A Most Bizarre Promise

I love to watch God work in people's' lives.  Even more, I love to experience His work in my life. 

 

Out of the abundance of our God's grace, mercy, and providence, he turns the hard times into immeasurable blessings. Only by the power of God can a hard stone turn into a pillow of blessing. That's what He did for Jacob, and I've witnessed this transformation in my own life as well as in the lives of others. I've also read about it in the biographies and accounts of Christians who had a stone for their pillow. 

 

Jacob fled for his life from his twin brother, Esau, after tricking their father, Isaac, into giving him the blessing. The blessing rightfully belonged to Esau, the older of the two brothers. When Esau discovered the deception, he became murderously mad and went after Jacob.

 

Jacob was an unlikely candidate to receive the promise that God gave to his grandfather, Abraham, which wasn't fulfilled until the Hebrews occupied the Promised Land. But, God had said at the twins birth that the younger, Jacob, would inherit the promise instead of the older, rightful heir, Esau. 

 

The working out of God's promise was fraught with doubt, drama and danger as is all the promises that God gives to us. Jacob's adverse situation caused him stress and anxiety. He was always looking over his shoulder.  He was always looking back to try and detect any sign that Esau was closing in on him.

 

On his way to Paddan Aram to find a wife among his people, Jacob laid down on the hard ground using a stone for his pillow. His sleep was fitful, restless, and taut with tension. He dreamed of a ladder with angels ascending and descending on it that caused him great anxiety. He woke up in terror. And exclaimed, "God lives here!  I've stumbled into God's home! This is the awesome entrance to heaven!” (Genesis 28:10-12). Such a vision of glory would be anyone's nightmare. It is enough to send any mortal to his/her knees. 

 

In that horror, Jacob heard the voice of God. "The ground you are lying on is yours! I will give it to you and to your descendants" (Genesis 28:13). This is one of the strangest promises ever conceived. The place of my humiliation, the place of my collapse, will become the place of my conquest.

It is not uncommon for a person in the hour of adversity to have hope and a vision of a better fortune. But this promise is different. It is remarkable in how bizarre it is.  God said, "The ground you are lying on is yours!" There is a time coming in which your glory shall consist in the very thing which now constitutes your pain. Nothing could be more dismal to Jacob than the ground on which he was lying. It was the hour of his poverty. It was the season of his night. It was the seeming absence of God. 

 

But God declares that this rejected moment is to be the scene of his glory. "The ground you are lying on is yours!" The place of your prostration will be your paradise." There is no promise in the world so bewildering and yet so sweet to a distressed soul as this. 

 

The Hush of the Land

My wife, Joyce returned to me August 4. On her flight home that day, she reflected on her nine days in the Montana Rocky Mountains Bob Marshall Wilderness  riding horseback on the trail, camping, and experiencing the wonders of God's creation and love.  Here are her reflections.

Sitting here on the plane, I know this trip was meant just for me. A gift from God. A spiritual renewal for me.

I can't say I "prayed fervently" every day, but I worshiped every day. Just praising God for the beauty, the sights, and His protection through the storms especially the time I was almost struck by lightning high up on the trail which split a tree and set it on fire.  To not be afraid for in Him, I found my strength. To see with my own eyes the "grander"work of the Creator God. Yes, it was my "Experience of the Best." How grateful I will always be for this.

I came to realize that love should be given away - for in giving you receive. God gives the beauty and wonder of the mountain wilderness, and I received.

I rode horseback about 86 total miles over my eight days in the wilderness according to Mark, our trail ride leader. I really enjoyed it. It was hard, but I enjoyed it. I lost weight. I don't know how much if any, but I am down to my last belt notch. So, I lost in inches for sure.

I gained a deeper respect for our forefathers and the courage and strength it took to settle the West. I talked with Sandy last night at dinner around the camp fire. Her husband was a Lutheran pastor, and she recently lost him due to Alzheimer's. She questioned if she had strength. I responded and told her that if she did this trip, she had the same stuff our forefathers did to settle this wild country. She did the same things - rode hard  and camped!  Yes, she had strength to face life without him. A weak woman couldn't have rode the trails and camped in a tent day after day.

So with the trip at its close, I have these reflections.

No matter where you are, God is with you.

No matter what, God directs your footsteps.

He is the Creator. His "Eden," His Earth" is proof.

He reminds us to acknowledge Him in all things.

His love for me is beyond my understanding.

His desire is to bless.

And most of all, I must do like Jesus, and on occasion, go to the "mountain" to reflect and to pray in order to reconnect so I can go back to the "valley" a stronger person - a person full of faith and love.

 

Being in the "wilderness" puts everything else away. It's you and the land and God - nothing else to distract you. There you can hear His voice in the "Hush of the Land."

Joyce went with the Bob Marshall Wilderness Outfitters owned by Connie and Mack Long who are also guides on the trip. Click this link for their Facebook page. 

 

Click this link with Rocky Mountain scenes and the beautiful hymn rendition of "For the Beauty of the Earth" performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or click the arrow on the imbedded video.

 

The Guilt Game - Don't Play It

Do you allow others to control you by guilting you? Do you change your plans or feel shame and inferior because someone poured the hot grease of blame and shame down your back?

 

Shame and blame are cruel weapons to manipulate people into doing and into thinking ideas that you are reluctant to do and that are against your better judgment by a person who desires to control you.  Controlling people throw guilt to make you feel bad for the purpose of ruling you which fulfills their sick need for power. And in some cases, they simply want you to feel indebted to them in order to make you serve them.

 

Jesus refused to play the throw and catch guilt game. To maintain your integrity and identity, you and I need to decline playing that game too.

 

The Pharisees couldn't control Jesus by guilting Him. Oh, they tried and used every weapon in their arsenal. But, they couldn't control him. He knew who he was and is, and therefore, He was confident in his actions, teachings, and thoughts.  His Father affirmed his identity by saying on several occasions, "This is my beloved Son" (Matthew 3:17).

 

Both His opponents and friends tried guilting him into submission. Their fiery attacks were powerless against him.

 

Their are numerous instances in the Gospel narratives that show how Jesus refused to play the throw and catch guilt game both with the Pharisees and with his disciples.

 

One example is found in Matthew 15. The Pharisees were infatuated with their love for power and control. Anyone who questioned or threatened their dominant position had to be quickly eliminated, discredited, or silenced.

 

Jesus was their biggest threat as more and more people followed and listened to His message of hope, forgiveness, and love which was the antithesis of the Pharisees legalism based on making people feel guilty.

 

But, the Pharisees weren't alone in their thirst for power and significance. It was desired by Jesus' disciples.

 

Jesus' disciples wanted power too as evidenced by James and John's desire to sit on the right and left hands of Jesus in His kingdom. They coveted power and authority. And, the disciples did not want to upset or embarrass these power-brokers and be shunned by them. They questioned Jesus when He challenged the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

 

Here's the incident that embarrassed the disciples from Matthew 15 with my comments.

 

"Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 'Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat.'" In effect, the Pharisees were saying, "We want to control you. We will control you by throwing the mud-ball of guilt at you. You and your disciples don't wash their hands like the Law of Moses says you should do. It's Bible. It's in the Old Testament. Wash your hands before you eat! You're not obeying the Bible. Obey the Bible and wash your hands! Do what we say or your guilty of breaking the commandment."

 

You see, the real issue was not obeying the Bible. The real issue was that they couldn't control Jesus so they threw some Bible-guilt at Him in an effort to rule over Him like they did everyone else. If they could control Him here, then they could control Him in other ways until they had total mastery over Him.

 

Have you ever had the Bible thrown at you? I have. Here's one instance out of many. After a sermon I preached, a church member came up to me and and spread the shame manure all over me. She said, "And you call yourself a preacher!? My Bible says divorce and remarriage is adultery! How can you stand up there and preach?" The issue was not my divorce and remarriage but a sermon I preached that this woman didn't like. I explained to her my basis for what I had said and my interpretation of the passage that she intercepted differently. When she failed to win me over to her point of view, she threw the old guilt slime ball at me using God's Word no less just like the Pharisees did to Jesus. I refused to catch it! She huffed off mad as an old wet settin' hen and gave me the silent treatment for a few Sundays. She even went out of the sanctuary's side door rather than the front door to avoid shaking hands with me.

People like this lady and the Pharisees misuse the Bible to throw guilt and rule over the person they seek to control.

 

Going back to the dialog along with my comments on Matthew 15, how did the disciples throw guilt at Jesus?