Author: Meredith Beatty

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” 1 Peter 2:13-17

This passage has been on my mind lately, especially in light of current events concerning the virus. When I read it I’m struck by my initial reactions. I bristle at the words, be subject to…the emperor, honor the emperor. It seems foreign to my sensibilities as an American. We don’t have emperors. We have duly elected presidents and representatives. We have free elections.

This kind of discomfort can happen with other passages as well, and for other reasons. Because I’m a woman, I may react with discomfort at the passage in 1 Timothy 2 that begins, “I do not permit a woman…….” Children may react negatively at first to Ephesians 6 which begins, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

What should we do with these reactions? Do we start with the assumption that our initial reactions and observations are right and let them control how we read and interpret the Bible? Or do we start with the conviction that God’s Word is true, authoritative and ultimate and we need to submit our reactions, bristlings and discomfort to it?

The right place to start is with a recognition of the uniqueness of God’s Word. As Christians we believe that God’s Word is true, that it is inerrant. It also has the power and authority to change us. It is truly unlike any other book. Psalm 19:7-11 says this: “The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” And Hebrews 4:12 says this: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

When we start from this perspective, acknowledging the tremendous value of God’s word and its power to transform, we can avoid the mistake of placing ourselves over the word of God and having our initial reactions be the judge when we encounter difficult passages. We should allow the Bible to judge us, not the other way around.

Having acknowledged the authority and power of God’s Word, the next step is to evaluate my discomfort and figure out where it’s coming from. I call this reading with awareness. We need to be aware of the different perspectives we bring to our reading of the Bible. Our different perspectives are like glasses we wear. Now, if you wear prescription glasses or contacts you know they make your eyesight better, but the glasses I’m talking about here in regard to Bible reading can actually hinder your spiritual sight and blur your understanding when you read Scripture. And we must be aware of these different perspectives.

We all bring different perspectives to our Bible reading because we are all different people. I’m a 48-year-old, college educated, white married woman with children who lives in the suburbs of an American city in the South. These things shape who I am and my perspective, and there are many more: I used to be a professional musician; I love sports; I am the youngest of two children; my family moved around a lot when we were kids. How I grew up and all my experiences since then have worked to make me think in certain ways, and they all influence the way I engage with the Bible.

I can’t change how I grew up and the experiences that have shaped my perspective, but I need to be aware of all these things and actively work against letting my perspective control the way I read and interpret the Bible. Next time I’ll talk about how being an American can tempt us to read and react to these verses in 1 Peter 2 in a certain way.

For almost 25 years I’ve been used to going to church early. It’s been the early service for most of my married-with-kids life. That has meant rushing to be there on time, making sure everyone has what they need. For many of those Sundays it’s meant playing my instrument in the church orchestra.

A lot has changed in the past few months obviously. First it was online church with less pressure to be out the door but still we chose the early service. We’re now back to in person worship but I’ve only played in service once, so we’ve decided to go to the later service. This has allowed me to rethink my Sunday morning habits and schedule. I’m an early bird and naturally wake up before 6 so if I don’t have to be at church until about 10, that leaves me some free time. And I love the quiet early morning hours.

For the past few weeks I’ve taken advantage by doing some prayer walking through my neighborhood and to the Dunkin Donuts . Dunkin is a mere half mile from the house so it makes for a nice turn around. I’ll walk slowly through the cul-de-sacs of my neighborhood and then head over for a coffee and maybe some conversation if the Lord gives me opportunity. There are always interesting people at the Dunkin on an early Sunday morning.

Last Sunday I settled on Psalm 115 for prayer and reflection. It was a wonderful reminder of the most important things – God is God, I am not, and I need to trust him.

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” Reflection: I am ambitious and want to do things for the Lord, but he alone deserves the glory. Why? Because of his steadfast love and his faithfulness. Steadfast love. Faithfulness. I needed to stop and ponder those two rich and precious attributes.

“Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” Reflection: This brings a smile to my face because no matter what this world says, no matter what accusations are hurled in God’s direction, he is sovereign above all. As Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth is fond of saying, “Heaven rules.”

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” Reflection: Idols can be more than statues. They can be anything we look to for security and hope. Those who make them become like them. You become what you worship.

“O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.” Reflection: It amazes me how he repeats this three times. Hebrew poetry uses repetition for emphasis so I guess this is important! “Lord, how do I not trust you?” And faithfully and tenderly, the Spirit impresses something on my heart about having a hurried spirit, always wanting to do, do, do. I need to trust. I need to rest.

“The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; he will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.” Reflection: God can never forget us, so what does it mean that he remembers us? It has to do with setting his favor upon us. And again, he repeats the refrain, ‘he will bless us’, four times! I am flooded with joy as I think about how the Lord desires to bless his people.

“May the Lord give you increase, you and your children! May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Reflection: More blessing! My Lord is the One who made all things and he desires to bless. So I am led to intercede for my children. O how I long for them to really know this gracious God!

“The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man. The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!” Reflection: There are some who will miss their chance to praise and bless the Lord, but, by God’s grace, I will not be one of them. I will bless the Lord all the days he’s given me.

That was a glorious morning spent. I stopped to really look at the beauty of his creation. I walked slowly and sipped the goodness of my coffee. And I lifted up my soul to my God in prayer, taking the advice of George Mueller who said, “The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord.”

This is the third in a series of posts about safety. You can read the other posts here and here.

Last time I mentioned Luke 12:7 in reference to God’s intimate knowledge of us: “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” But as I went back to that verse and read it in context, I found so much more to ponder. Context is crucial, but especially when reading the Bible. I won’t go on about that, but if you’re interested in learning more, you can listen to the episode of my podcast called Context.

Here is the immediate context of that verse in Luke 12:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who can kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:4-7

But wait, there’s an even fuller context to consider. It’s tempting to just stop there with the surrounding verses, especially when the editors of our Bibles separate this section from the others and give us headings that summarize it and help us quickly understand what’s going on. But it’s important to see Luke 12:4-7 in an even larger context. What comes before that, even in chapter 11? And what comes after it? We can’t take these little sections of the gospels and interpret them in a way that’s disconnected from the whole. Luke didn’t write his gospel to be read or interpreted that way.

In chapter 11 it is becoming increasingly clear that Jesus is not going to appease the people and tell them what they want to hear. At the end of the chapter, after being invited to dine in the house of a Pharisee, he calls out their hypocrisy by pronouncing woe upon woe. When a lawyer speaks up and says he’s insulting them as well, Jesus doesn’t back down. He pronounces judgment on them too! Jesus is beginning to tick off all the important people, but still, at the beginning of chapter 12, the crowds increase. At this point, Jesus pulls his disciples aside to warn them.

He warns them of whom they should fear. Not man, but God. God is the one who has ultimate and eternal authority over you. He says, “Yes, I tell you, fear him!”

If Jesus had stopped there, his disciples may have been left shaking in terror. But he goes on to say something remarkable. Look closely for the next occurrence of the word fear. “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Did you catch it? First he tells them to fear God who alone has the authority to cast people into hell. But then he says fear not. Which one is it? It’s both. Let me explain. We are to fear God, having a humble and awestruck sense of reverence for the One who created us from the dust and who alone has the authority over our eternal souls. But then he paints two pictures that are meant to dramatically underscore our value in God’s eyes. If God places value on the smallest of the birds, never forgetting them, then we, carefully crafted in his image, are of much more value to him. And he knows us so intimately that all the hairs of our head are numbered. When we come to know and fear this God, calling him Father (which he invited his disciples to do in chapter 11 by teaching them the Lord’s prayer), and also acknowledging him before others (which he challenges his disciples to do right after this passage), we do not have to fear that we will perish at that final judgment.

Let me tie this all to what I’ve been saying about safety. The message of Luke 12:4-7 sums up everything because I think it answers the two questions I started with: 1. Where or to whom do we look for safety? and 2. What kind of safety has God assured us of?

We desire safety because we want to be free from harm, but Jesus warns his disciples away from the fear of man and the harm we can experience on earth. He points them to eternity and emphasizes the most important kind of safety – eternal safety.

We can and do experience harm on this earth, from people and storms, viruses and our own sins and mistakes; none of us are immune in this sin-stained world. But when we realize that God our Father is sovereign and good and is a refuge in any and every storm and will keep us from eternal condemnation on the day of judgment when we place our faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, then and only then, can we know the kind of safety that really counts and gives rest to our souls.

Being safe and taking every precaution to make sure we don’t cause harm to others has been elevated to a higher risk than I can remember in my lifetime. Companies are retooling their methods and messaging. It is practically impossible to avoid hearing the message, “Stay safe, be healthy.”

Last time I raised some questions about safety. What is safety? Has it been elevated to a pinnacle virtue? In this post I want to further explore these questions within a biblical worldview.

TWO PROBLEMS

I think there are two problems when we elevate safety to the highest virtue. One is we believe a lie and the other is we forget a truth.

Elevating safety to the highest virtue is a trap built on lies. In order to be absolutely safe we would need to know everything. We don’t. And because of that fact, we can never protect ourselves or our families from all risk. We also can’t control all the factors in our lives. If we try we’ll drive ourselves crazy. Does this mean we just throw up our hands and avoid taking any precautions? Of course not! But can you relate to this experience of mine? I remember going to the grocery store back in March when we didn’t know a lot about this virus and I tried to logically think through how I could possibly avoid all contact with things and people so I would be safe. Gloves, masks, hand sanitizer; you are all too familiar with the drill by now. It quickly became a maddening exercise and I could sense the fear creeping in, wanting to grip my heart. We know a lot more about the virus now and how it spreads so I can make more informed choices but the temptation to control and try to sterilize our whole environment is still there. It’s a lie we’re tempted to swallow every day. And believing it won’t just make you crazy but you’ll end trapped in a maze of guilt where you’re always questioning whether you did enough to make sure you didn’t inadvertently expose yourself or someone else.

I heard John Piper say this the other day on a podcast and I’m trying to preach it to my heart and mind every day – I am not God.

The second problem with elevating safety to the highest virtue is we forget God and his character. It’s not enough to admit we’re not God. We need to go further and remind ourselves constantly of who our God actually is according to the Scripture.

We forget that God is God. He is all knowing and all powerful and ever present. He is sovereign. We may not understand how this can be true, it might raise really uncomfortable questions, but the Bible is clear that God reigns over the good and the bad. After Job’s wife told him to curse God and die because of the suffering he was experiencing, Job said, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” The Bible says Job didn’t sin in saying this. (Job 2:10) When Joseph’s brothers feared retribution for all the evil they had done to them, Joseph said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20) And Ecclesiastes 7:14 says this, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.”

God also reigns over the big and the small. He set the stars in place and calls them by name (Isaiah 40:26) but he also knows the number of hairs on our head. (Luke 12:7) God sent an angel to strike down 185,000 Assyrians in one night (Isaiah 37:36) but also made a plant to grow overnight to give shade to a disgruntled prophet. (Jonah 4:6)

So God is God, completely sovereign over all but God is also good!

If you read the whole of Isaiah 40 you see sovereignty back to back with goodness. Isaiah 40:10 says, “Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” This is sovereign power, but it’s followed with tenderness in verse 11: “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” And at the end of the chapter you see it again. Verse 28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” The Lord is the eternal Creator who has all knowledge, but next you see merciful condescension: “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” These contrasts are sweet and comforting counsel to our fearful hearts.

So don’t fall into the trap that you have absolute control over your life and environment. You are not God. And meditate on the truth that God is God, sovereign in power and limitless in understanding, but at the same time absolutely good, gentle and merciful.

Next time I’ll go back to the passage in Luke 12 and finish these thoughts on safety with a sobering reflection.

At the beginning of this pandemic the advice was, “Stay home, stay safe.” That made sense to most of us. We were experiencing something unprecedented in most of our lives. We didn’t know a lot about this virus and we wanted to make sure we didn’t do anything that would cause harm to ourselves or others.

As time has gone by, things have changed. We know a lot more about this virus, but a lot of questions remain and the message of safety still abounds. But what is safety anyway? And where are we looking for safety? A better question might be this: what kind of safety has God assured us of?

I guess I was between the ages of 11 and 13 when I would ride my bike to and from the swim and tennis club outside our neighborhood. Both my parents worked but they were ok with me riding almost the one mile distance there to hang out by myself or with friends. That was a big part of my summer – going to swim team practice in the mornings and returning later in the afternoon to attempt a jump off the high dive or just hitting tennis balls against the practice board. I didn’t think much about doing this day after day. I felt safe. There is a community pool outside the neighborhood where I live now and I don’t think I would’ve allowed my own children to do that when they were that age. Why not? The freedoms most kids enjoyed decades ago seem like parental neglect today. What happened? Did the world become much more dangerous and violent, or did we as parents become much more protective and scared?

This is just conjecture on my part, but maybe, over these past several decades, we’ve relied more and more on ourselves instead of on God. Maybe our confidence has shifted and we take on that much more responsibility for every possible outcome in our lives, and our children’s futures. Maybe we’ve put our security more in what we can achieve and invested our identity more in our children’s success.

Psalm 46 says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. God is described as a refuge many times in the Psalms. A refuge is a place of shelter, protection, or safety. But if we’ve put God in the dock and relegated him to a relic of superstition, where is our refuge when the ground beneath us begins to shift? Can we be our own refuge? What about our stuff or our achievements or our kids? Can they be a refuge in the storm? Where do we look when those things are threatened? The government? What about our health? Where do we look when that is threatened? Can science and technology save us?

We all want to be safe, to be free from hurt, sickness, injury, danger or risk. We don’t want our loved ones to suffer. How many times have you heard or read, “Be safe!”, in the past three months? Every industry and organization is being forced to retool their operations and their methods according to this motto. The messaging underneath the motto is this: do things that tend toward safety. Don’t be irresponsible and don’t risk harming yourself and others. But is there a danger if we emphasize safety too much? Should ‘being safe’ be elevated to the highest virtue? Where is the line between taking care of yourself and your loved ones in a responsible way, and living in fear? Isn’t there a point at which you go over the cliff and start living in fear of everything? Can we really live with such strict parameters around our daily lives, constructing bubble wrapped and sanitized environments where we are guaranteed not to be harmed? Is this realistic? But more than that – is it biblical? Is this how God wants us to live?

This is what I’ve been thinking about and in the next couple posts I’ll explore them more. Thanks for reading and thinking with me.

As I was editing my last post on God’s patterns of working I thought about the implications of what I was writing. If part of God’s character is this slowness to anger and waiting to be merciful, what does that mean for me and my role toward those who don’t know him?

Lately I’ve been frustrated by all the injustice in this world. I won’t go into specifics. I’m sure you’re painfully aware of it. Injustice, evil and sin are not new to this world though. We’ve been neck deep for quite sometime, personally and corporately. As a popular saying goes, “We’re all in this together.” “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

As the sovereign judge of all, God could’ve made things right a long time ago. He could’ve started over after Adam and Eve. But he didn’t. He was merciful. He was gracious. Sometimes I wish God would act and bring about a final reckoning now. Christ’s return is imminent but I’m not sure if it will be in my lifetime.

So while I wait, what should I do? What is my role? It is to work with God to bring about what he longs for and what will surely happen: that all the earth will one day be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (see Habakkuk 2:14)

God waits so that he can save and bring more and more people to the knowledge of his glory through the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we get to be a part of that. Do I long for people to know this God and to see his glory? That is a sobering thought.

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'” Romans 10:14-15

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16

“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

Have you ever wanted God to explain himself, just tell you what he’s doing? Sometimes I think it would be so much easier if I knew the future. But my laments aren’t met with grand visions or words from on high. Often I emerge from prayer with more questions and a confused, unsatisfied heart.

Habakkuk was a man of prayer. He lamented to God about the injustice and violence around him, amidst the people of God. Wickedness abounded and the Law had become perverted. What was God doing? Was God even paying attention? Why are you idle, God? Why do you remain silent?

We don’t know how long Habakkuk spent lamenting the spiritual degradation of Judah, but God answered Habakkuk in a unique and surprising way. God revealed to him what was going to happen to Judah for their sin. In vivid detail, God described how he would raise up the Chaldeans to judge his people. But for Habakkuk, this brought more questions and complaints. God, why would you use such a wicked nation to judge us? Will they get away with it? And so he continued to ask God for an explanation. And God condescended to Habakkuk again. He revealed more of his plans and purposes not only for Judah but for the Chaldeans. In the end Habakkuk is stunned and humbled by the glorious vision God gives him.

We wish God would answer us like Habakkuk. We want to know the secret counsel of the Lord and specifics for our lives. What are you doing God? How is this going to turn out? But God rarely works like that. He wants us to walk by faith, not by sight.

But even though God doesn’t give us specifics, he does give us patterns. The more I read the Bible the more I see these patterns. And this helps to build my faith because I realize that God doesn’t act in a random manner. He can be trusted.

We can see these patterns, these threads, weaving their way through the whole story of Scripture. Patterns of creation, fall, redemption and restoration. God creates, man falls and the rest of the story goes through stage upon stage of redemption building on itself until the final restoration.

The Bible takes a long time to develop the story of redemption and as it does we see more patterns and God’s character shines brighter and clearer. There are many aspects and attributes of God’s character, but in Exodus 34 God reveals himself to Moses in a significant way. It’s a declaration of his character that we can see throughout the story of redemption and it’s particularly emphasized by the prophets. God says to Moses – “The Lord passed by him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.” Exodus 34:6-8. What is highlighted in these verses? It’s God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. He is long-suffering. God is also just; we see that at the end of the passage. He will be no means clear the guilty. But he waits, he desires to be merciful to his people.

God waits throughout the story of Scripture. Even before God made that revelation of himself to Moses, he waited. He was giving time for people to repent. It took Noah a long time to build the ark. People would’ve been asking questions. As God’s righteous representative, Noah would have opportunities to preach. God was being merciful.

When God sent Moses back to Egypt to deliver his people, he didn’t destroy Egypt all at once. God sent many plagues and Moses declared God’s message many times. There were chances for Pharaoh to repent.

Have you ever gotten impatient reading through Kings and Chronicles? The evil kings seem to outnumber the good kings by a wide margin. What is God doing? I’m sure he’s doing many things, but He’s also waiting. “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? Ezekiel 18:23

This mercy and faithfulness of God is stated in the New Testament as well. In 2 Peter 3:9 it says “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

We may not understand the specifics of how God is working but in seeing the patterns of faithfulness and steadfast love we can grow in faith and trust. We can have assurance that the way he worked in the past is the way he is working now is the way he will work in the future. He never changes, he never lies and he doesn’t disappoint us. He is not silent. He is not idle. “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Isaiah 30:18

God is merciful and he is just. We may not understand how these things come together, but Habakkuk learned that God’s patterns of working culminate in his glory being known. Everything will culminate in this one truth: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14

For Habakkuk that was enough. He didn’t need to see the specifics. He didn’t need to understand how everything was going to come together. He trusted God and rejoiced. “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” Habakkuk 3:17-19

A friend of mine prayed something that has stuck with me. She said God is not surprised. I’ve started using that phrase in my prayers as well because I think it’s an effective reminder of deeper theological truths.

To say that God is sovereign and eternal and omniscient are great things but sometimes it’s hard to get our minds around them. How do those things play out in my everyday existence?

Saying that God is not surprised is an effective way to bring those attributes down from the seminary classroom to our practical, everyday experience. If a person is surprised by something, that means they didn’t expect it to happen; they had no prior knowledge. To be surprised is to be caught off guard.

God is never caught off guard, He is never surprised. We never see in Scripture a picture of God wringing his hands, unsure of what to do. No, God is not reactive in this way, waiting for us to act and then coming up with a different plan. Yes, God responds to us and to our actions, but not in a way that cancels out his omniscience.

In 1 Samuel 13, Saul disobediently takes over the priestly role because Samuel hasn’t shown up. The result is that his kingdom is taken away from him. But pay attention to what Samuel says – “But now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 1 Samuel 13:14

The Lord has sought out a man. The Lord has commanded him. What tense are those verbs in? If you forgot your English grammar, do what I did and Google it. You’ll find those verbs are in the present perfect tense. That tense describes an action that began in the past and continues into the present.

God was not surprised by Saul’s disobedience. He wasn’t waiting to see what Saul would do and then rush around in reaction to that to cobble together a plan B.

It’s not my aim in this little post to dive into the depths and intricacies of omniscience, God’s relationship with time, and man’s responsibility versus God’s sovereignty. It’s definitely worth your time to dive into those deeper theological waters, but realize what this means for our everyday existence. It means we have a purposeful God. And his purposes will stand.

Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. Isaiah 46:8-11

Because he isn’t wringing his hands, because he is sitting on the throne, not pacing around the throne room, we can be assured, we can have confidence when we face hard things. Our God is in control. It means that when we’re surprised and disappointed by our children’s actions, God isn’t and those actions don’t have the last word. It means God isn’t surprised or caught off guard by a cancer diagnosis or a riot in the streets. He has purposes. And those purposes are good even in the suffering, the sin and the heartache. God wasn’t thrown off guard by Adam and Eve’s sin. He didn’t come up with a plan B after Joseph’s brothers threw him into the pit. He didn’t say, “Aw shucks, I wish Saul had worked out as king,” in response to Saul’s disobedience. He was in control throughout Jesus’ life and ministry and path to the Cross, accomplishing our salvation.

When I am tempted to panic, God isn’t, and that should change how I pray. Praise you Lord, that you are never surprised or caught off guard. You have good purposes and they will stand.

I’ve been thinking about how many things constantly vie for my attention when things are “normal”. Here’s a list I started: love and serve my husband and children; manage my home; take care of aging parents; reach out to my sister; invest in my friendships; do my job well; use my gifts in the church; pray for my friends, my pastor, the lost, the world, the President and other leaders; serve and love my neighbors; be a mentor to young women; give sacrificially; serve the poor; evangelize; research the latest issues; be aware of and work to rid myself of bias and prejudice; go on a mission trip…… the list could go on. Now amidst the constant news of the virus and protests and riots, things seem like they’ve ratcheted up to unsustainable levels and there’s no way to keep up.

One thing I consistently fight against is thinking I have to do everything, I have to be everything, I have to passionately care about everything. Because of the Internet and the 24 hour news cycle, our access to what’s going on around the world is unprecedented.

What do you do? How do you keep from being overwhelmed? My go-to-bed reading right now is Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson. I think it’s the third time I’ve read it. She writes about being unable to fall asleep easily because of the swirling thoughts in her head, the constant list of responsibilities and tasks. Her husband is the opposite. He is able to put his head on the pillow and fall asleep. She told her husband how annoying that was and his response hit me like a brick the first time I read it. He says, “That’s because you’re an A+ girl. Me? I’m content with a B+. Just go to sleep.”

I’m an A+ girl too. I’m a perfectionist, a type 1 on the Enneagram, whatever else you want to call it. Is that why I struggle with wanting to do it all?

In her book, Hannah says the problem we have is a lack of humility. I certainly think that’s part of it. Thinking you need to do it all is evidence that you believe you’re some sort of god, a superwoman. The messages of the culture don’t help us with that either. But I think there’s more.

I think humility, knowing our proper place in this world, realizing our limits, needs to be intertwined with wisdom. Wisdom comes from being humble. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

But there’s so much to care about, especially right now. How do I prioritize?

I think the starting point has to be humility, the daily bowing before the King of the Universe and the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul, and relinquishing your grasp, turning over control. You never had it in the first place! You are not God! Every day I need to remind myself of this. I am not omniscient so that means I won’t be able to fully understand everything about this virus and the data associated with it. Should I be informed? Yes! For the good of myself and my family and my community I should be informed. But how much time should I spend digging through various articles and analyzing the data and debating friends on Facebook? How much is too much? That requires wisdom.

I am not omnipresent or omnipotent or omni-anything! That means I have limits and I can’t be involved in every good thing. I can’t effect all the change I would desire. Is that a cop out? No! But it is the truth, and that truth requires me to pray and ask God for wisdom to know what I should be involved in and where I can make the most impact.

When things get overwhelming I find it helpful to look at my life like a concentric circle. I start with myself and God. Bow to him, recognize my place and ask him to search my heart. Then I move out to those closest to me. How can I serve and love my husband and family? Then I move out further to my close friends and church. How does God want me to serve those people? Then I move out to my neighborhood and the wider world around me.

There are times when it’s necessary to make a public stand for certain things like justice and righteousness. I don’t want to live in a bubble. I want to identify with those who are hurting and I am thinking and listening and praying about what my part could be. But I’m also trying to remind myself that I can’t do everything and God has not called me to do everything.

What has God called me to do right now, today? Most of what he’s called me to right now concerns the circle I’m living in. It concerns those closest to me. Right here is where I can make the most impact. Right here is where he wants me to serve and love and give myself for what’s just and right.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

I feel like I’ve written this post before, probably several times. But maybe that’s because I’ve fought this same battle, engaged with these same sins for a long time. Pride, idolatry, selfish ambition, fear of man. I beat them down but they keep coming around. I’m frustrated with that. It’s like there’s this soft place in my spiritual armor.

I’d rather just sit back and relax on the way to glory, but the Christian life is described as a fight and a struggle. The world, my flesh and the enemy continually conspire to deceive me and lull me into complacency.

We’re told about this fight, this spiritual battle, in Ephesians 6 and are directed on how to put on our armor. In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul describes his faith-filled efforts in self-control and discipline. We can’t ignore the truth that the Christian life is a fight.

But Paul also describes the fight like this: “Fight the good fight of the faith” 1 Timothy 6:12 “Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.” 1 Timothy 1:18-19 At the end of his life, Paul tells Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

Paul calls this fight and this warfare good. Why? How can it be good? It certainly doesn’t feel good but maybe that’s because my focus is off. My focus during the fight is on myself and on how hard the struggle is.

In Romans 7 Paul spends a lot of time on how hard his struggle is. He finishes by exclaiming in verse 24: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Thankfully he goes on and declares the great victory we have in Romans 8, but I think in my struggle with sin I stop at verse 24. I like to hang out there for some reason. I keep looking down and get mired in false guilt.

But describing this fight as good redirects my focus. It gets my eyes off myself. It reminds me of Hebrews 12 and the exhortation to look to Jesus as we run the race. I know as a runner how tempting it is to look down as you run, especially when you’re going up a tough hill. You just want to gut it out and get it over with. But what a thrill it is when you look up and see the finish line. You get a burst of adrenaline and suddenly you have new life in your legs! I think this is what Paul is getting at when he calls the fight of faith good. He wants us to look at this fight differently.

It’s good because the outcome is assured. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

It’s good because we have all the weapons we need. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4

It’s good because God is sovereign. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

It’s good because God uses everything to discipline those he loves. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11

It’s good because the object of our faith is Jesus! “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

So this is a good fight. We aren’t left alone in it. We have been given everything we need to endure and succeed and eventually get home to Jesus.

“[I pray that] the eyes of your hearts would be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…” Ephesians 1:18-19