Rayni Risher

Taking the Long Way

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This week is Passover so I was just re-reading the story of the original Passover in Exodus, chapters 11-13. At the end of the last chapter I smiled as I read these verses:

“It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn’t lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, “If the people encounter war, they’ll change their minds and go back to Egypt. So God led the people on the wilderness road, looping around to the Red Sea.” Exodus 13:17-18

After the final plague caused Pharoah to let the Israelites leave slavery in Egypt, God led them to the Red Sea. But on the way to the sea there were two different routes He could have chosen to take them. A shorter route and a longer route. To us, the shorter route always seems to be the most logical, doesn’t it? But God, in His wisdom, sent them the long way. It was for their own good but they didn’t know that at the time.

When the Road Seems Long
As it says in the verses above, the shorter route would have led the Israelites by the Philistines where there could have been a war. God knew that if that happened, the Israelites would, out of fear, run right back to slavery. That’s the exact opposite of what He wanted for them. So He decided to take them the longer way which was a safer route.

Have you ever felt like God was taking you the long way?

You feel like you’ve been waiting forever on a prophecy or promise to come to fruition. Or for freedom from a stronghold. Or for your prayers for another person to be answered. After a while it’s easy to start questioning God, wondering if He cares or if He’s even listening to you. But…

When You’re in the Wilderness Just Keep Trusting God
In the Bible the wilderness is usually a place of testing and refinement. Christians often refer to their own “wilderness experiences” as times when they wondered if God really still cared or existed. We read that the Israelites:

“…moved on from Succoth and then camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.” Exodus 13:20-22

Whether you are on the edge of the wilderness or right in the middle of the high brush…or if you’re on the longer route rather than the straight shot to deliverance…remember that God is with you. He’s leading you. He’s watching over you. He’s protecting you. He’s doing miracles in your midst. Whether you feel Him there or not. When you see Him and when your sight fails you. He’s there.

If He’s taking you the long way He’s doing it out of wisdom, not to torment you.

Maybe there is danger in the shorter route, or you just need the extra time on the road to understand what He’s teaching you or for Him to prepare you for what He’s leading you into. But He’s there…so just keep going. Because He’s trustworthy. His character precedes Him.

 

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God Encounter-Leviticus

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How many of you out there can’t wait to sit down and read through Leviticus? Wait, I don’t see any hands raised. While surely there are some people who enjoy reading this book of the Bible, for most of us it can feel like a bit of a chore to get through. Lots of instruction for the Israelites about sacrifices, offerings and daily life.

But here’s the thing.

There is a lot of amazing truth we can learn from Leviticus. Not the least of which is this:

God is holy.

God or gods
“We try to reduce God to a size that conveniently fits our plans, ambitions and tastes. God cannot be fit into our plans, we must fit into His. Holy refers to a life burning with an intense purity that transforms everything it touches into itself. Because the core of all living is God, and God is a holy God, we require much teaching and long training for living in response to God as He is and not as we want Him to be.” (Eugene Peterson, Introduction to Leviticus, The Message)

In the book of Leviticus God communicates to the people of Israel in meticulous detail about everything from the ordination of priests to how to treat infectious diseases. Through all of it they are reminded that God, with all of His wisdom, is in charge and that they have a choice of whether they obey Him or walk away from His wisdom.

In Chapter 26 God lovingly and very specifically lays out what the results of their choice of obedience (or disobedience) will be. Living by God’s decrees include an abundant harvest of food, a country of peace, and God’s very presence among them. Rebelling against God will bring the exact opposite. The Israelites have a clear choice and they will reap what they sow.

This is About a Relationship
But this isn’t about a killjoy rule-keeping Creator. It’s about a God who is so desperately in love with His people that He desires to live in communion with them. And because God is holy, their fellowship with Him becomes broken and polluted when they willfully choose an unholy and disobedient path. God doesn’t love them any less but His holiness can’t abide unholiness.

Peterson also tells us, “Back in Egypt (where the Israelites had come from), a great god’s “holiness” meant that only rich and well-connected people could expect any attention. For daily needs, ordinary people stuck to household gods who did what you wanted. In Canaan, where the Israelites were heading, things were worse (if possible): Canaanite gods liked orgies and child sacrifices, just for starters. No wonder the Israelites needed to get clear on what their God meant by holiness.”

God’s instructions and rules were designed to protect the Israelites from falling into the horrific actions that the Canaanites were practicing, like murdering their own children as a sacrifice to their god. God’s instructions to them are about their own welfare as well as His holiness; He wants to protect them and also live among them.

God is in the Neighborhood
One of the most beautiful promises from God to the Israelites, if they choose a holy life, is this:

“I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people. I am God, your personal God who rescued you from Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I ripped off the harness of your slavery so that you can move about freely. (Leviticus 26:11-13)

The Creator of everything and everyone created us so He could love us and have a relationship with us. He wanted that with Adam and Eve, He wanted that with the Israelites.

He wants that today…with us.

Let’s take some time this week to think about the holiness of God and how we have the opportunity to let our life, thoughts and actions invite God’s Holy Presence to purify and transform us, creating a deeper fellowship with Him.

In the end this isn’t so much about following a list of rules as it is desiring to walk away from impurity and walk closer toward our Holy, loving Father God.

 

 

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God Encounter-Exodus- A Holy Experience

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One of the most famous God encounters in the Bible comes with Moses and the burning bush. But there is another interesting, and actually heart breaking, encounter in the book of Exodus between the Israelite people and God.

A few months after God demonstrated His compassion, mercy and miraculous power by rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He tells Moses to get everyone ready to encounter His presence as they are camped in the desert at Mount Sinai.

Get Ready for God
“God said to Moses, ‘For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy God…because on the third day God will come down on Mount Sinai and make His presence known to all the people.’ On the third day at daybreak, there were loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud covering the mountain, and an ear-piercing trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp shuddered in fear.” (Exodus 19: 9, 10-13, 16)

“All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, ‘You speak to us and we’ll listen, but don’t have God speak to us or we’ll die.’ Moses spoke to the people: ‘Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe within you so that you won’t sin. ‘The people kept their distance while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.” (Exodus 20: 18-21)

Fear or Fear?
After reading about the intensity of the scene at Mount Sinai it’s understandable that the people were afraid. But here’s the thing…In the Bible when the “fear of God” is talked about, normally the word “fear” is a Hebrew word that means “respect, awe, reverence for God.” That is what Moses was describing that God wanted to instil in the people.

There is a difference, then, in fearing God and, say, being afraid of someone who is chasing you with a knife. Those are two completely different fears. The Israelites were just plain afraid. Instead of letting reverence and awe turn them toward the good and kind God who had already demonstrated His trustworthy nature to them, they allowed fear to persuade them to not want to encounter God directly.

While God wanted to have a relationship with each one of them, they were scared so they asked Moses to be their middle man. You notice that even though Moses was also trembling at the encounter with God, he still walked up into the cloud of God’s presence to meet with Him.

Moses wanted to hear from God!

I Have Experienced That Trembling
There have been a number of times in my life where I have been so overcome with the deep reverence, respect for and awe of God—the fear of God—that all I could do was to lay down completely prostrate on the floor, whole body trembling, and worship God. It is a “fearful” experience but not in a bad way.

It’s a holy experience.

One of those times came in the middle of the night in the midst of a loud and fierce Florida storm. The bright flashes of lightening and the loud claps of thunder kept awakening me throughout the night. As I lay awake I kept thinking that this must be a portion of what it sounded like that very day at Mount Sinai.

About the fourth time I was awakened by the thunder I completely felt the fear of God (awe, reverence, etc). The only way I can describe it is that God’s presence felt like a thick atmosphere in my room. The only possible response I had was to get up out of bed, lay with my face to the ground and worship God. In the middle of the night. In my dark bedroom. My entire body was trembling and it was an awe-inspiring experience.

The Same But Different
Encountering God, being in His presence, exposes how unclean and sinful we are. And yet, because Jesus’ blood has cleansed us and made us righteous in the eyes of the Father, the Bible says we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16)

The writer of Hebrews continues, talking about the scene in Exodus, “Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai—all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble—to hear God speak…No, that’s not your experience at all. You’ve come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You’ve come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. (Hebrews 12:18, 22-24)

Let’s rejoice in Him!

So…
God wanted to meet with the Israelites but out of fear they declined. Have you ever done that? Turned your back on God because you felt scared or full of shame or unclean?

This week I encourage you to meet with God. Take the time to read His words, listen for His voice, serve Him, get on your face and worship Him with reverence and awe. Trust that as a follower of Jesus, made righteous because of His death and resurrection, you can boldly approach God’s throne and fellowship with Him.

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God Encounter-Genesis

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Today I’m beginning a new ongoing series called God Encounter. Have you ever had an experience where you “knew that you knew” God was real because He made Himself known to you in some way? An encounter with God inspires awe and strengthens our faith. It’s a cornerstone experience to go back to again and again through the years when you need to remember what God has done in your life; how real, good and sovereign He is.

For the past couple months I’ve been reading through the Bible in chronological order and as I read through each book I see person after person encountering God in profound ways. So, in this ongoing series we’ll focus on a different book of the Bible each week and look more in depth at one person’s personal encounter with God. I pray that reading about these God Encounters throughout the Bible will strengthen your faith and encourage you.

God-Alive-Sees-Me!
Some people say they would feel afraid to been seen by God. They think of God as a cosmic cop keeping a tally of all of their wrongdoing, waiting to give them a harsh sentence. But the fact is that God sees and knows everything about us and He loves us in spite of the negative parts. He is so gracious and full of mercy and love for us; and He looks for ways to to reveal His loving presence to us. One of my very favorite examples in the Bible of a God Encounter is in Genesis 16.

Meet Hagar.

Hagar was the Egyptian maidservant of Sarai (later called Sarah). God had promised Sarai that He would give her a child with her husband Abram (later called Abraham). Sarai got restless waiting for God to fulfill His promise to her and took matters into her own hands, making her husband marry Hagar and get her pregnant. After Sarai’s plan was “successful”, she began mistreating Hagar causing her to run away, while pregnant.

After she has fled, God meets Hagar where she is and gives her a promise about the son she is carrying. God reminds her that He hears her and answers her. He also tells her to go back and submit to Sarai. Instead of being upset about having to go back to a difficult situation, Hagar is full of awe, excitement and wonder as she proclaims in verse 13,“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Or as The Message also translates it, “God-Alive-Sees-Me!” Because of this very personal encounter with God, Hagar knows that God is with her and this gives her the encouragement, strength and faith she needs to be obedient to what He told her to do.

But There’s More to Hagar’s Story…

Years later we read in Genesis 21 that Abraham and Sarah turn Hagar and her son out from their home with a little food and water. Not knowing what to do or where to go, Hagar wanders into the desert. Before long the food and water run out and Hagar begins to sob as she believes that she and her son will soon die.

“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” (Genesis 21:17-19)

Then we’re told that Hagar and her son settle in a city and live out their lives.

So…
Why does God care so much about a servant girl and her kid? So much so that He made a point to reveal Himself to her throughout her life and to rescue her from the brink of death? Two reasons come to mind. First, we know from Psalm 139 that God lovingly and carefully creates each one of us in our mother’s womb. He is quite concerned with everything that happens in our lives, just like a good father would be for their child.

And second, we also know from reading through the Bible that God is an advocate for the victim. Hagar was used and mistreated but God met her in the midst of her most desperate hours giving her the comfort of knowing that the God of all creation saw her, knew her, loved her and was there to help her.

May you know this week that God Alive Sees You and cares about every part of your life.

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Are You Filling Up On Junk?

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Every now and then I buy a bag of real potato chips. Since it’s an occasional treat I find that it’s easy for me to overindulge. The other morning before breakfast I thought, Mmm there are potato chips in the pantry! I’ll just eat a few to begin the day. I ate way too many felt full; so much so that when I made my standard healthy oatmeal I didn’t even want it. I had to force myself to eat it because I knew it was healthy, but since I had already filled up on junk food there wasn’t as much room in my stomach for the healthy food.

If we’re not disciplined it’s easy to do the same thing when it comes to spiritual matters, isn’t it? When I get up in the morning the first thing I want to do is turn on the news. I love current events and like to keep up to date. I’ll just watch the headlines, I think to myself, then I’ll turn off the TV and read the Bible and pray. If I’m not careful, some days “the headlines” turns into several hours of mindless TV, then I have to run off to my commitments, then I get home late and need to make dinner and if I get around to it I’ll read a chapter in the Bible before I go to bed, thinking, tomorrow I’ll spend more time with God. Uh…not if I turn the TV on first thing…

Giving God Our Left Overs
There are lots of days that I spend lots of time with God and choose Him first before anything else; worshiping, praying, listening, reading, seeking Him. Time with God isn’t just a box to check off my ‘to do’ list. He refreshes and renews me; encourages me and gives me insight….LIFE….when I am in that focused time with Him. I need it to thrive. And it’s a choice. But there are also days when I make the decision to put other things first; things that aren’t nearly as important; things that can wait. I fill up on the “junk food” and if God’s “lucky” I give Him my little bit of left over time late in the day.

When I start my day with God, I find that I feel more at peace and full of joy throughout the day. Tasks are easier to complete with a good outlook. When I start my day with junk and give God the left overs, my outlook and attitude are often junk, too.

What Do You Meditate On?
What are we listening to, thinking about, talking about, watching, reading, and spending our time doing? Are they things that honor God and help us toward honoring others?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

It matters what we are putting into our minds because it goes into us and ends up in our hearts. And then that comes back out of our mouths, for better or worse.

“What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45 NLT

 

So…
When we fill up on everything else but God why do we expect to be full of God? Do we assume the fruit of the Spirit will easily flow out of us when we are filling up on life-taking things rather than the Life-Giver? This week join me being intentional about filling up with God, not with junk. I think we’ll be surprised how much better we feel and how much more the intake of godly things produces a greater outflow of the Spirit through us!

 

 

 

 

 

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