The Mailbox Miracle

Things start to tighten up financially in October as the year comes to a close.  Once-a-year bills are due. The family gathers together more often, stretching the grocery budget.  Then Christmas shopping brings on the grand finale, making my list and checking it twice to bless everyone in my world! 

At half-nest I am also intentionally putting “memory maker” events on the calendar before everyone is gone.  We took a couple of extra mini-vacations feeling that these extra-budget activities were approved by God!  Unexpected expenses followed, bringing me to the point where even Dave Ramsey wouldn’t have been able to make our ends meet!  As the days in 2011 were marked off of the calendar, I knew we needed a God-sized miracle. 

Before leaving home Monday, December 26^th I wrote out checks for the bills in hand, marking their due date on the back of the sealed envelopes.  My savings had been emptied, and the checkbook balance was at zero.  Careful timing of depositing these in the mailbox upon returning from our memory making mini-trip would be crucial! 

Upon returning on Wednesday, I noticed the pile of envelopes and MAILED all of the bills before thinking through my “careful timing plan!”  By Friday I realized that I was in great trouble.  Oh, no . . . I wasn’t supposed to mail ALL of the bills that day!  An idea of how I could help God out came to mind! 
Family and friends had generously joined together to give money towards the purchase of a brand new sewing machine, and my daughter was guarding this gift to keep me from “stealing from Peter to pay Paul!”  A quick call to my Sewing Machine Bank would solve the problem.  Of course, I would be sure to reimburse this sorely needed withdrawal in January.

Friday afternoon, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my precious daughter and sweet son-in-law come to the front door with a large box…a very large box!  What in the world could this be, and what brings them here so unexpectedly?  As I opened the door, they burst in yelling, “SURPRISE!” 

“Oh my!  Oh no!  You shouldn’t have!  You really, really shouldn’t have!”

What a surprise!  Before I could put in my request for the loan, they had taken the gift funds and the liberty to PURCHASE THE EMBROIDERY SEWING MACHINE!  Everyone celebrated with me at the early timing of this great gift.  As we unpacked the sewing machine from the box, tears began to roll down my face.  They were tears of joy and tears of fear!

I prayed myself to sleep that night asking God for a mailbox miracle!  I woke up with the prayer on my heart, “Oh God, ONLY YOU can provide the help we so desperately need at this point.  Please send a mailbox miracle!"

By the time the mailman came on Saturday, I had somewhat forgotten my desperate cries.  Bringing in the stack of mail, I sat it down without looking through it.  Later in the day, I realized that I still had not opened the mail.  I returned to the stash to find a blank envelope nestled in the middle of the advertisements and late Christmas cards. 
Could this be? Is it really . . . the prayed for mailbox miracle!? 

Quickly, but almost trembling, I peeked into the anonymous plain envelope only to find the answer to my prayers.  This gift, a money-order for the exact amount needed in my check book, had been hand-delivered by an anonymous friend I will consider God’s angel.  God was faithful to me once again, and I am thankful for His amazing grace.

Our Inheritance Banks

Light bulb #2 – We must make deposits in our inheritance bank
We are commanded to leave an inheritance for our children’s children (Proverbs 13:22)
While often we think of this command in terms of material possessions; however, our inheritance can include so much more:

“A good man, by being good and doing good, by honoring the Lord with his substance and spending it in his service, secures it to his posterity; or, if he should not leave them much of this world’s goods, his prayers, his instructions, his good example, will be the best entail, and the promises of the covenant will be an inheritance to his children’s children.”  Matthew Henry Commentary

It’s time to start your own “inheritance bank.”  for your children and your children’s children.

What is ONE THING your eyes have seen?  Give an account of when and where God helped you.

Share a memory of a time when you blew it – you lacked faith and did not believe God.  What did you learn from that experience?
Deut. 5:32-33 “So you shall observe to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left.  You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.”

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Deuteronomy 4:9

"When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the LORD our God commanded you?' 21 then you shall say to your son, 'We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Moreover, the LORD showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; 23 He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.' Deut. 6:20-23

Are we cursed by the sins of the fathers?

From Deuteronomy we continue to learn many important lessons:
1.      The boundaries of the land were clearly marked
2.      They did not lack one thing in the wilderness
3.      They did not need to fear for GOD was the one fighting for them.
4.      Deuteronomy is not a second giving of the law, but a re-stating of the law . . . The 10 Commandments:
Have no other gods – “You shall have no other gods before me.”Deut. 5:7  New “gods” are popping up everywhere in this world and for today’s generations.  We must be very careful to worship only the ONE TRUE GOD.
Have no idols - “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.  You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Light bulb moments provide insights into God’s Word:
Light bulb on the Sins of the fathers ~ Are we cursed by the sins of the fathers?

Ø  The Lord does NOT punish the children and grandchildren because of their ancestors’ sins (Ezekiel 18); however, He permits the sad consequences of those sins to affect future generations, physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

      YES, the sin of Adam has brought a curse upon all mankind. 

      NO, the sin of our physical fathers does not bring a curse upon the children.

      Iniquity = consequences of the sin
NOT the sin itself

Ø  God allows each man to sin for himself (and we do!)

Ø  Our sins will impact our future generations through lasting consequences

Ø  We can turn the tide for one thousand generations by loving God and keeping His commandments

How to Move Forward - Deut. 4

Moses really spells it all out before the Israelites went in to take possession of the land.  I believe these are good reminders for our own lives as well.

Ch. 4 – Direction for Possession . . .

How to move forward:

1.      Listen to God’s direction
4:1 “Listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform in order that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.”
2.      Hold fast to God
4:4 “But you who hold fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.”
3.      God is near whenever we call on Him
4:7 “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?”
4.      Keep your soul diligent lest you forget what your eyes have seen and lest they depart from your heart
4:9 “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.”
5.      Teach these to your children
4:10 “Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God . . . Assemble the people to Me, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.”
6.      The Lord speaks in the midst of fire
4:12 “Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form – only a voice.”
7.      God took you out of the iron furnace to be a people for His own possession
4:20 “But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.”
8.      Watch yourself lest you forget the covenant of God
4:23 “Watch yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which He made with you, and make yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the Lord your God has commanded you.”
9.      Seek the Lord and you will find Him
4:29 “Seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”
10.  God is a compassionate God
4:31 “For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.”
4:35 “To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.”
4:40 “Keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you and that you may live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

We are commanded to leave an inheritance for our children’s children (Proverbs 13:22)
While often we think of this command in terms of material possessions; however, our inheritance can include so much more:  “A good man, by being good and doing good, by honoring the Lord with his substance and spending it in his service, secures it to his posterity; or, if he should not leave them much of this world’s goods, his prayers, his instructions, his good example, will be the best entail, and the promises of the covenant will be an inheritance to his children’s children.” 
Matthew Henry Commentary

It’s time to start your own “inheritance bank.” 

What is ONE THING your eyes have seen?  Give an account of when and where God helped you.

Share a memory of a time when you blew it – you lacked faith and did not believe God.  What did you learn from that experience?
 

Remember God's Help and Do not be Afraid

Chapter 2 – Remember God’s help
2:4       “You will pass through the territory of your brothers . . . and they will be afraid of you.  So be very careful; do not provoke them . . .”
2:7       “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness.  These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.”

God reminded them that HE HAD GIVEN THEM POSSESSION!  Again, do you know God’s promises?  Do you know what you already possess from the hand of God?

Chapter 3 – Do not be afraid 
3:2“Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand...”
3:5-6    “All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled towns.  AND WE UTTERLY DESTROYED THEM . . .”

God was God – Moses’ made an appeal for God to allow him to enter the Promised Land, but God said no.  Moses represented the law of God which should ONLY ALWAYS bring us to the grace of God.  A neat tidbit to know at this point is that Joshua was the one to lead the people into the Promised Land.  Do you know what Joshua’s name means?  JESUS! 
Only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will allow one to enter into the Promised Land!

Promises about the Unknown Lands in our Lives

Deuteronomy 1:30      “The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carried his son, in all the way which you have walked, until you came to this place.”

 Their mistake . . . “But for all this, you did not trust the Lord your God, who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.”

 Oh God – may I remember and not forget!

Deuteronomy Ch. 1 – It is a sin NOT to believe God

1:6-7    “You have stayed long enough at this mountain . . . turn and set your journey.”
Wow – great things lie ahead in the land of the widow!  Turn your heart towards the journey God has put before you!

1:8       “See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land . . .” 
Even if you don’t want to. 
Even if it seems scary, and even if it is uncertain! 
God has called you to this new season and He will be with you as you go!

1:13     “Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes…” 
Okay ladies, it would be better if you chose wise, discerning, and experienced LADIES to assist you as you go!  One of the greatest things God had Moses do when he was caving under the load, was to ask for help!  Remember when he pulled together 70 men to offer counsel and help to him in the wilderness?  You don’t have to go it alone.  If you are a widow-mom, be intentional about putting mentors in your life to counsel YOU and to help with your children.  We need each other including the body of Christ in our lives is God’s original idea.

They remembered Kadesh Barnea.  What in the world and where in the world is Kadesh Barnea?  What is so significant about this pillar point that will help me in my own walk with the Lord?

This is the place of their huge mistake – they did not believe God!  WOW!  It is a big deal NOT to believe God!  In order to believe God, we must know what we believe Him for!  We must know and stand on the promises of God ~ He expects us to!

UNBELIEF IS A SIN – “We have sinned against the Lord.”  Deut. 1:41

Isn’t it easy to list ten reasons why we should not, could not, and will not believe God for ____________ (you fill in the blank).  The Israelites certainly had their reasons:  the land was fortified with walls, it was daunting, had enemies, and it was unknown and unfamiliar territory.
BUT GOD – had promised to give this land to them and promised to go before them and with them.

Take time to write out some of the promises for the widow today.
Ask the Lord to help you in your areas of unbelief.

Remember and Do Not Forget - Deuteronomy 1-4

January 16, 2012

Remember and Do Not Forget

I don’t know about you, but I still find it very hard to digest the fact that the time to travel through the wilderness should have only taken eleven days  . . . ELEVEN DAYS yet, they spent forty years there.  This speaks volumes to me. 

This causes me to ponder my own life . . . 

Are there wilderness patches I am stuck in? 
Is there a Promised Land that I have been given I’m not willing to embrace?

Two admonitions stand out from the book of Deuteronomy: 

1.     Remember
2.     Do not forget

They may seem to be one in the same, but if you are like me

it takes effort to “remember” and then an act of God to “not forget!” 
Maybe this comes with old age, but it is a skill worth acquiring
and practicing every single day.

Stay tuned for the highlights from the first four chapters of Deuteronomy. 

Take time to read through Deuteronomy 1-4 this week. 

I know the Lord will bless your time with Him!

Learning from the book of Numbers

It's been a while since I posted on this blog for widows.  I hope to include brief summaries from our lessons each week in God's Word which will never return back void!

There are lessons to be learned from our overview in Numbers.  The greatest impact on me was from Numbers 4.  God numbered the first (old) generation and assigned each man by name the load he was to carry.  Some carried boards and bars, others the pillars and sockets, while another family lifted the pegs and cords.  These assignments might have seemed trivial and routine, but they were very important in order for the tabernacle to move across the wilderness.  8500 men had a specific task.  God eventually set aside the old generation to set apart the new.

Ladies, this still happens today.  What difference are we making our next generation?                      As we begin another new year, God reminds us of the load we have been assigned to carry as a widow.  Personally, I believe it's a calling: 

"Show hospitality to strangers

Wash the saint's feet

Assist those in distress

Devote ourselves to every good work"

I Timothy 5

May the Lord clarify personally His assignment for  you at the beginning of this new year!