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Climbing Rainbows

March 13, 2009 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Our sermon last Sunday was on Genesis 9, in which God makes a covenant with Noah after the flood. Our pastor pointed out that the rainbow was not a sign for Noah to remember God’s promise. Rather, it was a sign for God to remember His promise: “When I bring the clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh” (Genesis 9:14-15). It would do us no good to remember God’s promise if God Himself was not faithful to His promise. The rainbow reminds us that God will always remember His promise, and His remembering is powerful. Although we deserve another flood–our sin as individuals and as a human race is certainly deserving of God’s wrath–God has promised to not give us what we deserve, but rather to show us mercy by not destroying us with a flood.

Our pastor talked about one of my favorite hymns, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” In the third verse (my favorite), it says:

O joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain,

that morn shall tearless be.

He said that George Matheson, who wrote the words, originally wrote “I climb the rainbow through the rain,” but the words had been changed. He talked about how when we are in stormy waters in our life, we don’t need to simply glance up at the sky, see God’s rainbow and have happy feelings. (I’m paraphrasing here, hoping I’m accurately depicting his point.) When the waves rage around us, we need to climb out, grasping onto the sure promises of God. We can trust God’s mercy. He is faithful to keep all His promises. We can climb the rainbow in the rain and know the promise is not vain–tearless days are ahead in Heaven, if not in this life. We may still be in the rain, but His joy will not leave us when we are holding tight to Him.

Here is a link to “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” sung by one of my favorite groups, Indelible Grace, as well as the full lyrics by George Matheson:

1. O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

2. O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

3. O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

4. O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

My Complaining Heart

March 2, 2009 by Marissa 2 Comments

The Israelites are at it again. Grumbling, that is. A recurring theme in our BSF study of the Life of Moses this year is how the Israelites continue to grumble and complain in spite of all the wonderful things God has done for them. Last week, we studied Numbers 11, in which the Israelites once again complain about the manna God is miraculously providing for food each day. In our lecture, our teaching leader said that we often think we have the right to tell everyone how we are feeling at all times, especially if we are unhappy about something.

She might as well have been talking directly to me. Even with the sinfulness of complaining being pointed out to me again and again in this study, I still struggle with a complaining heart. I definitely think everyone around me needs the full story whenever something is bothering me, and there are plenty of things that bother me. I have to admit, one of the things I look forward to when my husband gets home from work is being able to unload on him all the hardships of my day. The complaining heart rears its head over and over again. And Numbers 11 reminds me that each time I complain, I am sinning and even rejecting the Lord and His provision for me (verse 20).

And then there’s the fact that I’m 31 weeks pregnant with my third child. Those of you who have walked in my shoes know exactly how this could lead to some complaining–complaining that even seems justified until you look at it through God’s holy eyes. When I first heard the BSF lecture on complaining last week, I thought, “People ask me how I’m feeling all the time. How am I supposed to answer honestly without complaining?” Our teaching leader pointed out that God desires our gratitude, regardless of our circumstances. I need to ask God to take away my complaining heart and replace it with a grateful one.

At first, I just aimed for outward change with regard to complaining. My husband may not have noticed much change yet–sorry, honey, I’m working on it–but I have tried to answer the “how are you feeling?” questions with less complaining and more thankfulness. Instead of cataloging every ache and pain for everyone who asks, I try to say I am mostly feeling good and thankful to be having a healthy pregnancy.

As I’ve made this outward change, I’ve noticed that there has been an inward change going on as well. The aches and pains don’t bother me as much anymore. They are simply reminders that God has given me the privilege of carrying this baby girl for 31 weeks, and that she is active and growing.

I still have work to do in this area . . . it is hardest to not complain to those I am closest to and other favorite topics of complaining that I need to deal with. There is a fine line between being honest about my struggles and complaining. While I want to be open and honest, I also want to glorify God with my speech and not grumble about any of the gifts He has given me–including my kids, my husband, his job, our home, and our finances.

The REAL test will come in 2 months when the baby comes and people ask, “How are you doing? Are you getting any sleep yet?” I better start asking God now to show me how to be thankful for sleep that comes in 2 hour increments!

Lessons from Leviticus

February 12, 2009 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Leviticus? Seriously? I never thought I’d write a blog post about Leviticus. I should have seen it coming when I started the BSF study of the life of Moses, Exodus through Deuteronomy. (I suppose there is a post on Numbers coming soon.) I don’t think I’ve ever studied Leviticus, other than a random reference here and there in other Bible studies. But as always happens with God’s Word, there are great lessons there. Here are a few that were especially meaningful to me:

In Leviticus 8, we were studying about the consecration of tabernacle and the priests. Our lesson asked the question, “Is there some area of your life that has not been consecrated (set apart) to the Lord?” This question was very convicting to me, and I wanted to write, “Is there an area of my life that HAS been consecrated to the Lord?” But I tried to narrow down some key areas that have not been dedicated to God like they should and came up with my perceived control over my life and the way I spend my time and money. I’ve been thinking lately about how I can truly consecrate these areas to the Lord.

In Leviticus 10, we read the troubling story of two of Aaron’s sons being burned up by God because they did not follow the commandments He had given them about sacrifices in the tabernacle. Our lessons often ask us what we learned about God’s character or attributes from the passage. This chapter showed me how serious disobedience (sin) is in God’s eyes. We know from elsewhere in Scripture that our sin is deserving of death, and Aaron’s sons got what they deserved. It showed me how great God’s mercy to me is–I have not gotten what I deserve. I have done much worse things than what Aaron’s sons did. And not only has God not burned me up on the spot, He sent His Son to take the punishment for all my sin that I might have eternal life.

In an overview of Leviticus, we read various passages where God gives the Israelites instructions about how to offer the various sacrifices He required. The lesson talked about how each of the sacrifices cost the worshiper something. It pointed to 2 Samuel 24:24, where David says he will not offer something to the Lord that cost him nothing. This was another convicting point for me. What have I sacrificed to God at a great cost? I volunteer in the church nursery once every three months, and that costs me very little. I am also leading the children’s choir, which carries a greater cost, and most of the time I don’t have a great attitude about that cost. My financial giving should be more sacrificial–am I truly giving something up that I want in order to give sacrificially, or am I giving what is left over? Contemplating the true meaning of sacrifice has changed my perspective about my service and giving to the Lord.

I also liked Leviticus 19:9-10 where God commands the Israelites not to harvest their fields all the way to the edges or strip their vineyards bare. They are to leave some for the poor and for travellers. This made me think about how I use my resources. When I know we have some extra money coming, I know we will tithe on it, but I usually have the rest of it spent, at least mentally, before it hits the checking account. And, apart from this commandment, it would be my right to use it as my husband and I decided. But in this commandment, God is telling His people not to consume all that they have a right to consume. I think this principle applies to me as well. I want to be more intentional about leaving some crops around the edges in a 21st-century sense . . . stashing some away for needs that arise so we are able to meet the needs of others.

Being a little girl’s mom

February 3, 2009 by Marissa 3 Comments

After a few years of experience as a boy mom, they tell me this one’s gonna be a girl. As excited as I am about buying pink, I’m a little nervous about this. (And not only because I spent most of my adolescence yelling hurtful things at my own mother.) The other day when I was praying for my kids and their marriages and future spouses, I was reminded again of the weight of responsibility that comes with raising a girl. When raising my boys to be godly husbands and fathers, I can point to their father and say, “Look at how hard he works to support his family. Look at how he helps me when he gets home and cares about spending time with you.” Thankfully, my boys have a wonderful example to follow.

But this little girl will learn the most about being a wife and mom from MY day-to-day example. What will she see? Will she see laziness and selfishness, or diligence and service? Will she see respect or resentment toward my husband? Submission or manipulation? Patience in disciplining my children, or a lack of self-control? Will she learn to be frugal and wise in her spending habits, or will she see me rationalizing and spending on my own desires? Will she see me seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, or will she see me seeking after the things of this world?

I am not perfect. There are sin patterns in my life that I know my daughter will see, and I pray that God will protect her from following when I am a poor example. I know that God is probably bringing a little girl into my life to provide even more accountability than my sons already have.

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