That Pesky Thorn! (Part One)

Altars and Thorns Steal Victory

This past Sunday, one of the Scripture readings was taken from Judges 2.  Verses 1-3 caught my attention, not because of the Old Testament context, but for the New Testament application.  The fact is, these three verses have a lot to say to us today.  Let’s look at them.

“…I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed me; what is this you have done?”

“Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’” (NASB)

First of all, we see that God made a covenant, a promise, to His people.  He promised to be their God, to give them protection and victory as long as they followed Him.  The people, for their part, were to make no covenant, no compromise, with the inhabitants of the land.  The altars, the places and objects of worship of other gods were to be torn down.

God’s people did not obey in this regard, and there were consequences.  Because of their compromise and disobedience, they would no longer have victory over their enemies.  Instead, those things they allowed to remain would be like thorns in their sides, a constant source of trouble, frustration, and temptation.

God is Always There Ahead of Us

God is there ahead of us.  How true!.  I remember the Easter Sunday morning when Rachel was only 5 or 6 months old.  I had gone to a sunrise service on the beach. 

I locked the driver's side door of my 1984 Toyota Kijang and put my keys in my purse. On the passenger side, I put my purse on the front seat so I could get Rachel out of her car seat in the back.  Once she was in my arms, I picked up her diaper bag, ready to join the service.

Back door locked.  SLAM!

Front door locked.  SLAM!

“Oh no, no, no, no, no!”  My purse...with keys in it...was still on the front seat.  How stupid!  Of all days and places to do this – Easter Sunday morning in a place that was a long walk to anything useful.  I was certain it would to take hours of effort in the hot tropical sun to find a locksmith. 

Be Like a Sack of Potatoes and Trust God

A number of years ago, I gave Pam, my housemate, a ride on my motorbike.  She did not usually ride that particular kind of transportation, and was quite nervous about it.  She held on for dear life.  As we rounded a corner, she attempted to help “steer” by trying to turn me at my waist.  I had to laugh.  Our conversation went something like this.

“Pam,” I said, “you can’t steer the bike by turning me.”

“Well, what should I do?  How can I help you?”

“You don’t have to do anything at all.”  I pointed out a passing motorbike that had a big sack of potatoes strapped onto the seat. “Do you see that sack of potatoes on the back of that bike?”

“Yes, why?”

“Is it doing anything to help the driver steer?”

“No.”

“That’s what you need to do.  Just sit there and relax.  Be a sack of potatoes.”

“OK. Got it.  I’m a sack of potatoes. I’m a sack of potatoes.”

How different my daughter Rachel is when she rides with me. She doesn’t attempt to steer.  She doesn’t try to do anything to “help” me drive.  She just sits there and enjoys the ride, usually talking a blue streak or singing.  When she gets sleepy, she contentedly leans back and takes a nap in the special seat I have had made for her.  She knows that I can handle getting us to our destination.

As we go through life, we need to remember that God is steering the motorbike of our lives.  We can trust God to have things under control.  We don’t need to

When God Gives Us Peas

There is a song that my daughter has heard more often than any other.  I have sung it to her almost every night of her life just before she sleeps.  The song is based on the priestly blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV).

Rachel sings "The Lord  Bless You and Keep You"

The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.

On a humorous note, a couple times, Rachel showed me that she really didn’t “get it” when I sang this song.  Once, she stopped me just after the first line and said, “Mommy, that just doesn’t make any sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense, sweetie?”

“Well, God doesn’t bless us.”

“What do you mean?  Of course He blesses us.  Every day, in lots of ways.”

Rachel was thoughtful for a minute and finally conceded. “OK, maybe when we sneeze, He says, “God bless you!””  You’ve just got to love the way kids think.

But I must say that I found her second misunderstanding even funnier.  Again, she stopped me mid-song, just after the words and give you peace.  She obviously didn’t understand what peace means, because she asked in all seriousness, “Mommy, why does God want to give us peas?”

Harley Junior and I Find a Way of Escape

I have lived in Indonesia for over nineteen years now.  Nearly two decades have provided me with many experiences that have shaped my thinking.  Nearly fifteen years ago, Harley Junior entered my life. 

No, Harley Junior is not my husband. 

Harley Junior is not my boyfriend. 

Harley Junior is not even a person. 

And believe me...Harley Junior is very, very junior. 

Harley Junior is my motor scooter, an 85cc Honda that has faithfully transported me around this island for nearly 70,000 miles.  I’ve learned much about trusting God while riding on “Harley”.  I’ve discovered a lot about God’s provision and protection as Harley and I have ventured out of our home.

One time in particular, Harley and I were returning to the city after a weekend of ministry in the mountains.  The road snaked its way down the mountain making for quite a challenging drive. This time the drive was more challenging than most.

Picked Up by the Hand of Grace

My daughter Rachel was baptized this past Sunday.  She had been asking about baptism for over a year.  Finally, it seemed that the time was right.  She was one of three baptized that day, and was the only child. 

The service took place in the swimming pool of one of our church members.  The pastor led Rachel into water that was up to her chest.  When the he lowered her into the water, her feet floated up and she kicked her legs around a bit before she could get her feet back under her.  She came up out of the water, and I wrapped her in a towel and held her close.  I was so happy for her.

During the fifty-minute drive home on my motor scooter, Rachel fell asleep.  (Just so you know, I’ve had a special seat made for the bike so that she could sleep safely on these longer journeys.)  She woke up when we arrived at our gate.  I have been trying to establish a routine where we work together on certain normal activities.  For instance, when we get home, she closes the gate while I unlock the door of the house.  Often, she decides she wants to do something else other than her job.  If I remind her, she might say, “No Mommy, YOU do it. I’m too tired.” (Yeah, right.)

This time, though, Rachel went right away to do her job.  She commented, “Now

Where IS She?

Rachel and her best friend enjoy a meal together.

One day last week, I dropped my six-year-old daughter off at school at 7:00 am, and embarked on a particularly busy day.  I asked a friend if she could pick Rachel up from school because I had a meeting scheduled right at the time school was out at 10:00 am. She agreed.

I  was in the middle of the meeting when my cell phone rang.  Looking at the display, I saw my friend’s name.  Glancing at the clock, I saw it was time for school to be out.  Hmmm. A strange feeling came over me in the second or two it took me to answer, but my friend’s words sent my heart plummeting into the pit of my stomach.

“I’m at the school, and Rachel isn’t there!”