Showing posts with label faithfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faithfulness. Show all posts

Glacial God

Posted by Gary Chevalier | 1 comments

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During this long period of uncertainly in our lives, many of our friends have been praying for us.  About a month ago, a friend of mine asked me how things are going.  “Well,” I replied, “God is moving glacially.”  He chuckled out loud, paused for a second, and then said, “Yes, guess that’s true.”  His response intrigued me, so the next time someone asked me how things are going I replied the same way...and I received almost the exact same reaction.  Over the next few weeks I noticed that this phrase caused nearly everyone to laugh, stop and think, and then agree that it’s an accurate description.  
The similarity of their reactions caused me to spend a little more time musing and thinking about the implications of the adverb, “glacially.”  (It’s scary that I know to call it an adverb, isn’t it?  Credit “School House Rock” for that one!)  We’ve all experienced it in one way or another, I think; and the more I think about it, the more I realize how this descriptor is really true of how God works.
The first thing that I’d like to note in “Glacier 101” is that glaciers move S---L---O---W---L---Y.  Honestly, that’s the reason I chose the word in the first place!  When most people think about glaciers, they think of a huge, slow moving chunk of ice.  The fastest moving glaciers move at a pace of approximately 20 - 30 meters a day (about the length of an 18-wheeler).  A more common pace is that of about 2-3 meters per day (about the length of a couch), but some glaciers move so slow that it’s difficult to even measure. 
There are two things we can learn from the glacier’s movement.  First, is that beneath the surface the ice is reshaping and reforming the landscape.  Glaciers carve some of the most beautiful places on earth!  Through erosion and abrasion they pick up sediment, rocks, etc. and move it from one place to another; they also carve and smooth out other sections of land.  In a manner that we can neither see nor measure, they adjust and rearrange vast quantities of the landscape into veritable works of art.  Is there a parallel to our lives that can be found here?  Uhm….Yes!  :)
The second thing that we can notice about the glacier’s speed is that it is most often determined by the amount of friction.  Friction, as you know, is caused when two objects rub against one another.  Anyone who as ever slid down a slide at a park knows that greater amounts of friction create slower speeds.  Less friction, faster movement.  When it comes to God reshaping and carving our lives, friction plays an important role in that process.  Now, please don’t hear me say that if you decrease friction w/ God then He’ll move faster.  I wish it were that easy; but God cannot be controlled!  He will do what He is going to do, and He will work His purposes according to His will.  What I believe, however, is that the amount of friction you create will make it SEEM like He’s moving faster or slower.  The closer you are to Him and the more you delight in Him and in His work, the process will not seem so long.  It may take a while, and it may feel like it takes a while, but it will go much faster than if you fight Him every step of the way.  It’s that temporal phenomenon that happens with good things and bad things: vacations seem to be over before they start, but an afternoon at an unpleasant job can seem to last forever!  I believe that the same thing applies to God’s work in our lives.  The time it takes for Him to accomplish His purposes remains constant; but our focus and degree of participation determine how long it “feels” like.
Are you experiencing a “Glacial God” right now?  Perhaps recently?  Are you frustrated by His seemingly slow pace?  It’s natural for us to desire quick work...we’ve been conditioned that way!   So if God seems to be moving slowly right now, let me encourage you to find joy in Him.  Remember, “joy” isn’t necessarily “happiness.”  Ask Him to cause His joy to live in you through His promises that He’ll “never leave you nor forsake you,” (Deut. 31:8) and that His plans for you are to “prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11).  From a fellow sojourner, I know it's not pleasant or easy to wait...but if you hold on the results will be worth it!

Posted by Gary Chevalier | Comments (6)

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I read a friend's blog this morning (www.shelleyhendrix.org) and it really resonated with me...about our period of waiting and how exhausting it is. As I have stewed on it in my mind, the imagery of a ship keeps taking over my thoughts. Perhaps it's last night's burrito and too many episodes of "The Deadliest Catch," but I think, rather, that the Holy Spirit is trying to speak some encouragement and teach me a lesson about worshipping God with my life.

On the high seas, when the wind and waves are relentlessly coming after you, the boat is on a continual course of UP and DOWN, and UP and Down. You crest the wave, and then go crashing down in an explosion of sea spray; you crest the wave, and then go crashing down in an explosion of sea spray...over and over the seemingly endless cycle repeats.

But during this time, you are not simply at the mercy of the sea. No, you have to work hard to keep the ship oriented to the waves so that you're taking them at the proper angle. If you don't, you'll capsize for sure! And it takes work to do this...it is continual labor to keep the bow of the ship pointed the right way. In fact, sometimes you even have to go off course from the direction you want to be going in order to keep the boat oriented properly. This constant up-down-correct-up-down-correct cycle is maddening, but it is necessary to preserve the ship.

Moreover, in the old days, sailors had to keep their eyes on a fixed point (usually land formations or lighthouses) in order to keep their bearings. These could only be seen from the CREST of the wave. When they went crashing down into the trough, nothing could be seen but the enormity of the wave around them. It wasn't until they crested the next wave that they could see their destination again.

This morning, the Christian life feels very much like the boat in a stormy sea. It is very frustrating and very disappointing to be stuck in this storm; this continual up-down-up-down cycle. I praise God for the wave crest, where I can glimpse the prize and the destination; but I am filled with hurt, disappointment, and sometimes a loss of hope during the troughs (which, by the way, seem to be much more lengthy than the crests). It's hard to keep my focus on praising God during those times. But indeed, even in the troughs, His hand is still on me. And even though it seems that we have veered off course during the storm and we're not headed toward our destination, the destination remains. IT is the fixed point to which we sail. GOD'S WILL remains constant in this ever-churning sea on which we now struggle.

Living a lifestyle of worship means that we keep orienting our lives to handle the waves that come at us. Even if they seem to take us away from the final destination, God's will cannot be thwarted and we will find our way there. Unfortunately, sometimes we may shipwreck (Paul - Acts 27) and be detoured. But God will always use that time, if you're surrendered to Him, before moving you on to the final destination of where He wants you to go (Acts 28).

So be encouraged! If you're in a storm, however tedious it may be, keep working to orient your ship (do the things you know to do). Enjoy the crests when you can, and be diligent in the troughs. God will bring you safely to the next destination in His due time.

Waiting on God

Posted by Gary Chevalier | 1 comments

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As a church staff, we've begun reading a 31 day devotional called, "Waiting on God" by Andrew Murray. It was written and published back in the 1800's, but has been reprinted this year. I'm still in the early chapters of the book, but I'm finding it very fascinating!

Today's reading was from Psalm 104. There's a bunch of verses, so I won't bother repeating them here, but the general gist is this: ALL creation waits on God. The grass waits on God to make it rain, the lion waits on God to provide it prey, etc. The point he so eloquently makes is that even we, God's prized creations, must wait on Him as a part of life.

Few of us enjoy waiting...my wife would rather be late to a movie and miss the beginning than take the chance of getting there early and waiting 5 or 10 minutes for the movie to start. We're very much a "microwave generation," and waiting on God is not only hard to do - it's totally foreign to us.

What I'm learning right now is to be obedient in the waiting. I do my very best to be faithful, obedient, and full of praise when God is rockin' and rollin' around me...when He is obviously blessing me and His hand and plan are evident to me. For the most part, my humanity and sinful nature aside, I think I do. But it's a whole lot harder when He seems silent and things seem to be derailing around me! Even still, it is my duty as His creation to wait upon Him. If I truly trust Him and place my life in His hands, then I will wait for Him to do His will. Again, not easy, but necessary.

The challenge? Find JOY in the waiting...not in dreaming of what He's going to do for you one day when the waiting is over, but simply as one of His creations who is waiting for God to dole out what we need at His given time. I haven't got it mastered yet, but I believe that I've taken the first steps that way this week!
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