Enduring the Heat

It is getting hot in Houston! In reality, I think a lot of people are struggling with the heat in a different way. I was reading Psalms 119 this morning (yeah, the really long chapter!) and stumbled across v. 83. It says:

               Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your statutes

Now, quite honestly, I have never seen a wineskin in smoke, but as I considered what The Lord wanted to convey to me...the imagery was pretty beautiful. When that wineskin hit the smoke and the heat, it was enduring a process. The heat has to be enough to produce smoke, but not so much that it would scorch the wineskin. In order to dry the wineskin out, it was going to have to endure the heat and smoke slowly, over a period of time before it would be pulled out.

How many times have you felt like you are suffocating in the smoke produced by the heat, the trials in your life? Have you been caught in a time of pressure, not so much to destroy you, but enough to wear you down? Maybe the worst part of it all is that it feels like you have been in the smoke and heat forever with no end in sight. Every Christian I know (me included) has faced times like this. The temptation is to quit or take matters into your own hands. To give God an ultimatum...you have been holding out for as long as you can, and He hasn't pulled you out...so you take matters into your own hands. 

I know this temptation...failed that that test a few times.

                                   But we need to see things as they are, not as we feel. 

How? The Psalter says," I do not forget your statues!" Better yet, in verse 97 he puts it this way, " O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day!" Or maybe you know verse 105 better, " You word is a lamp into my feet or a light to my path." I told Ashley I was in Psalms 119 this morning as I was walking out the door and she says, "have you gotten to verse 109 yet!" "My life is conintually in your hand, Yet I do not forget your law!"

The way that we endure, even find delight in our long trials, droughts, and tribulations is to be saturated by the Word of God. Being filled with his Word is like constantly filling a wineskin with moisture as it spends time in the heat. You won't become brittle...you won't scorch, you won't even dry out because the well spring of living water that is saturating your life. 

I can't tell you when a trail, especially a long one, will end. One thing I can be sure of is that when those trials are upon you...seek God in His word, and follow the light it puts out in your life...it may only be a lamp unto your feet or it could be a bigger light unto your path. Either way, it will always be enough! 

Are you Running Behind?

Many of you know that Christi and I have started running together since March. We have run over 100 miles since we returned from Israel! This is a big deal for both of us! If you would have met Christi when I did (5th grade Sunday School) you would have never thought that a word that would one day describe her is "runner." We love joking about it! I really am not a big fan of running either. I know I need to stay fit and I know that being disciplined in areas that I am not naturally disciplined is a big deal!

That said, Today I needed to be in the office a little early. So when we went running, we didn't have time to do our normal route. As we are running (Christi starts in the lead, and about half way through we switch places), about 1/2 mile in Christi turns around, begins jogging in place, waiting for me to catch up. When I get close enough she asks, "What do you want to do? Which way do you want to go?" Basically, Lead me...

No kidding, I as saw my wife jogging in place, waiting for me to catch up so that I can lead, the Lord opened my eyes! How many times do men (me included) let their wives lead and are happy just to follow? How many wives are running in place hoping that their husbands will get close enough simply to shout out some little bit of leadership in their family life, in their spiritual life?

I think between the shouting of the world at how unimportant gender roles are and the comfortable spot of not having to lead that many men find themselves in...we are leaving our wives out on a limb. They are stunting their spiritual growth because they are waiting on us. Having a good idea of what the plan should be, but longing for their partner, their husband to utter the words and lead.

Listen to what the Lord says in 1 Peter 3:7--

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

 

Men, we are not to put our wives out there to test the waters (Like Jacob did with his as he was approaching Esau). We are to show them honor! We are to value, lead, and protect them as we would a fragile, expensive, valuable vessel.  We can't do that from the back of the pack. We can't do that by letting our wives go their own way or even by letting them run in place. 

 

Maybe our prayers are being hindered by our lack of leading and caring for our wives. So let's neglect the movements that devalue God's commands for us. Let's be a little more disciplined in our lives so that we aren't always playing catch up with our wives. Pick up the pace, dare to lead and put yourself out there first...