Quiet Sovereignty
As I look back on my life, there are a number of highs and lows. I’ve held my newborn kids as they’ve taken their first breath, and a friend as he took his last. There are times when I’ve seen God’s hand as clear as mine, and there are times when he’s felt distant and silent. My guess is that you see the same thing in the rear view mirror. One of the things I’ve noticed is that it’s easier for me to trust God’s sovereignty in the good times than it is to trust it in the hard times. What about you?
As I read and studied Daniel 1, there was a phrase that stood out because it was repeated three times. Listen to all three of the occurrences:
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand…
9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs…
17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
One of the things Daniel is able to do is grasp God’s sovereignty in both the good and the bad; in the joy and in the sorrow. The Lord is sovereign over their 70 years of exile in Babylon, and he is responsible for the favor and blessing he gets while he’s there. Daniel understands what his ancestor Job declared, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10)
We can’t have it both ways, if God is responsible for the good, he must also be, at least in part, responsible for the bad.
I am not saying, and Daniel isn’t implying, that God’s ultimate control of people and nations turns us into mere marionettes; God is not the grand puppeteer. We do have freedom and our choices matter. God’s sovereign control simply means that there are no accidents and his plans ultimately will not be thwarted. He is the grand weaver, taking the fragments of our broken lives and shaping them into his grand story. The trouble is, we are often far more aware of Babylon’s dominance than we are of God’s presence.
Daniel’s claim “God gave” was his reminder that no matter what happened, he was committed to remembering that his God was bigger than Babylon. Yahweh was greater than exile. Which invites the question: How big is our God? Bigger than COVID? Bigger than bankruptcy? Bigger than divorce? Bigger than disorientation? As the song God of the Ages appropriately states: “God of this morning, gladly your children worship before You, trustingly bow: Teach us to know You — always among us, quietly sovereign — Lord of our now.”
Take a moment today to trustingly bow and recognize God’s quiet sovereignty — in your life, in our church, in this nation, and around the globe.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
Simple Tests
I remember taking the S.A.T. test and it was miserable for me. It was on a Saturday morning, I had a game the night before, I had not prepared as well as I should have, and this test just seemed like a waste of time. I showed up and asked God for help (grace, mercy, and a good score) on the test. Realistically, I figured God was probably laughing at my request, even though he had come through many times before. I felt like the weight of my future was all upon my shoulders (it wasn’t, but Satan wanted me to believe that lie).
My test was a little different from Daniel’s test. He and his friends were in a new land, around new people, and new customs. It would have been stressful, intimidating, and frightening. Daniel knew how powerful God was, so he did not take the weight of the test upon his shoulders, instead he put his trust in God. He actually asked to be tested by diet to show God’s ability to his new boss. That is bold!
My faith (and lack of preparation) in taking the S.A.T. was different than Daniel’s being tested by his diet. I threw up a “hail Mary” hoping God would miraculously work so I did not look foolish. Daniel had put his faith in God, trusting God to provide a very real and visible way through this test. He knew God would come through, even though life had not gone as expected.
Daniel’s faith in God meant everything, he did not know exactly what God would do, but he knew honoring God even under testing was the right thing to do. So he trusted in God’s goodness, no matter the consequence. It was a simple test of faith, with clear, observable outcomes. Ten days of vegetables and water would show what God could do, Daniel knew God would reveal himself through the test. The story reminds me how God works through simple tests to reveal himself to all.
As you reflect on the last few weeks or months, where have you seen God working through simple tests? Where can you thank God for what he has done? Be bold and share with someone what God has done.
Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Pastor of Men’s Ministry
Quiet Disobedience
As Americans we love freedom. Just take a look at some of our most popular movies. Hollywood is saturated with stories and heroes that, having been pushed to their limits, are forced with no other option than to take up arms and to defend their God-given right to be free. Braveheart, The Patriot, and Gladiator are examples. And we cannot get enough of them.
We fantasize about having our own moment similar to Martin Luther who, fully convinced of his cause against the Catholic society of Europe, declared: “Here I stand I can do no other.”
This desire has only intensified as our government and society have reflected our Christian values and perspective less. Increasingly we see the movies we love play out before our eyes and in our imaginations. We imagine ourselves at the center of it all, boldly and faultlessly taking up the cause of Christ against demonic and worldly forces.
And while God’s people have been known from the very beginning to have “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6), Daniel’s approach stands in stark contrast to our own (perhaps) selfishly glorious impulses.
Instead of seizing the spotlight for his defiance, Daniel allows himself to be conscripted into a program in service to the Babylonian king (Daniel 1:3-5) and is even renamed. (Daniel 1:7) His new name, Belteshazzar means “Bel protects his life” and is taken after the Babylonian pronunciation of the god Ba’al!
Contrary to our American fantasies of resistance, defiance, and disobedience, Daniel doesn’t resist or defy his pagan overlords, but submissively allows it to happen. Instead of seizing the spotlight for his glorious and showboating stand for freedom, Daniel is quiet and unassuming. The only instance of Daniel’s disobedience is a one-on-one exchange with one of the royal officials in charge of his diet! (Daniel 1:8-10)
And while Daniel and his companions will show in the chapters ahead that they are no pushovers to the pagan pressures, Daniel’s disobedience is tremendously private and innocuous. He is not controversial and does not seek the stage.
How does his example challenge us as believers, living in a society that is no stranger to government overreach, scandal, godlessness, and opposition to what we believe? Perhaps it should give us a degree of ease to know that God’s people are freed up to be quietly unassuming, and privately disobedient against their oppressors.
Perhaps our enemies are not as impressive as they think themselves or as we perceive. For similar to Daniel, God’s people are promised to outlast all of God’s enemies. (Daniel 1:21) As Jesus reminds us: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)
Ryan Lunde
Pastor of Young Adults
Fine, Call Me What You Want …
In 2017, my wife Lauren and I embarked on a journey abroad and lived in Madrid, Spain for a year. One of my favorite restaurants there was called 100 Montaditos (100 small sandwiches) where every Sunday and Wednesday you could get these little sandwiches for 1 euro each. It was a delight! However, there was one small issue: It was one of the few places in Spain that took your name for your order. I learned very quickly that “Seth” is a very hard name to pronounce in Castilian Spanish! With the many pronunciation errors and spelling errors ranging from “Sed” to “Zech” to “Sez (the closest pronunciation given the famous Spanish lisp), I learned quickly that you can call me whatever you want as long as my little sandwiches are on the end of it. Eventually, I found a solution that worked for everyone. I would just give them my middle name: Daniel.
When we read the story of Daniel, also known as Belteshazzar, we see a man resolved to say “Call me what you want, but I’m going to remind myself of who I really am.” Daniel allowed himself to be renamed, but he decided he would not defile himself by eating the king’s food. Eating is an interesting thing, we need to do it almost every day, multiple times a day. As we famously know, Daniel did not defile himself with the king’s food, but every meal would instead be reminded of who he really was and who was the provider and true sustainer of life, the Lord God!
What’s the lesson for us? It’s the challenge that is constantly present for each of us; to remind ourselves of who we really are. You can call me whatever you want, the King calls me beloved. The King calls me chosen. The King calls me an overcomer. Remind yourself today of who you really are in God’s eyes, who the King sees you as. As we’re so tempted to buy into what others would have us believe about ourselves, you can call me whatever name you want to because my identity is firmly rooted in who I truly am. A child of God.
Today, take a moment to listen to the song “Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong. Let the powerful words of that song, based in Scripture, take root in your heart. You are chosen, not forsaken. God is for you, not against you. I am who YOU say I am. A child of God!
Seth Redden
High School Pastor
The Struggle of Distance Learning
This devotional is brought to you by distraction … but not just any old distraction, it is the distraction of trying to facilitate Distance Learning while working from home. In other words, pull out your hair distraction! I am writing this on one of the two mornings a week that I am responsible for helping my three kids login to their software, make sure the technology is working, get them on the appropriate Zoom calls, make sure that they are paying attention, help them troubleshoot problems, answer their questions and then try to squeeze in time to do my own work. This is not fun. All I know is that I have never had more respect for teachers in my life. Their work during these times is nothing short of heroic! Distance learning is difficult.
But the truth is that we are all distance learners. We can thank the Lord that we didn’t have to “go to school” and learn the way that kids are right now, but in actuality, much of the learning that we have done in the arena of faith has been distance learning. If you have learned to imitate Jesus, if you have learned to listen to the Holy Spirit, if you have learned the love of the Father, you have learned it through distance learning. It is not a distance of space (as God is always with us as our church’s name constantly reminds us), but a distance of dimension and realm… it’s a distance of learning from one kingdom to another. But God’s kingdom is penetrating ours in such a way that we can actually learn from and grow into and live our lives more and more in His kingdom instead of our own. This is why Jesus prayed to the Father, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10)
Heaven is the kingdom where God’s will is already being done. Earth is the kingdom that has been controlled by our own desires and rebellion for long enough. Jesus is saying that it is time for earth to look a little more like heaven … for heaven’s kingdom to invade the kingdom of earth so that this can become another realm where God’s will is done.
But the fact is that this is a long term homework assignment. It isn’t something that we can accomplish on our own, but will ultimately take Jesus coming again and making everything new. In the meantime, we have to keep up the hard work of distance learning. We have to remember that we are people with feet in two kingdoms, but let’s always be people who put as much weight as possible into the kingdom of heaven.
Josh Rose
Pastor of Adult Ministries
“Yes, but how?”
Nineteen years ago today the United States experienced the worst terror attack we have ever known when a group of men hijacked four planes and flew them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania (the goal was to hit the Capitol, but heroic passengers insured that did not happen). We must never forget not only the 2,911 people who died that day, but also the blessing the passengers and crew on Flight 93 were to all those who might have lost their lives had that plane struck Washington, D.C. as well as the blessing that all of the first responders were to those whose lives they were able to rescue and save (first responders who later ended up losing their lives due to complications from the dust they breathed in as they carried out their vocation). We pray for the families of those who lost their lives and thank Him for the blessings secured by those who risked it all.
While it’s not likely that we will ever be called on to “be a blessing” or to “love in deed and truth” in ways that those mentioned above did (and in NO WAY making light of the tremendous and costly sacrifices made), we have the opportunity and even spiritual calling to be a blessing to those God has put us around as we live out our vocation.
The question simply becomes, “How?” Let me propose a simple three step approach to being a blessing to others. Perhaps you’ve heard of it before? It’s these words practiced in this order: look, word, touch.
If you would like to be used by God to bless others, the first thing you can do is notice them. Look them in the eye. Make eye contact. Smile at them with your eyes. This may sound small, but it’s huge. So many people simply do not look others in the eye.
The second thing you can do is speak kindly to them. I have a friend named Lonnie who is very good at this. He is always ready with a compliment, a word of encouragement, or some inspiring comment. (Raise your hand if you don’t like to receive kind words!)
The final thing you can do, if appropriate, is to provide a biblically directed touch. A fist bump, a handshake, a hug, whatever is right given the nature of your relationship. I’ve heard stories during this Covid season of people who have gone months without so much as a hug or a handshake from another person. Given our need for touch, this must be so heartbreaking.
Looking people in the eye, speaking kindly, encouraging them, and making an acceptable sort of contact will go a long way in blessing them and letting them know that you care and that God cares.
May you go and be a blessing today!
Scott Smith
Pastor of Discipleship Ministries
The problem with a blessing …
Everyone wants to be blessed, but not everyone knows what to do with a blessing.
Jacob wanted a blessing so badly that he wrestled with the Lord for it and in Genesis 32:26 demanded it, “Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Like Jacob, many of us crave the blessing, envy those we perceive have received it, and sadly seek after the blessing in lieu of seeking after the blesser. In Jacob’s case he fought for God’s blessing even after having stolen the blessing from his own brother right under his father’s nose (Genesis 27).
Selfishness.
Jacob found himself wrestling with God (how he must smile at his past self today). I imagine him shaking his head remembering that moment saying, “I had God in my arms and I wanted stuff.” Relationship with God and relationship with people is the greater calling and the greatest blessing.
That’s why Jesus encourages us in Luke 16 to use our worldly “blessings” to make friends and help people. I like the King James version of this verse because it’s so hard to understand (yes, I’m weird and like things that make me think and wonder and struggle to pin down a thought. This makes me research more).
"And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." Luke 16:9
The mammon of unrighteousness, what a weird expression for money or wealth. The NIV version puts it this way.
"I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." Luke 16:9
This was Abraham’s task too; God said, “I will bless you... ...and you will be a blessing to all nations” (Genesis 12:2-3). Too often, however, God’s people tried to hoard the blessing instead of eagerly sharing it. The problem isn’t blessing itself, but the human tendency to keep it to ourselves instead of eagerly sharing it with the people around us.
How about you, are you living life to share all that God has given you? There is a reason Jesus gave up everything for a relationship with people. Trust him and do the same. You could probably spend a good amount of time thanking God for the blessings that you could use today to help others know Him.
Pastor John Riley
Junior High Ministry
Blessed Beyond Measure!
Blessings come in many forms; a newborn baby, a beautiful sunset, a word from the Lord… They can also come through the voice of someone who cares more about our well being than they do their own; a voice that speaks truth even if it hurts, and words of encouragement and grace when we don’t deserve it. This voice came into my life in the form of a dear woman whom I know as my “big sister,” mentor, “mom” and friend. Before any of these though, she was first my babysitter. At around 8 months old, I crawled behind her couch to a spot where the sun was shining in and fell sound asleep. Of course she panicked, and then quickly found me. She now says that ever since that day, she would never let me go; and for that I am abundantly grateful!
As a confused and struggling college student, I called my friend and asked her to study God’s Word with me. We met weekly for two years, learning, praying and crying together. She spoke hard truth to me when I was disobedient to God and then turned around and spoke blessings of hope over me as I headed out into the world. She walked with me through the joys of dating, marriage and having children, as well as the sorrows of painful life circumstances and the death of both of my parents. It brings me to tears as I think about the impact that this precious woman has had in my life. To say I am “blessed” seems trivial, and yet that is exactly what it is; blessed beyond measure.
As I think back on the years of blessings that I have received from this dear woman, the Scripture that comes to mind is Philippians 4:7-8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Years ago, my friend spoke these words to me when I was struggling to forgive. She blessed me with the truth of Scripture. She reminded me over and over again of who I am as a child of God, of the blessings that he has bestowed on my life, and she exhorted me to live both in and out of those blessings. Blessings come in many forms. For me, some of the greatest blessings have come in the form of an honest friend.
Take a moment to reflect on who God has put in your life who has blessed you; both with encouragement and with hard truth. If no one comes to mind, then ask God for this precious gift. Likewise, are you blessing another person? If not, ask God to bring someone into your path. You too can be a blessing!
Lynette Fuson
Ministry Director
Spontaneous Intercession
I was diagnosed with cancer nine years ago and as a result had to have a rather large surgery. My grandson was about seven at the time and heard our son and his wife talking about it. My daughter-in-law later told me that when they prayed together that night before bed, his prayer was, “God please let grandma have fun in her surgery!” When she told me that, I had to laugh, was so touched that he prayed, and then was grateful that in his innocence he prayed that no matter what “surgery” was, he sure wanted me to have a good time. I was blessed by my grandson interceding on my behalf and by Melanie sharing it with me.
Intercessions are prayers for others or on behalf of others. We join Jesus and the Holy Spirit in prayer for our family, friends, pastors, leaders and those we don’t know. We might think that we initiate prayers but really it’s the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us. The Spirit has prompted us to pray, preceded us in prayer and then prays with and for us.The desire to intercede in prayer comes from a close personal relationship with our heavenly Father, his son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit’s nudging. The bible promises that if we draw close to God, He will draw close to us. (James 4:8) It also comes from an understanding of our responsibility to stand in the gap for other people.
“Intercession requires my center of gravity to shift away from my own personal needs toward those of others.” - Pete Greig
Intercession is a way of loving others. Paul says in 1st Timothy, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people...
I’ve learned the greatest blessing we can give someone is offering to pray with them spontaneously. When someone shares a burden, concern or even traumatic event in their life, besides listening patiently we can bless them by praying. Right there in that moment, ask if you can pray for them. Not a complicated prayer; just simply asking for the Lord’s direction and help with and for them. No one has ever refused my offer to pray with them, but some (especially people I don’t know) have been surprised I asked. You don’t have to be a pastor, counselor, church staff member etc. to be qualified to pray with someone. You are already qualified, but it requires a certain amount of boldness or courage in the beginning.
Ask the Lord for opportunities to pray with people and for his help. He wants to welcome you to his “intercession team.” You will be blessed.
Deb Hill
Executive Administrative Assistant
#blessed
As I celebrated my birthday at the end of August, it was time to take an assessment of my life to this point and see the many ways that God has blessed me in large ways. I have a lovely wife, a college education, a place to live, relatively good health, and a host of other things that I can look back on and say, wow Lord, truly I am blessed! Maybe you’ve shared an experience similar to that at some point in your life, being able to recognize the many ways that God has blessed you.
After all, did you know that God’s first pronouncement to Adam and Eve is a blessing? (Genesis 1:22) Did you know that Jesus’ last action before ascending in Luke 24 was to bless his disciples? Or that the bible ends with a blessing (and a curse) in Revelation 22? The Scriptures are full of God’s pronouncement of blessing. However, in the midst of the struggles of life, it can be so difficult to feel or see the ways that I am indeed #blessed. The Scriptures would tell us that as God’s people in Christ Jesus we live in a reality of God constantly blessing us. As Paul says in Ephesians, God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” You, my friend, are indeed very blessed!
We live in this reality, but oftentimes we don’t embrace this reality. Hard stuff happens in life. It can be very easy to look at our pain instead of God’s promise. Even when we know God’s promises are good, it doesn’t always feel like it’s helping us deal with the pain and the struggles in the moment. What’s the remedy? It’s to look for the blessing. Are you curious to see the ways that God is currently blessing you and others? Maybe it is as easy as remaining curious and simply looking. I’m convinced we miss so much of what God is doing in our lives simply because we are too busy to pay attention to it. We don’t have to look hard to see some of the small ways that God is blessing us right now. It can be easy to be cynical and focus on the negative, but our God is the God of abundant and good blessing!
This week, don’t miss the small blessings of God because you were looking for a larger one. Instead, take moments in your day to reflect so you can tap into the reality that you are indeed blessed. Sometimes God’s blessings are simpler, smaller, and sweeter than we could imagine!
Pastor Seth Redden
High School Ministry