He climbed the mountain of Nebo beside the plains of Moab. His tired feet and aging body, straining at each step. I imagine the proximity of the Promised Land was the fuel that propelled him to move forward to the top of the mountain after 40 years of wandering and waiting.

“Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 34.

Moses would never taste the sweetness of the land “flowing with milk and honey.” His eyes would only see if from a distance. God would give him that.

“And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab,” the Bible says.

I’ll be honest. I had a problem with this passage of Scripture for a long time.

I know, I know! Moses messed up. In the book of Numbers, we read about his disobedience concerning God’s instructions to speak to the rock instead of striking it to bring forth water to the Jews in the wilderness.

But, man! Talk about harsh punishment (or so I thought)! After all, the man led the Israelites out of Egypt and turned a crowd of slaves into a nation. And not just any nation — God’s own chosen people!

Moses delivered God’s commandments and later was used to write His laws.

He put up with the unbelieving, rebellious crowd, leading them and repeatedly interceding on their behalf when God vowed to bring forth judgment.

Yet, a seemingly small mistake stopped him just a few miles from the borders of the Promised Land.

I finished a study on the book of Deuteronomy thinking about the death of Moses. On that same day, a godly friend lost his battle with cancer.

People from all over the world had prayed fervently for his healing, but the miracle never came. That morning, as I read about Moses’ passing, I could not help but think about the strong faith and unwavering trust in God that both Moses and my friend held close to their hearts until the very end.

As I prayed for the family, puzzled by the seeming unfairness of it all, a passage in the book of Isaiah rang loudly in my spirit:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Prophet Isaiah, chapter 55.

While meditating on these verses, God reminded me that His promises and covenant to his children are not limited to this life. Even though his ways are often inscrutable, His goodness and grace are not.

God's promises and covenant to his children are not limited to this life. Even though his ways are often inscrutable, His goodness and grace are not. @AJC #MondayThoughts #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation
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Moses didn’t set foot on the Promised Land because God’s plans for him were better: He took him to the eternal Promised Land of heaven.

There, Moses’ heart would not be broken by rebellious Israel again. There, his aching bones would find complete healing, and his tired soul would finally find true joy and rest. There would be no more pain, no more sorrow.

And as the children of Israel went into battle to conquer the land, Moses was spared. Instead of going through more strife and pain, he embraced his reward.

Oh! What a blessed assurance to wrap around our hearts when a loved one, a child of God, leaves this earth! What a wonderful truth to cling to when death or the troubles of this life make no sense:

That our God is still good, even when the worst happens, and He hears our prayers, even when the healing or deliverance doesn’t come on this side of eternity.

Comfort in the Death of a Loved One {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
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Moses’ eyes may have seen the earthly Promised Land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob only from a distance. His feet never touched it. But as he opened his eyes again, God welcomed him into the true Promised Land.

At a time when we witness so many deaths in America and abroad, and loved ones “lose” life’s battles way too soon, may we remind our hearts that, so long as they were God’s children, they did not lose. They won.

Indeed, God’s love and mercy took them home to the Promised Land of heaven, where there is no sorrow nor pain. And even though we will miss them until the day we die, we can rejoice in the fact that we will see them again.

As we witness so many deaths in America and abroad, and loved ones “lose” life’s battles way too soon, may we remind our hearts that, so long as they were God’s children, they did not lose. They won. God’s love and mercy took them home…
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This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday – May 22, 2021. Click HERE to find it on the AJC’s website.

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At around 538 B.C., the Jews started returning from Babylon after 70 years of captivity. As God’s chosen people returned from exile, it was clear that the insidious, pagan practices of their oppressors permeated the Jew’s lifestyle and worship. Therefore, each prophet had been entrusted by God to admonish his people to abandon their rebellious and idolatrous ways in this postexilic era of Israel’s history.

Haggai and Zechariah’s messages confronted the Jews concerning their neglect of the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, as well as their false and profane worship. Malachi was the recipient of the last prophetic message before the 400 years of “silence” between the Old Testament prophets and the birth of Jesus Christ. The purpose of his message was to confront the Jews with their sin and announce judgment against unrighteousness.

As one reads the book of Malachi, however, the message of judgment is intertwined with God’s promises and the grace he vowed to offer, even while judgment was poured out. The central message of the last book in the Old Testament speaks of a breach that is not irreparable and a hope that is not lost. God wants to bridge the gap, and even his judgment is full of grace.

God wants to bridge the gap, and even his judgment is full of grace. @AJC
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I thought about God’s grace to us during trials as I came across one of the messianic references in the third chapter of Malachi:

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” (Vs. 2-3)

The message was directed initially at the Levites, whose primary role in the temple included singing psalms during services, performing maintenance, security, and construction. However, as it is often the case with scriptures, the imagery offers a beautiful parallel concerning God’s methods and purpose for our trials.

The passage inspired me to research how silver is refined and purified. I found out that since ancient times, there are several methods of silver refining, and most of them are similar to the process of refining gold.

One of the earliest methods is called “cupellation,” and it involves heating crude silver at extremely high temperatures until it is liquefied and adding certain substances such as nitric acid to help absorb the impurities. Once the pollutants are consumed, and the temperature is just right, the liquefied silver should become as clear as a mirror. According to tradition, when the silversmith can see his/her reflection in the metal, it is ready to pour. Both the temperature and the moment to take the metal out of the fire must be precise, or it could destroy the silver. For that reason, the craftsman must “sit” as the verse in Malachi says, and carefully manage the process, tempering the metal until it’s ready, controlling the heat and timing.

What a powerful metaphor of God’s wisdom and grace! The vision of a skilled silversmith watching over the intensity of the fire should make us understand and trust God’s hand in the heat of the great trials that we must face in life.

Just as the silver does not know anything but the heat applied to its rough form, we too often do not understand why God allows the temperature of pain and suffering that some of life’s circumstances bring.  But the melting and transforming of silver from crude metal to a beautiful substance that can be used to make useful vessels, mirror the process used by God to mold us so we can become powerful tools in His hands.

Just as the silver does not know anything but the heat applied to its rough form, we too often do not understand why God allows the temperature of pain and suffering that some of life's circumstances bring. @AJC #MondayMotivation
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Oh! What a marvelous thought to reach the end of a trial and realize that the Father – the Master Craftsman of the universe – sat beside us the entire time! Indeed, He watches over the furnace, ever aware of how much heat to apply and how long we must stay in the fire, so that all impurities may come to the surface, and He can see more of His reflection in us.

Then and only then, can He use us as His vessels and tools to carry out His purposes in the world.

This article was originally published on Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday,  November 9, 2019.

The post Making Silver: the Heat of our Trials {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

As a thinker, I like details. I like to organize them all and fit them together to create a big, powerful picture. I love making points that lead up to a concept that sticks. And I suppose, as a writer, that’s a good thing.

But sometimes, my best writing is my simplest.

Sometimes, my best…anything…is simple.

My best worship is often a single lyric stuck on my lips, stuck on repeat. My best witness is often a sincere sentence spoken in regular conversation about ordinary things. My best praise is often a simple “thank you” thought-prayed to the Lord who knows what I’m referring to.

Though there is certainly a place for going in-depth, I think simple really is more powerful than we often realize.
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Some of the most powerful words in Scripture are the simplest- so simple a child could understand them.

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.“

–1 John 5:11-12

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us.” –Romans 5:8

“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” –Colossians 3:17

In fact, the Gospel, the good news that leads to salvation through Christ, is simple enough to be shared around the world, in a few sentences, in every language, and in any circumstance.

While it’s important to dig in deep, there’s also grace and growing that happens in the little. When we read His Word for a few moments, we can take in just a simple line and be grown by it. A simple prayer can change our perspective. Simple blessings can boost our faith.

Following Christ’s example, I’m believing that when my best is really simple, God makes it more than enough. 

<A version of this was previously posted here>

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God also says He is our stronghold.

“THE LORD IS GOOD, A STRONGHOLD IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE,

AND HE KNOWS THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM.” –NAHUM 1:7

A stronghold is a type of refuge, and it’s designed for times of war. When we retreat to our stronghold, we go to this one true God:

He Is Battle-Ready

In David’s war days, He and His enemies had strongholds. These fortresses were the places they would all run to when the battle became thick. There, weapons and rations were stashed. Strongholds are battle-ready. When enemies attack, regardless of how ruthlessly, a stronghold is a safe place to go and persist through the battle.

Our stronghold, our God, is just as battle-ready. And He is the victory.

Strongholds are battle-ready. When enemies attack, regardless of how ruthlessly, a stronghold is a safe place to go and persist through the battle. @BethanyMcIlrath
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He Has the Provisions for a Seige

Holding out in a fortress during battle does not work out so well if the stronghold is empty. We need provisions as we wait out the siege. Sustenance, nourishment, company…hope.

The Lord provides all that we need- even when we’re persevering through a ruthless attack. Even when we’re waiting out hardship.

He Is Our Defense

More than just a place, a stronghold is a strategy: a defense. Strong and made with solid material like rock, fortresses are designed to keep trouble out. The strongholds we read about in the Bible, especially those that guarded David, were no exception.

Our stronghold is big enough and strong enough to be a living shield. Though at times oppressed and attacked, those who take refuge in the stronghold of God will be delivered.

God is our Strong-hold: the strong One holding us in times of trouble and battle.
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“HE IS MY LOVING GOD AND MY FORTRESS, MY STRONGHOLD AND MY DELIVERER, MY SHIELD, IN WHOM I TAKE REFUGE, WHO SUBDUES PEOPLES UNDER ME.” –PSALM 144:2

{This post was originally published here}

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No matter how much we try to know, we don’t know it all. There are always opportunities we can’t see. The Lord is always at work on something we don’t even know needs work. It seems that knowledge, no matter how fervently we chase it, eludes us in some ways.

Relying too heavily on our limited knowledge leaves us with regrets…or at least in the position of having to decide between making choices based on what we know versus what we believe.

Have you had to make a choice that you knew was right but that you thought you would regret? I have. Over and over again.

A long time ago, I turned down a job offer. For a position I’d prayed for for years. Every bit of limited knowledge I had said “make it work,” that this was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. The Lord told me no. When I said yes to Him and no to the offer, I thought I would regret it soon.

The next day, another call came. Another offer. The same kind of position –but somewhere else with better hours and better pay (and what turned out to be amazing people.) And it came with the peace of the Lord.

All I had to do was wait one day. I couldn’t have known what was coming. I couldn’t have known that it could get better than that first offer seemed. I couldn’t have known that regret for a day would be erased by the Lord to make the slate clean.

Thank the Lord –He knew. Thank the Lord –He even washes our regrets anew!

That’s what happens when we regret and the Lord erases it. We take a slate that we’ve muddied and dirtied with doubt and with whole reliance on reason, and we toss it out. Regret makes it seem like there is no turning back and that slate is now useless forever. He erases it, He makes it clean.

Romans 8:27-28 tells us that “He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” (MSG)

Who would have thought that even our regrets could be used for the good of those who love Him?

Who would have thought that even our regrets could be used for the good of those who love Him?@BethanyMcIlrath
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For all the ways my knowledge fails me, I’ve found the Lord does not. Even when I fail. Even when my choices seem backwards, but right. He erases regret because regret it about my way –and when that slate is clean, He makes beautiful works of art that are better than anything I could ever dream.

Today I’m glad I turned down that job.

I’m glad that money has kept us at times from making decisions to do things more “typically” because we’ve had some amazing relationships out of it. I’m glad for some of my worst moments because, without some of the mistakes and brokenness I’ve regretted, I would never have let people into my heart as far as I have. These are some of my anti-regrets. These are what keep me saying “Yes, Lord” when I want to say “no.”

{A version of this post was previously published elsewhere}

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You remember the monumental moments of your faith.

When you take the first step of faith and your foundation is laid in Christ, it’s memorable.  Days, months, even years later when crucial decisions arise and you find that you indeed want to live with Him as your cornerstone, it’s big.

There are moments of obvious growth and transformation as piece by piece you’re built, a temple to glorify God.

The moment when you gave up on a certain sin and it stuck. That time when the Lord provided something extraordinarily spectacular.

But in the building of your faith to His glory, there is more than just the big, memorable, and obvious. There are also the nuts, bolts, screws, and drops of glue.

Little victories -these are what hold all of the major framework in place. @BethanyMcIlrath
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Little victories are as simple as:

• An unspoken prayer answered
• A silly picker-upper in your day
• A call at just the right time
• A gentle kick in the pants when you need it
• A reminder that you get to choose your attitude
• A verse that stays in mind
• An extra three minutes with nothing to do but get quiet with the Lord
• A song on the radio speaking to your heart
• A gift you needed but never asked for
• A smile and a hug, just warm and full of love
• A step out of bed when you feel you can’t get up
• A sunrise you wouldn’t want to miss when you didn’t want to wake
• A moment of clarity in a pattern of mess
• A laugh by yourself that just has to be loud
• A sense that you are not alone, even when you kind of are
• A little conviction from the Lord, coupled with grace
• A broken bad habit, maintained
• A Friday waking up to realize that you’ve formed a good habit in just a few days
• A glimpse into what may be coming, filling you with hope

Simple. So simple are these. But they are the thousands of “littles” that make for big faith. Remember the verse?

If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in large ones. (Luke 16:10)

Even a house with big beams and solid boards breaks and creaks if little screws haven’t secured the planks. @BethanyMcIlrath #RechargeWednesdayLinkup
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Look on your little victories as faith builders, not “almosts” or “steps.” They have a purpose too. Tack them in. Drill them in place. Hammer away with gratitude, with recognition, and praise. Those little victories are built to last.

When your house of faith rocks and shakes…

When you climb its steps and enjoy the view…

When another large addition is in progress…

When the Lord wants to show off His handiwork…

You’ll be glad for every short moment you spent ensuring that you saw the victory, the gift, and put it to work in your faith.

(A version of this post was originally published here.)

This post may also be shared on: #MomentsofHope, #DreamTogetherLinkup, #TestimonyTuesday, #RaRaLinkup,  #TeaAndWord, #TellHisStory, #RechargeWednesday, #Thought-Provoking Thursday, #Heart Encouragement, #LiveFreeThursday, #DanceWithJesus, #LLMLinkup, Faith-Filled Friday, Sitting Among Friends, Fresh Market Friday, and #SoulSurvivalLinkup.

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We can keep praying after.

God doesn’t say “cease praying” after the test results suggest the worst or the conversation ends terribly or the morning rush causes us to forget what we even read in the Bible that morning.

In our limited sense of time, praying after things seem “finished” can feel futile.

We sometimes act like prayer has a deadline before it’s “too late.”

Because, really….why pray about something that has already happened?

Can the Lord change even that which is in retrospect? Is He sovereign over history when it’s already been written? Scripture doesn’t suggest God retroactively answers prayers or puts us all in a supernatural time machine to perform miracles past (though God did turn back time once!)

Unlike our concept of “changers” in sci-fi movies that erase and replant memories to “change history, “the Lord is in the business of changing hearts. And while that may not change what has already happened, it does change our perspective. That makes all the difference.

Just because something is over to us doesn’t mean God’s done working it into good.

After you complete that nerve-wracking conversation, pray. Turn to the Lord. He can work in your heart to use that conversation for good. He does, after all, work all things together for the good of those who love Him according to His will and great purposes (Romans 8:28.)

He can also change the heart of the one you spoke to. Or the loved one who faced the tragedy. And even the course of that decision you made that you’re not so sure about.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO TURN TO THE LORD.

That should affect how we live in this world and how we relate to others. Forgiveness is all the more possible when we live according to the truth:

Grace has no expiration date.
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So pray after it all goes crazy, it all goes well, and you have no idea how any of it could go anywhere.

He remains faithful and is reigning over it all- past, present, and future.

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.” –1 Chronicles 29:11

{A version of this post originally appeared on First and Second blog}

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Words like these accurately describe God’s qualities, but sometimes we find them so obscure and over our heads that the awe gets lost. We pray vaguely aware that God can do whatever He wills- but the wonder and reverence get lost in the routine of it all.

When awe of God is stifled, we tend toward self-sufficiency instead of faithful surrender. CT

Today, join me in this little exercise in awe.

(I suspect our wonder at God and trust in Him over ourselves may increase just a bit!)

God is sovereign.

That means God has all the power to do whatever He decides to do.

Try this: 

• Command the rain to stop or the sun to shine
• Announce “let there be light” in the dark
• Tell a headache to just go away
• Call down pizza from heaven
• Change someone’s stubborn heart

God is omniscient. 

That means God knows everything- for better or for worse.

Try this:

• Plan what’s going to happen for the next 3 hours minute by minute
• Ask zero questions while doing everything you need to do
• Make decisions based on what you know for certain is going to happen
• Respond to other’s questions with complete confidence that you know what you’re doing

That means God is everywhere, all the time, without limit.

Try this:

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“Leave room for Jesus.”

That’s what we’d tease dating friends who always seemed to want to be close to each other. It was a light-hearted way to remind them that God’s way is better than our way.

The principle applies to much more than just purity in relationships though.

Franklin Graham, in his autobiography Rebel With a Cause, describes “God-room.” A mentor of his explained it this way:

“Listen, Buddy, ’God room’ is when you have seen a need you believe God wants you to meet. You try, but you can’t…That’s when you pray and leave room for God to work. You watch God close that gap.”

There are many reasons why it’s hard to leave that space for God to work…

Instead of walking by faith we like to stand on it, stick straight, saying, ‘Lord, I believe. I’ll take the next step when you light the path.’
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Faith requires acting before knowing for sure.
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Sometimes God points a direction, and, without explaining much, we’re just to obey and go that way. Obscurity, uncertainty included. That happened over and over again in Scripture.
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Notice that Hebrews 11:1 doesn’t say ‘Faith is waiting for things to be seen,’ but that ‘faith is the conviction of things unseen.’
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But then, think of what wouldn’t happen if we didn’t sometimes give up on ourselves and leave God-room…

Without faith, we’d never see more accomplished than humanly possible. The church wouldn’t have lasted past Christ’s ascension. You and I would still have no hope except for ourselves- and we can’t save ourselves. We would be living like we did before we knew Jesus and trusted Him for everything.

Without the God-gap, life would be like a land of rivers, lakes, and seas—with no bridges.

Today, I want to look at the chasms I can’t fathom crossing as opportunities to watch God work. How about you?

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Paul’s greeting to the church at Philippi warmly displays his godly affection for the fellow believers he was so invested in. Each expression of love in the greeting teaches us something about what it means to build one another up in Christ.

Let’s not gloss over this passage as a nicety.

Will you take it as an opportunity to examine yourself and your affection for fellow believers with me?

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi.”

–Ph 1:1

Point: Right away, Paul identifies himself and the recipients of the letter according to who they all are in Christ.

Q: Do you think of others as 'that busy, loud lady', 'the guy who never smiles' or… 'one of God’s people?'
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“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” –Ph 1:2

Point: We enter conversations with all sorts of intentions and baggage. Paul brings God’s good gifts right away instead of offloading his own stuff.

Q: Do you engage with others to extend God’s peace and grace first and foremost?

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” –Ph 1:3

Point: Every time we remember people is often a lot of times. And sometimes those remembrances are the result of grudges, suspicions, and other issues we haven’t let go of.

Q: Do you thank God for others when you think about them?

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” –Ph 1:4-5

Point: Joy accompanied Paul’s prayers for the Philippians. He was appreciative of their reaction to the Gospel and saw them as partners in faith.

Q: Do you rejoice about others’ faith, do you pray joyfully for others about their love for the Lord?

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” –Ph 1:6

Point: It’s easy to prescribe our own ideas of the work that needs to be done in others’ lives, as well as to worry about their growth. Paul trusted Christ to do the work and complete it- and he made that clear to his loved ones.
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Q: Do you speak confidently about God’s work in others’ lives? Do you trust God to work in others?

“It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart” – Ph 1:7

Point: Paul felt joyful, appreciative, and confident about God’s work in these people because he was deeply invested in them.

Q: Do you carry others in your heart in such a way that you are deeply invested in their faith?

“Whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.” –Ph 1:7

Point: In every circumstance, Paul recognized others as sharing in God’s grace with him. It would have been easy to withdraw or assume they couldn’t understand, making comparisons. Instead of drawing lines, Paul drew a circle of God’s grace around himself and others.

Q: Do you see others as sharing in God’s grace through your circumstances?

“God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” –Ph 1:8

Point: Paul’s longing was so sincere and so based in Christ, instead of being rooted in convenience, relational chemistry, or ancillary things held in common.

Q: Would you want God to testify about the way you have cared for others? Has that caring been Christlike?

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” –Ph 1:9-11

Point: Paul’s prayers for these beloved people weren’t focused on circumstances, wishes, or even trials. His main concern was their relationship with Christ and their progress in the faith.

Q: Are your prayers for others about them growing in and glorifying God?

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