will take joyful delight in you. In his love he will quiet you; he will celebrate with singing because of you. 

~ Zephaniah 3:17

The love that God has for you is pure and perfect.  It is never-ending. He doesn't see you as a burden.  He sees you as His perfect, most important work of art.  Ephesians 2:10 says we are His masterpiece.  You are His workmanship and The Artist's work is worth much!  You think an original Rembrandt is worth a fortune?  My friend, you are an original of God Himself!  

Romans 8:38-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from His love... ever. Not even "any created thing." Created things like our sin or our mistaken self-perceptions:

38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This, dear ones, is some powerful stuff.  This kind of love is found only in the divine, only in the perfect.  And luckily for us, God is both.

So now tell me:  How does He feel about you?

Yes!  He delights in you.

Do not question your precious value, friend.  You still doubt this value?  Do you think this message applies to others and not to you?

Then this message is especially for you.  

So the next time you begin to question your worth because of a spouse, a boss, a child, or a friend, remind yourself of this:

The Lord of all creation takes delight in me.  And this delight takes shape as laughter and song, warm breezes and sunshine.  It looks like children running on a seashore.  It feels like lying under a great shady oak with streams of warm sunlight dancing through the leaves.  It smells like a Christmas tree.  It sounds like one lone bird you hear singing as you stand in your kitchen washing dishes.  It tastes like the first thirty seconds of Double Bubble gum.  

Every warm and wonderful feeling you've ever felt is how God feels about you.

Now go and live, knowing your worth.

Dear Lord,

You have told us to shout!  Exhorted us to sing and rejoice!  You have turned back enemies like self-pity and self-doubt.  You have told us not to let our heads hang in sadness and defeat.  God let us walk proudly with each step because you have taken such great delight in us.  We are your work, God, and your work is worth much.

Lord may it be so.

Amen.

To Make the Mountain Move

When I was a child I was a huge fan of the Christian vocalist Sandi Patty.  If you don't know who she is I see an extended YouTube session happening in your life.  She was to Christian music in the 80s as the Apostle Paul is to the New Testament - she's half of it.

Sandi Patty.  Oh how I loved her.  The sweet voice.  The big hair.  When I grew up I wanted to be Sandi Patty.  Oh God, give me big hair and a big voice like Sandi Patty.  (Well, hey.  One outta two ain't bad.  I have hair in abundance.)

I tell you about this obsession because of a song. A simple, meant-for-children song.  Until I began writing this blog entry I had not heard it out loud in nearly 25 years.  If you've never heard this song, called "Miracles Can Happen," imagine this:  the melody is a bit reggae meets Kidz Bop with some mean tuba thrown in at the bridge.  I know, the very height of musical sophistication.

While I hadn't heard this song aloud in quite awhile, it played in my head often over the years.  Very often.  Every time I hear the word 'miracle' a switch is flicked, the needle placed on the record and the words of the song start to play:

Miracles can happen

to those who love the Lord

Blessed are they that believe in Him

His kingdom shall be yours

Miracles happen.  I mean, do they?  Have you ever witnessed a miracle?  Seen the impossible made possible?  Or is this the stuff of fairy tales and children's songs?  There are lots of examples of miracles in the Bible:  the building of the ark, the parting of the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho falling, the slaying of Goliath which - Whohoo! Yes! - is covered in the Sandi Patty song!  Another excuse to sing along:

There was a boy named David

who fought a giant man

All the people were afraid of him

but only David took a stand

Goliath marched with his sword and shield 

shouting, "Where is your God now?"

David's shield was his faith in God

It was his faith that knocked that giant out

(How did this stuff not win multiple Grammys?  Especially with that mean tuba?)

Okay, we say miracles happen in the Bible.  But this is real life.  Stuff like that doesn't happen to me...or does it?  Can it?

In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says, "If you have the faith of a mustard seed (which is less than 1 mm long!  That's like this:  - ) and you tell this mountain to move, it will move."

 I don't know about you, but I tend to put serious stock in those red letter words.  And Jesus is telling me I only need a little, tiny bit of faith for a miracle to occur in my life!

In fact, Hebrews 11 has a list of those in the Bible who were full of faith.  This list in Hebrews is a place of honor; a veritable Who's Who of children's Sunday school lessons.  Among those listed?  Noah and his ark, Moses and the staff that parted the Red Sea, Joshua and his horn that knocked those walls down, and David with his stone that slew Goliath.  Faith is constantly honored in the Bible and Hebrews counts the faithful among those who "please God (v. 6)" and those who are "commended (v. 39)" by God.

Yes, please.  I would like to please God and have Him give me compliments.  I mean, these are some serious desires of a godly heart!

Have you ever told a mountain to move?  (Or a mole hill?)  Have you ever had the faith to ask God for the utterly impossible?  And be willing to thank Him whether He chooses to answer according to your wishes or not?

Here's the thing:  All these Biblical narratives are real life.  And they can be our real life, too.  I'm not saying we need to survive a flood or part a great sea or knock down a wall or kill a giant.

Or wait...maybe we do.

Do you need to survive a situation in which you feel like you are utterly sinking?  Do you need to take a journey to a better place in life, but it seems too difficult?  Do you need to knock down a wall that's keeping you from God's promises?  Do you need to rid yourself of a giant-sized bully that keeps taunting you?

These, friends - these are the miracles that our God produces.  Every day.  You just have to have the faith that He can.  Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do immeasurably more than we can even ask or imagine!  That's incredible!

So why aren't we asking?

A miracle was born last week to my friends Jamie and Eric.  His name is Hayden.  He was only expected to live moments after his birth, but he lived an incredible, love-filled five days.  In his short earthly life he pointed countless people to Jesus while his parents showed the world what bold faith looks like. They reminded us that blessed are they that believe!  His kingdom shall be ours!

Miracles can happen.

Is that sea, that journey, that wall, that giant taunting you?  Can you hear them? Where is your God now?

My friends, your God is everywhere.

What did Sandi say?  "It was his faith that knocked that giant out."

Let's be a people who have faith in our God to produce the miracles we need. Let's ask Him to save us from drowning, to part the sea, to knock down the wall, to rid us of the giant.

To make the mountain move.  

Where is my God now?

With my own eyes I will see the downfall

of my enemies. (Micah 7:10)

The Lord will say,

"Yes! I will do mighty miracles for you,

like when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt." (Micah 7:15)

(emphasis mine)

Almighty Father,

Let us be believers in your ability to change our lives, to defeat our enemies, to move our mountains. When they ask, Where is your God? let us show them the Lord's mighty miracles in our lives and shout with outstretched arms:  Ha! Where is My God not?

Lord, may it be so.

Amen.

(Friend, please hear me:  if you've ever experienced a time when God did not move the way you wished and your miracle did not look the way you wanted, it was not for your lack of faith.  You were precious in His sight and angels sang because of the faith you showed.  You will be rewarded for it.  I pray that during your time of distress you felt Him.  He has promised to be "close to the broken-hearted" and to "comfort those who mourn."  It is my most fervent prayer that you felt his presence.)

An Epiphany About Epiphany

By Jennifer Smith

Did you know Saturday is a Holy Day?  It's called Epiphany.  Well, to be exact, it's called Epiphany: A Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as Represented by the Magi.

Turn to your neighbor and wish them a Happy Epiphany: A Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as Represented by the Magi Day!

This day is actually a part of the Advent season and falls on January 6.  It's the day we celebrate the Wise Men and their visit with the Christ Child.  Most churches don't celebrate every holy day on the liturgical calendar and that's okay.  But this one, Epiphany, has always fascinated me.  Maybe it's just the cadence of the word 'epiphany', but once studied you realize this day is about much more than a pretty word.

First let's talk about what we know about these wise men or, more accurately named, the Magi.  To do that we'll read the only Gospel that contains mention of the Magi.  Let's go to Matthew 2:1-2, 9-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, 

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star 

in the east and have come to worship him."

They went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east

went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary,

and they bowed down and worshiped him.

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold

and of incense and of myrrh.  

I could bore you with a lot of details of who exactly the Magi are, their probable ancestry, and the timeline of their journey (and I'll totally be willing to Bible-teacher-geek-out and do this if you ask), but here's what you need to know:  these guys weren't kings.  They were astrologers which was a very well respected science in ancient times.  They were not present at the manger because scripture clearly says they visited with Jesus in a house.  They were not Jewish meaning they did not worship the God of Jacob, but they came to honor the newborn King of the Jews.  These men were wise enough to realize all the prophecies of the Messiah pointed to this time, this city, and this baby.  Wise men, indeed.

They came from the east; most likely from Media or current day Iran.

Wait...what?

Do you hear what I'm saying?  The first non-Jews or Gentiles that our sovereign God the Father (Praise His Name!) chose to visit His precious and Holy Son were Iranian astrologers whose descendants would not be Judeo-Christian.  Our God knew this.  He knew exactly who He was giving this incredible honor of seeing His Son.  I. Love. This.

One thing I've learned about God's Word is that there are no coincidences, no wasted words, no random people showing up.  The Bible has purpose in every single word, sentence, paragraph, and event.

Here is my epiphany about Epiphany (see what I did there?) and it's found in Luke 2:10:

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  

I bring you good news of great joy that will be

for all the people." 

(emphasis mine)

Jesus came for all people, not just those who look like me or speak my language or those I think He should have come for (Oh! My human heart.).  He came for all tribes, tongues, and nations and I am just a very small piece of the puzzle that makes up mankind.  I am no Iranian astrologer, but those men and I are linked by one very significant fact:  Jesus came for us.

If you Google  how many people have lived on earth, not currently, but in all of time combined you'll see the number 108 billion.  And my Savior lived and died for every single one of them. 

A list to peruse of those He came for (and it's by no means exhaustive):

Genghis Khan, Stonewall Jackson, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.  The cast of Friends.  The prostitute, the church goer.  The Reformer Martin Luther, the Dreamer Martin Luther.  The murderer, the missionary.  George Washington.  Pope Francis.  Your 5th Grade Teacher.  The barista who spelled your name wrong on your Starbucks. 

The guy who invented the cotton gin (10 points if you said, "Eli Whitney!").  The entrepreneur.  The capitalist, the socialist.  The slave.  Romans, Greeks, Egyptians.  

The ISIS militant (People, are you listening?).  The Al Qaeda bomber.  Americans (both the Southerner and the Yankee).

The Brain.  The Athlete.  The Basketcase.  A princess.  A criminal.  (We could be best friends if you just caught that.)

Amelia Earhart.  The Syrian refugee.  Ghandi.  The nun, the monk.  The astronaut, the mayor of Spokane.  Taylor Swift.

Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.  Moses.  King David.  

Those who will choose Him!  

Those who will not.

He came for the best of us.  The worst of us.  All of us.

This is the kind of love my human mind cannot fathom.  

No one person on this planet now or ever has been more special than the next.

This includes you.  You are just as important and special to our righteous and holy God as anyone in history.  If you were the only person to ever live on this earth, Jesus would still have lived and suffered and bled and died for you.  

How great the love that is washed over us!

My friends, we will bear witness to the day when all peoples will bow before our Jesus.  We along with them.  

And they sang a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals, 

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased men

for God

from every tribe and language and people

and nation."

~ Revelation 5:9

After this I looked around and there before me was

a great multitude that no one could count, 

from every nation, tribe, people, and language, 

standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches

in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice:  

"Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb."

~Revelation 7:9

Lord Jesus,  I long to be there.  When you receive what is due you:  praise from all who have lived and loved you.  You have purchased us at a great price, Lord.  Let us accept this great love and claim the One who has claimed us.  

May we show wisdom like that of the Iranian astrologer and be wise enough to see that your love is big enough for all.

Lord, may it be so.