Hope and Joy

Christmas has a theme in our house that is too obvious to miss - "hope and joy". When Christmas rolls around, we fill our house with different decorations that have the words hope and joy in them and we love collecting new pieces. But the problem with a theme is that we can forget the meaning behind it and become focused on the theme itself.

Scripture often combines hope and joy, as in Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. " Peter writes about the how we have been born into a living hope that allows us to rejoice in trials because of our unfading, undefiled inheritance. Then Peter says "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1Pet 1:8-9) Paul also writes about the unseen nature of hope in Romans 8:24-25 where it says "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians about their trials and describes the amazing paradox of Christian living. "We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything." (2 Cor 6:8b-10) This amazing paradox is made true because of Paul's previous statement, "for we walk by faith, not by sight" (vs 7) and we know from Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  We are called to a focus of hope and joy on what we cannot see but we know to be our ultimate truth.

With my Nana’s cancer, I have been considering the gift of sight and trying to empathize with her inability to see clearly. On a glorious day, like it is today, I look around outside and wonder what it looks like through her eyes. More than the cancer itself, her distorted vision has been the greatest concern to her in many ways, because it defines so much of day to day life. The same is true for us all. What we see defines much of our day to day life. And yet scripture tells us to be defined not by what we see, but what we know to be true about God and His promises. We look to our Savior, unseen by our eyes, but indwelling our hearts, to properly navigate the daily struggles of living in a fallen world.

In the 1960’s, Stan Lee created a superhero named Daredevil. He was blinded by coming in contact with a radioactive substance, but his other senses were enhanced, with the greatest benefit to his sense of balance. It is such an interesting concept, that eliminating a key component of sight, he uses other resources that actually give him a better sense of balance than he would have as a normal person. While Stan Lee is no theologian, there is a powerful link to scriptural truth here.

God calls us to live by faith, not sight. Things hoped for, not seen, because our balance comes from knowing the truth of who God is, not from our circumstances around us. His truth keeps us from being tossed about when persecution and suffering come our way. His truth silences the lies in our hearts and minds that would cause us to despair. His truth gives us the vision of eternity to look to, instead of the distorted reality this world offers. My Nana is being called to rely on the truth of who God is and His light, in this suffering which causes her eyes to fail her. All of us who walk beside her in this time are called to not let our sight (or our fears or doubts or anything else) distract us from the Truth, Jesus Christ.

We are sorrowful, yet rejoicing. We have nothing, yet possess everything. We live the paradox of dying mortal shells with our eternity secure. Our hope and joy do not come from an ornament or decoration; a feeling or a song; and they certainly do not come from our circumstances. Our hope and joy come from God – not only at Christmas, but always.

Here is our truth: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10) May this truth be our hope and joy.

Shadowlands

I walked out of my front door this morning to go to my car and drive to the hospital to sit with Nana. Day 3 of this most recent hospital stay, I paused just long enough to see the beauty of the quiet stillness of early day. The birds were singing their song, the squirrels were actively running around on the ground and chasing each other through trees, and the sky, though brightening for a new day, still contained the last few stars hanging in the sky. All of nature rejoiced for the Sabbath, a new dawn, another day given to them by God. Yet I was off to a dark interior hospital room, where days and time were noted by calendars and clocks, completely cut off from the the beauty of creation.
God made the world and proclaimed it good. We are told how creation itself sings to the Lord and how the heavens proclaim the glory of God. He is the God over wind and waves and time itself bends to His will. His power knows no end. These things are true. But inside this little room, truth can seem clouded by the darkness.
Have you ever noticed how we just expect wedding days to be bright and sunny? Or birthdays to have a sweet breeze? There is something inside of us, as part of Gods creation, that knows that all was made to be good.
I have often wondered, although the rain is needed for things to grow, in the new creation, will there still be thunderstorms, or will it be the sprinkling of rain that just begs to be danced in? Will the sun still be blazing hot or just simply radiant? Will the wind blow so hard that tree limbs fall or will we just have the gentle breeze, carrying the sweet scent of the flower blossoms?
I've realized that every day we are actually living in these dark rooms, separated from true beauty, even when we are standing outside in the morning sun. The highest peak on the brightest day still pales in comparison to the true Mount Zion where Christ reigns on His throne.
But praise be to God! We are not captives to this darkness. Instead, we live in the shadowlands.
These days of beauty call us to rejoice in our Creator and His masterful work in Creation. And these days in the dark rooms call us to remember that everything we see is a shadow of what is to come. Once again, my mind is acutely aware of the "no longer, but not yet" existence we walk. But we do not walk alone. More than the cloud by day and pillar by night the Israelites followed in the wilderness, we have the true flame, the Holy Spirit, dwelling inside of us, leading us to an eternal promise land.
The darkness is gone, the promise is sure, and the love of God penetrates this dark hospital room just as brightly as the dawn ushers in the new day. The lingering shadow may try to weigh down my heart and my family in these uncertain times, but truth remains. A shadow can only exist when the sun is shining. In total darkness, there are no shadows. And a shadow changes form depending on the angle of the sun. It has no true substance. The truth is the light and The Light of the world has already cast out the darkness. If my eyes look simply at the shadows, truth can seem distorted and darkness seems ever present. But if I look at The Light, the shadow flees and only Truth remains.
Oh master of shadows, all you have is smoke and mirrors trying to distract us. Your day is done, the battle is won, and your darkness will surround you for eternity, while we bask in the Light of the Lord.

Mud and Mire

So I'll stop searching for the answers
I'll stop praying for an escape
I'll trust You God with where I am
And believe You'll have Your way
Just have Your way
Just have Your way

- Brit Nicole

Not a lot of scripture for this post or even complete sentences in this post. Somehow I feel like God just met me in the past two days and said "are you listening to yourself?" God's placed me around some people who are in very difficult situations and given me the ability to speak into their lives. Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don't, but I've always felt His Spirit in the words. And now, He says - are you listening?

How do you switch to autopilot without even looking? How do you get distracted from your path without realizing you have even taken a sideways step? Where do all of those things that deplete our energy from His purposes come from?

Just blink - I take my eyes off Him for a second. Then another. Then another. Start sleep walking through my spiritual life and when my eyes open up again, I find myself in a whole different direction or sometimes just sitting beside the road. Once my eyes are off Him, I easily find bright and shiny objects to distract me. I easily find other things to think and feel. Places that, even when they feel awful, feel more gratifying than God because those feelings make me the victim. Those feelings say "You're doing you're best - what more could people want?" or "Look how much you do - isn't that enough" or "No on knows how hard this is for you - if they knew, they wouldn't see you this way."

It's like I have these whispers surrounding me like vapors or ghosts. They cuddle up to my overemotional and narcissistic ego, making excuses for what I do and how I feel. Yet, when speaking to others I am able to speak God's truth and be confident in His character. How gracious and patient our God is! He is willing to allow me to serve Him and will still use me even when I am intentionally pulling away. I don't want to be told "this is an area to grow in"....no I want to be told "you have a right to feel this way - no one can blame you for reacting like that/thinking those things." I want to be left in the mud and mire, rather than being rescued.

Well, no more mud and mire for me! Instead, let me sing of His glory!

Psalm 40:1-3
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.

A Faithful Steward

Two Sundays ago I listened to a wonderful sermon by our pastor on the baggage we carry (both material and emotional) that can burden us and keep us from being able to walk to path God has set before us, unencumbered by these earthly things that weigh us down. It came at a beautiful time - one of those times were God is revealing something to you and you begin to feel like He is holding a megaphone up to your ear and shouting "Do you get it yet?". Unfortunately, most days I have to answer, no, I don't get it yet Lord, please be patient with me. However, after my book that I am journaling through, my study of 1 Peter with my husband, my quiet time in the gospel, my efforts to memorize Hebrews and a pretty deep conversation at a very unexpected time - this sermon was that last piece that dropped me to me knees so that I could honestly say, "Yes Lord, I hear you now.".

Rob Eyman mentioned the open hands of a steward faithfully serving God with He has given us, for His glory, instead of the tightfisted nature we so often bring to "our" stuff. Be it emotional or material, we have those things that we count as "ours" and are off limits to the Lord. Those areas we say, "Nope, not yet. I'm not ready to die to self in this area right now."

The dictionary defines steward in the following way: "a person who manages anothers property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others."

Jesus gives us a very clear picture of stewardship in his parable recorded in both Matt 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27. Both accounts have a man entrusting his servants with money while he is away on a trip and returning to see the results of their labors. Both accounts has the man (or king, in the Luke account) greet his servants that faithfully oversaw their responsibility with these words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities."

Paul speaks to this issue in Philippians 3:7-8 "But whatever things were gain those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ"

Let's compare this picture to the beautiful, scary portrayal of our view on things outside of God's will. Picture the book (or movie) Return of the King, where Lord Denathor is sitting at the base of the throne in the stewards chair. He is steward, as his father's before him, managing the kingdom of Gondor until the line of the king is restored and the king returns to his throne. This has not happened for several generations and Denathor is not about to give up the steward spot. In light of all I had been reading and thinking about, this scene struck me in a new way. Lord Denathor was perfectly content with being a steward and sitting on his lower throne, as long as there was no king threatening to displace him. While appearing to be content in his role as steward, he had actually pushed back the idea of the king, making his stewards chair a throne. The parables from the gospel and Paul's words all look at the heart of one who not only is aware of the responsibility of being a steward but also the right relationship with those things we are put in charge of.

Lord Denathor was not the wicked servant of the Scriptures, digging a hole in the ground and hiding the money. He diligently ran the kingdom - isn't that what he was appointed to do? Yes and no. While being a steward, from our definition above, is management of some affair, administering it as the agent of another. This means that the whole time we are responsible for this calling, we are also responsible for running it as the agent of another, not based on our own will, but following the will of the one who actually owns it. Ephesians 2:10 say, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. "

And we are also called to give it back - to be ready to open our hands and show what we have done, giving it back to it's rightful owner. The author of Hebrews says in chapter 12: 28-29 "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." And in Revelation we get a glimpse of heaven, where the 24 elders remove their crowns and cast them before the throne of God saying, "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created." (Rev 4:11)

To be a faithful steward is more than working with the gifts God has given me. It is to use these gifts for His will - not my own. And to hold them continually in an open hand, offering them back continually to God as a offering of praise to the only One who is worthy. Lately I have been working very hard in what I consider to be kingdom work - but God wants more than the sweat of my brow - He wants my heart fully submissive to His will and humbly offering back that which He has entrusted to me. It is His, gifted to me, to work His purposes, through the strength of Christ, for His glory. In light of who Christ is, how can I not, like Paul, count everything else as loss?

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Words You Don't Want to Hear

My flair for drama points me to an eye catching title, but don't worry, it's not nearly as exciting as it sounds.

We can all think about words we don't want to hear. We think of the phone call that tells us something is wrong with someone we love or of a person hurting. I remember while David was deployed, I was walking through WalMart, just next to where all the bins of discount DVD's are sold, when my cell phone range. It was a Colorado number (where he was stationed out of at the time) and I answered the phone with a simple "Hello?". The other end of the line said, "Is this the wife of Sgt. Ely?". Moments felt like an infinite amount of time and the world fell away. For those few seconds, I forgot that the army would never just call to say something had happened to a soldier and I was convinced that I had unknowingly become a widow. I tuned back in to what the other end of the line was saying and it was a simple survey of the base housing we had stayed in. My legs kept shaking long after I hung up the phone. David was fine, but I was shaken.

I think words have a power to shake us far beyond what we give them credit for. Words take on their meaning based on so many other circumstances than just the words themselves. We bring our own perspectives, fears, biases, current mood and a lifetime of baggage. The words themselves seem so simple and yet how shaken we become when spoken out loud. I can think of tons of words I myself have said that seemed innocent in my mind - possibly even funny or interesting - and yet in the middle of a conversation have turned into a loaded cannon ready to level the person receiving them. The more I've learned how complicated words can be, the more I pray before speaking. Many who know me may laugh, but I am actually a lot quieter than I used to be. My mother-in-law introduced me to the power of silence and I am still learning the wisdom in that.

Do all words hold so much power? I was reading in Genesis this morning and saw such a powerful statement. "has God said?". Satan takes no time using his words to drive home to the doubting hearts of us all. Has God said? Three small words - a legacy of sin to follow. Jesus steps toe to toe with Satan and shows us the power of truth over lies and manipulation. In Matthew 4, when tempted in the desert, Jesus responds to Satan's attempt at deception with such conviction - "it is written". Three times Jesus responds with the truth of God's word and all that Satan can do is leave.

In Ephesians 6 we both gird our loins with truth and hold the sword of the Spirit "which is the word of God" for our defense against the spiritual battle before us. John tells us in his gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Word of God - the ultimate truth - it was the power of salvation. So yes, words hold tremendous power.

What words do I not want to hear? Words that convict me of truth, driving those inner promptings of the Spirit head first into the light. No longer can they remain unspoken to be mulled about in our own safe mind, cast away when they trouble us too much or demand more than we want to give. Oh the power of words! Can I take back the words I uttered just this morning; "Lord make me more obedient to you."? Can I take back my prayers for spiritual maturity and choose to slowly drift into a state of being lukewarm in life? Absolutely not! God loves me too much to let that happen.

But words alone are not the only factor. If we each spoke and heard words without the filters of our own self doubt - what a glorious conversation that could be. As it was, each word fell onto a heart already struggling to not let my desire for obedience twist into a theology of heartless legalism that turns my heart from God. Already my heart is fighting with the lies whispering I am too far gone for God to bother to try to train me in His ways. Already I battle daily with the convictions of the Spirit and the overdramatization that makes this battle about me instead of God's glory.

Oh how I need my Savior! How I need to comfort from His word of truth - free from the flaming arrows of the enemy. The very truth I try to write on my heart and memorize is my only comfort in this place of self doubt.

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with out weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16

My spiritual mentor was just talking to me about the type of persecution we have in our country - it isn't the same as those Christians huddled in secret in a closed country. I type these words without any fear of persecution or retribution. Yet, all Christians experience the internal battle of dying to our self and finding new life in Him. This world and the Prince of Darkness do not want us to die to ourselves. Everything around me tells me to focus on my comfort, to become remade as the self-made man - rather than reborn as a child fully dependent on their Heavenly Father.

The more I ask for the strength to obey, the more temptation to be put in my path. The more I ask to grow, the harder those lies will be pushed my direction. "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24)

What hope we are given in His Word! "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 3:20)

No, there are no words more powerful than those. I do not need to stand in my own strength. I do not need to drum up perfect obedience through a checklist of what I can and cannot do. I do not stand alone in this fight against the evil one. I have been crucified with Christ! The death to self was done long ago on the cross and He has already had the final Word. He is making me new - He who loved me - He is the one I stand in and in His arms do I find not just strength to fight, but rest when weary.

What words will I never grow tired of hearing?
"'I will never desert you, nor forsake you', so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?" and "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and tomorrow." (Hebrews 13:5b-6,8)

So I hold all words up to this standard - what is the Spirit saying? Words that pass that test need never bring fear or failure - just the beautiful truth of the One who loves to sing over me.

Convicted

The Webster dictionary defines convicted as the following: "1 : to find or prove to be guilty 2 : to convince of error or sinfulness".

This past 48 hours, I have been convicted by the Holy Spirit, convinced of my error and sinfulness.

In John 16, Jesus describes the coming of the Holy Spirit and Christ says that the Holy Spirit "will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement". But not only this, the Holy Spirit is also said to "guide you into all truth". The word conviction is used in association with the Holy Spirit in two key passages - Hebrews 11:1 "now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." and also in 1 Thesalonians 1:5 "for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction."

What is this conviction? It is God's great grace of sancitfying work that fulfills the wonderful promise of Philipians 1:6 "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." God uses the Holy Spirit to continually make us more like Christ and He does this is an amazing variety of ways.

So here is a list of my path from Saturday afternoon to Monday morning that brought me to the cross, crawling forward on my knees and crying out to my Savior.

1 - Saturday afternoon - going to a kids birthday party when I would much rather be somewhere else. The hostess didn't even recognize me, but there were two friends stranded in this awkward setting of watching a gaggle of screaming children with very little to do but sweat in the hot sun. David and I had hoped to drop the kids and grab lunch together - but instead, we abandoned our lunch plans and entered into the awkwardness and tried to support our friends and the kids at this party. I had to ask myself - how many times does my agenda stand in the way of service?

2 - Sunday morning - I listened to the wise words of an 18 year old girl, describing her lessons in patience and openess to the Lord changing her plans. I was struck by how many times in my life I needed those same lessons. How many times have I complained about God's timing? Or tried to convince Him that my way really had more merit and just possibly He should try my way for once, instead of faithfully guiding me to His? Nearly twice her age, but wrestling with the same simple concepts - that God is good - that His ways are perfect - and that His wisdom is beyond my understanding.

3 - Sunday morning - our pastor had a bit of an untraditional approach to his sermon and I almost tuned out. But I didn't. Instead of letting my mind wander, I listened and heard my need. I heard my tendancy to thinking that I have "arrived" because I lead in some settings. To think that I am no longer a follower - but I've graduated to leader status. Oh my - how can I forget His words? 1 Timothy says so clearly in chapter 1 starting in verse 5 "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions." or in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurarely handling the word of truth." Who am I to think I could rest in my walk and just coast?

4- This morning - in my quiet time this morning I started with Psalm 67 which says "God be gracious to us and bless us and cause His face to shine on us". Let me stop here - because I always do - I love this as a benediction at the end of a service - I feel so loved by the Lord with the idea of His face shining on me. But if you read one more verse you find "That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations." Wow....the point of this warm, fuzzy feeling I get from verse 1 is not about me at all - it's all about Him. It's all for His glory. That He may be known. His love in me is not only for me - but for me to radiate to others. I finished my quiet time with a short passage from C.S. Lewis who writes about the love of friendship - "They can then say, as the blessed souls says in Dante 'Here comes one who will augment our loves.' For in this love 'to divide is not to take away'" This thought capped a two day revelation and brought the conviction of my soul.

The body of Christ is one of the greatest gifts we have as believers - to uplift, encourage, support, exhort. We are friends - brothers and sisters in Christ. Through God's love, with each person that enters our circle, we more fully exhibit the love of Christ. We have more opportunities to serve. We have more opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ. We have more ability to lead and follow as we all follow Christ. And the only place to go is His word of truth. The Holy Spirit comes as a foretaste of our inheritance and He convicts us of truth - whether we are living it or not. Being called into relationship with those I do not currently name as friends is not an inconvenience, it is my mission field. It is my calling.

We are all leaders - we are all followers - we are all sinners saved by grace and there is no room for pride or boasting or self sufficiency. With Christ as my Savior and Lord, my hands are open to moving in His plan for His glory. There is no coasting - there is no slowing down - there is no backing out - there are just my empty hands, being filled by the hands that were nailed to a cross for me. For my life. For my love.

Paul Baloche wrote an amazing song that sums up my state:
"What can I do but thank you? What can I do but give my life to You, hallelujah, hallelujah. What can I do praise You? Everyday make everything I do a hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah."

A View from the Mountaintop

This morning, for the second day in a row, I woke up in Spain, from a house on a cliff, overlooking the city and beach below. I always thought about "mountain top" experiences from the context of being on God's holy hill. That His presence is what makes the experience so deep. I still believe that to be true, but I wonder if part of the mountain imagery in scripture is based on how different a perspective is from on high.
This mountain I am on has several characteristics that I think really play a part in how I need to view God. First - perspective is completely different. The scale changes, the relationships between location changes, everything seems smaller, more manageable, and the big picture is so much clearer. When we were walking around the city, distances seemed so much longer and each street seemed so isolated. From above, it's all small and unified as one city. Another change is the weather - this morning there is a fog hanging on top of the city, but here in the air is clear. No obstructions blocking our view. The fog may seem heavy and thick from the city looking up, but looking down, you can see that it is just whispy clouds, that will burn off with the rising sun. Finally, the approach - to get to the top is not easy. Most vehicles have a hard time with the climb and to climb the stone stairs up the side (as we did yesterday) caused even the most fit young men to stop and rest. No one could approach the top easily.
God's view is so different from ours. Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways highers than your ways and My thoughts, higher than your thoughts." While this should be a great comfort of ours, so many times we loook to our own wisdom instead. Psalm 65:5 promises "By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation. You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth." The rest of the Psalm describes the Lord's provision for the whole earth and all that is in it. For a brief moment, I thought to myself, why are we so different? Why aren't we just waiting patiently on Him and His provision? Why indeed?
Back in the garden, we were designed to dwell with Him, in His presence, living under the safety and protection of His bountiful provision. But we needed to go our own way. Isaiah 53:6 says "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." This verse alone shows God's amazing love and mercy. We are each a prodigal child, being welcomed back into the arms of our Father. But at what cost? Well, we need to read the previous verses to understand that:
"Surely He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisemen for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:4-5
There is so much more to our God that simple power or provision. He isn't a geanie in a lamp or Santa Claus, bringing us our desires. In fact, some of the greatest punishments are in the form of giving us over to our desires. (Pslam 81:12, Romans 1) And yet, He is so much greater than just the loving God who is merciful. Without the total picture, we miss Him for who He is and shrink Him in our minds. When we fail to be in awe of His entire character (or at least in the best way we are able) we lose out on the blessing of knowing Him for who He is. Sandi Patti had a song with the chorus "And Lord we praise you, because of who You are, not just for all the mighty things Your hand has done. Lord we worship You because of who You are. You're all the reason that I need to voice my praise, because of who You are."
To worship God soley on His character puts our perspective back where it needs to be. As we are focusing on Him alone, His beauty, His works, His provision - all that He has done for us, to us and through us, becomes evident. There is nothing wrong with praising God for His gifts, but the praise also should be there in times of want. Paul summarizes this so well in Philipians 4:11-13 "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content: I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That is the voice of one who loves Christ for how He is! Oh, that I could honsetly say the same for me.
Mountaintop views offer so much and yet they can seem few and far between. One can't hop a jet to Spain just for some refreshment and another point of view everytime things get heavy. But - I am thankful for this time - and trust God to continue to show me His character and who He is - whether I'm in a valley or on a mountain - until I reside with Him on His holy hill.
Revalation 21:10-11a "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God having the glory of God."