Archive | Forclosure RSS feed for this section

By the Throat?

What do you do when you get in those places where life has you by the throat? I've been in a few of those places and I've learned three important strategies:

1.  Rest. Eat Well. Take care of our bodies. Our bodies come first. Without them, we are nothing. Well, you know what I mean. We're not present in the world. If you're walking with Jesus, you would be present with him, as Paul says. "absent from the body, present with the Lord."

Unless the Lord gives us specific instructions otherwise and we are sure it's God's guidance and not crazy thinking, our first priority is safeguarding health.

2. Partialize. Break the problem that has you in its hold into small pieces. What's doable right now? If you are worried about losing your house, what can you do today that might help? Ask for wisdom in working through a step-by-step process. We want instantaneous deliverance from our problems. In thirty-five years of walking with him, God has most often walked with me through a process of problem-solving. 

3. Work on relaxing and trusting God. God is more involved in our lives that we have any idea of. "If he's so involved, then why doesn't he rescue me?" I don't know. What I know is that he is suffering with you, to accomplish his purposes, which are worth what they cost. Whatever is coming on the whole world as we endure this economic crisis, he is in it with us, by his Holy Spirit.

Papa-God, please hold us in the palm of your hand. We need wisdom, guidance, and trust. You are a good God, or we wouldn't trust you with ourselves.

Posted early this week. I'll be away from a computer as I speak at Ordinary Women, Extraordinary God, a Vineyard Women's Conference in Columbus, Ohio. As always, thanks for reading. Comments are welcome.

Comments { 2 }

Make it a Good Day

“Make it a good day.” For a while, an NPR reporter signed
off the daily business report with those words. They don’t say that now. And yet,
in spite of reports of job loss, foreclosure, and retirees going back to work,
we can make it a good day. Because God is good. Because of God’s goodness,
making a day good may be difficult, but it’s not impossible.

 

 I’ve never lost a job, though I have been very
poor, to the extent of a few months on welfare. God provided. During a drought
in Israel, the ravens fed Elijah. The good God provided. Jesus says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33, KJV) If we seek him, he has taken on this responsibility—to provide “all these things”—food and
clothing. We can expect him to fulfill his good promise. We fulfill our responsibility
by putting him and his kingdom first.

 

What
does that mean? It means letting God shape all our attitudes. In this economic
climate, it means fighting fear and cultivating faith. It means reading the Bible.
Reading other stories of faith. For some of us, it means giving him the first
half-hour of our day. Maybe it means practicing the presence of God, like
Brother Lawrence, minute by minute, as we wash dishes, wipe baby’s bottom, and
do the laundry. It means saying, “Jesus, you know my heart and you know my
needs. You are the source of my life and strength. Thank you.”

 

It means
asking God what it means for us, so that he himself will teach us and give us the
power to make today a good day.

 

Father,
we need your perspective. Today, may we see your goodness.

Comments { 0 }

Unforeclosable House

“As we were praying, I got an image of a house of
forgiveness,” I said to the small group, sitting on comfortable chairs at the
leader’s house. After discussing the nature of sin, we’d finished small group
with a brief prayer time. As we had explored some of the ways we miss God’s
mark, a couple of people had questioned God’s forgiveness. Smiling, I
continued, “It is a house God has provided for us. We can eat and sleep and
rest in it, almost with a sense of taking it for granted.”

The leader looked thoughtful. “Good image.” We left then,
gathering our coats against the cold night.    

Later, snuggling under my down comforter, I thought, “taking
for granted” isn’t quite the right phrase, but it’s close. Forgiveness is the
house a Christian lives in. When we turn toward him, away from sin, Jesus gives
us the keys to the house he’s purchased for us. We can count on its solidity. 

It’s a slate-roofed brick house with a poured cement
foundation that extends beyond the frost line. Overstuffed recliners hold us. The
winds of guilt and fear may rattle the windows, but they will not blow the
house down. Within these walls, we are safe.    

In addition, we needn’t fear foreclosure. Some, though, with
oversensitive hearts, may wander the streets, thinking they’ve been forced out.
Sounds silly, doesn’t it? How does a house without a mortgage get put in
foreclosure? And yet, some of us easily believe God to be mad at us, even foreclosing
on a house he’s already paid for.    

Father, Son, Spirit. Again, we thank you for your precious
blood-bought forgiveness. Without forgetting that price, may we relax in its
shelter.

 

 

Comments { 1 }