Impossibilities

One of my favorite stories is that of the bumble bee. A few years ago, scientists at the NASA developed an interest in bumblebees. The lab folks figured the insect held some secret of flight that may provide answers to questions about aerodynamics. They asked themselves how such small wings could produce enough lift for such a large, heavy body. They felt there was much to be learned from the bumblebee.

These scientists set about studying the bumblebee to discover its flying secrets. They hypothesized, examined, measured, timed, filmed, observed, thought about and debated the bumblebee. After weeks of study they came to one conclusion – bumblebees are not capable of flight. It is really impossible that they can fly. But God in His infinite wisdom needs them to fly to help pollinate the plants and flowers of our planet. So fly they will...impossible or not!

What in your life do you think is impossible right now? What situations are happening in your life that you just do not see any way out and can't imagine being worked out favorably on your behalf? It is really easy in the midst of many trials and situations and desert wanderings to see the impossible way more than the more than possible.

As I have been praying and studying, I have been focusing on God's name El Shadday. This was the covenant name of God that was given to Abraham by God. The name El Shadday, means God Almighty.

I have been thinking about what the word almighty means. According to good ol' Webster it means: all-powerful, supreme, absolute, unlimited, invincible, omnipotent. I love that it means absolute. There is not much that is absolute in life, but God is. El Shadday is basically the God for whom NOTHING is impossible.

The name El Shadday was introduced to Abraham in Genesis 17. When Abraham was 99 years old (then called Abram). God told Abraham to walk before God and be blameless and GOD would confirm His covenant and greatly increase his numbers. God then proceeded to share with Abraham how he would be the father of many nations and his wife Sarah would have a child at the age of 90. This made Abraham basically laugh in the face of God. To him this was absolutely crazy and impossible. I can identify totally with Abraham. I am pretty sure if God told me I was going to birth a child at the age of 90, I would laugh pretty heartily too. Quite preposterous and impossible.

El Shadday is the God for whom NOTHING is impossible. But yet, we doubt. We hear God say one thing, but then when it doesn't work out the way WE think it should, we doubt God. Maybe we think He changed His mind or maybe we think He doesn't care or can't do it. Maybe we just figure He forgot about us.

But in Numbers 23:19 it says: "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" God is El Shadday. He is God Almighty, He doesn't forget, change His mind or lie. He is absolute and all powerful. He can do the impossible.

In our path are often stumbling blocks that cause us to question and doubt the plans, the purposes and the promises of God. We need to pray to El Shadday, the God of the Impossible, to turn those stumbling blocks into stepping stones of faith.

God will do what He has promised.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7: 7-11

Logos

I have felt for sometime that the Lord wanted me to start writing. I have done some off and on and I enjoy the process and getting my thoughts down on paper (or the computer as it may be). A couple of years ago I started a family blog, filled with pictures and written accounts of our daily lives. It was fun and I enjoy chronicling our family's daily history. One day it will be fun to look back on it all and remember.

More recently, I have really felt led to write about the things that the Lord is showing me and it seems that He is prompting me to write fairly consistently. Not sure what all He intends to do with my writing. Maybe it is just a way to help me hear better from the Lord and what He is speaking to me about my life. It is certainly doing that. What He has pressed on my heart to write about in the last month are promises and words of encouragement that I have needed so much in the last couple of days since we learned that James lost his job.

About the blog title - Logos. In Greek it means promise or more specifically Words. In the Bible when the word promise is used it is actually the word Logos or Dabar (Greek and Hebrew). So a promise from the Lord is simply HIS spoken word. When the world was created God spoke it into being. His Word held the promise for our future existence. In John 1 it says, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Or put another way, "In the beginning was the Promise and the Promise was with God and the Promise was God.". Much of what I feel driven to write about are the Promises or Logos of God.

My hope and prayer is that as others may read the words, they are renewed and encouraged by them. I desire to be an open book where others see the love of Jesus. I would love to hear if you agree, disagree, are encouraged or blessed by the words written here. If you know of any that would be encouraged by my words, please pass it along.

May the Promises of our Abba Father encourage and strengthen you today!

Puzzle Pieces

Have you ever felt like your life is a huge puzzle and it is only as the pieces slowly fit together that you begin to see the plan that God has for your life? When you go through those absolutely horrible times and you can't for the life of you figure out or understand the whys??

Several years ago when I was a young new teacher, I had a horrible teaching experience. Such a horrible experience that it was enough to make me leave the profession and completely cause me to go into one of the few times I have ever experienced any type of depression. I couldn't understand how God could cause me to go through that. He had so DEFINITELY called me to be a teacher. Not having gone to college or having a degree in teaching originally, He made a clear-cut way for me to become a teacher. And I loved it...but then I left it. No amount of reason could cause me to understand why things would become so difficult that I would leave that which I loved to do. Within a month of leaving teaching, I was hired to do recruiting for a local college. Another gal started on the same day as me. We worked together for only three weeks. I enjoyed the job, she did not. But a fast friendship was formed. I worked at that job for almost five years, leaving only to move and get married. Seven years after having left my teaching job for a heartbreaking reason, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The friend I had met and worked with for only a few short weeks, was then an HR Director for a local sales firm. She was looking for someone to hire to work part time, from home, doing marketing research. The perfect job for this new mom who didn't want to put her infant daughter in daycare. There was no way I could have understood at the time why I had to walk through something so painful as leaving a career I loved. But God knew. God knew that seven years later I would be a new mom who wanted to stay home and take care of her baby but still needed to earn some money. He knew.

In Romans 8:28 states that God works all things together for good for those who are called according to His good purpose. What an awesome promise! I remember a time about 13 years ago when my apartment was broken into a couple of times. The only things the thieves got were an old computer and printer. Being a single gal, it was terrifying to have had my home broken into and many tears of frustration and fear were shed. Insurance covered the loss and I was able to get a new computer. And this one actually had a dial-up modem! Shocking I know...Twas the way of the world 13 years ago! AOL was in its hey-day!!! Little did I know, that out of that break-in and heart break, the pieces of another puzzle would soon come together as I met my husband through that computer (and this was LONNGGG before Match.com and the like). God knew how to bring us together and He used that break-in for MY good. Even though at the time I absolutely could not see how He could.

What are you dealing with? What heartbreaks are you experiencing that you can't even begin to imagine being turned around for His glory and your benefit?? He will work for us, on our behalf. He will fight for us. He loves us. He is our Daddy!!! And even though you might not be able to see how or why or when it will work out....do know that He promises, not some things, not most things but HE works ALL things together for GOOD!!!!! What an awesome promise! Stand on it, claim it, and watch Him put the pieces of your puzzle together!!!!

Sit Down and Shut-Up!!!!

How many times as a mom (and to be really honest...as a teacher) have I wanted to just say "Sit down and shut-up!" Of course I don't say that, but I have thought it. You know when..after I have been asked for the bigillionth time..."Are we almost there", "When do we get to go to.....", "When can I have......" "How can we possibly" and on and on and on.

After the kids have asked me and asked me and asked me and I have answered... "Soon", "Almost", "I've got it all planned out"... and they keep asking! I want to shout, "Sit Down and Shut UP I am working it out. I know the plan. I know just WHEN we will be there, just when it will all take place, how the whole thing will go down." They just don't SEE the whole picture yet.

How often is it like that with the Lord? We ask and ask and ask for things and we try to trust Him, but we struggle. We can't see the whole picture. We don't see how HE can possibly work it out for us.

The Israelites, as they fled Egypt, struggled with the same thing. Even after the Lord had inflicted the 10 plagues on Egypt ~ the locusts, the water turning into blood, the frogs (that one would have really gotten to me, I am not a fan of frogs) and even killing the first born sons of the Egyptians, the Israelites still began to fear again. Grumbling, whining, begging, pleading...Here was the big huge Red Sea in front of them, and the Egyptians were rapidly on their heels. How were they going to get out of this mess? Didn't matter that they had just witnessed their release from slavery. They couldn't figure out how to get out of THIS mess.

In Exodus 14:14 it says: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still". The Israelites had forgotten that THEY hadn't done anything to get there in the first place, but it was the Lord fighting for them that had saved them. They just had to be still. STILL!!! I looked up what the word STILL means in this passage and in its most literal form it means to "Sit down and shut-up" or in a bit nicer way.."be mute and silent".

I know I struggle with asking and asking AND ASKING for things to happen, for the Lord to move on our behalf or fretting and stressing about the same things over and over again. I don't trust God and I don't trust His plan. Even when He has proven Himself faithful to me over and over again, I still grumble, complain and whine when I don't see how He is going to work on my behalf THIS TIME. I see that HUGE body of water before me, and can't imagine how I am going to get to the other side. I am sure God is saying. "I will fight for you, Kim. You need only to be still!"

How incredible and awesome that we have such a loving God who wants to fight for us and IS fighting for us. We just need to sit down and shut-up and LET HIM!!!!!