"Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"
Selah
Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High."
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
Psalm 77:7-12
For the past few weeks I've been filling out seminary applications and trying hard to figure out where God is leading me. I've been weighing all the options and taking everything into consideration. I see a tremendous need that is not being met here on the reservation but at the same time I am craving more training so that I can better perform that tasks that God has called me to. At every crossroads in my life, choosing which road to take always seems like such a challenge.
Like most people, I want direction in my life, I want a plan. I don't wanna wander around aimlessly, I wanna know where I'm going and what I'm supposed to do. I feel like I'm always looking to the future. I'm always trying to figure out the next step and what needs to be done to get there. I'm always concerned with the problems that I'm currently facing and stressing about tommorrow's unknowns. Rarely ever do I just sit back and think about where God has brought me and what amazing things He has done throughout my life. Which is a major problem. How can I possibly grow in my faith if I keep forgetting all of the times God has been so faithful?
The Israelites struggled with this as well. God miraculously rescues them from slavery in Egypt and then what happens when Pharaohs army pursues them to the Red Sea? They panick! "Did God rescue us from slavery just to bring us out here and be killed?" Nope, God is faithful, He parts the Red Sea, they walk through, and all Pharoah's army drowns. Amazing. What happens after that? They go into the desert and they panick because they have nothing to drink and nothing to eat! Again God is faithful, he provides for them with water, manna, and quail. We see this happen time and again throughout the history of Israel. God delivers them time and again and yet they are constantly doubting, turning and worshipping other idols. They never cease to forget God's unyielding faithfulness and all they see is the obstacles that are directly in front of them. Think about how frustrated we get reading about them. It's like c'mon yall how can you forget all that God has brought you through! How do you forget the Red Sea parting?! My gosh. But yet if we're really honest, most of us are the exact same way. We are so consumed with our present and future issues that we rarely consider the great things He has done in our lives.
I was reminded of this today when I was writing an admissions essay for one of the seminaries I'm applying to. The essay prompt was basically, "Tell us your story, how have the events of your life affected your spiritual development and desire to pursue seminary education." In the midst of being consumed about future decisions, I was forced to take a step back and remember the road that God has brought me on so far. It was humbling and convicting to say the least.
I started out remembering how blessed I was to grow up in a home where I was taught and shown what it means to love and serve the Lord. My parents and my extended family modeled so well for me what it means to live a life in pursuit of Christ. I take that for granite so often, what an amazing thing to have grown up in Christ.
Not only was I blessed with my own family's example but I grew up at Mountain Christian Church and I can't begin to describe the impact that faith family has had on my life. It's emotional to think about all of the memories I've had there. Worshiping every Sunday with them through all of the changes we as a body have been through, ROCK on Sunday nights, retreats, mission trips, and all the time spent hanging out together. I love them and what a huge part they have played and continue to play in my life. How blessed I am to have had those teachers, ministers, youth leaders, coaches, bosses, and friends from Mountain. How often do I take the years growing up there for granite. How faithful was God in putting such people in my life.
I remembered my college years and how I struggled in my faith during that time. I neglected my relationship with God and as a result seemed so far from him. I made so many dumb choices during those years and yet that was an amazing time. Even though I was faithless, God remained faithful and patient with me. He was slow to anger and he taught me through those experiences. He continued to place people in my life that loved on me and became family to me while I was far from home. Even in that time when I was so lukewarm, He was there shaping me.
I remembered the consequences I suffered from straying from Him and how my faith was strengthened to new levels through that time of brokeness. I remember how I fell in love with God's Word and hungered for it as I never had before. I remember the friends and family who spoke truth into my life during that time and in doing so helped me to see that ministry really was God's will for me. I remember quiting my business job in Tennessee not having a clue where to go from there or if I could even get a ministry position with my business background. I went through months of working construction and then months of unemployment waiting and waiting to hear back from churches throughout the country wondering if an opportunity would ever come through. That was such a time of confusion and constant prayer. I remember how hard that situation was and how just when I thought I couldn't take one more day of it an interim student ministry position at Mountain and a high school track coaching job opened. What a time of healing and affirmation that was for me. Man I loved those kids even though I only spent a couple months with them.
It didn't stop there at the very same time those opportunities came through, Christ's Church in Jacksonville, Florida called me to come interview with them. Even though it was a tough time for that church and a lot tough things happened while I was there, I thank God so much for that year. I remember how incompetent I felt to get up and preach in front of hundreds of students every other week and yet God proved faithful through that. Where I was weak He was strong. I have a ton of great memories from that church. I love those people so much and I miss them terribly. How blessed I was to spend a year doing ministry with them and even though I made my share of mistakes there God was patient with me. He gave me grace to mess up.
I remembered being told they couldn't afford to bring me on as a full time youth minister and then wondering what the next step would be. I was desperately needing guidance but around that time I went on a short term mission trip to Morocco with an amazing team and was able to witness God's unbelievable work in the Arab world. I remember praying that God would send me to a place where I could see Him at work the way those missionaries see Him at work. The next day I met a guy who told me about how hopeless youth are on this reservation he was teaching at in Wyoming and how they are so desperate for someone to teach them and show them the love of Christ. Through that meeting and lots of prayer I felt called out to where I am today, trying to find ways to reach theses Arapahoe and Shoshone kids who are lost to say the least.
I remembered being scared to death to move out to the middle of no where, not knowing anyone, and not knowing what I would be doing. I remembered not even knowing where I'd be sleeping that first night in Wyoming. I just prayed that God would provide a roof over my head and on the drive up from Colorado I got a call from a guy saying that me and my friend Joel could stay in his house until we found a place. Since we've been here We haven't had one night without a place to stay. I remember how worried I was about not finding a community in Lander and yet the very first Sunday we found this amazing church and amazing family that has taken us in and loved on us the whole time we've been here.
Maryland, Florida, Wyoming have all had their share of challenges and struggles yet God has seen me through all of them and I look back on those experiences now almost with tears of joy. God never lets go, He doesn't spare us from trials but He never lets go. He uses those trials in ways that we could never even imagine. How faithful is He and how crucial it is for us to remember.
There's a great scene in Joshua ch. 4 where the Israelites are crossing the Jordan River and God cuts off the water for the ark of the covenant to pass through. While the water is cut off Joshua tells 12 guys, one from each tribe of Irael to each get one stone from the middle of the Jordan so they can make a pile of stones at the place where they would sleep that night. The whole idea was that one day, years down the road, when their kids would be like, "Hey dad whats the pile of rocks for?" They could say, "Well son that was where God stopped the flow of the Jordan so the ark of the covenant could pass. That was the first night we spent in the promised land, when the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was fulfilled. That's what that pile of rocks is about." There's several instances in the Old Testament where that happens, where they make a pile of stones to remind them of an instance of God's faithfulness.
We need to do that in our lives. If it means keeping some kind of momento or even building a pile of rocks somewhere to remember His faithfulness we need to do whatever it takes to remember. Especially during this time of year when we remember and celebrate the ultimate expression of God's faithfulness, His son Jesus. The other day my pastor's wife was telling me a Christmas tradition they have as a family. It was their first Christmas with their first baby girl and they were so poor that they couldn't even afford any kind of meat for a Christmas meal. They actually didn't even know where they would get food for the day. They started searching through their freezer and found a bag of chicken bones left over from their Thanksgiving meal. With those chicken bones they would be able to make chicken soup. That would be their Christmas meal. To them, it was God's hand of provision and it brought them joy in what many of us would consider a moment of despair. To remember that Christmas, and God's constant faithulness over the years, they save the turkey bones from Thanksgiving and make turkey soup every Christmas Eve.
That's exactly how we need to live. We need to first and foremost never take for granite each little blessing that God gives us. In every situation in life, if you look hard enough you will see God's care for you. It may not be as big as we want it to be but it's always sufficient. Through the most difficult times in my life, when it seemed like each step was a struggle, I've prayed this simple prayer. God please just give me one thing today. Give me one thing to know you're with me and He has never failed to do that. Sometimes it's just a little compliment that someone payed me or even a song on the radio that spoke to exactly what I was feeling. As small as those are, they were enough to lift me up and help me move forward. I can write forever about His love and faithfulness in my life. My prayer is that in the present and future moments when I am faced with obstacles and hope seems dim that I would remember the past and how He has never failed me. I want to be a grateful child, thankful for each blessing he pours out. I want to always remember.
Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced...
1 Chronicles 16:11-12