Your Story's Pages

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Some people dread change, while others await and embrace it. The unknown can stir up feelings of uncertainty and concern in some people, while others experience impatience as they anxiously look forward to the change that is soon to occur.

Is there a life-changing event on your horizon? Graduation, engagement, marriage, baby on the way, new job, promotion, relocation, retirement? Whatever the change, remember that God is already on it. Before you were born, He had a plan in place, so why not turn to Him and trust His guidance on the matter? Whether you are young, just entering adulthood, or well into your “golden years” and stepping into the world of retirement, the goal should be to finish well. You can do this by living the story and carrying out the tasks God prepared for you (His ways are always best) before time began (Ephesians 2:10). All of us are accountable to Him for every moment we spend in this life.

If you are entering a new era in life’s journey or rounding the bend of your travels with the end in sight, you can face the unknown with certainty, trusting God as He guides you. We all have stories. As each of your story’s pages turns, without reservation, no matter what lies ahead, devotedly pour yourself out for the Lord’s service until He calls you home. 

Swept Off Your Feet

 “If it had not been the Lord was on our side. . .” (Psalm 124:1a)

In this psalm, David says the Lord did not let the enemy swallow them alive; the raging waters of their fury did not overwhelm them. For this, he praised God, knowing their help was from the Lord; He was on their side, and they escaped harm.

But what happens when the Lord is not on your side? If you have wandered from God’s care or you are living in rebellion, you still belong to Him, but fight life’s battles in your strength, not His. The enemy of your soul swoops in and sweeps you off your feet. He wants you fixated on your circumstances believing there is no hope; you will drown in the surge coming against you. His roars (1 Peter 5:8) can paralyze you with fear; his lies cause doubt, frustration, hopelessness, disappointment. He throws your way, whatever it takes for you to lose your footing and fall. But your Savior is nearby, ready and willing to help and lead you to victory if you only ask Him.

If you have not invited Jesus into your life, the Lord is not on your side. You face the world’s evils alone; you will lose life’s battles. But this isn’t what God wants; He wants to help you, save you, not only from the enemy but from eternal separation. If you feel you’ve been swept off your feet by the adversary of your soul (or people around you) who seeks your demise, God is greater and always nearby to rescue the perishing who call out to Him. The One who saves wants you to live eternally with Him.

Broken Ground

 “The Lord is near to those who are brokenhearted; and He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sin).” (Psalm 34:18 AMP)

It was past the time to plant the wildflower seeds in the field, but after no rain for weeks, the ground was rock-solid hard, unsuitable for growing anything. For the seeds’ survival, groundbreaking was a must. But even after several plowings, the chunky soil was not ready. A farmer-friend explained that he repeats tilling a field cater-corner after plowing in one direction to ensure thoroughly broken ground. Undoubtedly, a thriving crop depends on prepared soil followed by the correct care.

A flourishing life also depends upon a pressing and crushing—the brokenness of self—for the best to spring forth. Life’s overwhelming blows often leave people feeling drought-ridden, their spirits dry and thirsty—a condition that can give way for disappointment and discouragement to enter. Sometimes seclusion and disobedience follow. God is always nearby His children and ready to rescue. Before this happens, broken ground, a turning-over must occur.

If you want your life-field blooming with an aromatic fragrance pleasing unto the Lord and blessing to others, cultivation is necessary. For a successfully prepared life-field, you must first turn from going your way and, in surrender, turn your heart and mind (field) over to the Lord. Now, will you give God access to every area of your life, allowing Him to prepare your life’s “soil” by plowing through it this way and that, no matter how many plow-overs it takes? When you do, every obstacle that blocks your effectiveness as God’s child will crumble into nothingness. Then you are ready for re-seeding and receiving the nourishment needed to flourish for God’s glory. Trust Him for the harvest and blessings that follow.

Troublemaker

 “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, ‘Art thou he that troubleth Israel?’” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father’s house. . .” (1 Kings 18:17–18)

When he saw Elijah, King Ahab said, “So you are Israel’s troubler.” As God’s prophet in the land, Elijah boldly spoke against Israel’s disobedience to God’s commands. Because he proclaimed the truth at God’s bidding, Ahab labeled him a troublemaker. Elijah turned the king’s words back to him, saying it was he who troubled Israel; he and his pagan wife, turning Israel’s heart from worshiping the only true God to false gods. God’s people chose for themselves to follow their leading, engaging in their evil practices. Although they were misled, Israel blatantly rebelled against God. Rather than receive the blessings God promised for obedience, they experienced the consequences of disobedience: famine in the land.

 Have you ever been accused of being a troublemaker or a whistleblower? A tattler? A whistleblower reports illegal or harmful activity that could adversely affect a person, the public, businesses, or a nation. Tattling supplies information about others’ every minor wrongdoing, often so they feel better about themselves. Those actions, although wrong, would not affect society. Troublemakers maliciously cause trouble, usually inciting others to follow them in resisting authority. Elijah spoke God’s truth, warnings, and call to repentance while the evil troublemakers of Israel, Ahab, and his wife Jezebel, defied God’s sovereignty.

You may have seen, heard, or read something offensive—it was misleading, false, wrong, and could harmfully affect someone. A deciding factor as to whether report such a matter that could mar your reputation would be to consider the condition of your heart. Do you feel the need to report the issue because it violates God’s Word? Has the situation broken established rules? Was a person harmed or face harm? Was the law of the land abused? Or has someone crossed the line you’ve drawn from a self-imposed standard or law of which you appointed yourself executor, and you’re in a twist? Once you know your reason to talk about a situation legitimately, and if your heart is right with God, speak the truth in love with His boldness.

God-directed-words can encourage confession of sin and repentance. When straying, rebellious people turn back to God; spiritual famines end in individuals and across the land. God takes those once dry, hard, cracked, broken, but now repentant lives and restores them to vibrant health.

Thorny Walls

“Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.” Hosea 2:6.

Even the tiniest of thorns causes discomfort. Depending on the thorn's size, the bush, and how many times you run into it decides the amount of pain you experience.

God told him to marry her; He said she would be unfaithful. It must have been difficult for Hosea, but he married Gomer, a known prostitute in obedience. And just as God said, she was unfaithful to him.

God said He would fence her in with a thorny wall. The purpose was to block her path, to make her lose the wrong way she wanted to go. In verse six, God is not referring to Gomer but His beloved Israel, who chose to embrace Canaan’s false gods and lifestyle. God set up walls that caused pain so His people would turn from their wicked ways back to Him. But His “bride” disregarded the painful thorny pricks, continued in her rebellious unfaithfulness. God warned His people to repent and return to His care, but they rejected His guidance and faced defeat and destruction by the enemy and exile from their homeland. Consequences of choosing their way.

God’s “bride” today is His Church, those who belong to His family. Some of His children have chosen complacency, choosing to follow false gods, embracing what the world offers rather than the One who supplies life’s every need. If you keep running into hurtful walls, you may have chosen the direction you wanted to go without consulting God because you knew what His response would be on the matter. The result of your stubbornness is a repeatedly pricked and restless spirit and difficulties God never intended you to face. Why can’t you find an opening to escape the pain? God may have enclosed you in a hedge of thorns, or someone concerned about you is praying God’s protection about you for your good. That interceder carries a burden for you and knows the discomforting thorns are nothing compared to what awaits if you continue the destructive path you’re traveling. God wants genuine repentance from His children.

God unconditionally loves His unfaithful children as much as the faithful ones. But He wants the wanderers to repent and return to His loving care and protection. Are you the pricked, stubborn one or an interceder? An interceder will continue seeking the Father’s will until He releases the prayer to stop praying for that person or situation. Stubborn ones who keep running into walls of pain, stop. Turn from the wrong way you’re going, back to the One waiting to hear from you, wanting His best for you.

The Bride of Christ, God’s people, refusing to turn away from sin, selfish wants, and the world’s evil ways, back to our First Love, face dire consequences. We are already feeling thorny, painful pricks; God loves us Church, but sometimes—often—love hurts.

Hedged In

 “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to Myself.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Have you ever felt boxed in, like walking in a maze, facing a wall at every turn? Sometimes, walls or barriers are helpful, such as dividing rooms in a house, public restroom stalls, or keeping pets safe outdoors. Other times, wall-like erections can affect friendships and even communion with God with strategically placed dividers guarding our hearts. But what does it mean when God sets a wall or hedge in place? Why would He do this? When God erects barriers, it is always for the greater good. When He divided the Red Sea for the Israelites to escape Egypt’s army, the water must have been frightening as massive, towering walls stood to them on their right and left sides; but they walked safely across dry ground.

No matter the size or type of God’s hedges, they always serve a purpose. Three such barriers the Bible refers to are that of protection (Psalm 34:7, 125:2, 139:5, 10; John 10:27–29), isolation, that Jeremiah sometimes felt in his forty years while serving as God’s prophet (Lamentations 3:7–9), and thorns, the barrier God placed before Hosea’s wife and the Israelites because both were unfaithful (Hosea 2:6). We must believe the truths of God’s Omnipresence, that He is everywhere at the same time, His Omnipotence, He is all-powerful, and His Omniscience, He knows everything. Whether a person receives those realities does not negate the matter because He is who He is. As His children, God is behind us and goes before us (Psalm 139:5); He leads us on the right paths, watching over and protecting us as we walk the life-road prepared for us. Jesus and the Father are One. The Son holds us in the hands of our Father who covers us, and no one can snatch us from Him (John 10:27–29).

Psalm 125:2 tells us that God is all around His people like an immovable mountain and will remain in that position forever. He is before us, behind us, all around us, and has His hand over us because He loves us. Jesus has and covers us, and God holds and covers us—double-gripped in the hands of The Almighty—hedged in! 

God’s love is unconditional and everlasting. He promises never to leave us. But when you reject His protective care (go your way, follow your path), you may run into a prickly wall like the Israelites. Or you may feel isolated for a season, like Jeremiah. Though he walked dark, lonely, and troublesome paths serving God, he confessed he didn’t deserve God’s mercy; His faithfulness was new every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23). Whenever you find yourself walled in, God is in control and intends it for your good.

Contrast

“Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord. . . ” (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Light and darkness, large and small, sweet-smelling and stinky—contrasts. Things that are different—reveal a distinction.  

As the Lord’s soldiers, God supplies everything we need to stand firm and face each day boldly, geared up, fitted for life’s battles. But God will not strap us with His armor, nor will He make us take it up and put it on. Neither will He make us saturate our hearts and minds with His Word and pray unceasingly. Those are things we soldiers must choose to do. We must decide to don God’s armor and bravely face what each day holds. God is on our side and by our side. He is our strength and our every battle’s Victor if we let Him.

Whether marching through battle or taking a stroll, our lives should reflect integrity and godliness. Everything we do, what we say, even our countenance should not only be different but strikingly different from that of the world’s, including “good” people. Wherever we are, others should note we are not like everyone else; we should never “blend in.” The difference should cause them to want to know why and we should be ready to explain.

Does your life have contrast? It should. In this chapter, Paul tells of circumstances he and his coworkers overcame; their lives had distinction. We, too, should live as faithful ministers of God our Father and Commander, making a difference in this lost world.