Month: October 2019

“Because I said so.” I think all of us, as kids, promised never to use that phrase with our children. And yet we do, don’t we? Sometimes we have answered the ninety-seventh question,. Sometimes, we’ve answered the same question the sixtieth time. And sometimes, we’re just too tired for this conversation.

Yes, you have to go to school every day.

No, you can’t hit him even if you think he’s mean. Or stinky. Or just because he exists. No.

I hear the same tone in Exodus 3, only God is the parent here.

At the point when God calls Moses from the burning bush, he has had a little experience with the people he covenanted with through Abraham. He’s planning a fairly important event in the lives of the nation of Israel- arguably their defining moment. And Moses asks, “who do I say you are?” God might be a little tired of Moses and his shenanigans because God’s first answer sounds a little snippy. “I AM who I AM. Just tell them I AM sent you.”

According to many scholars, this simple phrase is actually difficult; it has had several translations throughout the centuries.
“I am what I am”
“I will be what I will be”
Or my favorite- “I will be-there however I will be-there.”

Undefinable, eternal, self-governed. Beyond the scope of our imagination and intelligence.

Yet present. No matter how tired he might be of our whining, or running away, or arguing. And, as we see in the epic story of his work in our world, faithful in his love and mercy.

God relents with Moses and the “I AM” statement is followed closely by the gift of the name Yahweh, which God says is the name he wants to be known by forever. Later in Exodus (34:6-7), God gives us more details about what it means to call Yahweh our God.

Yahweh, the Lord, a God merciful (he loves us with a mother’s love)
and gracious (we don’t have to deserve his love in order for him to love us anyway)
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (sustained, covenantal oneness)
and faithfulness (complete reliability)
forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin (complete forgiveness)
but who will by no means clear the guilty (those who do not turn toward God, away from sin).

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God! Let’s listen and be called to worship by the response of our hearts to this beautiful name given so long ago.

What would stop you in your tracks? On a busy day when you are powering through your to-do list, or intensely focused on the job of momming or teaching or nursing or…you fill in the blank, what would make you come to a full stop and and look, and listen to a disembodied voice?

Would a bush on fire do it? Especially if it wasn’t burning down?

This is how the story begins- the story of the time God shared his eternal name with Moses.

There is so much written about this name, the name we pronounce “Yahweh.” We are going to stay focused on our goal, though, of inviting the light of God’s presence into our lives through our study of his names. And this, the story of when the name was told, is a beautiful story of God’s light drawing one of his own into presence with him.

Moses had lived through a lot already on the day he heard his name called. He survived the genocide of his people to grow into an adult with a major identity problem. Son of Pharaoh? Israelite? In which world do you think Moses felt at home? Based upon his flight from it all, probably neither. The moment he heard his name, however, the healing presence of the LORD began its work in his life. In one moment, Moses is called by name and placed among a people chosen and covenanted. “Moses, Moses,” God called. “I am the God of your father —the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

Let’s pause here to bask in this light. Can you hear God calling your name? As a friend asked as we discussed this passage, what is your burning bush? How is God trying to get your attention, or my attention so that we can hear when he calls us by name, to remind us that we are among a people of covenant? The name Yahweh is a personal name, and God has worked throughout eternity so that each of us can know we are wanted and loved, and we are not alone- we are drawn into a community of the faithful.

But God, in his love and power, does not stop there. What God says next shows an even deeper commitment to us. For the whole story, you can read Exodus 3. But what God says next is, “I have seen, I have heard, and I am here. Now go.” God’s plan to rescue his people is a response to their need, but he wants to work through the very people he is rescuing. It’s his plan, accomplished in his power, but we get to participate.

What does Moses say? “Oh no- I can’t do that.” And God’s response to him is the same as his respond to us when we echo Moses. God always says, “I am with you.”

With Moses, God uses a literal light to call him. Today, a light still shines as God calls us by name. He places us in a community of faith and promise. He invites us into his work in our own world; he is with us as we do his will. And he has given us the treasure of his personal, eternal name so that when we cry out for help, or when we see our own burning bush and hear him calling us by name, we know who he is.

Yahweh, the God of the ages. The God of covenant. The God who sees and is near.

One of the traits that caused me to fall in love with my husband was the way he treated his much younger sisters.  I knew he would be a wonderful father, and he is. He is particularly good at teaching the kids to do things for themselves- from tying their shoes to changing the oil or AC filter.  But he also always wants the kids to know they can rely on him when they need advice, back-up, or just a little more- whatever that might be.  

Good dads teach their kids to trust their own strength when they can- they teach their kids independence; but good dads also want their kids to know that they are always ready to lend a hand.  

The scripture this week from Isaiah is so full of promise and beauty, but there is one verse that tends to be overlooked, and it reveals a powerful aspect of the goodness of our Heavenly Father. 

“For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:4‬ 

For the original readers, this verse would have brought back the whole story of Gideon- the one where he had to cut his army back from over 22,000 men to 300.  And that was to fight an enemy the size of “locusts in abundance,” with “camels without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance.” (Whole story in Judges 6-7. It’s worth a read).

This was a brutal, harsh enemy who allowed the Israelites to plant and cultivate a field, then would swoop in and overtake them at harvest time stealing the produce as well as all the livestock. They drove out the Israelites, and laid waste to their land.  

Ok.  So God probably gave them some awesome weapons, or maybe he sent a disaster to help out? 

No, God armed Gideon and his army with torches, clay pots, and trumpets.  With these weapons and a little cunning, Gideon divided up his men. In three groups, the three hundred men surrounded the sleeping enemies in their own camp. On Gideon’s signal his men all blew their trumpets and smashed their jars, crying out “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 

The enemy was thrown into confusion, fought amongst themselves and ran away in defeat.  God worked through Gideon and his little army to accomplish the rescue of Israel.

This is the story the original readers would have remembered.  

So as we celebrate the light shining in our lives, we celebrate that we are a people with a good Father.  Yes, he has broken the yoke of slavery and lifted the burdens we cannot bear. But he invites us to participate in our victories, as he invited Gideon.  Gideon even had to go into enemy territory in order to realize the victory, though he clearly could have never succeeded without his Heavenly Father.

My son has told me it’s hard being a teen who wants to follow God today, and I believe him. Sometimes, I feel like we are living in hostile territory- not among hostile people, but in a culture that is hostile to the nurturing of godly values and wise choices.  

I think we and our kids need this message of deliverance as much today as ever.  

May the light reveal to us the strength and power God has given each of us, as well as his presence as the good Father who makes up all that we lack.  

Praying friends, I am flipping the script a bit. Usually I respond to scripture with prayer for our children.  Between now and Christmas, however, I am focusing on the names of God.

I believe that by focusing on one name each week, our lives will be transformed by his power, even through the chaos the coming holiday season is sure to bring.  For a more in depth post about this join us at hunterhillsprayer.org. Here on my personal platforms we will have a short scripture and prayer for all of us- adults and children alike.

One of my favorite scriptures in Isaiah 9:2-7. 

The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
    a light will shine.
You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder.
 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
The boots of the warrior
    and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
    They will be fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen!

We see the promise of Christ, but God introduces that promise with the phrase “a light will shine.” In our world, we have seen the light even though the darkness is still present. 

So we have a choice- do we believe the promise and live as though Jesus is what God promised, or do we live in darkness? I pray that we will allow the light to shine in our lives today. 

My family is all under our roof this weekend, and this mama’s heart is full. Last night we had a birthday celebration, then we all piled into the living room to watch the end of Teen Jeopardy (yay Leonard! We were all pulling for you!) These are the days, though, aren’t they? Just being together is the absolute best.

As we close 1 John, I get the same warm family feeling from John. He is winding up his letter of encouragement and warning with some of his typically powerful statements of truth combined with warning; we have eternal life- but watch out for each other and pray for each other. Be confident is prayer, because we know God hears us. We in God’s family don’t make a practice of sinning, but when we do sin Jesus still is our protector.

And now, our final prayer for our children for this reading, based on the truth that draws us all together, and a warning not to allow ourselves to be distracted. “And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.“

“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

This is pretty straightforward, isn’t it?

Or is it?

In fact, we see lots of people living in the world around us who certainly seem to have no evidence of Jesus in their lives.

And do we ourselves sometimes feel as if we are sleepwalking through our days, if we really are honest? Maybe it’s exhaustion of the kids and jobs, maybe it’s disappointment in how things are turning out. Maybe it’s boredom.

The more I have thought about this, the bigger the concept seems. Having life- that’s a big promise God is making here. So as usual, I find myself just as much in need of this prayer as our kids are.

I will say, there is one specific aspect of this prayer that is more urgent for our kids. Let’s pray that our kids would recognize the deception of the world as they are called by the culture of FOMO, YOLO, and “it’s not hurting anyone.” Let’s pray together that the Spirit would bear it’s fruit in the lives of our kids as they navigate these formative years.

Yesterday in the news, the brother of a murdered man forgave the murderer. He acknowledges what she has taken from his family, but he forgives her, and he loves her “just like anyone else.” This young man tells her that he wants the best for her, which is to give her life to Christ.

This is a man who knows Christ.

This is what it looks like to be born of Christ.

It is not easy. You can see it on his face and hear it in his voice- his words are heartfelt, and full of pain. But you and I , we know the only way he could say those things is in Christ.

That is the faith our kids need. The soul-transforming, life-impacting knowledge that they are born of Christ, and there is no commandment that is, with Christ, too much.

Of course, they also need the reminder that Jesus is our forgiver, and our advocate when we sin.

But they, like us, need to know that only through Jesus have we overcome, and only through Jesus can we live the life God intended. Let’s pray today that our children live in the unparalleled power of this truth.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5:1-5.

You can see the powerful statement by Botham Jean’s brother here

You know, I sometimes think we adults have forgotten how complicated being a teen is. My heart is kind of heavy today- I say kind of, because there is nothing really wrong. And we just came through homecoming weekend, full of friends and dressing up, parades and dances.

But it was also full of drama, much of it hidden. On the same night that we shared beautiful pictures of our kids looking all grown up, we also know that feelings were hurt. Some of those kids cried themselves to sleep. Some left the party feeling rejected and alone. Some didn’t go, because they just had too much…something. Insecurity, doubt- who knows?

Different ages, different personalities, worries, insecurities. Illnesses and disabilities. Failures and closed doors and the betrayal of friends. No two teens are the same, but not one teen makes it through unscathed. My heart aches for them.

In today’s passage, we often (very appropriately) focus on how we love each other as an expression of God’s love for us. This week, though, I am struck by how John emphasizes over and over the security we have in our identity as the ones who are loved. One commenter said that a more true translation of verse 7 would be, “Those who are loved, let us love!” And it goes on from there.

“The love of God is made real”

“…not that we loved God but that he loved us, and sent his Son…”

God’s love can give us confidence in judgement, it can drive out fear, it can empower us to love others. So is it powerful enough, is it it real-world-effective enough to get our teens through these crazy, unpredictable, tumultuous years?

I think it is. I think God’s love is the only thing that truly is a strong enough anchor to keep our teens grounded through everything they have to face. And so today I pray that, through his power and grace, our kids would know- to the very core of their beings- that they are loved by our God.