Moving Through Life With Purpose
Leaving behind the familiar and facing the unknown is hard. Having moved seven times in 16 years, Nomad Wife reflects my heart for experiencing the opportunities of starting over. Grab a box and join me, a happily married mother of two grown children, and grandma of three, as together with Jesus Christ we pick up, pack up and move on.
The advent of our King. Infinite becoming finite. The Eternal One entering into time. The invisible becoming visible. We sing of it in carols, read of it in greeting cards, and tell of it through the voices of children in Christmas programs.
I don’t know about you, but for me the remarkable story of Christmas becomes more real, more personal every year.
Christmas celebrates the magnificent occasion of the timeless Son of God coming into time to show us God’s love for all people.
God’s promise of the Savior King has been recorded throughout history—from Genesis to Isaiah to Micah: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…He will reign on David’s throne…upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
The apostle John records the birth of Jesus in fourteen verses (John 1:1-14), Matthew in eight (Matt. 1:18-25), and Luke in seven (Luke 2:1-7). In some ways simple and in others so profound, the Christmas story is a stirring picture of who God is and what He has done—coming to meet us where we are, intervening on our behalf, and involving us in the process.
Consider Joseph, the loyal and faithful husband to Mary. Chosen to be the adoptive father of our Lord, Joseph would protect the infant Savior of the world and shield Mary from public shame. A carpenter by trade, strong, sturdy and stable; able to lead the tiring expedition to Bethlehem and the stable, able to encourage the mother of Christ. As the man of the house, Joseph would teach Jesus His first lessons in the law of God, and then silently step back when at the age of twelve it became evident that Jesus’ first allegiance must be to another Father.
Joseph never speaks a word in the Christmas story. Yet every word not spoken, speaks volumes. (Matt. 1:18-25)
We aren’t told in the Word of God why Mary was chosen; but from the little we have, it’s clear she was no random selection. An ordinary, small-town girl who honored and obeyed the will of God. Imagine her courage as she walked the greatest adventure she would ever know on this earth.
David Jeremiah describes Mary’s assignment for which she had no preparation: “The Babe of Bethlehem, the Boy of Nazareth, the brawny Workman of the carpenter shop, the gentle Man of Galilee, the Teacher without equal, the mighty Man of merciful miracles, the humble Man of patience and grace, Mary was also there to see before her own eyes her own Son in the throes of agony and death.” Mary, the mother of Jesus, who also needed Jesus for her Savior as much as every one of us: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46-47).
Shepherds, the lowliest of the low, least educated, and despised by the orthodox people of the day. Sweaty and smelly (they tended stinky sheep), simple men of the fields. What first visitors to the manager! They had names, but we don’t know what they were. Yet they heard, they saw, and they followed the angel’s simple instructions to Bethlehem. And they told everybody they met what they had seen. (Luke 2:8-14)
Magi. Gentiles from the East. We’re told they traveled across the continent to see the Messiah with their gifts of time and of treasures—gold fit for a king, a fragrant offering of frankincense, myrrh for the One who came for the purpose of dying. They came with the same purpose as the shepherds: to worship Jesus! (Matt. 2:1-2, 11-12)
For those who are in Christ, Christmas lies solely in the birth of Jesus—the magnificent occasion of the timeless Son of God coming into a lost world to show us God’s love for all people.
The most profound truth of all truth of why we celebrate Christmas. It’s the story about God’s people in need for a Savior.
Throughout my life, the writers of songs and hymns have helped me press down big truths into simple context so I can absorb it. Added to this is the great benefit of being brought up in a Christian home where we sang as children, for it never leaves you. And so, as we come into another Christmas season, as we prepare to turn the calendar to another year, I found myself going to my childhood.
As each happy Christmas, Dawns on earth again Comes the holy Christ Child, To the hearts of men.*
I don’t know about you, but it still draws me: Jesus, the Son of God, coming to this earth, growing up, moving among the people, transforming lives. It’s staggering.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
Bible teacher Charles Swindoll wrote, “On that first Christmas, the divine Son of God took His first human breath as He entered humanity as one of us. The moment of Jesus’ birth was an event like none other in history. It changed the world forever. Its appeal was … and still is … irresistible!”
All unknown, beside me He will ever stand And will safely lead me, With His own right hand. (*As Each Happy Christmas, circa 1885)
Changes come and go, don’t they? When we part from family, from our friends, we don’t know what may affect us, or them, before we meet again. Yet the promise that Jesus remains beside us through the unknown is as certain today as it was yesterday.
A Child’s Garden of Song, Concordia Publishing House, 1949
With their children all in school now, my son and his wife and my daughter and her husband are experiencing the joys and responsibilities of raising children in the 21st century. My husband I had a fun visit in October with his brother and sister-in-law from Arizona. The boys reminisced, taking us on tour through favorite stomping grounds growing up. At Thanksgiving we had one more empty chair at the dinner table that was always filled by my sister’s husband who passed away in September. Still, crawling underfoot to remind us of those who will come after us was my nephew and his wife’s one-year-old son.
All glory to the Son, Who comes to set us free, With Father, Spirit, ever one, Through all eternity. (The Advent of Our King, Charles Coffin, circa 1736)
Who is in charge of “forever”? The One who from eternity to eternity is the same yesterday and today.
We are each going through changes. The heavens and the earth will pass away, but from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s deep, abiding love is with those who fear the Lord. Because God has said “I will never leave you,” we can confidently say “I will not fear.” (Hebrews 13:5-6)
No halo graced the head of Jesus when He was born on earth in yesteryear — this baby, God in the flesh, the eternal Son of God who came to save us from sin. God continues to walk into our lives today when we least expect Him, and His surprises still bring relief.
When we say yes to God’s will for our lives, God floods our hearts with relief. And, oh, the joy that God’s peace brings to our hearts!
Have you said “yes” to the One who holds yesterday and today and forever?
Merry Christmas!
Sources: Jesus – Always Only, Alistair Begg The Season That Still Touches Hearts, Charles Swindoll
A writing tablet and yellow No. 2 pencil. The kind with a soft eraser. A Skooter doll by Mattel. She was the friend of Barbie’s younger sister, Skipper. White patent leather go-go boots. Whew! What an iconic fashion statement … they “were made for walkin’.” A mother’s birthstone ring and holiday dinnerware.
Each year as I have grown a bit older, the gifts under the Christmas tree have matured, as well. Each gift was intentionally selected. Each one received with anticipation and joy.
There is a line in one of my favorite Christmas carols that reads, “God’s Son for a gift has been sent you this night” (emphasis added). It’s a German hymn originally composed in 1798 as a poem written for children: Ihr Kinderlein, Kommet (O Come, Little Children)!
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15
Paul the apostle spoke about this gift. And, for someone who had the ability to find whatever word was necessary at whatever place in his writing, in this case Paul could not come up with a descriptive synonym. No word would adequately express the significance of this gift that God has given in His Son. So he coined a word found nowhere else in all the Bible, translated “indescribable.”1
Ah, yes. Any attempt at describing the indescribable dares to fall short of comprehensiveness. So, we tell of what we know:
No word would adequately express the significance of this gift …
Jesus the Christ, the King of Righteousness, the King of Heaven, the King of Kings.
The wellspring of wisdom, the pathway of peace,
Sovereign, eternally steadfast, endurably strong. The just Judge.
He is enthroned on high. Yet He has come near. Utterly sincere, compassionate to all.
The centerpiece of civilization, unparallel, unprecedented,
The loftiest idea in literature, the highest personality in philosophy. Courage of the weak, comfort to the downtrodden, hope to the lost.
He is perfect love. The life giver, the sin forgiver. Changeless.
He blesses the young, regards the diligent, defends the feeble, esteems the aged,
His mercy is everlasting, His goodness is limitless, His word is enough.
You can’t out live Him and you can’t live without Him.
Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him!
The Son of God does not have His beginnings in Bethlehem. Indeed, He has no beginning. And so it is at Christmas time that we remind ourselves that this child in the manger is Lord, true God and true man. Jesus is God’s gift to the world. Jesus is God’s gift to you! Indescribable.
O come, little children, oh, come, one and all, To Bethlehem haste, to the manger so small. God’s Son for a gift has been sent you this night To be your Redeemer, your Joy and Delight.*
Writer’s Note: Merry Christmas! This past summer, my husband and I received the gift of time as we spent a highly anticipated week in Florida with our children and their families to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. What joy!
The Gift of Time
1Jesus, The Indescribable Gift, Charles R. Swindoll
*O Come, All Ye Children, Christoph von Schmid (1768-1854)
My little brother was in the biggest fight of his life … literally, for his life. This COVID virus was relentless, throwing everything it had at him with a vengeance.
I don’t know how often one stops to consider the attributes of a brother or sister. But these last eight weeks certainly gave me pause to mull over Christopher.
He was smart. He had wit. When all is said and done, I believe he embodied some of the best of what our mom and daddy had to offer: Determination. A tender heart. Family loyalty. Faith in Jesus Christ.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.Matthew 6:33
Born Christopher Todd Haertling, Christopher was not perfect, nor was he any more special than my other siblings or me. I do wonder, however, if our mom and daddy just got to, well, enjoy him in another way.
Mom and Christopher, c. 1971
The rest of us came in such quick-fire succession — five children in 32 months, with two sets of twins.
My siblings & me c. 1958
How could they not regard him differently?
Born 13 years after Stanley, our next youngest brother, Christopher was a “second-generation” kid.
A surprise? Perhaps. Desired? Most certainly.
We four older ones were a few short years away from graduating high school and going out on our own when Christopher came on the scene. Somehow, it doesn’t make sense that mom and daddy did not know what they were getting themselves into starting over.
Stories about the kid are plentiful. Maybe because there were more of us to remember them. And after 51 years, some are possibly embellished more than others.
Choosing his name got quite lively. We were all in on it: Clarence Gottfried or Gottfried Clarence, taking from our Grandpa Richter’s rather distinguished name. Gomer Pyle and Vince Carter inched their way up pretty high on the list of possibilities.
Daddy said “Christopher Todd Haertling” was too long. “He will be through first grade before he knows how to spell it.”
It was back the summer of 1970 when Stanley, Glenda, Connie and I looked on with admiration through the maternity room window at this new addition to our family.
A stranger watching commented quite cheerfully, “Oh, look! Is that the grandfather standing there behind that baby?”
I think it was Connie who replied, “Uh, no. That would be the father.”
And so it began.
A Determined Disposition
Christopher started life with a determined outlook. As an infant, he appeared resolute, willing to hold his position. If something upset him, whether out of fear or frustration, he held his breath. To the point of passing out.
You could see it coming. “He’s going to hold his breath!”
Next to mom, Connie was the one who was the most capable caring for that rascal. Somehow it seems right that she was also one at Christopher’s bedside the night he took his last breath.
Oh, Christopher had all our hearts. He was three years old the day he climbed out of the back seat of the car with tear-streaked cheeks. Boy, did he submarine mom’s plans that day. Earlier — through screams and kicks and an arched back — he made it abundantly clear he wanted nothing to do with getting his hair cut.
So, mom said, “Shave it off.” And the barber did.
Don’t worry. Any effects were short-lived. He wandered on down the hill in front of our house, a sporadic sniffle breaking the silence, his faithful dog, Bear, trailing closely behind. Oblivious to the buzz cut he had just gotten. Hair clippings still clung to the half-eaten lollipop held firmly in his sticky hand.
Our Grandma Haertling’s mournful appraisal echoes yet in the background, “Du armes kind” (you poor child).
Not.
Tenderhearted
Christopher’s sturdy build combined with a tough exterior and his calloused farmer’s hands could easily camouflage his tender heart. A heart that led him to take time out of his day to hand-pick daffodils and lilacs and tulips from mom’s garden or pick up a piece of mom’s favorite Coconut Cream Pie on Tuesdays at the Fruitland Auction Barn, and then bring them to her. Now aging, mom was living in a residential care facility.
After mom passed away, Christopher made sure fresh “posies” were still delivered to Miss Fern, who had been a tablemate of mom’s and caught his attention. Our sister Glenda was enlisted to make those special deliveries.
Did he have friends! From an early age … especially those of the two-legged, white Leghorn variety.
“Look at all my friends,” he would marvel walking through the chicken pen. Hens squatted before him, allowing him to give a quick pat on the back or scoop them up in his arms.
Of course, we rather enjoyed reminding Christopher how he almost cooked some of those “friends” one hot, mid-summer, Missouri afternoon when he loaded them into his red wagon and left them covered with a sheet.
I can’t find my family.
Family Loyalty
Christopher valued family. He would walk miles for them. And he did.
When he was about four years old, he took an unplanned morning hike; showing up at Wilbert Versemann’s farm with only his dog in tow.
He needed help, “I can’t find my family.”
Returning both Christopher and dog back to the house, Wilbert called out, “Are you missing a boy?”
It seems when Christopher woke up that morning, he heard daddy and Stanley driving off on their tractors. He headed out the front door to follow. Where they turned right at a crossroad, he turned left.
Yes, he needed help. He knew he could trust Wilbert.
Christopher understood the meaning of a strong heritage. A sense of belonging. He prized vintage photos, for in them he saw the history of his people: The Haertlings. The Richters. The Meyrs. The Webers.
Faith in Jesus Christ
Now. With all kidding set aside.
God’s true Word instructs us, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 ESV).
Christopher was raised to know the living Lord; baptized as an infant into the Christian faith, and then confirming his belief in Jesus Christ his Savior as a young teen.
He committed his life before God and witnesses in faithful marriage to his sweet bride, Amy; and together they established their family.
Christopher loved Alli and Jackson. He was proud they called him “Dad.”
[Your] weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5
You know, when Lazarus had died, his older sister Martha’s complaint to Jesus was that had he, Jesus, been there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus’ assurance to Martha then, some 2,000 years ago, is the same confidence Jesus gives us still today: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:17-26).
On February 3, his body worn out, God called Christopher home. Come on, Christopher. It’s time. Come on home. I have everything waiting for you.
Christopher Todd Haertling. A man of determination, a tender heart, family loyalty, and faith in Jesus Christ, his Savior.
Taken before his time? No.
For the Almighty, Sovereign and Holy God, who has numbered the hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30), the Lord [Who] is faithful in all He does (Psalm 33:4), knew the exact number of Christopher’s days on this earth.
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands … Isaiah 49:16
The question now is not “Why?” The better question is “How?” How do I give God glory now in all of this heartache? How will I choose to give God glory and honor Christopher’s memory?
Our Lord God has the answer, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Is our grief heavy? Oh, yes.
But there, too, Jesus promises, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
And our grief is not without Hope, for it is rooted deeply in Jesus Christ our Savior.
Because Jesus lives, [Christopher] also will live. John 14:19
Johann Härtling, of the Saxony, Germany area of Pöppeln, was the father of Andreas, Andreas the father of Hermann, who immigrated to the United States of America, Hermann the father of Adolph Martin, Martin the father of Benjamin, Ben the father of Vernon, Vernon the father of three sons and three daughters.
I am one of those three daughters.
More than 235 years since Johann, that bloodline still lives on today in both my children and grandchildren.
The Hermann Haertling Family, circa 1894
Genealogical rolls trace a lineage, preserving the past for future generations. Each name represents a face, a life lived. Each one a link connecting from earlier days to what is still to come. Each with a story to tell.
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.
It is with a genealogy that Matthew begins the first book of the New Testament of the same name (Matthew 1). Matthew unfolds the story of the Christ child’s coming by looking back to the Old Testament — from Abraham to Jesus. Albeit, not something you usually expect in your traditional Christmas card generally filled with angel announcements, accounts of shepherds, and images of a newborn baby asleep in a manger.
Woven within the letters of each name listed is the unfolding story of God’s faithfulness flowing from generation to generation as He fulfills the promise first made to Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3).
In linking Jesus to Abraham, Matthew brings us straight away back to the promise of God’s rescue plan for the world. Jesus is the long-awaited son of Abraham who will bring God’s blessing to all humanity.
… and all people on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:3
The promised son of David. Matthew confirms Jesus’ human origin, the royal successor and legitimate heir to the throne of David’s kingdom (Matthew 22:42-46). The King for whom all of Israel was waiting.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.Isaiah 11:1
Then in a rare move, Matthew breaks with tradition by listing four women. The background stories of these four make their inclusion even more extraordinary: Gentiles, widows, tarnished pasts. Matthew shines light on God’s amazing grace.
For generations God has been using all types of people to move His plan forward. Real people. Imperfect men and women who have lived flawed lives, making poor choices, living life away from God.
Three sets of names. Three key periods in history. As one biblical scholar writes, “One gets the impression that Matthew pored over his Old Testament records until he could find the most questionable ancestors of Jesus available in order, in turn, to insert them into his record and so, it seems to preach the gospel — that is, that God can overcome and forgive sin, and can use soiled but repentant persons for his great purpose in history.”1
What about your story? Where Scripture’s first genealogy recorded in Genesis 5 underscores death — “and then he died” — the genealogy of Jesus does not end. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus came to save “his people from their sins.”
No matter your background, your pedigree, your last name, you can be part of Christ’s inheritance both now and throughout eternity. By faith in Jesus, you can be counted as one of God’s children.
Ah, dearest Jesus, Holy Child, Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled, Within my heart, that it may be A quiet chamber kept for Thee.2
Photo: Far left, my grandfather, Ben Haertling, is seated on the lap of his father, Martin Haertling.
1 Fredrick Dale Bruner, The Christbook: A Historical/Theological Commentary, 1987 2 Martin Luther, From Heaven Above to Earth I Come, 1535
Never could I have imagined hearing such tender words wrapped in such irrepressible joy. Maybe an “I love you, too, Nana.” But not this.
My three-year-old granddaughter had just stepped out of the tub from her evening bath. Her back to me, I softly toweled off her wet hair; and I whispered gently into her ear, “I love you, Zoey Gail.”
And that is when it happened!
In one swift motion, Zoey spun around to face me; her rich, brown eyes beaming. With unbridled joy sweeping across her face, she threw her arms around my neck, capturing me in her embrace.
Her response stopped me short: “Oh, Nana. Thank you for loving me!”
Later as I relived that moment in my mind, my heart still taken aback at Zoey’s reaction, I wondered how often have I expressed such pure, unrestrained gratitude to my Lord and Savior? Have I ever?
But in Christ, God gives us much, much more … Joy unspeakable.
Joy in the Giver
The once childless Hannah did.
See the unbridled joy written on Hannah’s face; expressed through her song as she brings the child Samuel to the house of God. Experience her delight recorded in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel:
My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high … 1 Samuel 2:1
Hannah tells Eli, the priest, “I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him” (v. 27). She doesn’t commend Samuel for his behavior, or his intelligence, or even the good sense he showed at such a young age; something most parents are prone to do.
Hannah sang praise to the Giver.
There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.1 Samuel 2:2
Joy in Community
What about Naomi, the one who “went away full,” but the “LORD brought back empty” (Ruth 1:20)?
Because of a famine in her native land, Naomi left Israel to go with her husband and two sons to Moab. The intent was to stay just “for a while.” But there in that foreign country, a godless place of worship, Naomi experiences the loss of her husband. Her sons, who had married women of Moab, also die. Abandoned — a widow and in poverty — Naomi retraces her steps back home to Bethlehem with one of her daughters-in-law, Ruth.
At a time when hope appears lost, God’s mighty hand was working and Boaz, a kinsman-redeemer, was provided. Oh, that moment when Boaz and Ruth’s first-born child, Obed, was carried to Grandma Naomi. Picture the unbridled joy as a long, desolate winter passes and a time of birds singing emerges: “Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him” (Ruth 4:16).
That joy was also celebrated among those in Naomi’s community as, “The women living there said, ‘Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you … Naomi has a son!’” (Ruth 4:14-17).
At one time thought perished, Naomi’s family was restored to Israel’s genealogy. That infant Obed lived to become the father of Jesse, who became the father of King David, the ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).
Joy in Hope Restored
Mary was there that first Easter morning. But there was no joy, unbridled or that of any other kind.
Exhausted, the past hours swelled with agony and heartbreak. How could this be?
She had heard Jesus’ bitter cries. She had stood near the cross, her presence all that she could offer Him in His deep suffering. She watched through those excruciatingly dreadful hours until finally the Roman soldier speared the Savior’s side.
“Dead,” came the declaration.
But there she was — outside the empty garden tomb — early on that Sunday morning. She knew the right place, for she had also been there watching when they laid the Lord’s lifeless body to rest (Matthew 27:61).
Now to find the Lord’s grave empty! Her grief knew no bounds. And she wept (John 20:11-18).
“Mary.”
As the morning light breaks through the darkness of night, so, too, that one word broke through the gloom of indescribable sorrow. One word uttered from the Voice she recognized.
Unbridled joy gripped Mary’s heart as she realized her Savior actually stood in front of her. In reverent love she cries, “Rabboni!” (John 20:15-17). My God and my Master!
He is risen from the dead! Jesus is alive again!
Do gratitude and joy come only out of a satisfied desire, a recovered loss, or hope restored? Oh most certainly, getting to the other side of deep hardship is like a green light straight to amazing joy. But in Christ, God gives us much, much more. True blessing, deep happiness right where we are — in the life He has given us. Jesus came that we might “have life and have it to the full.” Joy unspeakable.
Sometimes it takes a 3-year-old child to show the way.
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9
Some flour, milk and eggs, and just enough salt “to taste.” In my mom’s hands those baking ingredients meant mouthwatering Blatz Kuchen, Koffee Kuchen, and donuts.
Add a swatch of material to a needle and thread; and in mom’s hands, she could conceal fine running stitches within the seams of a new Christmas dress, a patch to a pair of daddy’s bulky work pants, and tailor-made gowns for a child’s Barbie doll.
She had a green thumb, too. Put a strip of rich dirt in her hands, combine it with seedlings, some water, and weeding — definitely, weeding, and she would have a garden brimming with rows of juicy, plump tomatoes, sweet corn, and a kaleidoscope of Irises, Poppies, and Hollyhocks.
What is that in your hand?
In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we read of Moses, a Hebrew born to slaves. He was raised and educated during his first 40 years in the household of Egypt’s Pharaoh. Through a series of events and poor decisions, however, Moses ends up fleeing from Egypt. Looking to put his past behind him, he settles down in Midian and becomes a shepherd (Exodus 2). But then God comes. God has something different for Moses.
After 40 years in Midian, God calls to Moses in a burning bush for his greatest work yet — the immense task of leading the people of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3). An assignment that would not be accomplished without leaning hard on the LORD God.
“Who am I that I should go?” “Who are you?” “What if they don’t believe me?” Insecurities swell. Focusing on his inabilities, the excuses begin. Moses even says, “Please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13).
I wonder. It had been about 400 years since any Israelite had heard a word from God. Did God graciously give Moses the signs recorded in Exodus to help boost his faith (vv. 2, 6,9)?
The ordinary and impotent becomes powerful when yielded in obedience to the Lord.1
“What is that in your hand?” God asks.
In his hand, Moses carried a shepherd’s staff. Used for herding and defending sheep, it reflects the simple existence he had settled for, becoming part of his identity and security.
“Throw it on the ground,” the Lord instructs Moses. When he does, the Lord transforms it into a serpent, a sign of Egyptian power that kings wore on their headdresses. Moses runs from it. The Lord then tells Moses to grab it by its tail. Now, grabbing a snake by the tail is usually not a good idea! But Moses obeys and when he does, it becomes a staff again.
That dry stick shows a lowly shepherd that “the ordinary and impotent becomes powerful when yielded in obedience to the Lord.” In Moses’ hands it is a long, albeit sturdy, stick. Released to God’s masterful hands it becomes a tool to accomplish God’s purposes. As God transforms the staff, He also begins to transform Moses, who will dominate a fearful Egyptian tyrant and lead a people out of slavery. The shepherd’s staff (Exodus 4:2) becomes the “the staff of God” (Exodus 4:20).
You give them something to eat.
Jesus taught this same fundamental lesson to His disciples in the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000; the only miracle recorded in all four of the New Testament Gospels.
After a day of teaching and healing, Jesus and the disciples are tired. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” Jesus commands (Mark 6:30-44). But there is no rest; for in the remote place to which they go, a large crowd finds them. It is here that Jesus gives the impossible command, “You [disciples] give them something to eat” (v.37).
Can’t you just hear the weary disciples. “Seriously? Can’t we just send them away? Even if we could find enough food, we would have to spend a half year’s salary!”
The meeting of need is not dependent on the supply in hand, but on the blessing of the Lord resting on the supply. 2
As God questioned Moses, “What is that in your hand?”, Jesus asks in a similar way, “How many loaves do you have?” (v. 38).
“Only five loaves of bread and two fish” (Luke 9:13). Not anywhere near enough to feed thousands of hungry people; at least in the hands of ordinary men.
But then the Son of God takes the “only” into His hands. Looking up to heaven, Jesus gives thanks and then passes the loaves and fish to His disciples who in turn feed the people. In God’s masterful hands, “They all ate and were satisfied,” with leftovers filling twelve basketfuls (vv. 42-43).
Later those same powerful hands are nailed to a cross on Calvary as the Son of God satisfies the wrath of God, bearing the sins of all people for all time, bringing us peace with God.
God created each of us uniquely, male and female; each with our own blend of personality, abilities, passions, and experiences. Sometimes it may seem that what others have in their hands is more grand, of greater importance, or more worthwhile.
My mom wasn’t a top chef or master gardener feeding the masses or an acclaimed seamstress transforming the fashion world. Baking “flops” were a fact. She ripped out many-a stitches, removing unwanted threads. And now that I think about it, she never won a blue ribbon at the county fair for her flowers or her cheese cake, either. In God’s masterful hands, however, what she had in hers served her well as she served her family.
Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee. (Romans 6:13)
Take My Life and Let It Be, Frances R. Havergal, 1874
1 Stephen Cole, Serving God Effectively 2 Watchman Nee, Expecting the Lord’s Blessing
“Here I am, Nana!” my three-year-old granddaughter calls out. Patting her chest in earnest, she looks up. And she waits. Hopeful.
I love those tender, soft hands. They speak of her innocence, to the joy of childhood. Oh, and those wide, deep brown eyes. She practically wills my gaze to drop down on her.
“Of course,” I reply as our eyes connect. “There you are!”
The moment of discovery pays off in squeals of delight, followed by a monster embrace and kisses. Satisfied, she goes off to the next thing; another round of our combined Lost and Found/Hide and Seek game over.
Zoey was confident of two things: Her Nana always knew where she was. And, there is great pleasure in being “found”!
Expecting Marvelous Things
In the Old Testament of the Bible, we read of another hide-and-seek incident. I think it is very likely the saddest story of all time.
In a perfect creation by the perfect Creator, the Lord God had provided for every genuine need. The shrubs and plants needed water. God provided. Cultivation and irrigation were needed, and God provided that. Adam needed a helpmate, and God wonderfully provided Eve. And, God set a boundary in place; the bounds of which led to life. (Genesis 2)
But then, tempted to choose independence from their Creator God, Satan’s twisted remarks lead Adam and Eve to consider that just maybe they needed something more. Something desirable that God had not yet given. “Did God actually say … You will not surely die …” (Genesis 3:1-4, ESV).
Enticed away from the One they could trust to satisfy every need, Adam and Eve disobey God’s command. And, now they are in unchartered territory.
I wonder, did they expect marvelous things?
Instead, it is shame and fear that immediately unfold in the aftermath of their disobedience. Too late, Adam and Eve realize the foolishness of doing what had been forbidden.
THEN the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked …Genesis 3:7, emphasis added
Adam and Eve were never afraid in the presence of God before; but happiness has turned to misery. A once joyful relationship is broken, and something is very different when they hear “the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day …” (Genesis 3:8).
Worse still, where before Adam and Eve were “both naked, and they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25), they have gone into hiding. Fearful, they are separated from the very help they need.
But God graciously does not hide from Adam and Eve. God seeks out the fig-leaf-clad couple.
Awesome Dread. Astonished Devotion.
“Where are you?” the LORD God calls to the man (Genesis 3:10).
Unclothed, unarmed, fearful to contend with God, Adam admits, “I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10).
A good question to consider here might be: Wouldn’t you be? Fearful of the Almighty God of the universe, that is.
I often think that today we have lost the “fear of God” in favor of a too casual, lax attitude.
David Jeremiah, in one of his sermons, calls this lost fear an “awesome dread”: Awe and dread. Natural responses from the imperfect to the perfect, of the marred to the beautiful, of the contaminated to the pure, culminating in a healthy fear of a holy God (Isaiah 8:13).
God knew full well what had transpired with Adam and Eve; just as He knows us and our sin. And God never ignores sin or brushes it aside, like we do.
Without the righteousness of Christ to clothe us, we have reason to be afraid of approaching God. Yet in His perfect love, God provided — a love so strong, so available, so secure. God pursues the guilty sinner, leading us to repentance and forgiveness.
… the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin … If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:7-9
There. Right there in Jesus Christ is the courage to not hide (Romans 8:1-2). Right there is the amazing grace to walk in humble boldness straight to God (Hebrews 4:14-16).
And there in astonished devotion, we come with honor and reverence because of God’s greatness and majesty. Right there in worship we enter into the fearful wonder of who God is (Psalm 89:6-7). What great pleasure there is being found!
Fear of God and love of God are not in conflict. When we truly know the fear of God, we will also truly know the love of God. And when we truly know the love of God, we will also truly know the fear of God. – David Jeremiah
For years my mom woke early in the morning. Those hours well before daybreak when the night sky still holds back the sunrise. Farm work required it. As she aged and became less involved in the daily chores, her inner clock stayed right on schedule. “But now,” she said, “I wake up early and lying there I just think … the things I remember.”
Remember the days of old; consider the generations past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. Deuteronomy 32:7
I, too, am an early riser. Although a few years younger than my mom was in her reminiscing days, I also wake well before daylight and remember.
Some call it rehearsing the deeds of the Lord; others refer to it as taking a spiritual inventory. Both involve an intentional act of remembering — the process of recalling the past, especially God’s presence and activity in life.
Remembering Leads to Praise and Rejoicing
My twin sister and I in our family home.
No, I do not remember being seven months of age. But this photograph stirs countless memories of the room in which it was taken and of that family rocking chair still found there. Many a birthday and holiday get-togethers, quiet conversations, and a share of gatherings weighed down in sorrow.
I do remember twenty-five years later, however, after this picture was taken. The morning my daddy found me awake and curled up in that chair in the wee hours of May 1st.
“Can’t sleep, uh?” he asked.
“No, I am just lying here thinking,” I replied.
Later that same day he walked me down the church aisle to give me away in marriage to my husband.
Looking back, God’s presence was evident in all things — interwoven throughout the innocent days of childhood, in building faith, and during the routines of family life.
Immanuel Lutheran School, grades 1-8, John Groenke teacher, Theodore Schroeder pastor. (Photo courtesy of Joyce Versemann)
In a one-room school house on cold winter days, twenty-one children warming themselves around a huge, black potbelly stove completing their studies. The outhouse “facilities” and the woodshed from which the older boys carried in logs to feed the potbelly stove. Sunshiny days and “Red Rover, Red Rover” recess games. In end-of-school-year Play Day relays, races and tug-o-war competitions. Ribbons awarded to the winners; participants were, well, participants.
All through Vacation Bible School stories and songs and art projects. In the red Kool Aid? Hmm, even while “enjoying” those cold, sugary drinks. (Yech!) Through influential, caring teachers — Mr. Groenke, Mrs. Mouser, and Mr. Golz, Confirmation Day preparation, and the Spring storm that took out the electric power the evening of my First Communion.
Everywhere. Seated around the supper table, the evening meal over, my brother, sisters and I reciting our bedtime prayers — “Now I lay me down to sleep …” A child’s voice echoing Grandma Haertling teaching The Lord’s Prayer in German as we cleaned eggs collected earlier from the hen house. Playing Sunday School on the little porch, the window-filled room off the kitchen. My doll students always seemed much better behaved than the rather vocal, spirited teddy bear students.
Every day. While working together tending row upon row of freshly planted potato seedlings, in the beauty of butterflies lighting on a rainbow of Zinnia blooms, and across fields of tasseling corn. And culling chickens under cover of darkness (separating the layers from those hens no longer producing). I still hear my twin sister’s voice, “I don’t know what’s back there breathing in that corner, but it’s no chicken!” If you know her, ask Connie about that one.
Remembering Leads to Repentance and Understanding
The Old Testament book of Deuteronomy is a book all about remembering. “On the first day of the eleventh month” of the last year of their wanderings, Moses urges the Israelites to look back and remember.
Remember how the LORD your God … to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart … that in the end it might go well with you. Deuteronomy 8:2-16
Writing a short time before his own death, Moses recasts God’s law for a new generation poised to enter the land of promise. To reaffirm the covenant God made with them, His children, the people of Israel. The covenant previously established at Mount Sinai, the pledge they broke in distrust and disobedience.
Other nations feared their own gods. The Lord God sought a renewed commitment with His people based not just in rote obedience, but an obedience springing from a relationship with God to His people. A bond based on God’s might and awe and fear. A life together drenched in His own deep, unfailing love.
Remembering Produces Hope
Moses didn’t pull any punches. His speech calls each of the Israelites to remember their stubbornness, painful memories resulting in loss of life and a 40-year long, desert education. And to realize in hope the blessings that accompany obedience.
What do we do in the early morning darkness with memories of our poor choices and irresponsible behavior? A mental notebook filled with what ifs and could haves? Heartaches stemming from impatience and bullheadedness, of harsh words spoken in anger? Of life-altering tragedies? Memories that wiggle their way in with a side of guilt and shame added.
We leave them in repentance where they belong: at the cross of Jesus Christ who took on Himself the payment for sin. And we remember His abundant grace.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. Ephesians 1:7
Remembering God’s work in the past can lead to praise and rejoicing. Remembering can lead to repentance and to understanding. Remembering evokes hope for the future. For remembering the past produces confidence in Whom we believe — Jesus Christ.
I know not why God’s wondrous grace To me He hath made known, Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love Redeemed me for His own.
But “I know Whom I have believed, And am persuaded that He is able To keep that which I’ve committed Unto Him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12, Jude 24)
I Know Whom I Have Believed, Daniel W. Whittle, 1883
You have seen them. They are sitting in the vehicle parked in the fast-food restaurant lot, just off the highway. The car’s engine is running; made obvious by wispy smoke coming from the engine’s tailpipe.
A man, a woman, a couple of kids. Maybe a dog. Each eating their meal. Not the dog. It’s usually sleeping. The out-of-state vehicle tags confirming it: Folks heading somewhere.
That is my family. Self-described destination people. Whether the first leg of a trip traveling to visit family for the holidays or returning back home again, we are all about the place to which we are going. Our goal is being there.
My best girlfriend was a journey gal. She loved detours. Oh, her family got to where they were going. But a six-hour trip could easily become eight, improved only by a roadside excursion touring the world’s biggest ball of baler twine, the largest rocking chair, or a Great Lake’s sand dune.
We destination folks focus on the last stop. Breaks are limited, and those we do take are short in duration, which explains eating our meals in the car parked in a fast-food lot. We are skilled scoping out at a distance the best restroom facilities, the shortest drive-thru lines, and the fastest gas pumps. Journey people take it in stride; their eyes peeled for what is coming next as they are getting there.
Abraham’s Journey. Reaching Destination’s End.
When God calls Abram to leave Haran, the story of a man unfolds — a promised land, a promised people, and the response of faith (Genesis 12:1-3). At first look, it may appear that Abram’s call is about the place he is going to: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’.” Ahhh, keep reading.
We are not told how much time transpires between Abram’s response “setting out from Haran” and “they arrived there” (Genesis 12:4-5). But those 425 miles to physically arrive in the land of Canaan, to the place to which Abram was called, is but the beginning of an enduring 100-year journey.
Remarkable experiences merged within the lulls of everyday living. Detours, trials and tests focusing not on what seems impossible, but on what is possible only through the one true God.
Decisions to wait. Others made in haste. Big messes, with even bigger fixes. And miles and miles developing obedience and trust.
In the journey, Abram fully experiences the ever-present, sovereign God as Promise Keeper. Not some bogus magical genie that appears for a time, grants a wish or so, and retreats. But the real, loving God, who is intimately involved as His words are fulfilled through people in His time and in His way.
Abram comes to know personally the God who knows all things, the God who desires to be known by His people.
Through Abram’s journey, retold in the Old Testament book of Genesis, we also discover God. We meet the One who does the calling (Genesis 12), the One who pours out blessings on those who trust and obey (Genesis 12-25). The One who faithfully protects (Genesis 12, 14). A just God, who in His compassion, befriends (Genesis 18), who knows us by name and actually sees us (Genesis 16).
We witness the I Am, trustworthy in growing His children (Genesis 22), patiently restoring in failures (Genesis 20). The One who understands heartache and grief, who comforts (Genesis 21, 23). The immutable God who does not change; because in His absolute perfection, He always works for the good of His people.
As for Abram, he does change. No longer “exalted father” advancing and pleasing himself, but Abraham, “the father of many nations” who learns that God is El Shaddai, God Almighty.
It was a lot of years and a lot of miles, an amazing journey of hope and grace experienced in God. The same hope and grace on which we all still depend today in a world of bad news, poor choices, lapses in judgment, and wrong behavior. God’s grace that knows no limitations, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1-3).
To borrow from Bible teacher Eugene Peterson, Abraham’s journey was one long obedience in the same direction. A journey bringing him to his destination’s end: “By faith … longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:8-16).
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, Pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but Thou are mighty; Hold me with Thy pow’rful hand. Bread of heaven, bread of heaven. Feed me till I want no more; Feed me till I want no more.
