It’s All in God’s Timing – Isn’t It?

“Maybe this time he’ll walk the aisle Lord!”    

“I just know this is going to open his eyes!”   

“Now he’ll finally surrender!”

Do you spend your time, energy and “wishful thinking” on trying to figure out when your spouse might accept the Lord Jesus as his Savior? Have you made plans, signed him up for a men's retreat, coerced him into attending a visiting pastor’s service, had others call him, or just downright tried to play “Holy Spirit” and shame him into it?  You’d better reconsider your ways and let God do what He does best – be Sovereign in all His ways.

Timing is everything.  Let’s venture back to the time of Ruth and Naomi who saw firsthand what God’s timing is all about.

The story of Ruth in the Old Testament takes place during the time of the Judges when Israel was disobedient and idolatrous.  It was a time of apostasy, moral decay and anarchy.  Moab was a nation of people descended from Moab – the grandson of Lot by incest with his eldest daughter.  The Moabites played a significant part in seducing the Israelites from their true God to idols and pagan worship.  During the famine that occurred in Judah, Elimelech of Bethlehem took his wife and two sons to Moab where there was free travel between the two nations and fertile land to settle.

Elimelech’s two sons married local Moabite women, but soon afterward Elimelech died, leaving Naomi a widow.  Ten years later both sons died – leaving Ruth and her sister-in-law widows also.  Naomi planned to return to Judah – the land of her husband’s inheritance.  She would once again be among her people during this time of great personal loss.  She encouraged her two daughters-in-law to return to their fathers’ homes.

Ruth strongly urged Naomi to let her return with her instead of staying in Moab.  She recognized Naomi’s God as the true God of Israel and wanted to reside with her permanently saying, “…your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).  Ruth recognized God’s love and wisdom in Naomi and desired the same. She had forged a relationship with her mother-in-law during the ten years she was married, and she observed Naomi’s faith and her interaction with Jehovah - the God of Israel.

Spiritually speaking, your husband is being wooed by God’s Spirit in you!  He has many opportunities to return to “Moab” (the world’s ways) – but he often feels a “tug” at his heart and desires to be with you – sometimes unaware of God’s perpetually drawing him near.  God uses these times to gently bring your husband closer to the things of God and His love. 

When Ruth returned to Judah with Naomi she needed to find some means of support for her and her aging mother-in-law.  She went out into the fields to glean from the grain that was left behind during harvest. God had guided her into the fields of Boaz – a wealthy landowner that just happened to be a near kinsman of Naomi’s.  The passage in Ruth tells us that she lay at the feet of Boaz on his threshing floor (at Naomi’s insistence) in order that he might assume his obligations under the law.  It was in effect a marriage proposal extended by Ruth towards a man God had ordained as her “redeemer” or goel.   This was all part of what Naomi saw as an opportunity for Ruth to not only gain a husband, but to preserve her own deceased husband’s estate for an heir.  After a nearer relative declined the invitation to redeem her according to Hebrew law, Boaz stepped up and did the honorable thing. 

In the New Testament Jesus represents our Kinsman Redeemer.  The goel is a “close relative” of the one he redeems.  He must be able to pay the price of redemption, be willing to redeem, and be free himself.  Jesus Christ is our brother – born of the seed of David.  He redeems us with his precious blood.  He willingly gave up his life for us, and was free from the curse of sin.

Isaiah 63:16 says, “You, O Lord, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.” And Paul tells us in Titus 2:13-14, “…looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

Jesus wants to redeem your spouse.  Our Lord meets all of the criteria for the goel and gave His life for him.   He is willing to fulfill the law of love and preserve his soul for eternity.  Jesus loves your mate and wants to see him embrace his destiny in Christ. 

After receiving good wishes and blessings from the elders and people at the city gate, Boaz takes Ruth as his wife.  Ruth later conceived and bore a son, Obed.  In Matthew’s account of the lineage of Jesus, Ruth’s son is the grandfather of King David – a man after God’s own heart. Naomi’s heartache was turned to joy as she held her grandson, and God’s purposes were fulfilled in the birth of the Messiah through this obedient girl from Moab. 

Pray for your spouse to have a tender heart and ears to hear the call of Jesus.  When he accepts the Lord Jesus as Savior, he will be included in the spiritual lineage of the redeemed!  Your mate will have the veil lifted from his eyes and behold his Redeemer. 

God’s timing is perfect.  Don’t rush it…  The fields are ripe for harvest.  

Your spouse might still be gleaning in the Master’s field.

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”.  It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

http://www.Godmissionpossible.com

It’s All in God’s Timing – Isn’t It?

Do You Wrestle With God?

The definition of wrestling is this: to contend by grappling with and striving to trip or throw an opponent down or off balance; to combat an opposing tendency or force (wrestling with his conscience); to engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate.

I was listening to a Christian radio program while driving home the other day, and I started thinking about how often I struggle with things I cannot control. How many times do I argue with God’s sovereign decisions and exert my pride in the form of suggesting a “better way” for Him to move in a particular situation? Am I alone here? Do you wrestle with God? Sometimes that can be a good thing!

Many of us know the story of Jacob in Genesis chapter 32. Jacob was returning to his homeland in Canaan with his two wives, Rachel and Leah. On the way, he sent messengers to his brother Esau to appease him. Remember, this is the brother he cheated out of his birthright. His servants told him that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men. Jacob was distressed and divided his people, flocks and herd into two companies. He begged God to intervene and protect him from harm. He reminded God of His promise to bless him and make his descendants innumerable.

During the night, he took his two wives, his servants, and his sons and crossed over the river Jabbok. Genesis 32:24 says, “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man [Jesus] wrestled with him until the breaking of day.” Jacob had struggled and held his ground – keeping the Angel at bay. His faith was not shaken, nor did he relent in the heat of the heavenly engagement. Hosea 12:4 declares, “Yes, he [Jacob] struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us- That is, the Lord God of hosts. The Lord is His memorial.” That very day Jacob saw God face to face. He wanted God’s blessing, but God let him “struggle” that he might truly see who he was in the sight of Almighty God.

Jacob had been a deceiver and a scoundrel much of his life. God asked him, “What is your name?” It was a rhetorical question… Jacob knew who he was. God was causing Jacob to be off balance – that he might dig deep into the recesses of his soul and take inventory of his life up to that point. However, though Jacob persevered, he could not gain and maintain a superior position. During the struggle the Angel of the Lord touched him, placing his hip out of socket, and giving Jacob a limp for the rest of his natural life as a remembrance.


This supernatural encounter also gave him confidence for the difficult days ahead. Jacob had to face the harsh reality regarding his estranged brother and the reception he would soon receive. God now presented him with a new name – Israel – which literally means “Prince with God”. Jacob named the place of his struggle Peniel, which means “I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.”

Sometimes God allows us to struggle with Him in prayer, and we are often crippled for our own good. Spiritually speaking, our view of ourselves and our problems need to be bent and dislocated in order for our struggling to cease. Our pride and bad judgment can cause us to live a life that distorts what God has planned for us. He desires for us to “walk a different way” after we have wrestled with Him and He has prevailed.

Submitting to God’s plans often involves grappling with our own ideas and remedies. This is evidenced in the lives of some of the Bible’s great heroes. Abraham’s faith was tested when he dialoged with God about the wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18). Moses pleaded with God on behalf of Israel when they began worshiping a golden calf and foreign gods (Exodus 32).

We read about Elijah and his struggle with depression. After God miraculously displayed His power on Mount Carmel, Elijah withdrew into the desert to die. While hiding in a cave, and wailing “woe is me”, God revealed Himself to Elijah in a small, still voice (I Kings 19.) David was alone and often lived on the run during his darkest days. He lamented to God in many of the Psalms including 35, 55, 56, 57, and 59. David despaired of his life and longed for the peace of death. Praying to God for deliverance seemed to be a lesson in futility.


Prayer often represents the anguish of the soul in the presence of God. Wrestling with God in prayer exerts tremendous energy and positioning. Ultimately, as we bend our will to His, we allow Him to “pin us to the mat” of our struggles and claim victory in His Name. In Colossians 4:2 the Apostle Paul admonishes the church to “continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving”, and in Colossians 4:12 he tells them that Epaphras, one of their fellow servants “always labors fervently for them in prayer”.

The bottom line is this:  prayer and petitioning God is often engaging and deliberate. It’s emotionally draining and often exhausting. It’s exhilarating and soul-satisfying as we wrestle with a Holy God who sees our frailties and embraces our humble efforts to gain His Blessing.

What a mighty God we serve…

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion. It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together.

http://www.Godmissionpossible.com 

Do You Wrestle With God?

Lord, Don't You Care? Life's Storms

There are times in your life when a crisis comes and you're left feeling helpless - wondering out loud, "Lord, don't you care?"  Of course, you know He does...but you feel abandoned and disillusioned.  The key is to remember that they are feelings, not reality.  Perception can be the very thing that keeps you from "seeing the Lord at work." 
When you cry out to God and say, “Don’t You care?” -  we often already know the answer…

Let's look at the familiar passage in Mark 4:35-41 (NKJ) -

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”


vs.36  They (his disciples) left the multitude and took Him along in the boat. At least they knew enough to follow His directions and relocate to the other side of the lake. Often times we are facing problems at home with our spouse. Your best friend isn’t there, your Mom isn’t there, and your church family isn’t there. You’re by yourself.  Satan loves to play on our feelings of fear and hopelessness, because he uses them to isolate and control us. Your spouse will draw upon their own set of “crisis management skills”, but as an unbeliever, they will fall short. However, as a believer, you have “taken Him” with you (Joshua 1:5). God is always there as you make your way through your circumstances.

vs.37  When a great storm “arises”, you can bet the boat you are in will feel like it’s sinking. The waves of anger, uncertainty, and anxiousness will beat against its hull. The water of despair will begin seeping in. Your hope will feel like it has “holes” in it. Whatever you do, don’t sabotage your own rescue by trying to “fix it by yourself”. Just remember, Jesus is in that boat with you and He cares.

vs.38  He (Jesus) was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. Jesus had real needs. He was tired and needed rest. However, as God, we know there is no need for such, as Psalm 121:4 declares, “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” The disciples awoke Him, pleading with Him to do something. Aren’t we just like them, demanding that God “hear us” while we yell, “Do You not care that we are perishing? Perhaps they remembered the writing of the sons of Korah in Psalm 44:23, “Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever.”

vs.39  Jesus stood and rebuked the wind, and calmed the sea. In our lives He rebukes our wind of “what if’s” and calms our sea of panic. If we are to display Christ’s attributes, and ride the undercurrents of peace, we must stay anchored to our Hope, and let Him take control of the situation. Your spouse is observing your reaction to the crisis, and you must let Jesus shine through.


vs.40  When Jesus spoke to them, it was with a gentle rebuke. How often does He do that with us? Your spirit is quickened and you perceive His loving assurance and grace. These are teachable moments which we must embrace eagerly.

vs.41  The disciples were in awe of what they had just witnessed. The question they asked one another was, “Who can this be…?” Indeed, that is the question we must ask ourselves, for in its answer, we find the One who has “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

So next time you face that insurmountable problem, or unexpected disaster looming, just look “up” and say, “Lord, I know You care … please help me!”

This hymn by J. Wilbur Chapman (1859-1918) talks about Jesus being our friend and protector. Stanzas 3 and 4 below speaks volume:

                                                   Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!
                                                   While the billows o’er me roll,
                                                  Even when my heart is breaking,
                                                  He, my Comfort, helps my soul.
                                                
                                                 Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!
                                                     While the tempest still is high,
                                              Storms about me, night o’ertakes me,
                                                     He, my Pilot, hears my cry.

JESUS  is our Peace ... be still and know He is GOD.

Lord, Don't You Care? Life's Storms