Hedged in

 TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 139:1-12


TO CHEW ON: "You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me." Psalm 139:5

If you are like me, you don't like to feel confined. I don't like to feel physically confined. I remember fighting panic when we vacationed in our tent trailer and I slept in a narrow place between my husband, the canvas wall beside me, and the canvas roof that sloped to just inches of my face.

But David tells us that God confines us—fences us in, a hedge in front and in back, His hand on top.

If life is good we may scarcely be aware of this constriction. But when circumstances are hard, the job is unfulfilling, other pastures look greener, it is easy to try to wriggle out of the place we're in, to spring ourselves from what feels like a prison.

I read the blog of a special education teacher who wrote of this very thing in one of his 2011 advent meditations. His thoughts came out of a conversation with the furnace fixer, Mr. S., who confided in him, "I don't like my job," and then asked, "How about you? Are you thinking of leaving or are you going to stay?" Here's the rest of the story in Magical Mystical Teacher's own words:

“'I’ve thought about leaving,' I say to Mr. S, 'but where would I go?'

What I don’t tell him, because I’m not sure he’d understand, is that the only thing keeping me here—besides the children—is my sense of being placed here by God. Like the psalmist, I have found that God leads people who are willing to be led. If it weren’t for that, I’d be filling out as many applications as it takes to get out of here as quickly as possible.

However, until it is clear that I am supposed to move on, I listen for God’s instruction right where I am, confident that God will teach me the way to go, and lead me when the time is right."

Perhaps that attitude of trust in God, that willingness to stay or to go in God's time, not ours, that is the secret of living without restlessness, anger, resentment, bitterness etc., in our hedged-in place.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that Your enclosing of me is governed by Your wisdom, love, and power. Knowing that, I can live wherever You put me. Remind me of these things when I feel like complaining about my circumstances. Amen.

MORE: "Nothing is Wasted" - Jason Gray

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The hard things

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 18:1-15


TO CHEW ON: "'Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." Genesis 18:14

The Lord's question here is rhetorical. We hear, in our imaginations, a resounding, "No, nothing is too hard for the Lord." But why does God so often insist on doing things the "hard" way? Could it be for some of these reasons?

- To get our attention.
It's not big deal when a 26- or 36-year-old woman has a baby. But someone past menopause is another thing altogether. It's amazing. We ask how can this be, and realize a God-thing is going on here.

- To sharpen our desire and test our faith.
Though Sarah and even Abraham seem to have given up on God keeping His promise to them, Hannah kept begging God for a baby. She never gave up praying. When God answered her prayer, she demonstrated her trust even more by keeping her promise and giving her little boy back to God.


- To alert us to the significance of certain lives and events.
More than one important Bible character was born to an apparently barren woman (Isaac, Joseph, Samuel, John the Baptist).

- To reflect glory back on God
I am reminded of Paul's words to the Corinthians: "However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves" (2 Corinthians 4:7 Amplified). That says to me that whenever God demonstrates the "precious treasure" of His message and presence in our lives by accomplishing anything—easy or hard—the glory goes to Him.

What hard things are we facing today of health issues, barrenness, wayward kids, broken relationships...? As we bring them to God, let's remember: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this reminder that nothing is too hard for You. I bring you the hard things in my life ____. I believe they are not too hard for You to handle. Amen.

MORE: "A Way to See in the Dark" by Jason Gray

Take comfort

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 1:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 1 Corinthians 1:13-14

Who do we choose as a comforter in times of crisis, disaster or bereavement? Chances are we will pick a person who has been through similar things. For example, I would probably not be your first choice as a comforter when you get a diagnosis of cancer or experience the death of your spouse. However, dealing with miscarriage would be another thing. I've been there. Experience has been my teacher. My ability to comfort you would come from my firsthand knowledge of what that experience was like and what I needed at the time.

Paul, in our reading today, draws attention to the comfort that's available to us when we're dealing with the hard stuff in our lives.

["Comfort: paraklesis. A calling alongside to help, to comfort, to give consolation or encouragement. The paraklete is a strengthening presence, one who upholds those appealing for assistance. Paraklesis (comfort) can come to us both by the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31) and by the Scriptures (Romans 15:4)" - "Word Wealth," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1508.

I remember when I first became aware of these verses. Having lost my first pregnancy to miscarriage a few months earlier, I was pregnant again but again threatening to abort. "Why is this happening?" I asked God. These verses from 2 Corinthians 1 helped to answer my question:

1. To draw me closer to God as I looked to Him for comfort and answers ("...God... the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our tribulation..."). I don't remember the exact scriptures I turned to at that time but they probably included the usual:

• Romans 8:28-29 which assures us God is in everything and has a purpose for it all.

• Philippians 4:6-7 which invites us to pray about everything and let our confidence that God hears and acts in our best interest relax our hearts to peacefulness.

2. To someday be a comfort to others who go through similar things ("...that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.")

Whatever we're going through today, from irritation to trauma, let's keep in mind these comfort-ministering purposes for our "tribulation." Let's look to God and Scripture for comfort, and then be willing to share our experience with those who are going through something similar.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Bible and the Holy Spirit who comforts me. Help me to be sensitive to the hurts of others and to share Your comfort when such sharing is timely. Amen.

MORE: "Nothing is Wasted" - Jason Gray

"From the ruins
From the ashes
Beauty will rise
From the wreckage
From the darkness
Glory will shine..."  All lyrics