Tears in a Bottle

Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? --Psalms 56:8

Have you ever realized nothing removes makeup quite so effectively as tears? Even mascara, as hard as it is to remove, our tears break down even the waterproof kind! It's kind of funny to me in a way. If I could think of a way to bottle tears and market them as makeup remover, I'd be one rich lady! But you know something? Our tears are precious to the Lord. So much so that He saves our tears in bottles (Psalm 56:8) (My grandfather used to say I had enough tears for 3 women, so if there's a water tower in Heaven, it has my name on it, because mine overflowed the bottle a long time ago!). One day He will wipe away our tears. Can you imagine the King of Glory, our Saviour, literally wiping away our tears? What compassion and what comfort that will be! I wrote a book of poems some years ago and one of them is about tears. I thought I'd share it here,

Tears Speak When Words Can Not

Lord, sometimes I come to You
burdened in prayer.
Yet I can't find the words,
only tears are there.

I can not articulate,
formulate or think.
But tears keep on flowing;
the right words I can't speak.

I know I shouldn't worry.
The Holy Spirit has it covered.
After all, He makes intercession
with groanings which can not be uttered.

When I feel foolish for crying
and I'm tempted to stop
I remember that my tears speak
when my words can not.

That book was published five years ago, but I wrote those words years before. I still feel that way. Sometimes we come before the Lord, not really sure what to say. Sometimes all we can get out might be "Oh Father!" or "Please help!" (and by "help" we really aren't sure what we mean, just that we know we need Him to do something!) I say "we" because I'm sure I'm not the only one who's found myself in such a state. Isn't it wonderful to know, no matter the circumstance, no matter if you can find the words to pray or not, we have a Mediator? One hymn says, "before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea; a Great High Priest whose name is love, Who ever lives and pleads for me!" We have a Comforter in the Holy Spirit, a Mediator in Christ, and a loving Father Who always hears the cries of His child. Just some things on my heart this morning that I thought I'd share. And now...I better go reapply what my "make up remover" took off! :v ;) :D

Fear's Snare

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25

I read that this morning in my Bible reading. It's one of my favorite verses and has often been an encouragement to me.

The first part, "The fear of man," makes me think of two different things. First there is the fear literally, of man. We fear what others think, say, or might do to us. So we hold back doing things we know to do, like witness, or take a stand for what is right. We fear the opinions of others, the criticism of people, and the ridicule of scoffers.

This is what nearly sent me to hell. I was a lost church member and I was afraid to admit it. I was afraid people would be angry I had lied or think badly of me for living that lie for several years. What finally got my attention the night I got saved was the Holy Spirit's conviction of, "What do you fear more? What others think, or dying and going to hell?" In that perspective the answer was obvious. My fear of hell was greater.

The second thing I think of when I think of "the fear of man," is just that: all the fears that man has; whether it be people, or circumstances, or events. It's anything a person has a fear of.

People fear a lot of things; some of them we view as serious and others we view as humorous. For those who fear financial ruin, they may laugh at a child afraid of the dark--but both of those fears are very real (in the mind) of the person who is afraid.

George Mueller said the opposite of faith is fear. If anyone had a right to make that statement, it was he, for he actively lived a life of faith, when many in his position would have felt fear. He was responsible for so many lives; to feed and clothe them, and yet we read he thanked God at breakfast for food that was not in the kitchen, and before the morning was out, somehow, there was always enough food for everyone.

I have heard it said regarding the Baptists of colonial New England, that the reason they were so heavily persecuted is that the congregationalists feared what they did not understand (Baptist doctrine).

Whatever the fear, whether it is a fear of man and his opinion or whether it's the collective fears of man, any fear, being the opposite of faith, is sin. If it's not of faith it can not please God. Sin does NOT please God.

It brings a snare. When I think of a snare I think of fishing or hunting. That hook is meant to catch or snare the fish, and usually, the harder the fish pulls, the more entangled it becomes. The trap is meant to snare the hunted animal, and the harder the animal fights, the weaker he gets, the more pain he is in, and the deeper the wound inflicted from the trap.

So it is with fear. When caught by it's snare, it drains us physically and emotionally and makes us spiritually weak. It causes pain that is needless, had we just avoided the snare to begin with. The longer we stay there, the deeper the wound we gain.

Fear steals faith and robs joy. Fear brings a snare that stops us in our tracks.

I remember two years after I was saved, I attended a revival meeting in a church that was local to me at the time. The evangelist talked about giving everything to God. There could be no hidden room of our heart for which God did not hold the key. We could not hand God the keys to everything and hold on to one saying, "Here Lord, I give you everything, except this one tiny area. That's mine. But you can have everything else!"

He mentioned it could be a sin we refused to give up or it could be an area of service we refused to do, it could be any area of our life where, maybe not verbally, but certainly by our actions we told the Lord to keep His hands off.

Oh how conviction broke me that night! I was saved, I had given up a lot of old things in my life and allowed God to replace them. God had been gracious to give me victory over a lot of things at that point. Yet there was this one area of my life, where I actually would say out loud and to anyone who asked, "I'll do anything BUT ______." (What it was is not important.)

I can literally remember having told the Lord, "I'll do anything you want, go anywhere you want, be whatever you want, just please don't ask of me this one thing, because I can not and will not do it."

That night the Lord put His finger right there. I tried to resist, but I realized something: until I was fully surrendered and willing to do ANYTHING God required of me, I could never go forward in my Christian life. He could not use an unwilling vessel.

What held me back? Fear. I was afraid that if I gave God that area of my life He'd make me do it. And I was afraid if I had to do it I would be faced with the failure I'd seen in the lives of others regarding that particular thing. And so I held on for dear life, thinking I knew better than God.

I still remember His dealing with me. I could trust God for eternal salvation, but not something dealing with this present, mortal life? I knew better than an omnipotent, omniscient God? Most importantly, what if that WAS God's will for my life, and until I surrendered it I could never be all God intended for me to be?

When I finally went to the altar and brokenly (and oh, I was broken alright! Fighting God makes you tired!) gave Him that part I was holding back, it was with His sweet peace that He gave in return, and a promise that He could give me better than my fear.

That was many years ago, and only one example of the times God has had to conquer my fears. Sometimes He deals with me in tender mercy and is so compassionate when I feel that I probably deserve His whopping. And sometimes, because I insist in holding on to whatever the given fear may be, He has to break me, and pry my fingers off one by one until I am once again resting in His peace.

You'd think by now I would have learned...fear brings a snare. Any fear does. It stops you in your tracks and until it's dealt with you can't go forward to what God has for you.

You ask, then how can you say that verse encourages you? What's encouraging about being caught in a snare?

It's the last part of the verse that encourages me. "...but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." When I'm caught in that snare and my physical and emotional strength has been extinguished and when I'm stuck, unable to go forward, if I will but put my trust in the Lord, I'm safe. He releases me from the snare. He sets me free from the bondage I had put myself under.

When I think of the word "safe," I think of a small child fearing a thunderstorm who runs to their mother or father. That parent lovingly takes the child in his or her arms and holds the child. They may speak soft words of comfort, or they may silently rock the child to sleep, but that child knows whether words are spoken or not, no matter how bad the storm rages outside, they are safe in the arms of someone who loves them, and that's good enough.

How much more so it is with us running from a storm to our Heavenly Father? He never turns us away! He lovingly takes us up in His arms, and He may speak words of comfort or He may simply hold us securely until it passes, but in His arms is peace, and the faith that no matter how loud the storm rages, there is safety in His embrace.

I may often struggle with fears, but it's when I run to my Father that He assures me, all is well. I can trust Him. He is still in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He holds all my tomorrows. He is God, and He is good. In those moments, I am at peace. I am safe. And when you cast yourself on His mercies, so are you. Put your trust in Him...it's there you will truly be safe.

Proper Perspective?

Today I read a quote that I liked, so I shared it on my facebook page. "Beauty has a lot to do with character." A friend commented that it was a truth many young girls needed to know. I say amen to that! It's something everyone should know. It caused me to think, and as I thought more on it, I decided to share my scattered thoughts here.

"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30

For many, many years this has been one of my "life verses." I love the truth contained in that verse. As God lists the qualities of a virtuous, Godly woman, He closes the chapter with that truth. I believe we can see God's mind on the issue! He made it clear here that outward beauty was not nearly so important as the inward (her fear of the Lord). 

I once listened to a man use part of I Samuel 16:7, (for man looketh on the outward appearance) to justify placing strong emphasis on choosing a mate based on how she looked. For once in my life, I did not open my mouth, I smiled, kept walking and laughed to myself. He'd forgotten the entire verse which says, "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." 

God was instructing Samuel NOT to use the world's ideas in choosing the man who would be Israel's king. He was telling him to see them as God saw them. We all could benefit from the instruction given to Samuel, in viewing ourselves and others. The world emphasizes the outter-man. God emphasizes the inner-man. We can not use the excuse, "Well I'm human and it's just natural to judge the outward appearance." The Bible tells us to die to the natural man and have the mind of Christ. We are to strive to value what He values, reject what He rejects, love as He loves. I believe that principle applies here.

Yes, this world says a person's worth is based heavily in the "packaging." Young children are sometimes more impressed with the box a gift comes in rather than the gift the box contains. Why? Their maturity has not allowed them to yet understand that the packaging might be nice, but it really doesn't mean much; it's the gift inside that's important. Some people carry this into adulthood. 

We need to view ourselves and others properly. I have listened to beautiful Christian teen girls, nearly in tears tell me, "I'm just not pretty enough." I have listened to women well aged sigh sadly and tell me, "I used to be so beautiful but that's gone now." I have listened to women in their middle-aged years fret that they are losing their beauty. They all list various reasons for why they feel this way. And my heart hurts a little every time. 

I don't judge them, because I have struggled, and still do in some areas concerning this. It is a battle, sometimes a daily one, that I have to fight. I have stood in front of my bathroom mirror crying in one hand while holding handfulls of my hair in the other. You see, my entire life I never thought I was very pretty but the one thing I did like about my outward appearance was my hair. To loose that as well was, and sometimes still is a challenge at times. That's just plain honest. But it is what it is, so you just wipe your tears, reapply your makeup, smile, and go on with your day. My point is, I understand those feelings of insecurity and not measuring up to a standard. 

But who set those standards women feel they must hold themselves to? Society? And did they set it based on Hollywood, popular trends, or culture? If so, those standards are wrong. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being "beautiful" on the outside. My point is, the women I've listened to list their inadequacies were in fact beautiful on the outside (and the inside!) and that is part of the problem. 

We all have things we don't like about ourselves. We forget godliness with contentment really is great gain. Yes, we, as in myself included. God made us, not we ourselves. We want to be smaller, we want to be bigger (well, not me!), we want curly hair instead of straight, blue eyes instead of brown; you name it, we're never really satisfied, and there could be many reasons why, but the fact remains, God made us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. I've jokingly said, "I was made and it's fearful and I sure wonder!" However, really and truly, God made me (and everyone else) as He saw fit. There are some things we can, and sometimes should change (when my weight impeded my ability to serve God and even my life, that needed changing. But I don't need colored contacts or plastic surgery to alter who God made me to be, for example).

I heard a preacher once say as he stood looking at a cage of baboons in a zoo, that he laughed and wondered to himself why God had made something so funny looking. Then God reminded him that as Creator, He had looked upon ALL of His creation and called it good. He made the baboon as He wanted it to look and He was pleased. 

We need to view ourselves properly, and we certainly ought to view others properly as well. Who on earth do we think we are to look at another one of God's creations (especially one of God's children, if they are a brother or sister in Christ) and deem them somehow "less" or unworthy, or lacking based on their appearance? God has not resigned His throne to anyone, so no one has the right to view someone the King of the Universe created and critique a physical appearance.

As with most things, our ideas and God's sometimes contradict. His thoughts are higher than ours. When that happens, we must yield to Him. I love a good joke, even if it is on me, and I'm sometimes the first to tell one on myself. I like laughing and I don't mind laughing at myself. However we must not lose sight of the fact that our worth is not in how this world views us, how our brothers and sisters in Christ view us, or even in how we view ourselves. Our worth is in Christ. The fact of the matter is, we were worthless, rotten, no good sinners; every last one of us. YET, He loved us so much that He was willing to lay aside the glory of Heaven, and take on flesh, live and suffer and die (without sin!) for every last one of us. Our true worth is not in ourselves, but in Him. In Him is all sufficiency. 

I have laughingly said, "I'm more than just a number." By that I mean, I am more than the number on my scale. I am more than the number of hairs on my head (or in my hand!). I am more than the number that is my age. I am more than my outward appearance. And so is everyone else. We have a character, convictions, principles, thoughts, personalities, and most importantly, eternal souls. Making sure those things are properly kept in order is far more important. Yes, take care of the outward, it IS the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we ought to be good stewards of what we are given. Make it look as good as you can (within reason and with moderation) and keep it as healthy as you can, but know that your inner-man, that part of you that makes you YOU, that is more important to work on than anything else. Not even that can be done without the power of the Holy Spirit, by the way!

Letting Him shape our character, mold our lives, change our actions, work in our hearts, and work through us, THAT and that alone, is true beauty. We were created in His image, and yes, I do realize that because of the Fall, that image was marred when sin entered, but the Second Adam came, died, and rose again. He is all-together lovely, and we as His children are IN HIM.

I've heard it often said, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." True. When we ask God to help us "behold" ourselves and others as He sees, that will make a world of difference. I'm glad when I was lost He saw what I could be. I'm glad when He views me now, He sees the Righteousness of Christ. It's how He views you as well.

I'm glad God made a world of beauty...and in that world he allowed people to be made in His image (what an honor!) and yet have unique appearances. He's just good like that!

Go Forward in Faith, Don't Flee in Fear!

Have you ever been in a storm while at sea? I have...twice. In one occurrence I could barely walk I was so disoriented. I wanted OFF of that ship! However, had I jumped in desperation, I would have been lost to the storm, destroyed because of my fear. Instead, I took some nausea medication, prayed, and covered my head with a pillow! Eventually we passed through the storm and came to the shore.

Fear...it brings a snare and is not given to us by God, according to His Word.

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. --Proverbs 29:25

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind --II Timothy 1:7

Yet the sin of fearing and doubting and worrying...is one I often find myself confessing! Anyone that knows me can testify that I am very much a work in progress! I'm just thankful the One doing the work is well able to perform it! It doesn't depend on me, but Him! He began a work in me, and He WILL perform it until He is ready to call me Home and I stand before Him, complete, perfect, finished. 

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: --Philippians 1:6

Recently I heard about another storm some people were in, and they too were afraid. My pastor preached about it, and since then I've not been able to get away from it. The Lord has been helping me with this passage of Scripture, so I thought I would take a moment and share some thoughts--some from His message, and some the Lord has given me since. I don't know what storm you're facing, but if you're like most Christians then you; just came out of a storm, are in the midst of one, or you're just about ripe for a big one! Maybe this will help someone, but if nothing else, I need the reminder! 

And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.

Mark 6:45-53

First of all, I notice Jesus sent them into the storm. He constrained them to get in the ship and go to the other side. He, being omniscient, knew exactly what He was sending them into, though they had no idea. It was His perfect will that they be where they were. Just because we are in a storm, does NOT mean we are in disobedience or out of God's will. (It can mean that, and if that's the case the Lord will make that known, but not every storm is for chastening.) He constrained them...in other words, He made it VERY clear they were to get in that boat--and not just get in the boat, but get to the other side. He didn't say, "Get to the other side if it's convenient, if the seas are fair, or if you feel like it." He just told them to do it. He also gave them a promise, in a sense. If He told them to go to the other side, it meant they would be able to get there. Just because something is difficult or looks impossible, DOES NOT mean that God is not able to bring it to pass.

Next I see what Jesus did. He went to pray. Often in His earthly ministry He took time to pray, and now He sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. Even in Scripture we see Him praying for His disciples, and even praying for those of us who would eventually believe upon Him. Could it be, though I'm not certain, but is it possible he was praying for them? He prayed for Peter when the devil desired to sift him as wheat. Peter had to face that trial and he even messed up, but the devil did NOT destroy him. Peter's greatest ministry followed his biggest test. Just because we are Christians does not mean we are exempt from storms or trials, but we can take courage in knowing our Saviour is praying for us! 

Then I see when they were in the very middle of the sea, it was dark. Further down it mentions the fourth watch, one of the darkest times of night. I know there are times I face storms and it seems so very dark. I can't see, and neither could they. Though they couldn't see Jesus, He could see them. There are times when we can't always see God working. That does not mean that He isn't. It reminds me, He sees me even when I can't always see Him. We I can't track Him, I can trust Him!

I also see they were toiling in rowing and the wind was contrary to them. Amazing that the perfect will of God would put them in a situation were the circumstances seemed stacked against them--impossible even! That's so opposite of what many would have us believe! A handful of men, in a vessel with no outboard motor, no modern technology, rowing against a strong and contrary wind. I imagine the waves hitting them, tossing them, impairing their vision even more, and perhaps making them disorientated and uncertain if they were even going in the right direction. 

This is were we often fail worse than the disciples. It's true, they were fearful, but they never turned back and they didn't jump ship. They could have said, "Let's turn around! The wind will blow us back to the original shore." Or perhaps they simply could have grown weary and just stopped rowing and allowed the wind to blow them back. Or worse yet, they could have given up and said, "I'm just going to jump ship and give it all up." They didn't do any of those things, but we often do! We'll be confronted with our biggest fears and fiercest storms, and instead of rowing on even though we're afraid, we'll turn our boat around and run as fast we can for shore. Or maybe we don't outright flee, but instead we just stop trying and find ourselves carried backward by our circumstances. The worst is when some jump ship all together and give up on God's will. That's when THEY become the shipwreck. 

No, the only thing to do in the midst of a storm is to simply keep pressing on, even though it's hard, even though we can't see the end. We just have to go forward in faith, clinging to the promise that we'll make it through the storm safely to shore. There was no sin in their being in the storm. There was no sin in the circumstances being contrary. There was no sin in them having to fight nearly impossible odd to accomplish what God told them. There WAS sin in their fear. God gave them His Word they'd make it, and that should have been enough, regardless of what circumstances seemed like. That is where I often fail. Time and time again, God gives me His Word (the Bible, that light for my path) and regardless of what the circumstances say, that should be enough for me! Even when I can't see God working, I can still cling to the Word He gave me, and that's what the disciples should have done as well. 

Yet despite their fear, they toiled and pressed on...and even though they had feared, Jesus was still about to reveal His glory to them. He's good like that! You see, though they doubted Him, He still passed by their way. He still spoke peace to them. He still calmed their storm. He still got them to the other side. He is faithful, even when we at times are not. They saw Jesus walk to them on the sea, they saw Him calm impossible circumstances, and soon after, they received the promise; they made it safe to the other side.

He does that for us still, even when we doubt, He'll still show up, right on time and let us see His glory...but not if we run, and not if we give up, and not if we jump ship. Had they done any of those things, they would have missed Him walking on the water. He would have passed by as it was! How often do we allow our fears to get the better of us and turn us around, causing us to miss Jesus passing by? How many times do we miss a miracle or miss Him walking on the water and calming our storms because we're afraid? How often do we get out of His perfect will because we flee in fear? Oh my, how it convicts me to consider that! 

The end of the passage above tells me something about human nature even today. Their hearts were hard and they forgot all God had done in the past. Sometimes that's me, and if you're honest, sometimes that's you as well. We forget those storms He already brought us through. We forget the miracles He already performed. Those landmarks of the past, those stones of Ebeneezer, that sure Word of God He's given us; THAT is what we should be thinking of when we're fearful. We can have confidence God will get us through and still be faithful, because He has always been faithful! He's been faithful to us and others, and all of it should remind us He's still faithful in the midst of a storm!

I don't know what you're facing, but please don't quit. Don't flee in fear! Go forward in faith! You may not be able to see and you may be tired from fighting your circumstances, but if you turn around now, you may miss the shore that you're so close to, and not even realize it. You might miss Jesus revealing His glory and speaking to you. You might just miss a miracle! Keep going! Keep toiling in the darkness, keep rowing in the storm, because right on time, right when you need it most, He'll come walking on your sea speaking peace and take you to the other side.

The waves may be over your head, but they're always under His feet. He won't bring you through your storms to drop you in the puddle either! Just cling to His Word...it is faithful and sure even when everything around us seems hopeless. Go forward...but do it in faith! Don't flee in fear! I say this to you and myself...because God so often says it to me from His Word. 

And if you do find yourself in circumstances and you ARE afraid (because, being human, you probably will again, eventually!) keep going forward anyway. He's still faithful, and He'll still pass by your way. He'll still speak peace from His Word. I have heard and found it true; "God doesn't bless us because we are good. He blesses us because He is good." And so He is!