In His Hand

I'll never forget it. One of my co-workers at Sears Portrait studio back in Green Bay, WI, in the 1990's grabbed my hand and said, "I can read palms." Inwardly I chucked, because I think palm readers are a bunch of hooey, but I said to her, "Okay, go ahead and tell me how long I'm going to live." Checking out the creases in my hand she said, "67." I curled my fingers into my palm and thought, "Way to throw out any old number and not have to be accountable for the result, but, alright, I've got lots of good years ahead if she's right."

Again, I think it's balderdash, but she seemed quite confident in her assessment of the lines God placed in my hand. I have no idea how those lines made her come to the 67 conclusion, but that's where she settled. Perhaps God has chosen to number my years at 67, but He and only He knows that time. Job 14:5 tells us He's "determined our days" and Psalm 139:16 says, "In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed," so God has this covered. Matter of fact, it says in Job 12:10 "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind." Nice to know my life is nestled in the hand of the Creator.  He'll decide that day when my heart stops beating. Until then, my life belongs to Him and His purpose for me. And I trust Him completely with it.

That is what we want for you. No, not a good palm reading, but rather trust that God has you completely in His hands. Matter of fact we're told in Isaiah 49:16 that He has us "inscribed on the palms" of His hands. How much more poignant that becomes when you realize those palms were pierced for us. Talk about inscribed on palms. He's in complete control, has the plan, and we can rest assured in that.

Anton and I were talking yesterday about his future job move. I mentioned something I have told my children many times over the years. That when you have a child, it's like having your heart walk around outside your body. It's a very vulnerable place to be. You want to protect your child - no matter what age they are - from all harm. But Anton assured me of something that melted me. He said, "Mom, I'm been praying about every part of this." What this said to me was, "Mom, I trust God, and He's got this," and if there is anything that can give me peace, it's those words. 3 John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to know my children are walking in the truth." We trust our lives to the Almighty. To know our children do as well, is quite reassuring. 

Your days are numbered. Your days are part of His perfect plan. Trust Him and have peace in knowing He has it all in control ... no matter how long the lines in your palm are.

Discussion: How confident are you that God has your life in His hands? What gives you that confidence? Is there any part of your life you haven't trusted God with?

Prayer: Father, we thank you for our days ahead. We trust your plan for us is for our good and your glory. When we struggle in our days, help us remember you have it all in your hands. In Christ, Amen.

Shelter of the Almighty

In the Jewish faith, wedding couples get married under a chuppah (pronounced hoo-pah), a canopy made with a tapestry atop four poles. The word itself means "cover." Tradition said, when a boy was born to plant a cedar tree and when a girl was born to plant a pine tree. When the two married, the trees where cut down and a chuppah made from the two. It symbolizes the bride coming into the groom's home. It was essential in the Jewish ceremony because marrying under it sealed the union that began with a betrothal. It's referred to in Joel 2:16, which says, "Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy" (chuppah) and in Psalm 19:5, "which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy." In ancient times, it was the room where the marriage was consummated, but later just became the arch under which they were married.


This chuppah tradition has evolved into a wedding arch for Christian weddings. They can be made of wrought iron, wood, bamboo or plastic. Typically used in outdoor weddings, they are usually decorated with items found in the marital setting, like vines at a vineyard, seashells at the beach, flowers in a garden and branches in the woods and sometimes have flowing fabrics interwoven. The arch can be a focal point and set the mood of the ceremony. It doesn't overshadow the bride and groom, but rather romantically frames them. It can also provide them with a little shade at a sunny ceremony.

Rob and Ayla have chosen to get married under a wedding arch. Just recently Ayla texted a picture of the arch your friend Lindy is making as a gift to you both for the wedding. It will be a lovely setting and backdrop for the two of you to exchange your vows and will certainly add to the ambiance of your deck top wedding on the Manatee River. I personally look forward to seeing you both along with Daddy, standing beneath it.

While the Jewish chuppah is about a husband providing shelter for his new wife, you both will eternally reside in the shelter of our Father. I like to think of the arch as a shelter of the Almighty as described in Psalm 91:1 "You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.'" In Revelation 7:15, Christ talks about God spreading His tent over us. And Christ himself "covered" our sins. God is our Strong Tower, our Refuge and our Fortress. Psalm 27:5 says, "For He will hide me in his shelter, in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of his tent; He will set me high on a rock.'" It's a place of protection and trust.

Next fall, you will stand beneath an arch to recite vows and you will also be searching for an actual shelter that you will share together as husband and wife after the wedding. We pray both will provide you with a sense of protection and trust in our Father ... one symbolically and one actually. 


Discussion: What do you think of the tradition of the chuppah? Have you talked about what kind of home you will have together? How does a home give you a sense of protection and trust? Do you feel that from the Lord?

Prayer: Lord, may our homes be a place where we feel safe and loved. We thank you for being our Shelter, especially in times of trial. We praise Your name always. In Jesus, Amen.

Fidelitas

Last night, Gaga showed me an old white photo album with black construction paper pages. She asked me if I wanted it. Inside was a bunch of square-shaped, color photos, some faded with age, all tacked to the page by tiny mounting corners. They were pictures of my Mom and Dad's wedding and honeymoon. Precious photos of a bride who looked a little nervous; of a young crew-cut groom with the hugest smile; and then pictures of the two of them exploring New York City and Cape Cod together. They looked like they were having so much fun. So much anticipation and excitement for the adventure ahead.

I asked Gaga if she had any advice for you both in marriage and this is what she said, "I would say that trustworthiness is the number one priority. It's the most important thing. I had so much confidence in my vows. That is how I meant it to be. The commitment to those vows and to the Lord would fill me with tears knowing how much I wanted to be faithful to them. It was the same way I felt at each of you kid's christenings, making those vows to God about raising you to love Him and trusting He would always be there for you and would teach me to raise you. That trust is so important. To me trust in a marriage is the same as trusting in the Lord."

God never breaks promises. Ever. Everything He promised in Scripture He has made good on (or is yet to come). He promised He would never leave us or forsake us. He promised to redeem us. He promised to make our paths straight. He promised to send us the Holy Spirit. We have trusted in Him and He is faithful.

Trust is an important element in marriage. Husbands and wives trust that they will remain committed to the vows they make on their wedding day. And the reason they trust in them is because those vows are made before the Creator of the Universe. If the Creator does not go back on His promises, then we, as His obedient children are commanded to do likewise. It's what proves we are His.

Be honest with each other. Communicate. Stay obedient to the Father. Do not under any circumstance trust yourself. If you trust yourself, you will  most certainly fail. Scripture says in Proverbs 28:26, "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe." Trust in the wisdom of the Lord. Trust in His Word. And be obedient to it ... to love and to cherish from that day forward till death do you part.

Discussion: How important is trust to you both? Do you feel you can trust each other to be obedient to the Lord? How rock solid are marriage vows to you both?

Prayer: We thank you, Father, that You are trustworthy. We thank You for Your Law. Lord, help us to remain trustworthy. We love you so much. In Jesus, Amen.

Obedience Without Reservation

I saw a quote from a Christian music artist just recently who had made some lifestyle choices that went against Scripture. In this article about her, she made this comment when saying she had reconciled her life to her faith: "God, this is what I got, so you love me with this from where we're starting today or you don't." She said she embraced her choices at this point and has moved forward. Here's the thing. Her prayer to God ... sounds like an ultimatum founded on the obvious. She asks God if He will love her as is. And here's the thing ... if she's Christian she knows God already loves her ... enough to die for her. He created her. He knows her heart. He loves her so unbelievably much. He loves everyone of us that way. But He doesn't want us to stay where we are. No matter what sin we have, He will love us. But He wants us to become more like Christ. He doesn't want us to say, "Hey - this is my sin. Love me this way or not, I'm staying here." It's like saying, "Liars, keep lying. God loves you." Or "Thieves, keep stealing. God loves you." Or "Adulterers, keep on cheating on your spouses. God loves you."

God calls us to a life of obedience to His will. In the Disciples Bible Study it says this: "Faith is not belief without proof; faith is obedience without reservation." That is backed up with Scripture which says in 1 Samuel 15:22: "And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams." And in Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" And then powerfully so in 1 John 5:2-4 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith." Christ himself said in John 14:23, "Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."

We are called by God to be obedient to His commands, and not just the ones we want to obey. We are to love. We are to be generous. We are to care for the least of these. We are not supposed to sin. Those are the rules. And we show we love God by being obedient to them ... not giving Him ultimatums and telling Him how we are going to live our lives. 

We want you both to understand the importance of obedience to God in all aspects of your lives. You will make mistakes, for sure, and God will love you nonetheless. That doesn't mean you continue in them. You will understand this more fully when you become a parent. You will love your children regardless of the errors they make, but you sure don't want them to continue in breaking the rules. You want them to grow, make choices based on righteousness and conform to the image of Christ. Don't ever settle for, "This is who I am, I like it, so I am staying this way." Instead strive for, "This is who Christ is, I love Him, and that's how I want to be."

The wisest man on the earth was King Solomon. He wrote a book called Ecclesiastes during the latter years of his life. This man had everything: money, power, women, brains. He had it all. But what he realized in his life was that none of that brought happiness. "'Meaningless, meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Everything is meaningless,'" he says in Ecclesiastes 12:8. But he concludes at the end of his book in 12:13-14: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." The Israel kingdom was torn in two because King Solomon didn't obey God. And he left behind him a legacy of bad kings who disobeyed God, eventually leading to the destruction of Jerusalem. God wants obedience. He is a holy and just God who demands it. And because of His forgiveness, we see a new King was sent to earth as a baby to open the door for that forgiveness. 

Obedience without reservation ... that shows our love for Him. Be obedient.

Discussion: Are there areas of your life that you need to be obedient to God in? What are some ways you can keep yourself in check with God's commands?

Prayer: Father, please forgive us for our sins. You have told us and shown us how we are to live, and we fail You every day. Lord God, may Your Holy Spirit ever remind us of Your Word that we will be obedient to it. We love you, Father, and thank you for the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, Amen.