Guest Devotionalist -- Aaron Gansky

Guest Devotionalist -- Aaron Gansky

Namesake

(part 2)

By: Aaron Gansky

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

1 Kings 19: 11-13

What then, is most impressive about Elijah? Which miracles should we pick to recognize and marvel over? Clearly it's when he challenged four hundred prophets of Baal to a deity Smack down in the vein of the WWE. The odds were hardly in his favor, but his unwavering faith was rewarded. God, likely with a divine suplex, knocked Baal down for the count. And Elijah, His servant, commanded all four hundred prophets to be led to a river and slaughtered. Impressive.

But that's not why my second son is named Elijah.

Of course, then, it must be when he raised the poor widow's son from the dead. You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? What, then?

My son is named Elijah because Elijah ran away.

Really?

Really. See, the miracles, as impressive as they are, they don't reveal who Elijah really was. A prophet? Yes. An amazing prophet? Absolutely. Human. Exactly. Elijah made mistakes like so many others. But here's what Elijah did after his mistake. He made up for it.

Shortly after he had the prophets of Baal slaughtered, the wicked Queen of the land asked for his head on a platter. Elijah got scared and ran. This isn't what God wanted, per se. So God had a short conversation with him. Something to the effect of "Why you runnin', son?" To his credit, Elijah answers truthfully. "Uhm, Lord, I'm peein' my pants over here. This really bad woman wants me dead, and she can do it. I'm all alone."

God says, "Meet Me on the mountain." Elijah does. And he has to endure a harsh wind, an earthquake, and a fire. See, if it's me, I'm gone after the earthquake. That's when I start thinking, "Oops, guess God ain't too happy with me." But Elijah stays. There's his faith. God said, "Meet Me here," and by golly, I'm going to.

More impressive is God's gentle question-"Why are you here?" And his answer to Elijah's concern, "I'm all alone." God said, "Go back and anoint new leaders." See, this action provided for Elijah's concern, but also required faith on his part. Elijah never seems short of faith does he? Well, maybe just when he's running away.

So you see, my son is named Elijah because he's human. He'll make mistakes. He'll have doubts. But, eventually and unfailingly, he'll return to the service of God.

At least, he will if I serve God. His faith will be a measure of my own. And there's my challenge. More accurately--there's our challenge.

Where would God like to meet you? Are you late for that meeting? Are you waiting through the winds, earthquakes, and fires? Rejoice. God's gentle whisper is just around the corner.

Aaron is an author and creative writing teaching living in California.

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned: but time and chance happen to them all. – Ecclesiastes 9:11

I walked a path once that required more of me than I was willing to give, more than I could afford to sacrifice. And remaining on the path would have meant losing sight of who I was. I’d trudged across the potholes, leaped a few crevices, and balanced my way across a few slick logs to get to a better side – even had a good friend say, “You really need to look deep into those things, find the demon that gnaws at you.

This path I had walked held a lot of vested interest. I’d put years into following the road, dodging oncoming obstacles, and even prided myself that I’d found a parking place at the end – one with a view. So when looked and found my tires a little flat, I realized the success had been less than kind to my vehicle.

All the efforts I’d put into this journey, all the time and care, seemed to have been sucked out of me. Things bubbled to the surface and I found myself floundering. I had run a good race, remained strong and faithful, yet still, harsh things happened. I had prepared for mishap, readied myself for the future, so I thought − but when things began to go array I couldn’t understand why.

I asked my friend “What does this mean?”

His reply. “Doesn’t matter if you’re the strongest solider in the battle if you happen to be the one who gets struck by lightening.” I had to chuckle at his simplistic yet effective answer. He was absolutely right −it all comes down to chance. Life happens to us all, unexpected, unwarranted, and uncalled for at times, but it happens. Regardless of the time and effort we place on the task at hand, anything can happen because life is still abundantly active. Who we are, what our position is, or how well we perform has its benefits, but in the greater scheme of things, if we’re the ones who get struck by lightening, it doesn’t matter.

I wondered for a moment then posed the question to the Father. “What does it matter?”

“But it does matter.”

“Not if you’re the one who gets struck by lightening.”

“Trust me, it matters.” the Father spoke. “It’s important you do your best in all that you do. It matters to me.”

“But if wealth can’t help, if strength and hope can’t stop bad things from happening then what is the point?”

“Point? There is no point. There is only the joy in serving me. Enjoy the talents and abilities I’ve entrusted you. Life happens, but it is full of wondrous and divine rewards. The bad is rare. The good far outweighs the bad. Work at all you do and I will lead you past the hard parts.” I nodded in agreement.

Time and chance will take its toll from time to time, but the efforts never go unnoticed. God always loves our efforts.

He Heals the Broken

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalm 147:3

I trailed through the hallway in the dark, pushing open the door to the computer room. I could open one eye. The other squinted shut. It had been a long week. And, though the conflict that raged within me was twenty-three years in the past, my heart still ached.

I sat down in my chair and spun around to the window, peering into darkness. Even the sun had the good sense to stay in bed an extra hour. However, God gently shook me and whispered, “It’s time,” Little did I know He had something on His mind.

The Father amazes me – astounds me at how He perfectly plans the details. Looking ahead, He sees what lies on the roadway before us – the things that may trip us. He immediately goes into overdrive to prepare those we need, to see us through. When God finds that little crack in the core that allows Him access to our heart, He wastes no time in making ready the opportunity to move in our lives.

I’ve come to the conclusion, every single one of us have things we’ve hidden deep in our hearts. Things we’ve told ourselves are forgiven and forgotten, but really aren’t. They lie buried just deep enough to be a nuisance – never really rearing their head, but never leaving our hearts either. They’re just there, festering. We tell ourselves, with great pride in our voices, “I’ve overcome that. Moved on.” But, it’s a lie because moving on means, truly moving on. We tend to grasp hold of the smallest detail of the past and cling to it as though it were our lifeline, afraid to loosen the grip and trust that God will catch us should we spiral out of control.

God knows us better than we could ever know ourselves. He understands why we harbor those certain tidbits of the past and He knows why we have difficulty letting go. I find it frustrating that when the Father knows these things, He doesn’t just point His finger and fix them. After all, we’ve made changes in our lives, made successful attempts at getting past the issues. Why doesn’t He just fix the left over?

He leaned over my shoulder and said, “For the same reason you let your children learn. The experience teaches. I never wanted the bad things to happen in fact, I held great hope they wouldn’t. But Satan plays a role in this world as well. I spend a good amount of time cleaning up his messes.”

“Is that so?” I ask the Father. “You’re God, just fix things.”

“I am God and I do fix things. But I cannot work in you until you allow me access. When I see the crack in the foundation, it becomes my desire to pry it open allowing it to bleed. It has to bleed – drain, get all the painful things out.”

“Oh, but what about fixing it?” I asked.

“After the pain drains, I can clean and repair the break. I always heal the brokenhearted when they allow the efforts. They must be willing, prepared, and ready.”

Suddenly, I figured it out. The picture of Christ, torn and bleeding had new meaning. My bleeding was nothing in comparison to His. My wounds were superficial. His were deep. So, again, I am humbled – I am healed.

Prayer: I am Yours to heal Father. Take me and shape me. Heal m

Hoping

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. -Romans 8:24,25

We’ve all heard the expression, “Let’s hope for the best.” It’s commonly used for any type of situation we that may befall us. I began to think, exactly what do we hope for? We never hope for the joys we already have, only the things we do not have.

The book of Romans is filled with thought provoking instances. Paul was probably in Corinth when he wrote to the Romans in this letter. His “hope” was to revisit them somewhere along the way, however until that visit he made great effort to train them in his “hope of a personal” ministry for their church members. The wisdom packed in the pages of the letter to the Romans is amazing.

Throughout his ministry, Paul spoke of a continuing hope, a burning desire to minister to each other as well as to those outside the confines of the church. He wanted to “fine tune” us, so to speak. When he wrote the scripture, “Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait patiently” he made a major impact on the thought process of the church.

We hope and wonder what will happen in our lives from day to day. Usually, it’s the things we have high expectations for that we wish for the most. However, Paul makes a good point. If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait patiently. That puts a new spin on what we wish for. This remark takes the limelight from our personal desires to the desires of necessity. Hoping for things we do not yet have. The tables now focus on the needs and not the wants. When we learn to hope with a pure faith that God will provide the needs of the church, then we are falling into a humility that is precious–trusting fully in His saving grace.

What do you hope for? Is it to see the next NFL football game or to go to the next big dinner function. Or do you hope for the things your inner most life does not have? I urge you to intentionally ponder that question? What does your life lack spiritually? Pray for it, hope for it, and wait patiently to receive.

Prayer: Holy Father, God of all Creation. May we find our hope in You, and You alone.

When We Feel As Though We Can't Go On

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. --Isaiah 40:28

There are days when I peer over the rim of my glasses and think to myself. “Shish, will this day not end?” Haven’t you felt like that before? The demands of work and family simply seem to send us into overload. A good friend used an excellent analogy that I think is fair to borrow. He said, “Fog. It’s like I’m in a fog.”

We all tend to overload our plates. After all, the world is much faster paced than it used to be. There’s more to do and less free time to do it. We’re being pulled apart from every angle. Someone wants something every time we turn around. Suddenly, we snap like a twig.

I believe there is something to be said for learning to listen to that still small voice which God offers us. There are times when, if we listen, the Father is saying, “Wait a minute, take a break. I can’t work through you when you’re worn and tattered.” Do we listen? Of course not, we continue on our merry way piling and heaping until neither our bodies nor our minds can function.

I’m in a phase in a phase in my life right now, where the Father is teaching me to slow down. The bad part is, I’m kicking and screaming the entire time. I love the words of Isaiah when he asks two questions – and he asks them somewhat dumbfounded that we don’t get it. He says, “Don’t you know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the end of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Isn’t that great? Isaiah is dumbfounded those listening haven’t figured out God doesn’t tire. We do. So it’s our job to rest. God has things under control.

Whether it’s work, or home, or even our work within the church, there are times we all tire. The feelings of “I feel as though I can’t go on” hits us between the eyes. Sometimes, it’s okay to stop things and step back, re-evaluate what we’re doing. Test the waters to see if we are pacing ourselves so that God can work through us appropriately. We are not required to do God’s job of overseeing the world, and we’re pretty presumptuous to think He needs our assistance. Instead, we need to focus on the life that renewed within us. Take our obligations seriously, such as rearing our children to know Christ, setting the example for those who we meet daily, worshiping the Father, and making time to know Him fully. He’s got the rest under control. Sit back, rest for God does not tire or grow weary. He will carry us through.

Prayer: We are tired, Lord. Our minds stressed and our lives are whizzing past. Help us to slow the pace so that we are worthy and able to be the servants You wish us to be. Give us rest.

Depressed

Lexie flipped on her computer. The light from the screen caused her to squint her eyes. It had been a long night. She’d finally dozed off to sleep around 4:00 a.m. As the screen raised the curtain on the cyberworld she again saw the message from Trish.

This is it. I can’t take it anymore. I’m finished. –Trish

Lexie’s heart sank as she took in the message once more. She didn’t realize Trish was so desperate. And when she called her, she was surprised that her tone was so normal. It had been a hard decision to call Trish’s family, but it was one she was glad she’d done. Trish might be angry now, but later on, she’d come to understand.

Depression plagues thousands of Americans daily. It’s side effects lead to eating disorders, ulcers, mental issues, and even death. Intervention is equally as hard. Being the one to step in and say, “Okay, let’s get through this together” is not always the most popular choice. However, it’s usually the best.

In a world where a physician can write a simple prescription to help us over the hump, we tend to forget the other forms of help which are available. Counseling, support groups, prayer warriors, and most importantly, Christ. Jesus offered such peace over and over again.

John 14:27 tells us, “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Though these were the words of Jesus to his disciples just before His death, they are still very comforting thoughts.

Within us lies the ultimate ability to lift our hearts to the Savior – to open a tightly closed subject and allow our vulnerability to show. It’s frightening to offer ourselves to the open arms of a Savior we can’t physically place our eyes on, but it’s all about faith and trust. It’s about letting go and falling into the arms of the one who promises us a peace beyond belief.

Do we continue to worry? More than likely – we’re human. But taking the first step to seek help or come to the aid of someone who is in need is a step in the right direction. Trust, faith, hope and love.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to keep my eyes focused on You. Even when I think I can’t see You help me to look into my heart where You dwell.

What Happened to Easy?

Jeffery enjoyed an early success in business. When he launched his computer store he allowed God to be the first one through the door. Each morning he sat in his car and prayed before he unlocked the doors. As the business grew he began to hire additional help. Like any business owner expects, some of employees were hard workers while others could care less. His stress level grew, and it wasn’t long until his early morning prayer time went by the wayside. He began to manage on his own. Frustration and anger replaced his joy. Jeffery began to wonder why God allowed this to happen. After all, he’d begun the business with Christ as the center. Suddenly things became hard. What happened to easy?

It doesn’t take much to throw us into a quandary. Just a few small incidents and we fall apart at the seams. Whining, pouting, and feeling sorry for ourselves becomes the norm. That’s when it becomes easy to blame God, and Satan rejoices.

He loves to kick us when we’re down, then instill doubt and frustration. Satan leaps for joy when he sees us lay prayer to the side and attempt to make it on our own.

This same theory applies to our Christian lives. Things run smoothly for a time and then ca-whump. We hit a bump. Satan moves in for the attack. He sees us flailing, wandering by the way, and it’s time to add his two cents worth of bad encouragement.

“If God really loved you, He’d never let you lose your way. What kind of God would lie to His people or let you flounder?” snickers Satan. The worse part of this scenario is, as humans we’re easily deceived and convinced that God wants us to suffer.

1 John 4:16 tells us, “…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him.” Now how is it, we fail to recognize this when the road gets a little rough? God loved us so much He sent His son to die for us. That’s an amazing love – one at times, we find difficult to fathom.

How do we fix these moments? The easiest remedy is to look upward and sing His praises. Rejoice in the moments of frustration, offer them up to God as His, and let Him comfort us. His love will never fail us. He will help us to overcome if we only trust.

The next time you’re feeling like a fish swimming upstream; stop, reassess, and then fall to your knees. Give up control and feel the arms of God drape around your shoulders. He will never fail you.

Prayer: Precious God, forgive me when I allow myself to be consumed by my own selfishness. Allow me to live in You.

**A special thank you to Melanie Dickerson, fellow writer, prayer warrior, friend, and my Visine for the soul. God places her perfectly to get me over the writing humps.***