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In Pursuit of Chapter 42...

One of the things I so enjoyed about my daddy was hearing the stories he would tell me about his experiences in WWII.  He was a part of Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation ~ those who stood for what was right, knew freedom had a cost and was willing to pay for it.  I loved hearing the stories of how he was a part of the storming of Normandy, his thoughts, as well as those of the other young men laying their lives on the line in the pursuit to keep Europe free, thus keeping us free.  Following storming the beaches in France, dad’s role was to drive a tank through Europe.  One of the highlights, if you want to call it that, was when he, along with many troops, had the privilege of liberating a concentration camp.  Honestly, those stories were few and far between because, 60 years later, what he saw and experienced affected him greatly.

I wonder if those young men questioned their purpose upon occasion.  All they knew was they had orders.  Orders from men they have never seen but trusted with their lives.  They didn’t know all the “stuff” discussed behind the scenes, but forged through Europe, set to keep them free and in turn, securing our freedom.

As I ponder this thought, my mind goes to the life of Job.  He had it all!  He had a wonderfully, loving relationship with Father God, he had a family, possessions and good health.  For what more could a man ask?  Satan was convinced his love and devotion to God came simply because he had been so blessed.  God was convinced otherwise.  Satan made the challenge and God accepted.  Sovereign God trusted Job’s response and set the ground rules.  You, Satan, can have free torturous reign on Job but you cannot take his life.  Deal (I am sure there wasn’t a handshake, though).

In the matter of verses he lost his family, wealth and his health.  One loss would have been more than what some could have borne, but he was faced with all there, one right on top of the other.  Oh, not to mention the support he received ~ his sweet wife told him the following in Job 2:9: 

"Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you?

Curse God and be done with it!"  (MSG)

How can anyone make sense of what happened to Job?  How can Job make sense of what happened to him?  Sometimes there is no human sense to be made.  It is all about God’s sovereignty.  In Job’s case, it was about a challenge made by Satan and the confidence God had in Job.  If you are like me (in by no way am I comparing myself to Job) I wonder when the following scripture is capped out in my life:

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”                        ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT, italics mine)

I want to say I am overflowing with temptations…I am capped out!  Please, Father, bring some relief ~ soon…  For 30-something chapters Job experience these feelings.  Remember all this was done with no fault on his part at all ~ Satan challenged and God accepted.  Then, in chapter 38, God responds.  He doesn’t give an explanation to Job ~ He just reminds Him who HE is ~ the I AM.

He asks rhetorical questions…

Ø  Who laid the foundations of the world?

Ø  Who gave the seas their boundary?

Ø  Who spoke the morning into existence?

Ø  Who created all the earth before you, Job, were even born?

Ø  Who gave birth to the dew, rain, clouds, stars, etc…?

Ø  Who frees a wild donkey? (interested since He did that Palm Sunday)

Ø  Who gave horses their strength and stamina?

Ø  Whose wisdom makes the eagle soar?

Job’s response between chapters 39-40…

Then Job replied to the Lord,

“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
      I will cover my mouth with my hand.
 I have said too much already.
      I have nothing more to say” (NLT)

God continues through the whirlwind responding to Job in chapter 41.  Then Job gets it!  It isn’t about Him…there was a challenge in the heavenly and there was warfare going on in the unseen.  Ever feel like that?  I do right now!  I am pursing a response like Jobs:

Then Job replied to the Lord,

“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
      I will cover my mouth with my hand.
 I have said too much already.
      I have nothing more to say” (NLT, italics definitely mine)

What is the reward for the warfare Job experienced?  Let’s see…

“So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. ¹³ He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. ¹⁴ He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. ¹⁵ In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.”

~ Job 42:12-15 (NLT, italics mine)

While I await MY chapter 42 ~ I will praise, serve and love Him!

If my chapter 42 doesn’t come ~ I will praise, serve and love Him~

How about you?

In Him,

Stefanie

 

What Did You Have in Mind...

The former chaplin of the United States Senate, Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, pastored the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, CA prior to becoming the Chaplin.  Following a particular service an elderly lady took his hand in hers and made the following statement:  I pray your life will be as wonderful as it was in the mind of God when He created you.   In honor of Batman and Robin ~ WHAM!  POW!  BAM!  What an amazing statement!  After he heard the words exit her mouth Dr. Ogilvie straightway went to his office, hit his knees and begged God to reveal to him precisely what He had for him.  Earned Doctorate… Pastor of a huge church… Somewhat “set”…got on his knees and begged God!

I am finding myself exactly there ~ on my knees, begging for revelation.  God, what do you want out of my life?  For what purpose have you designed me?  I am walking by faith but I want to make sure the walk I make is directly toward His perfect calling in my life.  Here are a few things God has made known to me:

v  I am His daughter.

v  I am a wife.

v  I am a mother.

v  I am the wife of Dan Brown, Executive Director of LIFT Student Ministries.

v  I am a daughter.

v  I am a friend.

So what does that mean?

·       I am His daughter ~ I am a blood bought child of the King!

“And the Spirit himself joins with our spirits to say we are God's children.  If we are God's children, we will receive blessings from God together with Christ. But we must suffer as Christ suffered so that we will have glory as Christ has glory.”  ~ Romans 8:17 (NCV)

·        I am a wife ~ My first responsibility, second only to following Him, is honoring my husband, being his strength, encouragement, listening ear, honest friend and unconditional lover.

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.”  ~ Genesis 2:24 (HCSB)

·       I am a mother ~ Next to my husband, Alex is my main earthly priority.  This role is outstandingly serious to me!  I am to nurture, teach, guide, direct, love, comfort, correct and encourage my little man as long as I have breath.

“Her children stand and bless her.” ~ Proverbs 31:28

·       I am a daughter ~ God has called me to tend to my mother.  She doesn’t drive, is anxiety filled at times and needs lots of encouragement.

But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you; don't make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I'll die, and that's where I'll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!" ~ Ruth 1:16-18 (MSG)

·       I am a friend ~ If I am anything I am loyal.  I value my friendships and treasure what they bring to my life.

Some friends don't help, but a true friend is closer than your own family.

~ Proverbs 18:24 (CEV)

In addition to what I have listed I think of several gifts/talents God has given me that I believe He is developing for continual use:

Ø  Writing Ability

Ø  Connecting with women in ministry

Ø  Connecting with mothers of young children

I wonder ~ how will He continue to use and develop me to accomplish His perfect will for my life?

What about you?  As you pursue His perfect will for your life, what roles is He calling you to fulfill?  What gifts has He gifted you with to carry out His perfect will for your life?  I would love to hear what you have to say!

Remember ~ He has a perfect will for all of us…

Will you pursue it?

            Will you allow Him to prepare you for it?

In Him,

Stefanie

God Loves Happy Endings...

In the beginning...

What was your beginning?  For me, as I previously shared, my beginning was anything but the “norm”.  I was conceived unexpectedly, birthed covertly and raised under cover.    I was hidden in shame, tucked away to be passed along to someone else, all without any knowledge of what was happening or even having a name.  But God…I so love this statement when I run across it in scripture.  But God tells me:

Before I shaped you in the womb,
   I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
   I had holy plans for you:

Jeremiah 1:5 (MSG, italics mine)

As I look at the word “shape” in this scripture my mind immediately goes back to my pregnancy.  I remember laying in bed, on more than one occasion, feeling the flutter of my little man inside.  It was like a tickle from the inside out.  Then, as he grew, I could actually watch him move from one side of my belly to the other.  Amazing!  (Note:  I vividly remember thanking God for the experience.  That was my “Hannah Moment”.  I, like her, wept bitterly before the Lord, begging for a child.  What I was experiencing was MY miracle, MY answer.)   Now, back to my thought…as I felt Alex flip, turn and move around I can imagine how God was shaping him into the little boy born on July 7, 2003.  Just like the potter with His clay, He shaped and molded him into Alex Daniel Brown, 9 pounds, 1 ounce. 

Not only did God know what I would look like, what you would look like, He also knew our temperament.  If you have ever studied the temperaments there are four to mention:

·       Sanguine

ü  Cheerful

ü  Friendly

ü  Talkative

ü  Lively

ü  Restless

ü  Self-centered

ü  Undependable

ü  Undisciplined

 

·       Choleric

ü  Optimistic

ü  Active

ü  Confident

ü  Strong-willed

ü  Quick to anger

ü  Aggressive

·       Inconsiderate

 

·       Melancholy

ü  Melancholy

ü  Sensitive

ü  Analytical

ü  Perfectionistic

ü  Unsociable

ü  Moody

ü  Rigid

 

·       Phlegmatic

ü  Calm

ü  Dependable

ü  Efficient

ü  Easy-going

ü  Passive

ü  Stubborn

ü  Lazy

 

For those of you who have not figured me out, I am a SanMel (Sanguine Melancholy).  I am cheerful, friendly and talkative as well as undisciplined.  I can be moody, a perfectionist and sensitive at times, too.  God specifically chose those traits for me.  Thank goodness I also know that He will…

“make (me) perfect in every good thing to do His will, working in (me) that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory for ever and ever”.                              ~Hebrews 13:21 (ASV/Adapted) 

Not only did He shape me before I saw the light of day and know who I was going to me, He had a plan for me, ME!  Let me encourage you to meditate on that thought, especially if you struggle with accepting the fact Jesus loves you and desires to use you to further His kingdom.  He had a plan for you before you were born and still has that plan in hand, waiting for you to seek your assignment. 

Honestly I can’t wait for Alex to get saved.  We pray earnestly for that, speaking of it often.  The next most exciting thing for me is to see what God has planned for Him.  I say this with all the honesty I have ~ I cannot wait to see his life unfold in HIM!  I sit and think “How is God going to use Alex?”  “Where is God going to use Alex?”  Our lives are unfolding at such a pace right know it is difficult for me to keep up with God is doing ~ I just know He is doing something and I am incredibly thankful He chose us.

God has His pen in hand writing out the days of our lives.  We all have beginnings and I pray we all have happy endings…  Happy endings do not mean continually happy lives ~ just lives wholly dedicated to Him, serving Him ~ in good times and difficult.  I close with one of my favorite passages in Hebrews.

I could go on and on, but I've run out of time. There are so many more— Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets....Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn't deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world. 

                                   ~Hebrews 11:32-38 (MSG, italics and boldness mine)

            In Him,

          Stefanie

Enemies vs. Friends...

John Dryden (1631-1700) made this statement: It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.  Why is that?  Initially my thoughts were the opposite of Dryden’s statement.  But then I began to assess the statement more deeply.  I began looking at the definition of “friendship” and what how I define it and the expectations I have when I enter into one.

Webster defines “friendship” as the “the state of being friends”.  OK, let’s look at the word “friend”.  Again I look to Webster ~ a friend is someone we are attached to affectionately, one that is not hostile, a favored companion, one that favors or promotes.  With that said, I define “friendship” as:

 a relationship between persons who are warm and kind to each other, who do not treat each other unfavorably and encourages the best in each other.

With warmth and kindness extended, the desire to treat each other the best we can and encourage excellence in the other, I guess the hurt felt if betrayed by a friend would be devastating.  We expect betrayal, hurt, and disappointment from our enemies, not our friends.  No one knew this better than Jesus, Himself.

On Palm Sunday everyone was thrilled to see Jesus.  The disciples were flying high.  (After all, they were His “boyz”.)  Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, one that had never been broken, to hear the cheers of all those around Him.  I am sure the disciples had a pride about them, hopefully a healthy pride, knowing they were in His inner circle.  They were chosen by this Man to walk with Him, observe Him, be taught by Him and follow Him.  There were only 12, you know.  They were the elite in this crowd of people.  They were His disciples. 

As the week progressed, the attitude of the crowds began to change.  The Pharisee’s began the behind the scenes attack, casting suspicion on Jesus at every turn.   Casting doubt on who He was and what He did.  It is so amazing to me how quickly people turn and just how fickle they are.  In Jesus’ case the crowd turned and turned fierce.  Their cry metamorphosed from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him” in a matter of days.  Although scripture does not record any of the remaining disciples bellowing “Crucify Him…Crucify Him…” their silence was just as deafening.  In fact, Pontus Pilot, on three occasions, told the Pharisee’s and the enraged multitude he couldn’t find anything Jesus had done wrong.  Yet, the disciples spoke not.  Although Jesus knew what the disciples would do, I can just imagine how the “human” side Jesus felt ~ betrayed, devastated, let down, distressed.  Remember He was ALL God, but He was ALL human, too.  What can we learn from Jesus in how to forgive our friends (and enemies)? 

1. First we must realize those who hurt us don’t realize how deeply they are hurting us. 

As the crowd yelled out I wonder what other words came out of their mouths.  What words assassinated the heart of Christ as He stood before them innocent of all accusations?  I have found that people don’t realize how devastating words can be ~ even to the Son of God.  You know the old rhyme: Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. Hogwash!  Bruises fade ~ words leave lasting imprints.  Jesus said Himself:

"Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing."        ~ Luke 23:32 (MSG)

Jesus lets us inside for a moment.  Battered and bruised, having experienced a brutal and savage beating, scourging and crucifixion, Jesus says, in Stef terms, they don’t have a clue what they are doing.  They are acting on selfish emotion, not realizing the consequence of their actions.

2. We must follow the example of Christ and forgive

Forgive ~ WHAT?  I am hurt, disillusioned, betrayed, devastated by people I have given my life to and I am supposed to forgive?  

Joseph did…

¹⁶So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died,

¹⁷'Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

¹⁸His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants." ¹⁹But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?

²⁰As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. ~ Genesis 50: 16-20 (CEV)

Jesus did…

³³And when they had come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.    
³⁴Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they parted His raiment and cast lots.    
³⁵And the people stood beholding. And the rulers who were also with them derided Him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he be Christ, the chosen of God."          ~Luke 23;33-35 (21st Century KJV)

Being able to forgive is allowing Jesus to forgive through us.  Forgiving goes completely against the nature of who we are.  Naturally, I mean the Adamic, base nature of who we are, does not want to forgive.  We would rather seek revenge.  Forgiving is supernatural ~ above and beyond what the natural man wants to do.

·       First of all, it is one of the most difficult things in the world to accept the fact a friend has betrayed you. 

·       Secondly, we must accept the charge that we are to forgive. 

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.                          ~Matthew 6:12 (MSG)

·       Thirdly, we must know we can always seek forgiveness from the Father through Jesus.  David experienced this firsthand…

^1-3Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
   Scrub away my guilt,
      soak out my sins in your laundry.
   I know how bad I've been;
      my sins are staring me down.

 ^4-6 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen
      it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
   You have all the facts before you;
      whatever you decide about me is fair.
   I've been out of step with you for a long time,
      in the wrong since before I was born.
   What you're after is truth from the inside out.
      Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

 ^7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
      scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
   Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
      set these once-broken bones to dancing.
   Don't look too close for blemishes,
      give me a clean bill of health.
   God, make a fresh start in me,
      shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
   Don't throw me out with the trash,
      or fail to breathe holiness in me.
   Bring me back from gray exile,
      put a fresh wind in my sails!
   Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
      so the lost can find their way home.
   Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
      and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
   Unbutton my lips, dear God;
      I'll let loose with your praise.

 ^16-17 Going through the motions doesn't please you,
      a flawless performance is nothing to you.
   I learned God-worship
      when my pride was shattered.
   Heart-shattered lives ready for love
      don't for a moment escape God's notice.

 ^18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,
      repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls.
   Then you'll get real worship from us,
      acts of worship small and large,
   Including all the bulls
      they can heave onto your altar!                                                        ~Psalm 51 (MSG)

 

What do you need? 

      To forgive someone?

                  Be forgiven of something?

Just ask ~ He will help you do what you need to do.

In Him,

Stefanie

Vaporized...

Would you agree that life moves quickly, changes before our eyes and is gone before you know it?  Over the past 3 weeks these statements have become more true to me.  Two weeks ago I received a phone call from Dan while he was in Africa.  He had the unfortunate task of telling me my last living aunt, Aunt Drucilla, went home to be with the Lord unexpectedly at the age of 65.  Although she was dealing with early onset, fast acting Alzheimer’s, she was in overall good health.  How shocking!  Dan, Alex, my mom and I had just visited both she and my uncle recently, not realizing that would be the last time I would see her alive.  This news came while I was on my way home from Nashville, TN where I was acting as support for my “bestie”, Sara, whose grandmother had unexpected surgery.  At the time we left all looked well.  Now we realized recovery would take time, but in no way did we expect the news which would come the following week.  Sara’s grandmother, Mamaw Mary, took a turn for the worst.  She arrived at the point she needed help breathing, thus going on the ventilator, experienced her kidney’s shutting down, eventually coding.  As you can imagine the news took everyone by surprise.  The downturn was quick and fierce.  What a difference a couple of days make.   Following the death of my aunt and hearing the surprising news about Sara’s grandmother, Dan, Alex and I headed to Texas.  Dan was invited to speak at CANYON CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH (one of our favorite places to be).  While there we were able to have dinner with Troy and Kim Geesaman.  As most of you know their son, Curtis, went home to be with the Lord last July while at camp in Cedarville.  Unbeknownst to them they sent their healthy teenage son off with his youth group only to receive news the next day he had experienced a “freak” accident and lay in a coma.   Following several intensely emotion-filled hours, all the while crying out to their Heavenly Father, they let Curtis go join Him.   

Thankfully my aunt knew the Lord and celebrates with Him now. Maybe she has even seen Curtis sitting at the feet of Jesus.   Praise the Lord Mary knows Jesus as her Savior and we know Heaven will be sweeter when He calls her home.  All three situations remind me of how quickly life moves and that life is a vapor, a mist that is here for just a moment then gone.  We are reminded of this in James 4:14…

·         “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”  (KJV)

·         “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (ESV)

·         “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” (NLT)

The average life expectancy of an adult born in the United States today is 78.06 years (for women it is a little longer - LOL).  A crude estimate of actual adult days lived is about 20,000 days.  Now we must take into consideration the following:

The average person…

Ø  is on the phone 2 years in a lifetime

Ø  is in the bathroom 3 years in a lifetime

Ø  is getting dressed 1 year in a lifetime

Ø  watches TV 9 years in a lifetime

Ø  sleeps 26 years (unless you are Dan and Alex Brown and then it is much, MUCH less…)

So let’s do the math ~ 78 minus 41 equals 37.  That is 37 years, not including time for other things such as eating and daydreaming.  Wow, that narrows down the time we, on average over a lifetime, have to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  What are you going to do with your time?

Here are three options…

1.    We can WASTE our lives…just as the prodigal

Take a minute and read the MESSAGE’s account of how he wasted his life…

The Story of the Lost Son

^11-12Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'

^12-16"So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

 ^17-20"That brought him to his senses.

(Italics mine)

I love what this versions account of verse 20 ~ he came to “his senses”.  Coming to his senses wasn’t without hardship, difficulty and shame.  He wasted everything on uncontrolled, rebellious living and he experienced the consequences of his wasteful choices.

2.    We can SPEND our lives…like the rich young ruler

We must be willing to empty ourselves of ourselves and our stuff and be filled with Him.

 

¹⁶Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

¹⁷Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."

 ^18-19The man asked, "What in particular?"

Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself."

                 ²⁰The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?"

 ²¹"If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me."

²²That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.

3.       We can INVEST our lives…like Jesus

~ Ephesians 3:20,21 (MSG)

 ^20-21God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

   Glory to God in the church!
   Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
   Glory down all the generations!
   Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

   (Italics mine)

Wow, we don’t have a lot of time to give him in lieu of eternity.  Remember, we are just a vapor ~ here today and possibly gone tomorrow.

How you spend your 37 years? 

            ~Waste them

                        ~Spend them

                                    ~Invest them

In Him,

Stefanie

He Never Needs a Nap...

Psalm 121:3, 4

·         He won't let you stumble;
      your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
   Not on your life! Israel's
      Guardian will never doze or sleep. (MSG)

 

·         The LORD is your protector, and he won't go to sleep or let you stumble. The protector of Israel doesn't doze or ever get drowsy. (CEV)

·         He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (ASV)

Who in your life has your complete and utter confidence?  I am speaking of that one person who you feel always has your best interests at heart, loves you unconditionally and gives you wise counsel when you are in need.  You know, that person who you believe will always, ALWAYS be there for you no matter what comes.  Your spouse may come to mind or maybe a parent.  Some of you may be thinking of a dear friend, professor or pastor’s wife while others find themselves struggling to wrap their mind around exactly who that person would be in their life.  All he while there may be some having a difficult time narrowing down their list.  Honestly, for me, Dan was the first to pop in my mind.  From the first time we met I knew there was something radically different about him.  He was truthful, strived to live rightly and really cared for me on an unconditional basis (and trust me, I gave him lots of reason not to do so…).  With all the wonderful qualities he possesses one thing I did find to be true ~ no matter how hard he tried not to disappointment, there were times where he did.  There are times he still does and vice versa.  Neither of us is perfect and no matter how we struggle not to disappoint the other it still happens.  Thankfully both of us have found the One who will not let us down nor will he fall asleep on our watch. 

I love the Psalm 121 scripture which began this post.  It was difficult choosing a particular version to quote but the three I chose seemed to encapsulate really what I wanted to share today.  Let’s break it down shall we?

1.     God will not let us stumble ~ period!

So what does it mean to stumble?  Other words to describe it include “to trip, fall, stagger, slip”.  Just as the mountains found in Israel whose base is secure, our footsteps shall be secure under His watchful eye.  His protective hand shelters us and guards us so that we will not be steered off course, stumbling in the darkness.  As long as we stay firmly connected to Him, our footing will remain secure in Him.

2.    He doesn’t even need sleep…

I don’t know about you but I need about 6-8 hours of sleep to function normally.  I prefer 8 hours but you know as well as I do that being a family manager, mom, wife, employer, employee, student, etc…, however you would describe yourself, 8 full hours of sleep comes only when we may be knocked out by Phenergan while we are sick with the flu.  Even then we may wake periodically to make sure the house is still standing around our sickbed.  Sleep is necessary for us to perform the duties we must throughout the day.  Not so with our Heavenly Father!  He never takes His watchful, protective, loving eye off of us.  He never needs a power nap or 8 full hours of sleep to take care of us.  Psalm 121 says “(He) will never doze or sleep.” 

I recall when we first brought Alex home from the hospital at 2 days hold.  That precious little bundle to joy…the one who NEVER WANTED TO SLEEP!  Truth be told, Alex still “never put(s) off til tomorrow what will keep (him) from going to bed tonight.” (Adapted from an Evan Esar quote).  Alex needs VERY little sleep. I, on the other hand, count down the hours until I can rest, relax and re-charge.  I am so thankful God never puts a sign up that says “Back in 10 minutes ~ I am napping”, aren’t you?

3.    He is forever on guard and protecting us…

I Peter 5: 8 states:

“Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [^[a]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.” (Amplified Bible)

While I was pregnant with Alex I watched the Laci Peterson saga play out on television.  We were due near the same time, we were both considering the name “Conner” and some say we even favored each other.  Due to my escalating hormones, I became very paranoid and anxious.  Because the night seemed to bring on heightened anxiety, I would stay up as late as I could and catnap during the day to make up for it.  We even put in a security system to help alleviate my nervousness.  Once Alex was born, I would go in and out of his room throughout the night making sure he was still there and OK, all the while listening to each breath through my monitor.  Wow, was I a case!  I was going to do everything I could do to protect him no matter what!  I purposed that nothing would happen on my watch.  However noble my attempts, I could only do so much.  Eventually I would have to rest and sleep.  My body would not let me continue on such an erratic schedule with little sleep.  But…BUT…thanks be to God who is FOREVER on guard and protecting us!  In the 1 Peter scripture we are told that Satan is like a hungry lion always on the look for prey.  Occasionally I watch the Discovery Channel.  I have seen episodes that follow a lion as he hunts for dinner.  He scopes out the land, finding his prey.  He watches to identify weaknesses and waiting for the perfect time to pounce.  He is a proficient hunter who has perfected his skill.  Then the kill…

Satan scopes out the land of our lives, looking for his opportunity.  He waits for the perfect time to pounce but when He does ~ WATCH OUT ~ the hand of our Father reaches down and plucks him up and flicks him out of our path!  Yeah!

Our Father…

doesn’t let us stumble.

                        never sleeps.

                                    always protects.

Whew, after meditating on all that, I need a nap…

In Him,

Stefanie