Your Ways Are Higher Than Mine

I want mountains to move, You want me to climb.

Video: Your Ways Are Higher Than Mine  | The Collingsworth Family

It's not what I prayed for

It's not what I wanted

It's not something I understand

My circumstances seem so confusing

I'm placing it all in Your hands

Your ways are higher than mine

I want mountains to move

You want me to climb

So I'm gonna trust Your work, 

Your will, and Your time

Your ways are higher than mine

One day I'm sure

I will look back and marvel

At how You knew best all along

You see from Heaven

You know it's the hard times

That make my face steady and strong

Psalm 131:1-3 LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD— now and always.

Redeemed And Regretting

It must confuse the world when God's people lose their joy.

Exodus 15:22-24 Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. 23 When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). 24 Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.

Exodus 16:1-3 Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. 3 “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

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In the previous post we saw that God's people were redeemed and rejoicing as they stood on the banks of the sea that had just swallowed up their enemies. After hundreds of years living in bondage they were redeemed from the kingdom of darkness! 

God's people just got out of church, it was the best worship service ever, they sang the first praise and worship songs ever and nobody complained that they didn't know the song or that the music was too loud. (Exodus 15:1-21) 

But the best worship service ever wasn't enough to stop them from complaining right after church was over. The amazing things that God did for his people were quickly put aside as they left the worship service. 

The people looked at their situation and quickly turned the amazing things that God did for them around so that it was a curse instead of a blessing. They failed to acknowledge that God's goodness is the reason they are out in the wilderness on their way to his next promise. 

The redeemed and rejoicing so quickly became the redeemed and regretting!

Exodus 16:3 “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned.

Instead of continuing to praising him they turned into complainers that didn't appreciate what God did for them. They looked back and decided it would be better to be dead back in Egypt than to be dead in the wilderness. 

Say what!?! Either way they would be dead! The fact that they are in the wilderness meant they had experienced God in a bold new way and they should expect that they will see him work for them again. 

Our unmet physical needs are the quickest way to get distracted from what really matters. It is difficult to trust God spiritually when you are doubting that he will provide for you physically. It is easy to see that we need to grow up when our first thought is "What do I get out of this?" rather than "How can I please God in this?"

God Is Sufficient For Our Needs

1. God leads you into places of need so that you will look to Him to meet those needs. 2. When you look to the Lord, you’ll see His grace and glory to be your sufficiency. 3. The manna points to Jesus Christ, the true bread of life that comes down out of heaven to satisfy your soul. 4. You must daily make the effort to lay hold of Christ as bread for your soul. -From "Raining Bread From Heaven" (bible.org)

God allows us to have unmet needs so that we will learn about him and so we can learn something about ourselves as well. God already knows our heart, so when the ultimate heart doctor gives us a test, it is for our benefit. The test result show us things about ourselves that can be shocking to learn.

The worship service shouldn't be an event that is done for a set amount of time, it should be a lifestyle that continues all week long, but God's people lose their joy so quickly that the rest of the world must get really confused. They can't see God's glory in us and long for what we have because most of the time we don't seem to have much that they should desire to have.

God's people often feel that if they just grumble to a close friend that will be discrete with the information then it's okay but they fail to acknowledge that God hears it all. The Bible tells us four times that while the children of God were whining in the wilderness God was listening to their ungrateful attitude and he wasn't pleased. (Exodus 16:7-12)

Exodus 16:7  In the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?”

Exodus 16:10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.

God used the wilderness experience of Moses to prepare him to lead his people and now the entire nation was going to be in God's wilderness classroom. They would see God's glory just as vividly as Moses did in the burning bush and they would also doubt God just as Moses did. They could see the awesome glory of God but they still couldn't take their eyes off of themselves. 

The people that met Jesus when he came to our world failed just the same. The true daily bread from Heaven miraculously fed thousands from a boy's lunch box and the same people respond to Jesus the next day by focusing on themselves so much that they missed the long awaited Messiah. (John 6:1-71)

We need to appreciate God's goodness toward us even after the emotional high of a big event begins to wear off. We have "crossing the Red Sea" moments in our lives that should change our relationship with God but too often we miss out on truly seeing him, experiencing him and learning from him.

Thank you Lord for your presence in my life! Help me to see your glory in the big moments so that I can learn that you are sufficient for all of my needs. I need to acknowledge that your goodness brought me to this place in life and my wilderness experience is a classroom that I shouldn't complain about.

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Redeemed For God's Glory

We think it's all about us but God's plans are bigger than that.

Exodus 14:10-13  As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, 11 and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 

12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” 

13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.

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We saw in the previous post that God saved his people from the sting of death and the world reacted by sending them away. The Egyptian people had enough of God's power being used against them but they were not ready to change their ways. They chose to stay with their powerless gods that didn't do anything to protect them from the real God.

It didn't take long for Pharaoh to get over the death of his firstborn son and think about what he had just allowed to happen. The Egyptians asked each other "What have we done?" but they are not the only ones asking this question, God's people also had their share of regrets for leaving. (Exodus 14:5, 10)

When the report came in that the Hebrews were in a vulnerable position that Pharaoh could use to get them back, he thought it was all about him, he didn't realize that God allowed him to see this irresistible opportunity for a bigger purpose.

When God's people saw that Pharaoh was coming after them and they saw their helpless position between the mountains and the sea, they thought it was all about themselves. Just like Pharaoh, they saw their circumstances from a selfish perspective, but that's exactly what we all would do. 

It isn't natural to view our trials and suffering from God's point of view, we think about our safety and our chances of survival just like they did, but God allowed his wrath to be seen by his children as he judged the world to teach them some lessons that they would never fully embrace.

God's people need to learn that:

1. God is sovereign over all things, including the trials that come into our lives, it is difficult to understand that not only does he allow trials, he also sends trials. 

2. God sends trials and difficulty so that he can show his glory to his people and to the rest of the world. The supernatural way that God saved his people, proved that the little gods that man creates are nothing compared to the strength of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob's ancestors.

3. God ordains trials so that we will trust Him to deliver us. God wants us to cry out to him in faith, but sometimes he wants us to stop crying and get to work. Just like God told Moses to end his prayer meeting and get to work, we can also be slow to put our faith into action. (Exodus 14:15)

Exodus 14:30-31 That is how the LORD rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore.

31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

God revealed himself to the Egyptians in a very special way but as plain as the evidence is, most of them were still blind to the truth, they rejected all of the obvious displays of God's power that should have proved to the Egyptians that he alone is God but they still rejected him. (Exodus 7:5, 9:16, 14:4, 14:18)

Satan is happy if we have a god or two just as long as it isn't the God and only the God. Satan is pleased that most people believe in the idea of God as long as they don't believe in a biblical view of God. We try to change who God is and what he requires of us so that we can feel comfortable about our lives and our destiny after death but God is perfect and therefore he is unchangeable. (Psalm 53:1, Romans 1:18-19, Hebrews 1:10-12)

Philippians 1:28-29 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.

We have been saved from the kingdom of darkness and evil to live as pilgrims and ambassadors that represent a better country that will be our future home for eternity. (2 Corinthians 5:20, Colossians 1:13-14, Hebrews 11:13-16)

We have not been saved from the trials of this life. The same God that asked Abraham to leave home is the same God that asked Noah to build a huge boat and he is the same God that led his children to Egypt to suffer for hundreds of years.

Exodus 18:10-11 “Praise the LORD,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! 11 I know now that the LORD is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”

My rescue is a testimony to the rest of the world. Moses left his father in law on a mission from God, after the mission was completed Jethro told his son in law that he was convinced about God because of the display of God's power in the lives of his people. When God's glory is displayed in our lives, some people will react like Jethro but other people will be more like the Egyptians.

Through all of our difficult and challenging situations God reminds us that he created us for his glory and he saved us to display his glory to the world so that all of mankind will know him.

All of the glory for my salvation goes to God. If I can help God in the process then I can share some of His glory, but he came to give me the rescue that I couldn't possibly achieve on my own. The possibility of me saving myself are no better than what God's people had as they were camped out by the Red Sea with Pharaoh coming after them.

Thank you Lord for my rescue from the kingdom of this world. Help me to show your glory to the world as I wait patiently for my ultimate rescue when you take me to the Promised Land.

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Your Will Be Done

How radical am I for God's will?

John 17:1-5 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so He can give glory back to You. 2 For You have given Him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one You have given Him.

3 And this is the way to have eternal life–to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to You here on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring Me into the glory We shared before the world began.

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When we hear somebody mention the Lord’s Prayer we think about the prayer that Jesus said when his disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. Maybe you never thought about it but Jesus didn’t actually pray that prayer, Jesus wouldn’t have asked God to forgive his sins, he spoke that prayer as an example for us. (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4)

The prayer in John 17:1-26 is the longest prayer of Jesus that we have recorded in the Bible. It is our best opportunity to listen in as Jesus talks to his Father, it shows us the courage that Jesus had to stay with God’s plan despite the great sacrifice that it would require.

Jesus begins this prayer completely surrendered, safety and comfort are not on his mind, he is only thinking about God’s will and timing in his life. It is odd that the Giver of Life who would never have to die, willingly submits in obedience, He will choose to be subject to the curse of death. (Philippians 2:8)

God’s Timing In Jesus Life
(John 2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20, 12:23, 27; 13:1; 16:32)

Jesus never lost sight of his mission and purpose for being here. Imagine knowing that you came for a purpose and having to wait thirty-three years for God’s timing so that you can complete your mission. We can learn a lot from Jesus about how we handle delay in our lives, we get anxious and want God to hurry up, Jesus left the timing of events up to his Father.

Now the time is right and the shame and the pain would not keep him from completing his work. Jesus shows us that if we are going to do God’s will in this hostile world then we need to submit without hesitation to God’s sovereign plan to glorify Himself.

You will be inconvenienced and you will get dirty, you may have to go toward dangerous situations, live with uncertainty, or embarrassment. Life is full of risk, but the life that is lived for Jesus is even riskier, the side effect of living in the rescuing power of the gospel and being willing to rescue someone else is that you will have to live by faith.

Risk It All To Glorify God
(1 Samuel 14:1-23 / 2 Samuel 10:12 / Esther 4:15-16 / Daniel 3:16-18)

Jesus surrendered to the cross and we must do the same, He told us to pick up our cross daily and follow him, that certainly involves risk. God’s people have always been called to take risk, that’s the very nature of living by faith, we cannot see the outcome or the pathway but we step out because we are told to do so.

When we risk losing face or money or life because we believe God will always help us and use our loss, in the end, to make us more glad in his glory, then it’s not we who get the praise because of our courage; it’s God who gets the praise because of his care. In this way risk reflects God’s value, not our valor.

-John Piper “Risk Is Right”

God is most glorified in my life when I step out and rely on him no matter what is going on around me and how foolish my obedience looks to the rest of the world. The glory goes to God when the world sees me trusting him with absolutely everything.

It is difficult to value our forever life that we cannot see over our temporary life that we can see. The ability to put our lives completely into God’s hands and follow no matter what is a real struggle that most of us want to avoid. Very few people in our safety minded culture come to the point that the disciples came to.

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

-Apostle Paul

How radical am I for God’s will? We pray a lot about knowing God’s will, but few of us really want to know what that looks like. The number one prayer request from Christ followers living in the safest country on the planet is for safety. I don’t know of anybody praying like that in the Bible. God’s people chose to do God’s will despite the risk that was involved and they prayed that they would have even more boldness. (Acts 4:23-31)

In every life that is lived for the Lord there will be a moment when a radical step of faith is required in order to please God. I need to be willing to allow God to achieve his agenda through my life and I need to be okay with being uncomfortable and insecure when God shows me his agenda.

Jesus Children Are Overcomers

Trouble is going to happen but it isn't the end of my story.

John 16:29-33 Then His disciples said, “At last You are speaking plainly and not figuratively. 30 Now we understand that You know everything, and there’s no need to question You. From this we believe that You came from God.”

31 Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? 32 But the time is coming–indeed it’s here now–when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving Me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with Me.

33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

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The fact that you have the technology to see this blog post says that you probably have a very comfortable life. The odds are that you probably live in a culture that offers you a comfortable lifestyle and instant everything.

But none of the toys and conveniences that are so abundant can guarantee you an easy life. There is heartache and misery all around, some of you have had a miserable existence, people that you loved and trusted have let you down, friendless, beat up and unloved, you find yourself all alone and hopeless.

That is the kind of people that Jesus had around him during his stay on earth, His people were beat-up and tired, they had been raided and pushed around by foreign governments, they were being used by their own religious leaders, His people were desperate and He was sad for them. (Matthew 9:36, 11:28-29, 15:32, Luke 7:13, 19:41, John 11:35)

Jesus Was A Man Of Sorrows
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Imagine coming to live here after being in Heaven for all of eternity past, imagine starting life over as a child, a child that is fully God but also fully man. Suddenly you feel pain, hunger and you require sleep just like everybody else yet, you are also God.

When Christ came into the world the first sound He heard was woe-the wail of those mothers in Bethlehem; and from the manger to the Cross, He was surrounded with sorrow.

-Dwight L. Moody 

Imagine leaving the perfection of the best place ever to come to a broken world so that you can go head to head with your worst enemy. What would it be like to know that you were here to die for people that don’t like you and for friends that would turn their back and run? (John 13:37-38)

Jesus gave up a lot to come and be “God with us” but he didn’t show any sorrow about what he lost by leaving Heaven. The main source of his sorrow was for the condition of mankind and the fact that His people rejected the only hope that could ever help.

Jesus Disciples Overcome
1 John 5: 4-5 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Followers of Jesus have the big picture, their immediate circumstances are not the end of the story, the trials and sorrows that they have today isn’t how it is always going to be. Jesus told the disciples that you will have these troubles but don’t let it get you down because He has overcome the world.

God is still governing this world, don’t let the daily battle get you down and cause you too much grief, there aren’t any term limits on God’s reign. He is in charge of the circumstances around us and He always will be. What we see as chaos isn’t a surprise or a source of concern to him.

This is not my home, and I will never feel perfectly at peace and perfectly comfortable here but I must continue to the the good works that He has planned or me to do until the day I die and overcome this world just as Jesus did.

Peter On Trial

Peter's denial happened because he wasn't ready for his trial by the fire. 

John 18:15-18 Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest's courtyard with Jesus. 16 Peter had to stay outside the gate.

Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. 17 The woman asked Peter, "You're not one of that man's disciples, are you?" "No," he said, "I am not." 18 Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.

John 18:25-27 Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked Him again, "You're not one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it, saying, "No, I am not." 26 But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?" 27 Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.

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Peter was in the wrong place at the wrong time, if he truly wanted to make good on the promise that he would never deny Jesus, then he should have been hiding with the other disciples. Maybe Peter felt that hiding out in itself was a form of denial and that would also be a betrayal of his best friend.

Peter did not realize that Jesus was not the only man on trial that night, while Peter was being questioned and as he was answering in fear, his best friend was just the opposite.

Jesus was in control of His situation, He was being questioned but He was answering the questions with one hundred percent calm, He knew that the cup of God's wrath was about to be poured out and He was willingly going to take it.

Matthew 26:40-41 Then He returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Couldn't you watch with Me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!"

It was a cool night and the fire seemed like a good place to be but Peter did not prepare for his trial by the fire, earlier he was sleeping as Jesus was preparing for His trial with praying, the interrogation that Peter would encounter would prove that his love and courage would not be enough to remain loyal to Jesus.

Luke 22:33 Peter said, "Lord, I am ready to go to prison with You, and even to die with You."

Peter's trial began with the servant girl asking the first question. If he was going to be successful at living up to his promise then this should prove to be the easiest questioner for him to handle but instead he fails right away. Two more times Peter would be questioned and each time he would get more anxious and frustrated while Jesus was calmly answered his interrogators.

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Others in the circle around the fire took up the same question and one by one they began to ask. The third question came from one of Malchus’ relatives! This man had gotten a good look at Peter because he was probably standing with Malchus when he was injured by Peter.

On the third time Peter swore with an oath that he wasn't one of Jesus disciples and then the rooster crowed to remind Peter that he had done what Jesus had predicted. I cannot imagine the thoughts that went through Peter's head as his heart sank when Jesus looked him in the eye.

It is worthwhile to contrast Peter and Judas. Peter wept over his sins and repented, while Judas admitted his sins but never really repented. Judas experienced remorse, not repentance. When Judas went out from the Upper Room, “it was night” but when Peter went out to weep bitterly, there was the dawning of a new day.

- Warren Weirsbe

Peter failed while he was on trial but thankfully Peter’s failure isn't the end of his story. Peter would be restored and would be filled with the Holy Spirit to give him wisdom and strength to lead the early church.

I need to remember:

• Self-confidence and lack of prayer is a good way to fail when I am on trial.
• Making promises to God that are outside of His plans is useless.
• Making promises within His will without relying on His strength is also useless.

Thank you Lord for your grace that offers me second chances. I have failed miserably when I have been tried by the fire. Help me to rely on your strength to do what you have chosen for me to do.

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