Clouds in the Sky (or Bring the Rain)

I was walking to work the other day. It was cloudy and was about to rain. I looked up at the clouds. They were those dark gray clouds that seemed just ready to burst. I was tempted to think that it was a gloomy day, but something about those clouds was beautiful.

I thought about this for a moment and realized why it was beautiful.

We too often link rain with sadness and being dreary.  Perhaps it is because we cannot function as we normally do when it rains. Perhaps it is because we think of things we have done wrong and believe that maybe God is crying over our sin. Perhaps its because the warmth of the sun is blocked for a while and things just aren't as bright.

We think of our struggles when it rains. We think of the pains of life and the difficulties we have faced. We think about pain and suffering and wish it would all just go away.

What if we dared to embrace the rain? What if we dare to embrace our suffering?

I realized that a cloud covered rainy day, although not as cheerful as a bright sunny day, can be a day of rejoicing. You see, most things on this earth don't grow unless they are watered.

Did you catch that?  I'll say it again. MOST THINGS DON'T GROW UNLESS THEY ARE WATERED.

It is through some of the dull and rain filled times of our lives that we can grow. The clouds must come and the rain must fall. We must soak up the water to grow. Embrace it as a gift from God. The Apostle Paul knew a great deal about suffering. The early church knew a great deal about suffering. After their first imprisonment and flogging, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ. (Acts 5:40-41). Did you catch that? THEY REJOICED THAT THEY WERE COUNTED WORTHY TO SUFFER.

I think we too often have the wrong view of suffering. Noah was a righteous man and he had to suffer through the flood. He was saved by a cramped boat full of smelly animals. What kind of cruise is that?! Yet, through this hard time, his faith in God was built and became stronger. And afterward...

"I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh." Genesis 9:13-15

Do you realize that you don't always see a rainbow when it rains? Perhaps it is because the rainbow is not a reminder to us, but to God. Not that He would forget, but that He would hold back His wrath upon us and have mercy. See, the bow is a tool of war. God laid down His weapon. He wanted us to have peace with Him. We need to remember that when we go through times of suffering. God wants to give us peace and restoration. He wants us to grow. And to grow, it has to rain.

"For I know the plans I have for you' says the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Love

Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52)
A Samaritan Woman (John 4:3-26)
Matthew the Tax Collector (Matthew 9:9-13)
The Little Children (Matthew 19:13-15)
Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)

Read those stories. What do you see? Read them again, but reflect on them through the eyes of Christ. Now what do you see.

I've been praying recently for God to allow me to witness to others. Co-workers, friends, strangers, whoever. I want to share God's word and see lives changed. So...God answered my prayer. But not in the way I expected.

Instead of finding myself in a situation to share a word from God with someone. I found myself moved to love.

I met a young girl who had a newborn baby in a car seat. She kept peeking under the blanket and looking at him. I asked her if it was her first child and she said yes. I told her that I knew it had to be her first because of the way she kept looking at him. I told her that I remember spending hours holding my babies when they were new and just staring at them. Loving them. God loves that young girl.

I met another woman. I asked her how her day was. And she said it was alright. There was something in her voice that broke my heart. God loves her.

I met an aunt buying clothes for her twin nephews. She said her brother was in the military and had been overseas for a while. He was home for a bit and then he would ship out again. He missed their birth and would miss their first birthday. God loves that man.

I saw a friend who I hadn't seen in a while. I was filled with joy. God loves him too.

See, in none of these situations did God move me to say anything to these people. I wondered why, but soon found my answer. My heart was stirred with a love for these people that can only come from God. And that is where true witnessing must begin.

The apostle Paul wrote, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1)

All the talking in the world will not lead anyone to Jesus if it is not done out of love. They say that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. Well, if you can't love someone the way Jesus did, then don't say anything either.

Blind Bartimaeus called out to Jesus. While others wanted to shut the man up, Jesus was moved by love. How desperate must the man's cry have been to the Lord's ear. Did His heart break at the sound of it? I'm sure it did.

The Samaritan woman was sinful and an outcast. She went for water during the day. Not in the evening when the other women would be drawing water. How they must have sneered at her for having had so many husbands. But Jesus saw her there drawing water and He loved her. He spoke to her. He gave her the answer for her deepest need.

Matthew the tax collector. He had a job that was looked upon as worse than shoveling manure. How many walked by and looked away from him? How many jeered at him when they paid their taxes? How many put him down and told him to do something better with his life? How many loved him? One did. Jesus loved him. He saw an outcast. A sinner. A person scorned by most that new him. Jesus loved him and called him. 'Follow me.'

The little children came to Jesus. The disciples thought Jesus had no time for them. They tried to keep the kids away from the Lord. Children were not important to them. But they were important to Jesus. He had just finished teaching about divorce. Then He saw the children. His heart broke for all the kids whose hearts were ripped apart along with the marriages of their parents. And He loved them. 'Let the children come to Me.'

Zacchaeus. Little Zacchaeus. A man too short to see through crowds. He just wanted to see about this man they were calling the Savior. He couldn't see above all the people. No one made room for him either. Zacchaeus was not only a tax collector, but a chief tax collector. Why should anyone let him to the front of the crowd to see Jesus? But he wanted to see the Savior. Jesus saw him up in the tree. His heart was moved. The man was isolated from all the people. Driven up into a tree like a scared animal. Who could ever love him? Jesus could. 'Zacchaeus, hurry up and come down. I'm gonna hang out with you tonight.'

What joy must have filled each one of these people's hearts when Jesus spoke to them! Healed them! Called them! Spent time with them! Blessed them! LOVED them!

Will you love them too?

Kairos

I attended a retreat at my high school in March of 1999. It was no coincidence that this retreat took place one month after I gave my life to Christ. The retreat was called Kairos.  Kairos means time or season.

This was a very important 'time' in my life. It was time God set aside to be with me. It was the first time I heard God's voice plainly. He told me that I didn't need to seek others to teach me how to follow Him. He said I just needed time with Him and He would teach me.

At this retreat, I learned to be still and listen to His voice. I learned how to pray... really pray. To become transparent to Him. I learned how to pour myself out and allow Him to fill me. I learned how to be transparent to others in order to lead them to the King. This was an important time of my life.

Kairos.

God's time.

It makes me think of a honeymoon. A honeymoon is a private and personal time just for a husband and wife. Kairos. God's time. It's a private and personal time just for you and God. Even though the honeymoon is private and personal, the joy shows on your face.

God still wants that time with us. Time for just the two of you. A time to be personal and transparent. A time to hear Him and know Him. A time just for you.

It is during that time that we grow to love Him and know Him more. He reveals Himself to us. It is in the personal time that we learn the most about our awesome Father. We fall more and more in love with Him. The more time we spend with Him, the more we desire to be with Him.

I am not saying that we don't need to fellowship with other believers. I'm saying that along with going to church, we need to make time to be with God one on One. It is a gift that many leave unopened. It sits on the shelf or in the closet. We take it out once in a while and long to open it, but feel bad because we haven't received it as much as we thought we should. Don't feel bad. God is waiting. He WANTS to spent that time with you. That's why He gave it to you.

My prayer is that I would recognize the invitations for these times. That I would accept the invitation every time. And that the joy of this time would show on my face.

Saved

I used to have this nightmare. A lot.

In this nightmare, I was in the ocean. It was night blacker than you can imagine. Huge dark clouds were everywhere and it was pouring. The ocean was dark and black. In this nightmare I was in the water. This was horrifying to me. You see, I have an unnatural fear of deep water. I get nervous just standing next to the shallow end of a pool. I could never jump straight into a pool because I would freak out and most likely drown before I remembered that I had taught myself to swim.

In this nightmare, I was in the water holding on to a rock that jutted up out of the see. The storm was horrible and huge waves would crash onto me. I would hold on tight to the rock and try my hardest not to be swept away by the waves. I could see an island nearby. I could tell that there were people on the island. I wanted desperately to let go and swim to the island, but couldn't. I was too afraid.

A few years ago, an evangelist came to the church I was attending at the time. He told of a vision that God had given him. It was a vision of a black ocean in a storm. The black ocean was the sea of sin and death. There was an island in his vision. On it were those who had been saved by giving their lives to Jesus. Some of them were sitting around fires, warming themselves. Some were just on the island doing their own thing. Others were jumping back into the ocean to pull others out. Some made boats and headed back into the storm to help others that were still in the ocean.

You see, this nightmare of mine was a vision also. It was a vision of where I was. I was in the sea of sin and death. The waves were trying to kill me. And the rock...that was Jesus. I know it now even though I didn't realize it in my dream. Jesus was always with me. Though I was afraid to let go and swim to the island, He remained with me. My Rock was always their even when I didn't deserve for Him to be with me. He always sought me out.

I've never had that dream again since I gave my life to Christ.

"I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
The pangs of death surrounded me,
and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears."

Psalm 18:1-6

This is one of my favorite Psalms. It reminds me of what God did to save me. He turned the earth upside down and emptied the ocean to deliver me from sin.

My prayer now is, even though I am afraid of the deep water, that I would do what I can to help those that are still out there in the black ocean.

The Gas Chamber

I was thinking today (yes, I do that a lot). I remembered seeing this video about the Marine Corps boot camp. During bootcamp, the recruits are put into a gas chamber. They have their gas masks on, but the whole point of the exercise is to take their mask off and say their name rank and serial number. My Dad is a former Marine and I remember asking him why they did that. He told me that they expose the recruits to the gas so that, in actual combat, they are not taken by surprise if they are attacked with gas. They've already experienced it and won't freak out. This way they know what it feels like and they can get their mask on without trouble.

I think God does the same with us. We face difficult trials in our lives because God is helping us to know what it will be like when we are in full on combat. He wants us to be prepared for attacks from the enemy. He doesn't want us to be taken by a surprise gas attack. When we are exposed to a little discomfort, we can prepare ourselves to combat the attacks from the enemy. We can recognize what is happening and do what it takes to combat without falling. That is the whole point of the exercise. To keep us in control and keep us from falling.

We can take two views of this. We can view our trials as too difficult and question why God would allow us discomfort. Or we can meet it head on, knowing that we are being prepared for combat.

Lord, prepare me for combat. Help me to know when the enemy is attacking and give me the strength to resist him so that he will flee.

REAL

I was listening to a favorite song recently. It is also one I used to listen to quite a bit a few years ago. It brought back some memories. Memories of when God felt so real in my life. Memories of when His return was so real to me that I was excited and anxious for it. Have you ever felt that way before? Have you ever felt like Jesus would be coming back tomorrow and you were excited about it?

I am amazed that God loves us so much and that He desires us to be as real to Him as He is to us. But, do we offer ourselves up like that? Do we open up our entire being for Him to examine? Or are we afraid of what He might see or say about who we have become?

God has been showing me a lot about Himself lately through my relationship with my wife. You see, there are days that I have this strong desire just to be close with her and God whispers, 'I want you to desire to be close with Me.'  There are days when I would rather stay home and just talk or be in the same room as my wife and God whispers, 'I want you to just be with Me too.' There are days when I want to be a better man for my wife and God whispers, 'I want you to be a better man for me.'

Most of us men have a hard time opening ourselves up to our spouses or anyone for that matter. I've been learning a lot about opening up these past couple of months. You see, God wants us to be transparent to Him not so that He can point out or 'fix' everything that falls short of His Glory, but that we can be real to Him as He is to us. He wants to love us for who we are and who He made us to be. He wants us to expose ourselves to Him and reveal all of our insecurities and imperfections. That is a scary thought to a lot of people. Why would we want anyone to see all of that!? We find it hard to open up to Him because we think judgement is the only response that He will have. But it is not really what He wants to do at all. Jesus said that He didn't come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. So why do we think that condemnation is the first thing we will get from God when we open up?

You see, I think we know there is a lot inside that we would like to change. A lot that we need to change. So, really, our fear of exposing ourselves to God is an adequate response. We know we are not worthy to be in His presence. We know that we've made plenty of mistakes to make Him weep. And so we stay away from the One who can fix all that. And how does He fix it?

When we open ourselves up to Him, He sees it all. He takes it all in. And He says, 'I love you.' And at that moment, when we've been so afraid to be real with God because of our impurities, He does not look on us in judgement. You see, Jesus is sitting right next to the Father. He leans over and says, 'I died for Him. I want You to love him. Father, will you love Him and hate Me instead?' God remembers the cross and says, 'Yes, I will love him. I've always loved him. And I want him.'

Exposing yourself to God can be a powerful moment in your life. Accepting that you cannot change anything inside yourself and letting God do the work in you will change your life. It is only at the revelation that God loves us even when He sees our imperfections that we can be changed.

I guess the question is: Do you want to be changed? Do you want to be real to God? Do you want Him to be real to you?

This is my prayer: that God would examine me and change whatever He needs to inside of me so that I can be real to Him as He has been to me. I hope you would pray the same.