Bigger Than Your Circumstances

"It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts."
                                                       Isaiah 45:12




These past few weeks have been a whirlwind for me. Brent and I dropped our youngest off to college (over 1500 miles away, but who's counting) and then returned home to Naples, Florida for a few days, only to evacuate because of hurricane Irma. My sudden empty nest had to quickly be deserted before I could even fully process the emotions I felt from dropping off my baby in a town as large as Boston. It was hard to even wrap my mind around all that we were experiencing.

Sometimes life can feel like it is careening out of control and, in times like these, it can be hard to find your footing. There are even circumstances that make us feel like we have been sucker-punched and it is hard to catch your breath. The unexpected happens and in a nanosecond our security becomes elusive and we find ourselves reeling from the impact.

These are the times when you find out just how deep the roots in your life dwell. If they are shallow and not grounded, it is easy to become fearful and anxious. If they are moderately deep, there will be intermittent times of peace and clarity that are sometimes interrupted by chaotic thoughts and worry about what is to come. If, however, your roots are deep, you will see the core values and belief systems that cannot be shaken under any circumstances. In other words, you know beyond a doubt that God is bigger than your circumstances and that His Word promises that He will make a way, even when it would seem that there is absolutely no way to be found.

As followers of Christ, our goal is to ultimately have unshakeable faith in God and to know that no matter what we face, He is bigger. Even though the continuum of difficulties can range from everyday stressors to life-changing grief and loss, it is still possible for us to grow in God's grace and move from shakiness to a faith that is unshakeable and able to stand and withstand the storms of this life.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, the apostle, Peter, did just that. God gives us a firsthand glimpse into Peter's growth beginning in the gospels, transitioning to the book of Acts, and then followed by the two letters that Peter wrote. As Peter walked with Jesus, he learned how to cooperate more and more to position himself into a place of alignment with God's will and purposes for his life.

His name began as Simon, but Jesus changed it to Peter, which means "a stone" (John 1:35-42). The name Simon typifies his humanness and his old nature as clay, but, by the time Jesus finished working in him, he became "a rock" that was able to withstand much more than he did in the beginning. Peter and Paul were the two leading apostles of the early church and Peter's assignment was to strengthen his brethren (Luke 22:32) and to tend to the flock (John 21:15-17).

There were many lessons that Peter had to learn along the way in order to grow stronger in his faith. What started as a denial of the Messiah ultimately ended in his knowing the "living hope" (1 Peter 1:3) that only comes from knowing God in an intimate way. His knowledge was transformed from a mental assent to a heart knowledge that not only rocked his world but also the world around him for all future generations.

His story and his message in his letters are to encourage us today. Peter grew in: accepting and receiving the love of God,  knowing that God had chosen him, submission to God, and in confidence and security that God is All-Powerful, All-Knowing, and sovereign. His discernment matured as he understood how to stay alert and avoid temptation and to lean on the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and protect him. He pursued holiness and kept his eyes on the Lord, rather than on his circumstances. He was prepared to endure persecution for the sake of Christ and he was connected in love and service to the local church.

When I survey Peter's growth in faith and dedication to the Lord, I realize that I still have a long way to go in my own faith. Too often, I pray and ask God to change my circumstances instead of looking at them more introspectively to learn what it is that God may be trying to teach me. Max Lucado says, "The circumstances we ask God to change are often the circumstances God is using to change us."

God created a marvelous creation and He still sits on the throne over all things. He has a purpose and a plan in every detail of our lives and He is not finished yet. Philippians 1:6 says, "Be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

If we allow our circumstances to become bigger than our God, then they have become our god. We must intentionally toss out anything and everything that tries to rise up in our hearts to replace the One, True, Living God. He, alone, is the One who deserves our attention, time, and worship. Not anything or anyone else... even our loved ones.

We truly can trust Him with whatever we have concern. So, today, what is bigger in your mind and heart than God? Be honest. Are you concerned with:
                                       a family member
                                       your marriage
                                       an illness
                                       a betrayal
                                       an empty nest
                                       your job
                                       an alienated relationship
                                       your future
                                       someone who doesn't know Jesus
                                       fear
                                       anxiety
                                       finances
                                       a wayward child
                                       grief
                                       loss
                                       natural disasters
                                       divorce
                                       or any other worry

If so, then take the time to honestly evaluate how unshakeable your faith really is. If you hadn't noticed, God is really shaking things up in the world today. Through the prophet, Haggai, God tells us, "'Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake and make tremble the [starry] heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations and the desire and the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor,' says the Lord of hosts" (Haggai 2:6-7).

This is not the time to lose heart because God is preparing to return and fill His house with glory. He has a purpose and a plan in everything that He allows in our lives because He is intentionally shaking out everything that is not in alignment with His purposes. Within the church, God is preparing a people to carry the weight of His glory and accomplish His purposes in the earth.  At times, it can seem incomprehensible to us, and yet, He is busy behind the scenes preparing things that are better than we can even imagine. Trust Him to grow and strengthen you in this season.

The more we see shaking, the more we should confidently know that He is preparing an unshakeable kingdom for us. We should listen to God's Word and obey and pull in closer to Him as our refuge. Take every burden and concern to your Heavenly Father and know that He will handle it better than anything we could do. Rest in the confidence that whatever He allows the outcome of your situation to be that it will be used for His greater glory and our good.  He loves you beyond measure and has promised to take care of us. He is always good and definitely bigger than anything we may face!


"Dear children, you belong to God. So you have won the victory over [your giants], because He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world."
                                                               1 John 4:4

Thoughts from an Irma refugee....

For the past four and a half years, I have been blessed to call Naples, Florida my home. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and life there is peaceful and serene. A typical day is met with sunshine and palm trees, with pelicans and seagulls sailing calmly through the air and dipping into the gorgeous ocean to obtain their sustenance. Dolphins play in the expanse and people relax on white, sandy beaches.  Many people call Naples “paradise” because there are so many gorgeous places and aspects to living there.

All of that began to change on Monday. Suddenly, there was a mass rush to every Walmart, grocery store and gas station. Water was sold out on Monday, and there were long lines to get gas and building supplies. The usual laid back pace there became frenetic and worried. People scrambled to get supplies for the imminent hurricane, even though, at that point, it seemed it was poised to hit the East coast.

Still, most people who live in Florida become somewhat immune to impending hurricanes because that becomes a part of living in a place that is dubbed as paradise. You watch and prepare but deep inside there is a confidence that things will be fine and return to normal shortly. And that his what most people in Naples were doing.

On Tuesday, Irma shifted course slightly and now it began to look like it might hit in the middle of the state and maybe on the West coast. The pace quickened and some people began to make plans to leave. I happened to fall into this group because I would be traveling with my parents and my Mom had just had surgery and would be more challenged in her travel plans.  It occurred to me as we were leaving what a gorgeous day it was. We were able to book a hotel room in Valdosta and by 2:30 pm, we were on the road. Thankfully, we averted the heavy traffic that would begin the next day.

We drove the rest of the way to Tennessee on Wednesday, and that’s when things got dicier for residents in South Florida. At this point, the time to drive from Naples to Georgia (which usually takes 5 hours) began to take about 13 hours, and by Thursday the same distance took 19 hours. Gas stations began to run out of gas, and people had to wait for new supply to come.

I would really like to commend Governor Rick Scott for the amazing job he did on preparing the state for such an unimaginable catastrophe. He was very detailed and organized in his approach and exhibited exemplary leadership skills. He told Floridians in south Florida to finish up everything they had to do by 8pm on Friday because that is when tropical storm force winds would arrive on the scene. This is where the problem emanated.

Irma shifted again slightly to the West by Friday am and now Governor Scott had to evacuate Sarasota and Tampa. Highway I75 was so crowded that by noon on Friday no one else could leave South Florida because they would have been sitting on the expressway when Irma barreled in. Many people (including several friends of mine) thought they were prepared and thought they had time to evacuate but they did not. They had to remain in Naples despite their desire to leave.

Over 100,000 people ended up in shelters because time caught them in its grasp. Despite prudent preparedness, the clock ran out. Even though they thought they were ready, they really were not.

This makes me think about the storm on a more macular level, even on a spiritual one. The first verse I think of are words that Jesus Himself told us. He said, “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25). I truly believe that Harvey and Irma are among the natural disasters of which Jesus warned us.
I think that, like the Southern Floridians, there will be many who will believe they are prepared for the return of Christ, only to find that the door has shut. In God’s mercy, He wants each one of us to be ready for His return. I pray that we can read the handwriting on the wall and be among those who are raptured up to the place that is the only true paradise!

My thoughts and prayers are with every Floridian and every victim of Harvey. Please know that God is with you and that His mercies abound even in the midst of the storm. Please know that He loves you more than you can imagine and that He prepares an eternal home for you, even now.

Love,
A Fellow Evacuee