Devotional | Paula Wiseman - Part 2

A Very Present Help

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Welcome to my Thursday morning exactly one week ago. We were heading out of town for a long weekend and I was trying to schedule Monday and Tuesday's blog posts. Instead of logging on my website, I got an error message. Essentially, it meant that although my website (and all the posts, etc. from the last two and a half years – Yikes!) was still there, it was invisible, at least to the system.

I did the only rational thing I could do at that point. I walked away.

But then, before commencing with the meltdown, I took a deep breath, and I prayed. I don't remember what I said exactly, but I'm sure it was deep and theologically profound like, "God, I can't deal with this today. I need to find a way to fix this now. Help me find a way to fix this."

I came back to the computer, and eight keystrokes later, it was fixed. Eight. Not eight hours or even eight minutes. Eight keystrokes.

Crazy.

But then again it's not.

Psalm 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." I tend to reserve that for "life-threatening trouble", but Scripture doesn't restrict it that way. Trouble is however I define it, and Thursday morning my website was trouble. Refuge and strength can mean that simple deep-breath moment. And I love the alternate translations for "very present" – well-proven, abundantly available, always ready.

While I need to remember that "help" doesn't always mean an instant fix, sometimes, it does. No matter what form trouble takes, God knows.

He is near.

Sheltering. Strengthening. Helping.

What's your 'present help' story?

Filed Under: Devotional Tagged With: Error message, Psalm

To the Fullest

By Paula

This past Saturday, I ran my first race. I've run for a couple of years now, but never really had much interest in racing. This was a nice easy 5K here in town and after some persuasion from a friend, there I was. I had three goals: Don't get lost. Don't lose my keys. Finish in under 36 minutes. (That's a little under a twelve minute mile pace. Not very fast.)

I met my goals. Maybe the reason I met them is they weren't especially audacious. I was number 82 out of 171. Runners and non-runners alike were very supportive and encouraging. 'You ran a race- that alone was a great thing,' they said. Truth be known, I should have been able to finish in under 33 minutes based on my times from this past summer. With training, effort and commitment, 27 minutes isn't impossible. But then again, maybe it is. 30-33 minutes sounds better to me. Doable, but not too taxing.

The thing is, that complacency invades the rest of my life, especially my spiritual life. I tend to settle for a life that qualifies as Christian, but doesn't require much effort or investment. I get satisfied with showing up and going through the motions.

In John 10:10, Jesus says "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." More abundantly. In the Greek, that's beyond abundant, superabundant even, or superior (in quality), exceedingly, beyond measure. Life to the fullest.

The best part about it- I don't even have to break a sweat. The hard work has already been done.

Are you living that superabundant life? What's holding you back?

Filed Under: Running Lessons Tagged With: 5K, Christian living, John 10:10, Running

A Football Lesson

By Paula

Last week, my son got moved from his spot on the kickoff team. The possibility that he would spend the entire game on the sidelines loomed. He was crushed. He said, "What have I done to make God so angry that He would do this to me?"

Wow.

His sensitivity astounds me, but he makes a fundamental error that many of us make. He assumes God MUST be angry, MUST be punishing him because something bad happened. He might be, but that's not always what's going on. As we tried to work through this, I asked him what else God might be doing.

His first answer – protecting me. Sometimes a setback serves to protect us. The thing is, because it works, we'll never really know what it was or how effective the protection was. At least not in this life.

His second answer – teaching me. Times of disappointment teach us more about ourselves and more about God than the good times ever could.

His third answer – making me stronger. It's a lot like teaching. Difficulties make us stronger.

His last answer – I don't know. Sometimes hard times have some other purpose behind them. Job never knew what purpose his trials served. Granted the scale is much different, but Alan may never know why he was moved off the kickoff team.

I told him in some ways, it's like his vaccines. When he was a baby, he couldn't understand why they were necessary. He only knew I let him hurt. Because I couldn't explain it, all I could do was comfort him until the hurting stopped. Now that he's more mature, he knows why he had to get the vaccines. For some reason we don't understand now, God let him go through this hurt. We may understand it later, but we can be sure God's ready to hold him close until the hurt goes away.

So Sunday night at church… he sang "Blessed Be Your Name".

There's a thing or two I hope he does know – what he's made of, how proud we are, and how much God, his Daddy, delights in him. Because He does.

Filed Under: Alan, Devotional Tagged With: faith, worship

When It Doesn’t Fit

By Paula

As Jesus worked His way toward Jerusalem for the last time, He concentrated on preparing the disciples for what was ahead.

Knowing what we do now, it's hard to grasp how utterly beyond their imagination His death and resurrection were. Experience, culture and presuppositions gave them an unshakeable picture of how the kingdom of God would happen. Their picture was vastly different from His. They had faith in Him. They believed His words, but they just couldn't fathom what He was about to do. It didn't fit.

I've been there. I have faith in Jesus. I believe His words. I know Scripture is telling me the truth, but I just can't… make it fit.

Here's how the disciples worked through that.

1. They stayed close to Jesus. Unlike the crowds who walked away, they knew He was their hope, even if they weren't sure how.

2. They kept listening. Jesus kept teaching. They didn't understand it, but they listened. Later, all those things made sense.

3. They got even more confused before it was over. The Last Supper. The Garden. The silent Saturday spent in hiding. During those dark, anxious times, the disciples were sure they had everything wrong.

4. The quest gave way to worship. Face to face with the risen Redeemer, the questions and the need for explanations faded away.

How do you work through faith struggles?

Filed Under: Devotional Tagged With: Christian living, faith, trust

Attacked While Running

By Paula

(To my friends who have heard this story… I ask for your patient indulgence.)

I'm typically cautious when I run. I don't use headphones so I can hear everything around me. I make sure I'm visible. (My favorite black shirt is retired for the season because it's so dark in the mornings now.) I carry my cell phone, and I really watch the pavement for uneven spots.

Yesterday, I headed out, ready to conquer my 'southern' route. Early out the road dips down toward a creek between the grade school and a wooded park. (It's nice to get that hill out of the way.) I had run the downhill side and was just about to start up when I got hit on the top of my head! My first thought was that it was a bat – a fat, clumsy bat, maybe. I didn't see anything though. I hoped it wasn't somebody in the woods throwing rocks at me. Finally, I decided it was something from the trees, a piece of bark or something that seemed bigger than it was because it surprised me. Okay. Whew.

Then it happened again!

And this time I saw it. An owl. A good-sized owl had thumped me. (I say 'thumped,' because there were no talons involved. Thankfully!)

After a little investigation, we found out she's a barn owl, and a regular 'thump-er.' At least three other runners have encountered her. The Department of Natural Resources tells us that in a few weeks – maybe when her babies are bigger, or gone – she won't be as aggressive. Even so, this morning… I changed my route. Just to be safe.

So what's the lesson?

1. Even if you think you're cautious and well-prepared, attacks can come from the most unexpected places and using the most unexpected means. I've seen plenty of deer, dogs and even one skunk on my morning runs, but it was the owl that got me. We can be prayed up, studied up, tight with God and that doesn't exempt us. Don't be surprised or dismayed. Which brings me to my next lesson…

2. Keep running. Granted, I checked more than once to make sure I was just sweating and not bleeding, and I was really jumpy for the rest of the run. but I kept going. I ended up making both my marks for distance. I didn't let the attack prevent me from reaching my goal.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Filed Under: Running Lessons Tagged With: 1 Peter, barn owl, Hebrews, Running