Answered Prayer Packaged in Inconvenience

By Brenda Black

When you pray for drought relief, there's no excuse to complain about mud. The catch 22 of moisture soaking the soil is the accumulation of mush on top. Far and wide across the nation, massive snowfall brought life-giving water in an inconvenient, all be it, beautiful form, turning every day routines into harrowing feats. But, if you think driving to work in a foot of slippery fluff is difficult with solid pavement under the tread, try plowing to work on the farm, through drifts and ruts, over slick, tender grass blades. All I can say is Yee Haw! Hold on tight and give it the gas!

I 'm glad my husband is the one at the wheel while I ride shotgun through such a challenging course. I would rather be the gate girl than the wife who slid the pickup into the fence. I don't know how he navigates through slimy, narrow passages or keeps it in the center of oozing slush, flanked by walls of white drifts just waiting to suck our rig into stuck. I do understand the absolute necessity of keeping my window rolled up! Some things you learn the hard way and a freezing cold mud bath slung in the face is one class I never intend to take.

Ask anyone who knows me well and they will tell you I am a “do it myself” kind of gal. I take on everything with an “I can” attitude. Sometimes, not to my credit, but to my shame, I think I can do it in my own strength. That's about as smart as me taking the wheel through a dangerous snow drift or riding shotgun to feed hay in winter with the window rolled down! I need to know my limits. I need to accept my powerlessness at times. I need to employ some God-given common sense and I need to turn to God.

If I ask Him to help me, then deny the answer He gives me or the help He brings, I'm going to curse the showers of blessings instead of accept them in their various forms. In rain and snow and sleet and mud, the Lord is good. His perfect wisdom is our solid foundation when the bottom of the road seems to disappear into oblivion. His perfect love protects us from the cold, nasty challenges that life slings into our face. His perfect grace does not demand that we do more than we were ever designed or called to accomplish. The Lord is faithful and knows what is best. Though we wonder at His tactics, we must never begrudge His mysterious answers to prayer.

We pray for the Lord to refresh our land with moisture and He sends a blizzard. That inconvenient snow that some may curse, delivers unseen benefits for which we didn't ask, but we get. Much needed moisture will penetrate deep into the ground as it slowly melts. We receive nitrogen for the soil and a hard freeze to annihilate an overabundance of disease bearing pests. There's run-off filling creeks and ponds and streams that have groaned for a drink. God sees the big picture.

So often, we think we do not get the answers we seek when we pray. In those moments, I must remember that I'm not the Creator in charge of the weather or of life. I need to trust the One who bids the snow to get me through the tough things that want to suck the life out of me or slam me headfirst into a frigid embankment.

Before we can get to the pasture, we first have to get out of the drive!

As the Lord spoke to Job long ago, He speaks with the same authority today: “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail...What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass?” (Job 38:22-27)

I think we know the answer to all of these questions. If God is great enough to command all of earth, isn't He the One that should be 4-wheeling His way through my life. The One at the wheel has far more experience and has every intention of protecting me. I need to employ the common sense the Lord gave me: Just buckle up, keep the window up, and look up for His safety.

Answers to prayer comes packaged in strange and inconvenient containers. But, with eyes wide open , a receptive heart and a good grip on the dash, we might just be able to see the big picture when we trust the Lord to transport us through life's scary drifts.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Missing Pieces on the Page

By Brenda Black

I anticipated this year to be challenging for a number of reasons. The catalog of pending events, assignments, appointments and duties burgeoned before I ever turned the calendar page. It was filled with hard stuff like surgeries and a root canal; dotted with fun stuff I enjoy. The blank white boxes day after day, I branded with meetings and deadlines. Welcome work. Volunteer tasks. Important people. Then it was gone. One unexpected computer crash later and I'm piecing my agenda back together.

Some events are recurring, predictable and easily recalled while other dates logged far in advance seem vague. Bit by bit, I remember and quickly jot them down before that recollection fades. How dependent I have become on technology is a sign of these modern times and my aging brain. How full my life has become seems to correlate with the easy access of gadgetry. I'm learning more and more that just because it is deftly entered data, doesn't mean it will be as easily accomplished. BUT, it is achievable, doable, possible, attainable. AND it just might be remarkable to trust God more, depend on His strength and see Him assemble what is necessary and beneficial and eliminate what is of lesser worth.

So as I start my day earlier than usual, after staying up late as normal, I am reminded anew that I'm never completely in control of anything tangible...or digital. I have one task over which I have sovereignty: The choice I make to lean on the Lord and trust His provision and supremacy.

Wise Solomon learned it long before me and challenged everyone to follow such a trustworthy King.

“Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since a king's word is supreme, who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'

“Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him.

“Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come? ” (Ecclesiastes 8:2-7)

Either I look at this word of instruction as gloom and doom or I embrace it as gracious, blissful ignorance. I don't know what waits around the corner. I can't predict the future, I know not how long I have to live and work and love and learn. But I do know the One who has it all under control. The King of Kings!

Though life is busy and inconvenient at times, God is never too busy to care about every scribble I mark on the calendar of my life. He cares. I know this full well. And that is what keeps me sane in the midst of everyday trials. It keeps it all in perspective and helps me realize that nothing temporary is life or death panic worthy. And even life and death are of no concern when the Lord God Himself knows every day ever written for me.

All too often, God is the missing piece. We've alloted Him no time. We've not sought His wisdom nor asked for His help. And when we hit a crisis or crash, we are incapacitated. Your days do not have to be lived that way. The Lord Jesus Christ is waiting to fill your life with the missing peace.

On a Sneeze and a Prayer

By Brenda Black

My head was splitting from the moment my feet hit the floor. Headaches and travel do not marry well and the itinerary didn't include time for divorce. My travel companion, for better or worse and a good thousand miles was to be an excruciatingly bad migraine.

Two hours on the road and the first leg of the journey merged into a baggage check then getting the once-over from a TSA agent who obviously graduated from a training class on face recognition or possibly a staring contest. No bomb in the shoes. No liquid in the bag, no wire under the bra, but I still had the headache. Maybe an overpriced cold turkey sandwich and liquid gold in the form of bottled water would ease the pain before take off. I bid my hubby adieu and assured him I'd be fine, even though I wanted to cry.

I found a place near the window with my gate in sight and a clear view of the luggage ramp. At first I was thrilled to see my bags the first up the conveyor belt, but struggled to interpret the conversation and gestures as each employee paid special attention to my two parcels. By the time I boarded behind wheel chairs, babies, business class and two rounds of ticket holders, the plane was nearly full and available seats scattered and sparse. In spite of the headache, I entered the plane with a smile to match the 

Southwest greeting that welcomed me aboard. Then the long, agonizing walk down the aisle ensued. It's a game of looking for the best prospect. Who looks inviting and who looks like they don't want you near them? I found a kind looking couple in the first third of the plane. He had long legs and preferred the aisle seat, she sat near him selecting the middle. That left the window -- my favorite spot. Only the awkward crawl across two strangers to get there and I could rest.

Our conversation was brief and cordial, a generic ice breaker at best. Half way across the wide horizon, a single sneeze broke the lingering silence. And that kind blonde to my right offered a sincere "Bless you."

It was enough to give me hope. All I needed was courage to ask for something more. My heart pounded with equal intensity to the throbbing in my head. I questioned what God was pressing me to do and nearly convinced myself to not risk it. But He wouldn't leave me alone, so I finally ventured: "May I ask you a personal question? When you blessed me earlier, was that evidence of your belief in prayer and in the power of Jesus Christ?" When she answered with a quick and certain "Yes,"I dared the next request: "Would you please pray for me. My head is splitting and it's getting worse."

Two strangers sat elbow to elbow and silently we joined hearts and sent thoughts heavenward. Knowing that she was covering me, I prayed for whatever measure of faith she had that it be increased. I asked the Lord to bless her and His touch on me would do a greater work in her. I honestly felt that was more important than my own relief! The pain diminished and a sneeze and a prayer later, I knew the Lord was up to something special -- He is always at work! I'm thankful my discomfort compelled me to reach out and I believe if the Lord helped me, He surely touched her as well.

For the remainder of the trip, we talked off and on and found many things in common. By the time hundreds emptied the plane, among them left my new sister in Christ.

Then I figured out why so much conversation surrounded my suitcases. I was the sole passenger remaining aboard for the next destination and those bags were commissioned to a special place in the belly of the plane.

I was alone only a matter of minutes until the plane filled again. This time I watched as one by one they loaded, and among the final ticket holders, God delivered another delightful Christian lady. We praised God for the next short 45 minute journey. I never sneezed but she still blessed me and I her when we parted company!

I met two living for the One while way up and away in the sky. A big headache and a little "achoo" are no match for blessing and a prayer and the body of Christ!

If I Were a Groundhog

by Brenda Black

The roly poly member of the squirrel family will make his grand appearance come Feb. 2. Top-hat clad men of standing will encircle Punxsutawney Phil, in Punxsutawney, PA, awaiting the rodent's prediction. If the groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter’s midpoint, he will become afraid and return to his burrow for the next six weeks until winter is over. If the groundhog does not see his shadow on the other hand, spring is said to be near.

That's all find and dandy and gives folks a fun reprieve from the mid-seasonal slump between Christmas getting and Valentine giving. I agree festivities centered on the cuteness of a groundhog seem quaint. They are snuggly in appearance with a broad head, tiny ears and a plump body plopped on short legs that makes waddling their favored gait. But to give this rotund critter such a place of honor is a bit baffling to me. For all that is glorified in a woodchuck is looked down upon in the rest of society.

He gets all kinds of positive attention for his sturdy silhouette while we humans constantly fight the battle of the bulge. I've seen my shadow and sometimes I wonder if someone isn't walking next to me! And no one has patted me on the back or tossed me a cracker for being not-so-slender. One little furry marmot kept in captivity is said to have blossomed to an enormous 37 pounds. That's nearly six times the normal size! Imagine the outcry of a human weighing in at at one thousand!

To his dubious credit, Mr. Groundhog also sleeps a good portion of the year. During the winter, the round, brown burrower drifts into a deep three-month slumber, surviving off its summer fat stores. His heart rate and breathing slow to an unbelievable pace. Once every four or five minutes, the heart will beat and about every six minutes, Chubs will take in a deep breath. Then his body temperature plummets to 40 degrees. I feel guilty if I sleep in an extra hour in a week! And I sure can't imagine being so unavailable for such an extended hiatus. This woodchuck truly knows how to check out.

When he's not donning a tuxedo or propped on top of a sun dial, a groundhog not hibernating fills his days with destruction. Many a farmer has seen the damage around barn foundations where this cuddly little terror has practiced demolition. Enthusiastically he digs his den for dining and sleeping without thought for the human's property. A person, on the other hand, acting so carelessly would face a lawsuit from the angry landowner, not be touted as a rock star every February second.

Wouldn't life be grand if we could just eat and sleep and tear up the turf with our claws and teeth? Some days I think that might not be so bad. But I'm not a large rat. I'm human. And God expects a little bit more from those He created in His image. So this Feb. 2, no matter the shadowy outcome, we need to seize the moment. Six more weeks of winter not wasted or spring around the corner awaiting great things. The bottom line is that whether the weather is fierce or mild, we still need to take one day at a time and live it to the fullest rather than live it like a groundhog.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus 2:11-14)

What the World Needs Now

By Brenda Black

“We've got to consider creating a more non-violent society,” Bernice King, daughter of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, professed during a live interview with CNN. She says her daddy was first and foremost a preacher. He was a pastor and a healing leader says his daughter. King added that she believed our country to be significantly divided and it was essential to find a way to heal this nation.

I agree. We need less violence. We need healing. But no new revelation by the powers that be is going to trump the plan for both to be achieved that was laid out by the King of Kings a long time ago.

Step One: “'...love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.'” (John 13:34-35)

Step Two: “'...come out from them and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

Honestly, it's hard to live separately in a world that glorifies sin and blasphemes my Lord continually. Just recently, we visited with a young man for a matter of minutes about a quite benign topic. In the short course of that conversation, he swore needlessly with every sentence. He was handsome, intelligent, even actually polite, but filth just oozed out of him and all over us. The vulgarities never waned in the company of ladies, they did not cease once he learned that my husband was a pastor. He was totally ignorant to his disrespectful habit of profanity.

Unfortunately, I've encountered a few Christians along the way that are just as flippant with their tongues and condemning to their testimony. As Christians, if we don't look, act, speak, and think differently from the world, how will “all men know?” We can get so covered up with hatefulness and worldliness, we stink as much as those without hope. We can become indifferent to our Savior and King and more transfixed on all things Hollywood. We talk about stuff that doesn't matter when we ought to be seeking the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength! Love isn't just sentimentality. It's action that conveys a sold-out commitment to the Christ and to His family! Is it too much to ask that we come together and worship once a week or that we open the Bible some day other than Sunday? Is it obvious to those we meet that we are redeemed through our words and our deeds? Are we thankful, joyful, patient and kind? Are we loyal, disciplined and faithful? Do we say “no” to the flesh and “yes” to the spirit?

I regret that I allow all too often my heart and mind to be tarnished by the junk of the world instead of being polished by the Word. I fall into the trap of anger, bitterness and hopelessness sometimes – especially after I read the news. And I, too, fall entirely short of God's glory in a multitude of ways every day. I am, therefore, overwhelmingly grateful for God's grace! I'm also glad that I tend to become highly convicted when I go astray and genuinely desire to live a life of integrity. I know that God honors repentance and blesses such longings.

“Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.” (Psalm 97:10-12)

I want to be righteous and it is definitely a work in progress. How about you? Only God can make any one of us less violent and more loving. Only God can bring the healing. It begins with every individual before it can sweep across a nation.

Sing It Again

By Brenda Black

In Music City, USA, there is a saying: “It all starts with a song.” Nashville hopefuls aren't the first to understand the power of music and lyrics combined. The Patriarch Moses penned his own composition with hopes that it would pierce the hearts of Israel and turn them back to God. Like songs from childhood that hover in the recesses of our mind until needed for comfort or conviction is Moses haunting anthem.

“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

“They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” (Deuteronomy 32:1-6)

Moses' lyrics from centuries ago go on to aptly depict the divine provision of God for our nation as well. “He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye...The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him...” (vs. 10-13)

And like Israel, America has “abandoned the God who made [her] and rejected the Rock [her] Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God – gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.” (vs. 15b-18)

The result for Israel and the fallout we are seeing today in America: “The Lord saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. 'I will hide my face from them,' he said, 'and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful.'” (vs. 19-20)

On the very day Moses recited the verses, the Lord told him of his imminent death. Moses' parting words to a stiff-neck people: “They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!” (vs. 28-29)

Singer-songwriter Tom Waits may like Moses' masterpiece for he says, “I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.”

But better that we think like author Sarah Dessen and believe that people will come to their senses for she contends that “Music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything else can have in common.”

The alternative to heeding Moses' musical message is weighty. “I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.” (vs. 41b)

But for the faithful few, Moses' saves a final verse. “Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people.” (vs. 43)

Praise God, the remnant will always sing! Not songs of disaster and doom, but of life and liberty! “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13b)

If music, as Maria von Trapp believes, “acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed hearts open,” then I pray that Moses' song penetrates this present darkness. You who belong to the remnant, sing it again! Our nation needs to hear it.  

In the Palm of His Hand

By Brenda Black

Slowly I unfurled the ace bandage and the gauze wrap beneath to reveal a purple strip of stitches bisecting the palm of my hand. My heart throbbed in the fleshy pads to either side of the one-inch long incision laced together with black poly thread. Through the rouge of antiseptic wash and shimmering antibiotic ointment, I could still see my mark: “BB”. Both pain and pen proved that they operated on the correct hand I had autographed two days earlier. And hidden beneath the stitches was the signature of the physician who signed my palm as well. Glad we agreed and thankful for his expertise. I gave permission. The surgeon made the incision. And he assures me the scar and the healing will be worth it.

I'm trusting not from surgical experience, but from supernatural encounters where God cut into my life in order to make me better. At times it has come unexpectedly; not planned like this outpatient procedure. Often, His whittling has even gone undetected for months on end. Then one day the realization hits that God has been operating.

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” (Isaiah 48:17b-c)

The Lord may choose to cut deeply, severing circumstances or poisonous people from your life. He may remove one, then transplant something or someone more vital for your growth or survival. The Lord is the Great Physician, not just for wounds and worries. He knows how to make perfect! But sometimes the cuts hurt terribly before they ever prove worth it.

The difficult part is surrendering to the Healer's authoritative touch. It helps to know that He bears each blow unto Himself. “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...” promises the Lord. (Ish. 49:16) No matter how deep the cut, it's comforting to know God bears the brunt. For every sin He seeks to scrape from our lives; for each curse we bring upon ourselves, He suffered and died. He was cut and cursed, beaten and pierced that we might have life.

Yes, one small track across my palm reminded me of pain in my past. And it also reminded me of the scars on my Savior's hands.

As David described the crucifixion years in advance of this death penalty yet to be created, he prophesied as the Lord Himself: “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (Psalm 22:16-18)

And this same David also knew the Savior of the future would be near him in his present moment. “But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.” (vs. 19) And then the psalmist would write of the timeless comfort of this Savior Surgeon who was also a Shepherd.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow o death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me...” (Ps. 23:1-4)

God never cuts and then leaves. He cuts, cures, teaches, restores and heals as He lingers near. All of it is intended for our benefit, that we might lack nothing. If I study closely, I'll find underneath every scar in my life is the signature of an expert I have chosen to trust into eternity. Yes, I'd say every last one of them was worth it in order to know such love from One who desires nothing but what's best for me.

I am engraved in the palm of His hand and so are you. May every scar in your life remind you of such a healing and comforting truth.