God in a box

Today: Isaiah 45-48

There are a lot of people who like to put God in a box. They put limits on His power, love, forgiveness and strength. Some people put God in a box with soap opera lighting--to them, He is eternally warm, fuzzy and happy. In contrast, others put God in a box that says He is cold, hard-hearted, empty and distant. To be honest, I don't think God belongs in either of those boxes. He is an infinite God--without limits. Though He never goes against His nature, His nature itself is complex: He is loving, but just. He is forgiving, but holy. He is personal, but all-powerful.

Take a look at His words from today's passage:

"...I am God, the only God there is.

I form light and create darkness,

I make harmonies and create discords.

I, God, do all these things.
"Open up, heavens, and rain.

Clouds, pour out buckets of my goodness!

Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation;

sprout right living.

I, God, generate all this.

But doom to you who fight your Maker—

you're a pot at odds with the potter!

Does clay talk back to the potter:

'What are you doing? What clumsy fingers!'

Would a sperm say to a father,

'Who gave you permission to use me to make a baby?'

Or a fetus to a mother,

'Why have you cooped me up in this belly?'"
Thus God, The Holy of Israel, Israel's Maker, says:

"Do you question who or what I'm making?

Are you telling me what I can or cannot do?

I made earth,

and I created man and woman to live on it.

I handcrafted the skies

and direct all the constellations in their turnings..."

When I read this, I realize how absurd it is for me to try and put limitations on a limitless God. It's silly for me to try and tell Him how my life and world should run...when He's the one who made me and set this world in motion. If he can craft the skies, He can definitely craft my destiny. If He can provide directions for the stars, surely He can provide some direction for my life.

My life may be composed of both discords and harmonies...and someday, perhaps I'll realize that the discords were designed as much as the melodies. Who am I to try and compose my life as a solo--when it's supposed to be a symphony created by a master composer?

God, plans and steps

Today: Isaiah 13-17

I'm a planner. Perhaps it's fitting that as part of my day job, I am a project manager. When I plan a product launch or a crisis communication plan or anything...I know that unforeseen obstacles may come up and shift the course of the project. Sometimes I will pad extra time into schedules to account for such events. In some cases, projects are entirely derailed or cancelled--and for good reasons. Things do not always happen as I plan.

In my work, I know this is absolutely true. Yet in my heart and in my day-to-day life, it is hard to swallow. I don't know about you, but I've had a few breathtaking moments where my life has taken unexpected turns for the best. However, I've also had times of frustration where I've hit roadblocks and find myself praying, "Come on, God--I really don't want to be in this place. I was supposed to be doing ABC in my life by now and it just hasn't happened. What's up with that?!?"

In these freak-out moments, I try to remember some of the things I know for sure...like this verse from Proverbs 16:9:

In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.

Combine that an excerpt from today's passage:

God-of-the-Angel-Armies has planned it.

Who could ever cancel such plans?

His is the hand that's reached out.

Who could brush it aside?

It's comforting and reassuring for me to know that God has a plan at work for this planet...and a plan at work for every single person on it (including me!). I think God likes us to pray and plan and go after the dreams He's given to us. However, He's the orchestrator of every good thing that happens in our lives. Here are few ideas to consider:

• God brings people together.
  
  God created all the people in this world and has certain relationships in mind for us. I'm not just talking about your husband/wife...but friends, family, mentors and more. Although God brings people together, we have to put effort into building and maintaining healthy relationships.
  
• God brings provision into our lives.
  
  God is the source of all we need--ultimately, He provides our homes, food, jobs, cars, etc. He gave us talents and time, but we often have to take tangible steps to use them. God may have a great job waiting for you, but you may have to first go to school and then apply for it--it's a partnership.
  
• God gives us wisdom.
  
  God hears and answers prayer. I think one of his most favorite prayers to answer? A prayer for wisdom (see Solomon's story for more on that one). God is always willing to give wisdom--but we have to ask for it, look for it and live in it.
  
• God changes us from the inside-out.
  
  I think God is the ultimate Transformer--He can take an ordinary life and shape it into something absolutely incredible. Often, His transformations are from the inside out. When we allow God to change inside things like our thoughts and our desires, our previous plans may shift--because our steps have been re-ordered.

Dinner? Or your destiny?

Today: Genesis 25-26

Some choices we make seem pretty arbitrary--your life is probably not going to be seriously changed if you choose to wear red tomorrow instead of blue. But if you had to choose between eating dinner or living the life you were destined to live, my guess is that you'd pick the latter...right? Right?

I hope so. But many times, I think we're tempted to make decisions that seem right at the moment, but can totally take us off track from what's best for the long term. In today's passage, a story about Esau and his younger brother, Jacob, illustrated this human dilemma:

Esau said to Jacob, "Give me some of that red stew—I'm starved!"...

Jacob said, "Make me a trade:

my stew for your rights as the firstborn."
Esau said, "I'm starving! What good is a birthright if I'm dead?"
Jacob said, "First, swear to me."

And he did it.

On oath Esau traded away his rights as the firstborn.

Jacob gave him bread and the stew of lentils.

He ate and drank, got up and left.

That's how Esau shrugged off his rights as the firstborn.

At first glance, it would be easy to judge Esau and his choice as, well...stupid. Esau gave up a blessing and an inheritance from his very wealthy father Isaac (a guy so rich that he had to move because his stuff was taking over an entire area and the neighbors were seriously jealous). And Esau gave it up for...lentil stew and bread (not even steak or lobster!). Esau rationalized his decision--it actually seemed logical to him at the moment.

I actually feel sorry for Esau. Everyday there are people who do the same thing--trading a God-given destiny for something that seems right at the moment. They rationalize their decisions--"I need this job! It's a paycheck." or "I'm lonely and he says he loves me." or "I need an escape and going out drinking with the guys is so much fun!" But how will their lives be impacted by these choices?

Sadly, it appears that Esau didn't learn to make wise long-term decisions from his dinner v. destiny mistake. Later in the passage it says:

When Esau was forty years old he married Judith,

daughter of Beeri the Hittite,

and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite.

They turned out to be thorns in the sides of Isaac and Rebekah.

Ouch. It looks like Esau didn't make the smartest decision about who to marry, either. I don't know about you, but I'm hoping not to have a thorn by my side for the rest of my life!

Even though Esau didn't learn from his mistake the first time, I hope we can learn from him. Pray for wisdom and when you're faced with a decision. Then ask, "How will this affect my future?" and "What could I be giving up by going this direction?" If you're giving up on God or what His Word says, run the other way. "Dinner" isn't worth your destiny.

(Acknowledgement: When I was a teenager, I remember hearing a message on this topic and passage by Pastor Steve Hage. I've heard gazillions of messages, but I never forgot this one. Thank you, Pastor Hage.)

Tomorrow: Genesis 27-29