A Thousand Promises, A Mowed Lawn and a Hedge of Thorns

Even kids get disappointed, too - that's what I heard in one of my kids yesterday.

We've been really honest with the kids all along about where we are in a financial sense.  We don't always give them exact numbers, but definitely a good general sense.  We are never trying to put fear or stress into them, instead trying to be honest so they can learn from us, but yesterday one of them said, "But, it gets so disappointing when you've been at it so long and it doesn't seem like God is doing anything."

He said this because we'd just finished reading a series of verses that kept pointing to hope.  I'd read from Romans 4:18 that Abraham "believed in hope against hope."  My translation?  He believed when it made no sense.  It was such an encouraging discussion as we realized Abraham had only one promise, we have thousands.  Abraham had the Lord as his strength for sure, but he had very few, if any, faithful examples of other believers, whereas we have countless examples of heroes in the faith that we look to for strength.  Therefore, the devotional read, "it is simply to your advantage to rely with confidence upon the Word of God.  And although He may delay in sending His help, and the evil you are experiencing may seem to become worse and worse, do not be weak."  That was where my son said how disappointed he was that God hadn't answered as soon as he had hoped.

That took us into another verse about how God loves a mowed lawn.... what?!  Well, in Psalm 72:6 it speaks of how God is like rain falling on a mown field.  The interesting thing to note in this verse is that in order to send the rain and see God as refreshing it requires cutting.  We get "cut" in order to become like a velvet lawn.  In this case, it is not a lawnmower, but with God's tools.  He uses what the writer described as the "scythe of pain" or the "shears of disappointment" or even the "sickle of death".  That was so good to read.  It was good to share with my son.  All throughout the Bible, it went on, the Word of God compares people to grass.  God's rain comes when "desolation seems to reign".  I was able to tell my son, "God has been mowing us!  He wants to make us a velvet field of grass!"  I reflected with them all that God could have easily answered our prayers for financial freedom on day one of praying, but in His sovereignty He hasn't and I'm so glad!  We would have never stayed on our knees the way we have been.  We would have missed out on so many wonderful lessons that will stick with our kids forever.  We would have missed out on the many miracles He's done in our lives in the way He has provided in the 11th hour.  I think not only my son understood this, but we all did.

We read one more passage after that and this was one of the most powerful.  1 Chronicles 4:23, "These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges:  there they dwelt with the king for his work."  This had to be one of the most obscure verses I'd ever come across, yet it was easy to understand what the intent was right away.  The potters who were working with the king "dwelt among plants and hedges."  It just doesn't make sense.  If you are working for a king, the king should be in a palace and the potter should at least be living near, if not in, the palace as well.  But no, there they were among plants and hedges, with the king.  I told the kids to picture living in our hedge.  Not a pleasant place, literally full of thorns.  None of wanted to live there, yet I said, that is where we are!  We are living in the country, not in a place of importance, and yet God has us here with a few thorns in our lives... the mortgage debt, not a perfect set of vehicles or a perfect home, inconsistent work, etc. etc., yet the king dwells with us "for his work".  I would think a king could take out a hedge of thorns if he wanted to, but in our case, He hasn't, so we have to trust this king, don't we?  And, not unlike the potters, we are just an ordinary family, and yet He chooses to work with us.  All of these passages had us so encouraged yet again that we are right where He wants us.

I head to another small little obscure town tomorrow to give another seminar to a very small group of women.  It just doesn't make sense to go.  I am now losing money not making money.  Yet it is good experience for my girls and gives me another opportunity to share what I've learned through this book.  The truth is, I would still want to go even if it was for just a couple of women.  I'm praying God will use the time tomorrow for His glory.