Here we get into the details about faith and life

Build the Altar

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. Genesis 8:20

It is easy to pass over these familiar words, but I invite you to stop and linger for a moment. The landscape that greeted Noah and his family upon their exit from the ark was very different from the one they left. Everything they knew from before was gone. There were no friends, no towns, no roads, no merchants, no goods … nothing. The earth around them had been scoured by floodwaters and here they were, alone and isolated.

Noah’s first response is worship. (Build the altar.)

This is the first time the word altar is used in Scripture. Now we know from Cain and Abel that worship, or at least sacrifices had been going on, but here the altar is highlighted. In chapter 6 Noah built the ark. In chapter 8, Noah built an altar. I suspect there is some effort behind that simple statement. Like gathering the stones, for instance. How far did he have to walk to find them? Yes, they were on a mountain, but had the flood washed away all the ones small enough to carry? Did he have to dig them out? And what about trees? Were there any trees left for the wood? Did he have to hack off a piece of the ark? How long did it take to get everything arranged?

Worship required effort. (Build the altar.)

Every clean animal and every clean bird. In chapter 7, God said to take seven of each of the clean animals aboard the ark. There were only seven in the world and here, Noah sacrificed one. He didn’t wait until a sufficient flock or herd had built up. He willingly offering to God what was, in real terms, very costly.

Worship is costly. (Build the altar.)

I had a tremendous opportunity to guide the study and discussion at a small retreat a few weeks ago. This was the first passage we considered. We posed a series of questions. How are you like Noah? Have you ever followed God, not quite knowing what you were in for, only to be dropped in an unfamiliar, maybe even hostile place? Was your first response worship or self-preservation? How effort goes into your worship? What does your worship cost?

You see, Moses wrote this account because there were things that Jehovah wanted His people to know about Him and how to approach Him. It is preserved to teach us as well. Considering Noah, I confess, worship is rarely my first response, and when I do worship, it is often cheap and lazy. So I’m sure it’s a far cry from the sweet-smelling savor in verse 21.

Right now, the most costly thing I could offer is time. I have none to spare. I am overbooked times three. But this morning, I got up early so I could have some quiet. Not reading. Not studying. Not planning or trying to organize what needed to be done. Just quiet. Waiting. Listening.

This season as we celebrate the God who not only preserves us through the flood but who became flesh and dwelled among us, I encourage you to make the effort, bear the cost of quiet moments with Jesus. I encourage you to build the altar.

One Thing

By Paula Wiseman

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” Luke 10:41-42

November is practically gone, and I’m still trying to figure out what happened to May. We’re traveling over Thanksgiving and Christmas. My December calendar is filling quickly with wrestling matches, band and choir concerts and church events as I’m sure yours is. Well, maybe not wrestling matches. Living under the tyranny of the urgent never gets any easier.

Many things.

What to cook. When to shop. What to buy. How much to spend. Where’s the list? I had a coupon. I ran out of milk. Do we have Tylenol? When to visit. Who to see. How to avoid the traffic. The interstate is down to one lane. I thought we had wrapping paper left from last year.

The next thing.

I tend to spend the holidays so focused on the “next thing” I’m not present in the moment. I rush. I fulfill obligations. I check off lists. I get things done. But I head into January exhausted rather than refreshed.

One thing is necessary.

Necessary means absolutely needed, essential, or required. If you don’t do anything else this Thanksgiving, this Christmas, be in the presence of Jesus. Get up early. Stay up late. Cancel something. Turn off the television. Hide your phone. Get away. But do it.

That’s what I’m doing this weekend. I’m taking a few days for that one necessary thing–being in the presence of Jesus, listening to what He has to teach me. I’ll catch you again in a week or so.

(I’ll post again November 28. Thanksgiving blessings on you and yours. It is a deep privilege to write for you. You mean more to me than you know!)

Not Ashamed of the Chains

By Paula Wiseman

The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. 2 Timothy 1:16

When Paul was hauled off to Rome for his final imprisonment, many of his associates abandoned him. Perhaps it was out of fear that association with him might mean their imprisonment. Maybe their confidence in him failed. Maybe they decided the relationship would be too difficult, would take too much effort and too much energy to maintain with the complications of imprisonment. Paul suspected they were ashamed of him. Whatever the reason, they dropped him when he needed them.

This time of year marks an intensified season of prayer for our brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. Paul’s testimony reminds that we have a responsibility to them.

Paul’s words echo Jesus’s statement of the gospel in action, namely to feed the hungry, to care for those in need and to visit those in prison. According to 2013 statistics over 2 million people were serving time in the United States, or roughly 1 in every 110 people. After the first year of incarceration, they are largely forgotten. Paul prays for the mercy of God to be extended to those who would minister to those in prison.

All of us know someone struggling with a different kind of chain. We know unbelievers who live in the chains of their sins. They can be difficult to engage. They don’t think or behave or react the way we do. Maybe we’re afraid of the association. Maybe we determine it would take too much time or effort or energy to reach out. Maybe we’re ashamed of them. We can’t ignore them because we have the only key.

Finally, unbelievers aren’t the only ones struggling. There are people all around us in the pews on Sunday morning wrestling with depression and other mental illnesses, or family breakups, or financial problems or addictions or any number of issues, and we are called to “refresh” them. The body of Christ is designed to be our safety net and the support network. Think of who you would call in a 3:00 a.m. crisis. If that friend, if that circle, is not part of the body of Christ, then the rest of us are failing you. And if we haven’t made ourselves that available to others in crisis we are not fulfilling our calling.

Investing in the lives of others is often hard and messy and thankless, but it moves the gospel from the theory to practice, from Sunday morning to Saturday nights or Tuesday afternoons. Simply put, it is Christlikeness.

When God Says No

By Paula Wiseman

The king summoned Nathan the prophet. “Look,” David said, “I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!” 2 Samuel 7:2

King David had in his heart to build a temple, a permanent temple so Israel could worship Jehovah. It was a good idea. David’s motives were honorable. Yet, God said no.

Let’s be honest, when we talk about God answering our prayers, what we really mean is God answering our prayers the way we want Him to. We rejoice and testify when He gives us what we asked for, what we want. Everything gets derailed when we don’t receive. We worry about our relationship with God. Our faith wavers. We grumble that He’s distant, uncaring, or untouched by our situation.

Scripture assures us that God hears every prayer we utter. Every single prayer. Sometimes the answer is just ‘no’. That ‘no’ and how we receive it can reveal more about our relationship with God than a ‘yes’ ever could.

It will tell us whether we love God Himself or just the things He does for us.
It will tell us whether we are surrendered to God’s agenda, or we expect Him to follow ours.
It will reveal if we feel entitled to God’s favor rather than clinging to His grace.
Do we truly believe God has our best interests always at heart?

Do we genuinely trust His plan for our lives?

Is our faith real or fake?

We find out when God says ‘no.’

Fireworks

By Paula Wiseman

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. Psalm 147:5

Through an unusual set of circumstances, my family got to go see a fireworks show this past weekend. The pyrotechnic expert works with my husband and he wanted as many people as possible to be there. I’ve seen dozens of fireworks shows over the years, in big cities and small towns, at the beach and in the mountains, from parks and riverbanks. This one was different.

A fireworks show in October is a unique opportunity. Then throw in the fact that the 30-minute, professionally done show was taking place at someone’s residence. (But not in town.) Then factor in how close we got to be, and it made for spectacular viewing. The colors were brighter. The booms were louder. We could feel the flash of heat from the ground displays. The aerial bursts filled up the sky so that it was impossible to take in the whole pattern. At times the showers of light reached the ground like a giant umbrella before burning out and fading away.

Thinking about the show the next morning, I saw some valuable insights in those puffs of halides and nitrates.

God wants us to see His great works. Ephesians 2 explains that He wants to reveal the riches of His mercy to us, to as many people as possible. He puts His handiwork on display all around us and in us.

God can be seen at unplanned, unexpected times. Sure, we expect to hear from God on Sunday mornings, or during a quiet moment, or even during a crisis. Seeing Him at work at where we never thought to look brings a new delight, and new confidence and reassurance.

God is even more awesome up close. The more we learn about God, His power, His works and His ways, the more awesome He becomes. The worship we offer is more vital, our response is more genuine and our faith is stronger as we become more intimate with God.

Where have you seen God at work?

Unexpected Directions

By Paula Wiseman

For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. Psalm 31:3

God often leads us in unexpected directions. That’s His way. I mean, think of Abraham, or Moses, or Gideon, or Mary, or any number of others. God definitely rearranged their life paths. So the question we need to settle is, how can you tell the difference between God’s leading and a mid-life crisis?

I don’t have a definitive answer, but here are some questions we’ve thought through/prayed over/studied out when God presented us with life-changers like moving 350 miles away from all our family, or publishing some books, or adopting, or starting seminary.

Will it glorify God and further His kingdom? Sometimes that glory comes simply in your obedience to His leading. Other times it’s more pronounced.

Does it suit your gifts? God gave you those gifts for a reason, namely using them.

Do you have peace? Now, this is not to say things are totally headache-free, but do you have peace about the change? Can you see yourself in the new place? Sometimes, peace even blooms into enthusiasm. Do you see the possibilities and potential?

Do your spouse and family have peace? When we moved, we both knew it was the right thing. There have been other times since then, that Jon has applied for jobs that would have required a move and the prospects made me queasy, and the kids threw down a flat-out no.

Will the change make you more self-sufficient or more God-dependent? Each of these times in our lives, we had to put ourselves in God’s hands for the outcome. With the adoption, we didn’t know where the finances would come from and we started the process anyway. (The finances worked themselves out.) Stepping out to publish a book or two, we had no idea what would happen but we put it God’s hands and He opened some amazing doors. With seminary, it was hard to see where Jon would find the time, but God has been faithful just like He has been in the past.

Change can be unsettling and nerve-wracking, but it can also be challenging and exciting. The difference is whether or not the unchangeable God is the one driving it.
Have you ever made a life-altering change at God’s direction? How did you determine He was leading you?