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“But let him ask in faith without doubting.  For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”  James 1:6 CSB

Have you seen the movie “Perfect Storm” with George Clooney.  It tells the true tale of a ship caught in the midst of two powerful storms at sea and a hurricane, thus creating the perfect storm.  The movie poster shows the boat at the bottom of a massive wave that is about to over take it. That is the image that came to mind when I read this verse.  The boat is catapulted around, sinking, there were no survivors. A miscalculation by the crew that cost them their lives. None of them anticipated the trifecta they were sailing into that tragic day.

Life can seem like that.  Convergences of circumstances can create a perfect storm in our lives. We can feel swept away in the midst of an angry wave, incapable of controlling the unfolding events that lay ahead of us.  It can make us feel helpless, alone, out of control. Last week I had a very busy day. One appointment after another. The “perfect storm” started when I couldn’t find my car keys, which caused my husband to have to come home from work to give me his.  Then I broke the ball machine as I started my tennis lesson, and the moon roof in my car got stuck open with rain in the forecast. All of these things are very minor, but they all occurred within a couple of hours and seemed overwhelming at the time.  I cried out to God, “What did I do wrong?” I felt like nothing was going right.

Then I stopped.  I remembered Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV).  I had to do a little preaching to myself. I had to remind myself that these few moments did not define my day. I had to have faith that all things work to the good, that God had a plan, and whatever it was, this was part of it.  I started to pray. I asked God to help me find my keys. I managed to fix the ball machine. And, by the grace of God, my husband was able to get the moon roof shut before the rain started. Everything worked out just fine, I just had to have faith.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20,  “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (NIV). I pray you have faith.  If you need more, ask God for it. Whatever situation you’re dealing with today, ask God for the faith to handle it. He’ll give it to you. It doesn’t take much to move mountains, just a mustard seed. May you be blessed with a mustard seed of faith to move your mountain.

“He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.”  Job 5:9 CSB

We find this verse in the book of Job.  It is being spoken by his friend Eliphaz, who is attempting to offer Job comfort in his misery.  Unfortunately he fails miserably, but his heart was in the right place. He has made the assumption that Job has done something wrong, something to make God mad.  Why else would all of these horrible things have happened to him? But we have the inside scoop, we know Job didn’t do anything wrong.

Eliphaz did get this right though.  God does do great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.  

The Grand Canyon is a great and wonderful thing.  If you’ve ever had the opportunity to stand on its edge, it will take your breath away.  The oceans are great and wonderful things, the feeling of awe that comes over you as you watch the waves flow gently in and out, realizing the power it has within it.  The stars in the sky as they shine brightly from above are too inumerable to count, each in itself a wonder. The fact that the earth is positioned at the precise angle it needs to be to preserve life is a great and wonderful thing.  The air we breathe, the food we eat, the clothes we wear are great and wonderful things given to us by the Lord. The land we live in, here in America, the fact we were born here with the capability to worship freely is a great and wonderful thing.  The seven wonders of the world, one of which is the Christ Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, all done by God’s hand.

When a child is born, a marriage reconciled, a friendship started, an addiction overcome, a grief comforted, a relationship restored, all of these are great and wonderful things.  God does all these things and so much more. It is truly hard to comprehend how the right word is said at just the right time, by just the right person to change their life. To send them into a new direction that would have never happened otherwise.  It’s not coincidence, it’s God. They are great, they are unsearchable, they are wonders without number.

“A good person produces good out of the good stored up in their heart.”  Luke 6:45b

Godiva chocolate could arguably be the most famous chocolate in the world.  A family owned company that originated in Brussels in 1926, they know chocolate.  Although the company is not privately owned any longer, they still use recipes from Pierre Drapps, the founder.  They have five chocolatiers who work endlessly to find new chocolate recipes, taking over a year to develop in some cases.  When you unwrap the gold foil from a piece of Godiva chocolate, do you know what you will find? Pure Chocolate made from the best ingredients.

What you put in is what you get out.  If you want good to come out, you have to put good in…whether it’s chocolate or your heart.  It all comes down to what you put into it.

Jesus gave us the recipe for a good heart years ago: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 NIV).  Godiva chocolate treasures only the best ingredients. They scour the world looking for the right cocoa trees to use to create their chocolate.  They hire the best in the business to develop it. They have created a standard for their product that few can compete. When you taste the creamy deliciousness on your tongue, you have no doubt the effort that has been put into it.  It is easy to identify their treasure.

In the same way, it is easy to identify what we treasure.  If we treasure Jesus, we’ll be like Godiva. We’ll scour the scriptures daily for words to live by and apply to our lives.  We’ll have daily conversations with God, inviting Him into our lives, asking Him to direct our paths. We’ll know Jesus intimately, we’ll see others through His eyes, filled with a love that can only come from above.  We’ll walk with Him, talk with Him, be with Him daily. We will fill our heart with Jesus, and when we do, good will come from it. His goodness will overflow from us into the world around us. As people get to know us better, they’ll get to know Him better.  They will find His love and acceptance as we embrace them into our lives.

From the good that we put into our hearts, just like Godiva chocolate, good will come out of it.  Godiva wraps their chocolates in gold, God has wrapped us in a much more elaborate package: His love.

“She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who hold on to her are happy.”  Proverbs 3:18 CSB

Chokmah is the type of wisdom we’re talking about today.  Defined it is “God’s gracious creation…God alone knows where wisdom dwells and where it originates.”  It goes on to say “for humans, the beginning of wisdom is to properly fear and reverence God.” I love how Merriam Webster of 1828 defines wisdom: it is the exercise of sound judgment either in avoiding evils or attempting good.

In a nutshell, wisdom comes from God and is avoiding evils or attempting good.  We find it when we fear and reverence God. In other words, when we put God first.  Put God first in your life and you will find wisdom. I find wisdom every morning when I read His word.  Like today’s verse, it jumped off the pages at me when I read it this morning. I so desperately want those who embrace me to find life, and for those who hold onto me to be happy BECAUSE I have found wisdom in the Lord.  Not because of me, because of Him.

Solomon found wisdom because he asked for it.  When he became king after his father David, God told him he could have anything he wanted.  He wanted an “understanding heart” to lead his people (1 Kings 3:9 NLT). God was so pleased that he didn’t ask for wealth, long life or death of his enemies, He gave it all to him: wisdom, wealth, long life and death of his enemies (1 Kings 3:3:10-14 NLT).  I pray for wisdom daily, “Lord give me wisdom and discernment, blessing and favor, guidance and direction” is my daily mantra. You can too. There’s no limit.

Wisdom comes from the Lord.  It is His to give as He chooses.  But if we don’t ask, we’ll never receive.  Wisdom from God helps us to see things from His viewpoint. It gives us a new set of eyes on an old circumstance.  It opens up our vision to see past our own lives and into the lives of others. It helps us avoid evil because we’ll see the doors God has closed; we’ll have wisdom to not try to open them.  As we attempt to do good, God will show us the way, opening the doors for us to pass through. With all my heart, I pray you find wisdom as you put God first in your life and let Him show you the way.

“Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:8-9 CSB

I love what the original Greek means for sympathetic, “having a fellow-feeling”.  Also interesting, this is the only place philadelphos is found in the New Testament.  It is the original Greek for “another” and means “only in the strictly Christian sense of loving each other as Christian brothers.”  What this boils down to is we’re to have fellow-feeling for our Christian brothers and sisters. It is only talking about other followers of Christ in this particular verse.

Church is full of broken and hurt people.  People who are sinners, who are struggling with sin, who are trying to overcome sin.  If you haven’t been hurt by someone in church, odds are you will be eventually. Because they are people, imperfect people who Christ died for on the cross. We expect more out of people that are sitting in church on Sunday’s, listening to sermons, attending Bible studies, talking the talk than we do those who don’t attend church.  As my mother used to always say, “They should know better.” But the truth is, they may not.

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” Donald Miller  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

Here is the key to being like-minded and sympathetic: stop expecting people to be perfect.  Whether they are in church or not, no one is perfect. But if Christ followers become known for their love of others, for their ability to be sympathetic and compassionate, wouldn’t that make everyone want to follow Him?  Jesus didn’t expect me to be perfect. He doesn’t expect you to be perfect. Before He ever got on the cross, He knew He was dying for imperfect people. If Jesus didn’t expect people to be perfect, than why should we?

Stop expecting people to be perfect and like them for who God made them to be.  It will help you be like-minded and sympathetic to those who are journeying with you on this path of life. It will help us create unity in the body of Christ.  It will help us to love better, both God and others. It will help us release the hurt.

“Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek Him with all their heart.”  Psalm 119:2 CSB

I studied the book of Job last year and fell in love with it in a way I never have before.  One of the first lessons I learned is how we get stuck on the conversation between God and Satan.  The book starts out with a brief conversation that ends with Satan being allowed to have his way with Job.  And he does, Job loses everything but his wife: kids, job, assets, all of it. Job’s response after all of this has happened:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

   and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:20 NIV

There’s another brief conversation between Satan and God in chapter 2.  After that, Satan is gone. The rest of the book is about Job’s friends and how Job never turns from God.  How he keeps seeking Him throughout all of this misery. God is quiet for the majority of the book, but in the last few chapters He speaks.  Job is restored everything in double portion and goes on to live a long life.

The problem is, people miss out on the best part because they get so hung up on the conversation between God and Satan.  They get caught up on the fact that God allows Satan to have his way with Job. There are 42 chapters in the book of Job, only 14 verses encapsulate both of these conversations.  I know what happened to Job is devastating. I pray none of us ever experience anything remotely similar to what Job endured. But learn from the man that lost everything. Do what He did.

Fall to your knees and praise the Lord.  Understand nothing we have on this earth is permanent.  It is all temporary. Bad things will happen, but the Lord remains constant in the good and the bad.  Don’t get caught up in a few verses and miss what the rest of the book says. Keep your eye on the ball.  Seek God in all circumstances. Cry out to Him and you too will be blessed in double portions.

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 CSB

The Greek word for peacemakers in this verse is eirenopoios.  According to the Hebrew/Greek Bible I use, it is the only place it is found in the entire Bible.  It means an ambassador who comes to bring peace. Did you ever consider yourself an ambassador? How about an ambassador of peace?  That is what you are when you become a follower of Jesus, an ambassador of peace.

Paul tells us in his letters to the Romans that we are to live at peace with everyone to the best of our ability (12:18 NIV).  How do we do that? There are some people that just love to stir up trouble. No matter what you do, they will argue with you. If you say the sky is blue, they will argue it is purple.  How do you live at peace with them? How about the person who cuts you off in traffic? Or the relative that always brings the drama to the family gatherings? What about the co-worker who sits at the desk next to you and chomps on her bubble gum?  Or the volunteer that commits to everything but never shows up when they are supposed too? There are myriads of ways people are annoying. I have been told, many a times by different people, if God knew so and so like I do, would He really expect me to love them?  The answer is alway yes. Resoundingly so!

So how do we live at peace with everyone?  We share our fruit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

No matter how contentious a person is, they cannot argue with the fruit of the Spirit.  If they want to believe the sky is purple, in love let them.  Maybe it is to them, maybe their eyesight is different than yours.  Maybe when they look at it, it really is purple. Love them anyway. The guy who cuts you off in traffic, use self-control instead of sign language.  That family member who always gets on your last nerve, practice forbearance. The co-worker who chomps their gum, pray for noise cancelling headphones and show them joy. The volunteer who never shows up, greet them with kindness when they finally do.  Against such things there is no law, and it will always bring you peace.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I have what I want.” Psalm 23:1 NIV

Max Lucado wrote a book called “Traveling Light”.  It’s a phenomenal book that takes a look at the 23rd Psalm, probably the most well known Psalm of all.  Highly recommend it if you want a new perspective on a beloved Scripture. When He discusses this particular verse, this is how he starts the chapter:

“Come with me to the most populated prison in the world. The facility has more inmates than bunks. More prisoners than plates.  More residents than resources…The name of the prison? You’ll see it over the entrance. Rainbowed over the gate are four cast iron letters that spell out its name:  W-A-N-T”

Do you live in the prison of want?  I know I do. As deep as my faith is, as rich as my life is, I still want.  But I don’t need. I don’t need a new ipad. I don’t need a new car. I don’t need a better job.  I have all that I need. My life overflows with blessings, yet I still want. I can still find myself in the prison of want.  According to Lucado, this verse is your key to freedom and I can’t help but agree. It is your “get out of jail free card.” It is showing you the way to contentment.  It’s at the beginning of the verse, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” That is the key to contentment. Realizing what you have in God is all you will ever need.

Paul gives us a little more insight in his letter to the Philippians:

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

It is in Him we find the key to freedom.  When we realize all we need we already have, we break out of the prison of want.  Grab your get out of jail free card today and be free of want!

Lucado, Max. Traveling Light Deluxe Edition (p. 29). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”  Matthew 5:6 CSB

Today is the birthday of a very special friend of mine, Laura.  Also a part of this group. She is who drew me back to Christ after I abandoned Him when my Dad died.  She thirsts for righteousness. We met in high school. We totaled her parents car one night when we were late for curfew.  I get the blame for it because I was arguing with my boyfriend at that time and made us late. We still dispute it to this day.  God saved us. We came within inches of an electric pole that would have taken us both out. Apparently He had plans for us.

One of those plans was for our walk with the Lord, one we’re doing together.  We lost touch for a few years after college. I was at rock bottom when I called her out of the blue.  She met me with grace and love in that conversation. In the time we had not spoken, she had begun a walk with the Lord that has sustained her to this day.  I will never forget the first prayer she began to pray for me: that I would have Godly friends that were here. Laura doesn’t live here, she lives in Delaware.  At the time, I thought that was the silliest prayer, but now I know, it was the wisest.

Rick Warren used this Zambian quote in a recent devotional:

“When you run alone, you run fast. But when you run together, you run far.”

The Christian life is a marathon race, if we’re going to run it well, we need to run it together.  We need to run it with others who thirst for righteousness. When we are at mile 12 with 14 more miles to go, they are the ones that will help us cross the finish line. They are the ones who will answer the phone with love and grace. They are the ones who will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. They are the ones that will know exactly what to pray for you when you don’t know what to pray. They are the ones who know when you need a pat on the back or a kick in the butt. They are the ones who hunger for righteousness, not only in their life, but in yours as well.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:8 NIV

I’m writing this on a Friday morning, I am completely exhausted.  Life has revved up to almost full tilt for me. As a tennis teacher, I get a little break in the winter, only teaching one night a week.  As soon as spring rolls round, it begins to ramp up with classes and lessons daily. It’s a hard conversion for me to make. I get used to having the extra nights at home with my husband, extra time to spend with friends, then all of a sudden it’s gone.  I find myself starting early in the morning and finishing late at night. Constantly going from one thing to the next. I wear myself out.

Have you ever felt that way?  This morning in my journal I wrote, “Schwoo Lord, these bones are tired.”  I’m taking refuge in Him. I’m finding my strength in Him. He is the one who will help me find the strength to fulfill all my commitments, to keep my appointments, to teach my lessons.  I know this because I have tasted it before, I know the Lord is good. In Him I am blessed when I take refuge.

What does taking refuge look like?  In the original Hebrew, refuge in this context is used literally to mean seeking a tree’s shade.

In Tidal, where I grew up, there was a tree that sat all by itself in the corner of our lot.  It was on the edge of a bank that led down to the road. From under its branches on the hill where it lives you could see our entire village below.  I used to love to sit under it and feel its shade. The little girl I was then would dream about my future life, all from the shade of that tree. It was comfort to me.  It was a refuge from the world around me.

That is what it feels like today as I sit under the shade tree of God.  I feel His presence restoring me, energizing me. As I think of each of you and the battles you’re facing, ones I know nothing about, I pray fervently you find it too.  I pray, you taste and see that the Lord is good. Whatever you’re facing, whatever struggle you have, lay it at His feet. Then find that cool breeze of blessing as you lay your head back against the tree of life, God himself and take refuge.  Let Him fill your heads with dreams of days to come. Days with blue skies and puffy white clouds. Days filled with the warmth of the Son (and yes, I mean Jesus). In Him, find refuge.