Heart Check

 

Two 12 year old boys can certainly make for some interesting days, even without factoring in the 3 year old.  When our twins were about 8 years old, my husband said, “I think 8 may be the most annoying year.”  Each year since, though, he’s had to rethink that.  Though, I will say, they are starting to mature a little.  They really are good boys and we’re seeing many facets to their personalities develop that are unique, even though they’re twins.  They can be funny, witty, silly, overly serious, compassionate, fun loving, irritable, hard-working, hard on themselves, lazy, etc., and…… all on the same day.  Some days we have so much fun with them, other days, well….let’s just say it’s challenge.  Quite often, we just have to remind each other that……they are still just 12 year old boys. 



silly

sweet

 

grumpy

sweet again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I have all of my experience raising boys in the back of my mind as I’m working through a 10 week  Bible study on David.  Even though the Lord is teaching me a WHOLE lot in study....I can't help but think of my guys as I read about David, too.  Now, this is a Beth Moore study for women called, “David: Seeking a Heart Like His”.  If you’ve done any of Beth Moore’s studies or been to any of her women’s conferences, you know you can expect to come away with a blessing.  This one is no exception…it is an absolutely fascinating study.  But, it’s not her studies per say that I find so fascinating……it’s always the scriptures that we’re studying.  And, if you get nothing else out of a Beth Moore study…..you can at the very least say you have seriously studied some scripture! If you are familiar with her teaching style, you know what I mean.  Even though it may take a little time each day to look up all the scriptures, they never fail to bless me in some way.  As I am writing this, I am in the 6^th week of studying David.  We’ve seen many strengths and weaknesses….kind of watched him grow up.  I guess that's why I keep thinking of the boys so much.  I have to tell you, without a doubt…..the life of David and the heart of God entwined in such detail was certainly something the Lord intended for us all to benefit from.  Even though David has always been such a well-known name from scripture, I realize now just how little I actually knew about him and how little I had read of those segments of scripture.  I’m frequently reminded of what my brother in law, Jeff, once said about teaching Sunday School, “The more you get in there and start reading to prepare your lessons, the more you realize you need to be reading.”

David is an interesting fella to say the least.  He was anointed by God, through Samuel, as future king at a very young age. Some scholars say early teens, some say as early as 12.  TWELVE! I know times were different back then and kids grew up a little harder and faster.  But, I mean….come on.  The thought that my boys could have such a monumental calling placed on them at this young, silly age just blows my mind.  Now, he didn’t take the throne for YEARS.  No, no, no.  He was actually sent back to tend the sheep after Samuel anointed him.  Then along came a giant and it becomes a little more clear what God saw in the heart of David even while he was still just a kid. 

A Strong Heart

The account of David and Goliath alone would be enough for his name to go down in history.  Think about it….here’s a kid….and he was a kid, who goes barreling up to grown men in battle, including his older brothers who naturally dismiss him.  They asked him what on earth he was doing there and he asked them what on earth they were doing not taking that giant out and….did they not remember they were the LORD’s army?  He goes on to ask King Saul’s permission to fight the giant himself.  Saul reluctantly, but finally gives in and even gives him his armor to wear.  Only, it is of course a bit bulky and David doesn’t think he can operate well in it so, he doesn’t wear any! Here I am as a mother of baseball players, wishing they were made to wear helmets and chest protectors for every position on the infield.   Well, you know the rest of the story: David goes in with his sling shot and stones, reminds the Phillistines (and the Israelites) just WHO he’s representing, and then takes out the giant on the first try.  Now, it may blow my mind to think about either of my 12 year olds having such a calling placed on them, but man do I want them to have such a bold, tenacious heart for God?! What am I saying? I want one myself!! 

A Broken Heart

One of the other accounts of David that people remember most would be.... David and Bathsheba, of course (2 Samuel 11-12) .  We haven’t gotten to this in the study yet but, I can tell you from memory…..Not one of his finer moments.  If you need a refresher…David had become king and was doing an amazing job until one day….he saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing on the roof and apparently couldn’t resist.  He summoned her over and long story short….she ended up pregnant.  When Bathsheba let David know about the pregnancy, he secretly arranged to have her husband Uriah killed in battle so he could have her and the baby.  David….the man with a heart after God’s…..arranged the murder of a good man for selfish gain.  Well, naturally, God was not happy, happy, happy.  Quite the contrary….He was deeply offended and He let David know it.  David immediately and genuinely repented of the sin he committed against God.  But, still… he had taken Uriah’s life…..and his wife.  As punishment, after Bathsheba gave birth, God afflicted the baby with a sickness.  During the sickness David fasted for days and prayed that God would relent and spare his baby.   But, he didn’t.  When the baby died, David perplexed those around him that had been watching him in his distress for days.  Instead of being more distraught and fasting over the death, David immediately ended his fast. The scripture says he anointed himself, got cleaned up, changed his clothes…..and went in to the house of the Lord and worshipped Him.   See, David stumbled and fell.  And it was a hard fall.  However, because David saw how offensive his actions were toward God, immediately humbled himself in repentance, and THEN had the heart to worship God even though He didn’t relent and remove his consequences…..God was able to bring something beautiful out of the whole ugly mess……Solomon.  

2 Samuel 12:24-25

“Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore him a son, and he called his name Solomon.  And the Lord loved him. 

This would be one of my first prayers for my boys even at 12 years of age: humility.  They are undoubtedly going to have some mess ups in their lives.  I sincerely hope it is nothing as severe as David’s series of bad choices. But, whatever mess they get themselves into, I pray that, like David, they will be humble before God.  I hope that they know in their heart of hearts that He is just and good…..and that He can bring something beautiful out of any mess they make if they will turn their hearts back to Him. 

Open Heart

The other story that probably comes to the mind of many when thinking of David is the story of him dancing naked down the streets of Jerusalem as he brought in the ark of the Lord.  Like having two 12 year olds around, things were apparently never dull with David around, either! If you aren’t familiar with the story, you may be thinking, “Well, this doesn’t sound like one of his finer moments, either.”  But, actually, he had nothing to be ashamed of in this scene which took place prior to the whole adultery/murder sequence of events.   Now, he wasn’t completely naked, but I imagine he was doing some flashing as he was dancing.  He had on a linen ephod and from what I can gather, the ephod was a strip of cloth that sort of came across the chest/waist and barely down to the thigh.  And that was ALL he had on.  See, the ark of the Lord that was being brought into his city contained the very presence of God and David was overcome with praise.  He did not care who saw it, either.  Yes, they got an eye full of David.  But, they also got an eyeful of his heart for God.  That’s my next prayer for the boys: not necessarily to go dancing naked down the street but, to be unashamed of their God. 

Being unashamed is not for the faint of heart.  God didn’t appreciate fair weather fans in David’s day.  He still doesn’t.  If David’s servants or the citizens thought anything odd about his form of worship that day, they didn’t dare say anything.  But, his wife looked down from the window and disapproved….and she let him know it when he got home.  Just picture it.  He was overflowing with so much joy because the presence of God was going to dwell in his city that it caused him to dance openly before the Lord, to bless all the people of Israel with a good meal (a MULTITUDE of people…..that’s what we call sharin’ the love!), and then to head home so he could bless his own household.  Instead of being greeted with celebration though, Michal greeted him with a shaming reprimand, “My how the king of Israel honored himself today….”  And went on to scold him for flashing people during his dancing.  Can you imagine how stung David must have felt?  The city worshipped with him as he praised his God…..but, his wife scolded him.   (Now, I could say a whole lot here about the ramifications of a wife who scolds her husband…..but, that would have to be a blog of its own.  Let me just say they aren’t wired to take a lot of that from their wives….and David didn’t.  Though, if any reading this want to read more….it’s 2 Samuel 6:16-23.)   The lesson we can ALL learn from this, though, is that it may be hardest to be open and unashamed about your faith with those closest to you because we are so sensitive to their opinions of us.  But as David replied in vs. 21, “It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD – and I will celebrate before the LORD. “  He was not going to be deterred for one second. 

See, David had come a long, long, long way with God.    He had fought a giant.  He had served King Saul and fought many battles for him, then spent many years on the run from him! He had suffered great loss.  He came to a point where there was no one…… not one person on his side.  No friends.  No family supporting him……only the Lord.  But, He was allowed to learn one priceless fact through it all….the Lord was all he needed.  So, to go from tending sheep, to fighting battles, to losing friends and family, to being on the run for his very life…...to bringing the ark of the LORD into the city and among the people God had placed him over….. well, it was too much for him.  How could he not worship??  If Michal had really gotten it, she wouldn’t have shamed him.  And sometimes those closest to us won’t “get it” either.  Then there’s always the rest of the world ever ready with their judgments and ridicules of anyone who stands for absolute truth.  It’s sad but true, that in our country with freedom of religion…..Christians are hated and ridiculed in an unprecedented way anytime they stand in unashamed devotion to Christ and His truths.  I don’t want my boys to have to go through all that David did.  Still, I know they’ll have their low points.  I just pray, especially in the face of the disturbing trends being seen in our country today, that God uses those to help them see beyond a shadow of a doubt, as David did, that He’s their rock, their fortress.....and if they are aligning their hearts with His......they need never to be ashamed. 

Heart Check

I’m reminded that, even though I’m studying a man, the character of God doesn’t change whether He’s dealing with man, woman, boy, or girl.  Whether dealing with me, my husband, my boys, or my daughter, He looks at the heart…..He knows our hearts…..and He knows exactly what we lack to make them more like His. 

Today is National Day of Prayer. Great day to do a heart check and see if ours looks like His.   If you’ve watched any news lately, you know there is a war going on in this country that’s not being covered much in the media.  The war to remove “all things God” from the fabric of our nation is in the hearts of men and women like never before in this country.  It’s not just the movement of atheists.  It’s the deception in the hearts of many who claim the name of the Lord that leads them to call things that the Lord deemed as good in His Word….. wrong, and things that He deemed as wrong….. good.   This deception has done as much harm to our children, individuals, families, churches, and our nation as a whole than any atheist movement ever could.  That’s the way the father of lies works.  Let me just clarify, whatever the battle, whoever the foe…..He will win.   David knew this truth so well.  How else could he be so bold as to face a giant at such a young age?  As he grew, he came to know well the tender mercy and forgiveness of God, as well as His strong hand to guide and protect. David knew how it felt to have the favor of God.   But, David also knew how it felt to experience His discipline.  Again, I don’t really want to dance naked in the street….or as we say in the South…..”nekkid”.  But, I wish for myself, my husband, my silly boys, my feisty daughter, and every believer in this country to have hearts for God that are bold, humble, and unashamed.  With all I’ve seen and heard just over the last 6 months, I’m to the point where my prayer today is, “Give us a heart for you again, God.  Do what you need to…..starting with me.”

Psalms 63:1-7

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

when I remember you upon my bed,

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy

 

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Wow.  What a difference a day makes, huh?  April 15^th…..Our annual, dreaded tax day.  Most of us were probably either stewing over it or sarcastically joking about it.  Well, the first part of the day anyway. Plus, it was Monday.  Mondays are crazy around here, as they probably are for many of you.  For me, it’s often a frazzling day of in and out, running around, and picking up the house after the weekend.  I got in from one round of errands around 12:30 and took a breather to eat some lunch and, of course, catch up on Facebook, before I had to go pick up the boys at 1:30, take them to batting practice, fix supper, and you know…..the rest of the list that ensues on a typical school night with 3 children.   I ended up not even eating lunch, though.  As I pulled up my Facebook page, I saw K-Love, the Christian music station, had posted this:

                “Breaking News:  Two explosions near the finish line at the Boston Marathon.  Some injuries. Details are sketchy for the moment.  Please pray.”

My heart sank and I suddenly lost my appetite.  I put my phone down, pulled out the laptop and sat glued to the news until time to go get the boys.  I’m sure I was one of millions who sat in disbelief at the horror unfolding.  It looked like a war zone but, this time…..it was on an American street.  I guess that was the “disbelief” part of it.  Not that we have never been under attack.  How could we ever forget the crumpling of the twin towers on 9/11 and the faces in the pictures of all the missing people feared to be inside, or the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City where among the casualties were 19 toddlers and preschoolers  attending daycare inside the building?   As horrendous and unforgettable as those were, nothing really prepares us for seeing our own citizens in the streets, bleeding and maimed.  With all of the smart phones and people ready to snap shots of loved ones crossing the finish line Monday, the reality of the depravity that exists in our world was suddenly inescapable. 

When people are suddenly aware of this depravity, we begin to hear words rarely spoken by the media and government officials anymore: words like evil, prayer and blessings.  We may see trends in the news in the wake of tragedies like the Sandy Hook shootings and the Boston Marathon bombing of people sometimes questioning God, but most often, we see people begin to offer prayers for others or count their own blessings.  I ran across a quote from C.S. Lewis Sunday night before the marathon bombing and had actually shared it on my Facebook page.  It explains this phenomenon better than I could:

“If God were proud He would hardly have us on such terms: but He is not proud, He stoops to conquer. He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to Him, and come to Him because there is 'nothing better' now to be had.” 

I think we'd all admit we have a country full of much pride and focus on self-achievement.  More than that, we have steered away from labeling truths about right and wrong and instead, placed emphasis on tolerance of everyone’s beliefs.  Therefore, increasingly few will publicly invoke the name of God for fear they’d seem “intolerant”.  It’s no wonder, really, that it often takes dramatic events like these for people to see their true need.   As C.S. Lewis said, we prefer everything else to Him, until there is nothing better to be had.  I think it’s safe to say that those of us watching the aftermath on Monday felt helpless.  Prayers were all we could offer.  But, the thing is, nothing more was probably  desired more than comfort, calm, and peace by those affected…..the kind that is needed so down deep in our souls that nothing and no one else could provide other than our Creator.    People who aren’t even believers have something deep within them (called a soul) that, in these times, recognizes a reality they’ve spent much of their lives trying to deny…..and they call on Him.   Even for believers…..We’ve all been there ourselves if we have any age on us at all.  You may have called your incident a reality check or just a fresh dose of perspective.  Sometimes, they come on much broader scales, though, and can give a whole nation some perspective and a dose of reality.  I doubt any of the runners who sacrificed so much and trained so hard to run the 26.2 miles were thinking of their great personal achievement (and it was great) when they saw what happened or heard the news of it.  A whole other realm of reality set in.  The spiritual realm. 

The Good

Now, I do have to address the opposite trend that we often see in such cases.  We will understandably often hear and even ask the question ourselves, “Why?”.  However, some will go a step further and rather than seek God, they will blame Him or use senseless tragedies as evidence to deny Him.  You know what I'm talking about.  There will always be those who will hold on to their pride even in the face of such reality and ask the age old question, “IF there was a God and He was so good……how could he allow this??”   That always reminds me of the Pharisees when Jesus was on the cross….”IF you are the Son of God….prove it….save yourself…come down off the cross and then, we’ll believe you.” If He revealed every mystery (as though we could understand)…..then we’d believe Him.  Maybe.  I mean, the Pharisees were staring at prophecy fulfilled and witnessed the power of God in many miracles and they still refused.   So, let me be clear to any who may take issue with God on this: We have freedom of choice in this country.  That’s not a novel idea that originated with our founding fathers.  They simply understood that it was a right we were born with…..correction…..created with.  That’s why they wisely chose the famous words “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; Among these are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (Though I think the pursuit of happiness could’ve been left out or more wisely worded….but, that’s another blog in itself). We were most definitely created to be free thinkers…..much like our Creator.   The only flipside to God creating us with free will was that some would not choose Him and His ways.  They would choose the way of the world, the way of self, and ultimately….the way of evil.   God, however, is good.  All good things come from Him.

 

James 5:13-17:

 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

 Just consider what we really enjoy.  Yes, there are plenty of people who enjoy evil things or try to pervert things that were meant for good into something bad (sex is a prime example.)  But, let’s just think about what we typically truly enjoy and deem as “good”…… beautiful sunsets that have a different array of colors each time; the quiet beauty of a giant oak; the smell of babies after they’ve had a bath and are wrapped back up in your arms;  the way your skin feels soaking up the sun on a warm day after a long bout of cold;  laughing until your sides hurt or being so happy you cry;  the ability to hit a baseball and watch it soar out of the park, to invent a revolutionary new gadget, to create a masterpiece of music….or the ability to run the 26.2 miles of a marathon in under 4 hours.  They are ALL gifts from a good and loving God, meant for our pleasure..…and He is pleased to bless us. 

See, God takes no pleasure in destruction….not even the destruction of the wicked.  I understand.  Don’t you?  How many of us wish any harm on our children, even when they’ve tested us every way possible?

The Bad

Ezekiel 18:23-29:

“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.”

 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just. ’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just. ’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

(He goes on to plead with them in Ezekial 33:11): “Say to them, ‘As I live, declare the LORD GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die O house of Israel?”

You can read through the Old Testament and find that the only destruction God ever delivered was directed at pure ugliness.  As a matter of fact, as a whole, we would do well to revisit some of those accounts and see if we look like any of those people.  I think many would be startled at the resemblance.  This could be a blog all on its own.  So, let me just offer a practical suggestion for times when you ask or are asked questions about God’s justice or goodness like I’ve often heard, “Why would a good God allow so many people to be born into poverty, starvation, and desperation around the world? How is that good?”:   kindly reply, “He could ask us, particularly in our country of excess,  the same thing.”  Why do so many of us drive $50,000+ vehicles, take vacations worth thousands, and pay obscene amounts of money for our clothes and other “stuff” when it only costs $4,000 to place a well for clean drinking water in disease ridden communities of 3^rd world countries and even less to feed a family for a year?  Evil doesn’t begin with a fanatic with a bomb.  Pride in our hearts and love of self gives birth to all manner of evil and injustice or allows us to simply overlook it and blot it out of our minds.  The result is that we eventually become so disconnected from our source of good that we forget what the “good stuff” really is and where it comes from.  Not from within ourselves.  That’s for sure.  Is it any wonder why God hates pride so much and opposes the proud?

I hope this doesn’t sound cliché, but, the “good stuff” can’t be bought.   Things like love, joy, and peace….those are the things that are real and are what we crave when everything else has failed us.  Those things come from God (whether we acknowledge Him or not).  I think that’s why we hear those words so much after tragedies like we had on Monday.  If anything good could come from something like these bombings, it would be that people would remember where their true comfort and security lies and ultimately…what’s real.  

The Ugly

I truly believe that is the root of our problem: Somehow, we’re no longer able to see what’s real in this country.  We are so easily and completely deceived.  I have to say that I’m more than a little concerned for our once great nation.  I pray often but need to pray persistently for wisdom for our leaders.  And not the wisdom of the world…..that’s just foolishness.  We have plenty of foolishness in our country already, don’t you think?  The ugliness that results is an epidemic really.  Let’s take the gruesome story of Kermit Gosnell’s clinical practices that have spotlighted late term abortions in the news recently.  It’s horrifying to everyone but, for varying reasons.  Some are as outraged as I am at how negligently the women were treated, how these late term babies were killed…..after birth, that so many people would seek such services and especially so late in pregnancy and that so many others knew about it, were ok with it or even helped. But, sadly and disturbingly, many are not outraged for these reasons.   Instead, I read articles about outrage at the difficulty of obtaining abortions and the burden on women.  As if society and government has pressured these women to have unprotected sex and to wait until they are 5-6 months pregnant before deciding if they want the baby or….. it’s the big bad government or insurance company’s fault for not paying for their bad choices and murderous acts that requires these women to resort to the likes of Kermit Gosnell.  Is this not absolute foolishness??   I’m not unsympathetic to their difficult and often dire circumstances.  We ALL make bad choices and not everyone has a family or support system of any kind.  However, anyone who has been pregnant, felt the life inside them move as you usually can LONG before 24 weeks (the legal time limit for abortion), and still decides to end that life……well, my understanding comes up short.  I don’t see how it could be seen as anything other than taking a human life….AKA….murder.  Ugly.  Furthermore, I’ve heard all the arguments but, still….how our government could say it’s a crime at 25 weeks and not 24 weeks is lost on me.  Maybe that’s the simpleton, Ellie Mae in me.  I may be simple, but, I do know what’s real.    

So, I’m hopeful for our people and our country when I hear words like prayer, blessings, and even evil in the media again.  Because, people sound like they may be coming to their senses…..like maybe the veil of the world is being pulled back from their eyes and they are beginning to see a glimpse of the reality they’ve been busy denying.  Maybe if we could once again distinguish between the good and the bad, our daily news wouldn’t be so ugly.  I have to tell you, though, when I read the news today and hear how widely unpopular we are with countries such as North Korea, Iran, Russia, etc. and barely tolerated by so many others, I seriously have to stop and pray that God will not be so disgusted with us that He removes His hand from us.  If He did, what happened in Boston Monday or in the offices of one Kermit Gosnell would be the tip of an iceberg named ugliness.  Ugliness, as we said, is simply a byproduct of rejecting His ways and following our own.   I think that’s the ultimate judgment, whether for an individual or for a nation…… the removal of His goodness.  So, I would plead with everyone with a voice, from President Obama, Matt Lauer, or Clint Eastwood to teachers, nurses, or moms at the ballpark…..to please not disappear again behind the veil of political correctness and re-create that false reality after the shock wears off from this tragedy.    As the kids say (though I could never pull it off), please…do us all a favor and…. “keep it real.”