Faith

Cars & Faith

Barbara Kain Parker Biblical Insights, Inspirational , , , , ,

What could cars and faith possibly have in common? A lot, as it turns out!

Recently, we experienced a dire transportation crisis in which both of our vehicles were disabled. Our everyday, dependable 2011 Expedition was flashing warning lights at us, and it was finally determined that the brake module had failed. Turned out, we were number 900 on the wait list for a part that hadn’t even been manufactured yet. Then there was our back-up, a 2008 Toyota in need of so many expensive fixes that we only drove it for short, local errands. In general, while everything we need is within a one-to-five-mile radius from home, there was no way it would have been safe to drive either vehicle on the freeway. But – a big BUT – we had a couple  of important places we were scheduled to go, each of which would require about a 200-mile round trip. What to do?

Perhaps the least expensive option would be to have the Toyota repaired, so my husband consulted with our auto repair shop, only to discover that there were even more issues than we thought. It just wasn’t worth the money required to fix such an old vehicle, no matter that the body looked almost new and the interior was still in very good shape. Again, what to do? Prayer had been on our agenda all along, but thus far there had been no clear answers. Isn’t that the way life’s challenges often seem? Difficult problems without obvious solutions routinely persist in spite of prayer; and that’s where faith comes in. Whether the issue is a relatively minor need like ours for reliable transportation, more serious issues such as relationships, schools, jobs, etc.; or the desperate needs brought about through loss or infirmity; the solutions always rest in waiting on the Lord and holding onto faith in Him.

Ultimately for us, the Lord provided someone who wanted to buy the Toyota for more than we ever thought we could get, and then intervened to provide a new-to-us used car that looks and runs like new. It is a gift from Him, one that we couldn’t have dreamed of; and it came about through prayer and faith that He would supply our need. But the point of our story isn’t so much to talk about what happened with our transportation problem, but to introduce an analogy between cars and faith using our new car as an example. They have much in common.

We see our car as a gift from God; as is faith:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. [i]

It’s very comforting and to know that we have reliable transportation, secure in the knowledge that we can safely drive to our destinations. Faith is the very basis of security with God, and through faith we can proclaim with the psalmists:

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.[ii]

You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.[iii]

Our car allows us to travel, to seek out new destinations and enjoy the ride. By faith, we also travel into the unseen realms of the Lord:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.[iv]

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.[v]

Our car comes with unexpected upgrades that we’ve not had in other cars. Faith enables us to experience upgrades in our lives, which we could never have anticipated before we knew Jesus:

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.[vi]

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.[vii]

A good car is both highly desired and a tremendous blessing. It’s easy to forget that many people in the world are so poor they must still walk, ride a bicycle or depend on other people or animals to get from place to place. Faith is also highly desired, and it is a much greater blessing than any car:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.[viii]

When one has a reliable car, it can be used for good to help others. How much greater is the good that arises out of faith:

But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.[ix]

Car ownership comes with tremendous responsibilities; one must understand and follow the rules of the road in order to remain safe. So it is with faith, a powerful weapon of righteousness when placed in God; but misplaced faith is very dangerous:

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things… And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.[x]

Both cars and faith  may appear miraculous, perhaps impossible, to those who haven’t experienced them. Imagine the awestruck wonder of people who watched Model Ts chugging down the road. While some were awestruck, others wanted nothing to do with those new-fangled machines. Sadly, many people today doubt the reality of God and His promises; wanting nothing to do with Him, but the scriptures speak for themselves regarding the necessity of faith:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.[xi]

Both cars and faith are useless without fuel. Clearly, there has to be a source of power for a car, which began with steam, transitioned to gasoline, and now has been expanded to include electricity. The source of faith, as well as other spiritual gifts, is the Holy Spirit:

For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.[xii]

Faith is not something that just happens automatically; it comes packaged as small as a mustard seed, but Jesus said that mustard seed faith would move mountains. How is that even possible? By exercising our tiny faith, it grows through trial and error, again and again. But remember, with just a few words from the Lord, the heavens and the earth were created; imagine what what just one of His words, encompassed in a mustard seed, can do when we respond by faith.

The results of my faith don’t rest in me; for within myself there is no ability to move mountains. Rather, it’s faith in the One who gave me the faith in the first place; it’s faith in what He can do.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.[xiii]

[i] Ephesian 2:8

[ii] Psalm 16:8

[iii] Psalm 71:20-21

[iv] Ephesians 2:5-7

[v] Colossians 3:1-4

[vi] 1 Peter 1:8-9

[vii] 1 John 5:4

[viii] Hebrews 11:1-3

[ix] Galatians 5:22-23 TPT

[x] Romans 1: 22-23, 28031

[xi] Hebrews 11:6

[xii] ! Corinthians 12:8-11

[xiii] Philippians 3:12-14

Storm Warnings

Barbara Kain Parker Biblical Insights, Inspirational , , , , ,

Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
Jeremiah 23:19-20

From encouragement to warning, continuing from the Lord’s encouraging words in my last post…

The angels are coming; the angels are coming
The devils are coming; the devils are coming

One if by land; two if by sea
What does that mean to you and to me?

Sound the alarm; ring out the bells
Evil released from the deep pits of Hell

But the Son rises up; He draws near, He draws near
To lead in the battle: You have nothing to fear

For years and for years, you have all asked Me why
The time has now come; hear the Lord’s battlecry

Onward and upward; follow My lead
I’m sufficient My Bride, for all that you need

The victory, the victory, the victory is won
Keep your eyes on Me; keep your eyes on the Son

In some of His final words to the disciples shortly before He was crucified, Jesus couldn’t have been clearer that time is short and we should heed the ‘storm warnings’:

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:4-14

Sadly, even as everything Jesus mentioned happens right before our eyes, many people (Christians included!) could be compared to those who have ignored modern-day warnings of natural disasters, with tragic results. Warnings such as:

  • 2005 – Hurricane Katrina: Three years previously, the city’s main newspaper, The Times-Picayune, had devoted several days of coverage to a special series, Washing Away, in which that dangers associated with failing to correct weaknesses in the levees that were meant to protect New Orleans were addressed.
  • 2007 – Minneapolis Bridge Collapse: Thirteen people were killed and another 145 injured in a sudden bridge collapse, despite the fact that officials at multiple levels of government had been warning of structural defieciences for almost twenty years.
  • 2011 – Fukashima Meltdown: No one could have forecast the massive earthquake, which triggered a disastrous tsunami that not ony killed over 15,000 people but also triggered the failure of the nuclear power plant and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. The negative effects of that meltdown are still being felt, yet the Carniegie Endowment for International Peace concluded that the disaster could have been prevented, “Bureaucratic and professional stovepiping made nuclear officials unwilling to take advice from experts outside of the field. Those nuclear professionals also may have failed to effectively utilize local knowledge. And, perhaps most importantly, many believed that a severe accident was simply impossible.”

Such a list could go on and on. It seems that mankind routinely ignores valid warnings time and time again, the worst of which is when multitudes fail to receive Jesus:

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12-15

Jesus was clear; the end-of-times ‘storm warnings’ are clear throughout both the Old and New Testaments. May we all be wise and heed God’s words:

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. Joel 3:14-16

The Lord Spoke

Barbara Kain Parker Biblical Insights, Inspirational , , , , , , , , , , ,

The words of the Lord are timeless, as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago, and if we listen we will hear His voice. When it happens, may we all be like the young boy, Samuel:

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 1 Samuel 3:10

One day I heard the still small voice of the Spirit whispering truths as I journaled. As thrilling as that was, it was also very encouraging because each word that was spoken was a relection of familiar scriptures, and evidence to me that over the years I had hidden His words in my heart.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Psalm 119:11-16

The secret place, the secret place
Treasures are hidden in the secret place

Follow my way, follow my way
From darkness into day, from darkness into day

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,”
when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

Evil may think that it has you trapped
The entrance caved in and the road isn’t mapped
But a way has been opened, a way bright and clear
And the angels cry out, “Never fear, never fear”

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
And the angel said to them,“Fear not, for behold,
I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:9-10

I am the way, the truth and the light
As you focus on Me, I’ll increase your sight

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
Psalm 119:18

Go steadily forward; in pain persevere
You’ll soon be amazed as I wipe every tear

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Stand faithful, stand faithful; the trial’s almost done
And you’ll walk in the light, hand-in-hand with the Son

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
For by it the people of old received their commendation.
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God,
so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Hebrews 11:1-3

Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Psalm 73:23-24

The Spirit’s voice continued, but the message changed from one of encouragement to one of end-times expectations, which I will share in my next post. We are there, folks! If ever there was a time in history to hide His words in our hearts so as to be prepared when trouble comes, it is now. In my next post, In the meantime:

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Proverbs 30:5

Connected!

Barbara Kain Parker Biblical Insights, Inspirational , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38

It was just after Christmas in 2009. We’d celebrated Christmas with our son’s family, which now included our first grandchild, a precious 1-month-old boy. Now, I was left in their home to dog-sit with our two granddogs while my husband, Jack, flew off to Alabama for a holiday visit; and our kids left for a few days to attend our daughter-in-law’s family reunion.

Aside from a bad cold, I was all set to enjoy myself with left-over Christmas goodies, the dogs, and a movie marathon. But then… Isn’t there always a but?

I journaled: “Jack’s computer charging cable didn’t get packed and he called, desperate, because he had no way to show the very-old super-8-to-DVD movies we’d made for his family. I located a nearby post office, went out with my cough and runny nose, and sent the cord via priority mail, hoping it would arrive before he had to fly home. But now (another but!) apparently my phone cord did make the trip to Alabama! I am so grateful that my connection with God can never be lost, stolen or broken.”

Our guaranteed God-connection does have one mandatory requirement – to receive Jesus Christ as Savior:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:16

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

Yet, sometimes it just seems like God is so far away and, like King David, we may begin to doubt:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalm 10:1

Or, perhaps we wonder if He’s even aware of our difficulties. Scripture is clear that He is:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high;
I cannot attain it. Psalm 139:1-5

For every concern there is a corresponding biblical truth, so let’s look at a few common questions. First, how can we know that He even hears our prayers, let alone listens and answers them?

Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:2-3

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. John 9:31

How can I be sure God will not just give up on me and walk away?

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:18

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1

Is it even possible for me to ever become close to God?

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place
from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29:11-14a

But I’m afraid. How can I trust Him?

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:41:10-13

I am a Christian, but I need to grow closer to God. I really want to have a secure connection with Him. How do I do that?

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

The Apostle Paul summed it up well in his letter to the Colossians:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:1-17

An Ode to Joy

Barbara Kain Parker Devotional, Inspirational , , , , , , , ,

Falling asleep recently while praying something to the effect that my life would be pleasing to God, I seemed to hear the words, “Ode to Joy.” This was a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1795, and is best known as the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which was completed in 1824.

Ironically, Schiller, who died in 1805, wrote a letter in 1800 to a longtime friend and patron whose friendship had originally inspired him to write the ode. He said that he considered his poem to be, “detached from reality [and] of value maybe for us two, but not for the world, nor for the art of poetry”.

Like Schiller, I imagine we may often underestimate the legacy that both our words and actions have left behind. For example, I cherish enduring lessons from a teacher I had in eighth grade, a teacher with such a reputation for being ‘mean’ that I was really disappointed to find out I’d been assigned to her class. Yes, she was pretty old, kind of grumpy and yes, she was definitely strict; but she also turned out to be one of the best teachers I ever had. Mid-year, she became very ill and was never able to return, so we had a substitute. Interestingly, I can recall nothing about her except that she was younger and more easy-going. I wonder if Mrs. Light ever knew what an impact she made on students throughout her long teaching career. Probably not.

Consider just a few biblical figures with enduring legacies. Did Jonah have any idea that thousands of sermons would be preached in years to come about his story? Did the minor prophets such as Joel, Habbakkuk or any of the other minor prophets ever dream that the God-given words they recorded would touch millions of lives? Doubtful!

How many of the members of the Faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11) had any idea that their sacrificial faith would still inspire people thousands of years later, near the end of time? Not likely!

But our God sees the end from the beginning; he knows both what has been and what is yet to come:

“…remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’…”
Isaiah 46:9-10

We should also keep in mind that bad examples often live on in infamy. Whom among us would like to carry the reputation of the hard-hearted Pharoh or Judas Iscariot, Hitler or Musolini? Few, I hope. But what of the bad examples set by ordinary people: perhaps parents, teachers, pastors or polititions who’ve done irreperable harm to both individuals and large groups of people? For better or worse, righteous or unrighteous, things that we say or do may well be remembered far longer than we’d expect, perhaps touching people we may never even meet, but God sees it all:

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.
Proverbs 5:1ESV

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Proverbs 15:3 ESV

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
Psalm 139: 1-6

We would all be wise to live as if everything that we say and do will endure long after we’re gone, and to focus on living for Christ Jesus:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV

May we, like the Apostle Paul, be able to declare:

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10 ESV

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21 ESV

What’s in a Name?

Barbara Kain Parker Biblical Insights, Inspirational , , , , , , , ,

Names are important, as is illustrated by expectant parents pouring over lists of potential names for their child, often accepting or rejecting one after another as they look up an inherent origin and meanng.

Names are even more important than many of us realize, as is illustrated throughout the Bible. Time and again, God either instructs what a name is to be or changes one to conform to the sybolic meaning He desires. Consider these examples:

  • Abram (many) became Abraham (father of a multitude), and his wife Sarai (contentious) was re-named Sarah (princess)
  • Jacob (holder of the heel) became Israel (he who struggles with God, or prince of God)
  • Simon (God has heard) became Peter (a little rock or stone)

The Hebrew etymologies may be open to interpretation, but suffice it to say that with these famous name changes, God was making a point about the individual concerned; He was memorializing their spiritual accomplishments or potential, and His blessings upon them.

In other instances, God told people what to name their children. Hosea is a good case in point, for his kids’ names illustrated prophetic messages to Israel shortly before the nation fell to the Assyrians. The scriptures speak for themselves:

And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”
Hosea 1:4-9 ESV

“And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ ”
Hosea 2:21-23 ESV

For a long time, I had a love-hate relationship with my name, Barbara. It was popular around the time of my birth, and my parents gave it to me because they liked it; but much to my dismay in an eleventh-grade Latin class, I learned that I was the not-so-proud owner of a name that meant barbarian. Translated into English, that means strange, foreign or barbarous, and carries the concept of being an alien; in Greek, it’s foreign, strange or ignorant. My classmates got a big laugh out of that, and I became the class joke. To me it didn’t seem so far off base because I’d never been part of the in-crowd, and was always the last to be picked for any sports team or group activity. I deinitely felt like a foreigner trapped in a hostile territory called high school.

Fast forward to May, 2006. I awoke one night around 2 AM with such a restlessness that it was impossible to stay in bed, let alone sleep; so I took my Bible and a notebook into the living room to try and hear from the Lord. Initially, it seemed like the words He had for me were, “Feed my sheep.” Then there was something about Leviticus, but no specific verse; so I scanned through the book, observing anew how the Old Testatment sacricifes foreshadowed the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. The only further words I heard were, “I have called you.” I continued to pray and listen for more from the Lord while sitting in my chair, feet on the floor, trying to focus on Him. The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes feeling completely refreshed, and it was 5 AM! I journaled my thoughts: “Maybe I went somewhere? What happened last night? I know I was praying, ‘Here am I, send me.’ Did He send me somewhere? Or, did I spend those hours with my spirit soaking in the presence of the Lord? The song lyrics in my mind at the moment are, ‘He has shown you, oh man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you; but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.’ ” I knew that the lyrics echo the words of Micah 6:8, but there seemed to be no clear answers to my questions.

A few weeks later, I had a dream in which I was identified as one of God’s elect with the ability to encounter the realm of the Spirit, and to find rest there. Going to 1 Peter 1:1, I noticed that God’s elect were identified as strangers in the world. Wow! That described me – I am a stranger or foreigner who is much loved by God, as my name actually attests! Other scriptures resonated:

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.
Psalm 39:12 ESV

I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!
Psalm 119:19 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”
Isaiah 56:1-8 ESV

In God’s kingdom, to be a foreigner is to be protected in a special way by Him; it is to be a citizen of Heaven, it is to dwell in one place physically while longing for another; it is a perfect description of me.

It became aparent that the role of a forerunner requires faith, a gift that God has blessed me with. It also requires suffering in greater degrees than others, and it seems as if I’ve been given a good-sized plate of suffering. So my prayer became, “Lord, continue to reveal your truth about this to me.”

Then, two months after my night in the chair, I finally came to understand that foreshadowing equates to forerunning; and I am to be a forerunner, preparing the way of the Lord by walking humbly and justly in communion with, and obedience to, my God. John the Baptist was a forerunner, preparing the way of the Lord; and he was considered to be an unusual man who was very different from others, to say the least:

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
Matthew 3:1-2 ESV

Perhaps being a foreigner or stranger in the land was a piece of my puzzle in regard to being a forerunner. The patriarchs of Hebrews 11, identified as strangers and exiles, were certainly forerunners who lived by faith:

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:13-16 ESV

Regardless of the meaning of my name, I am not alone, for all of us who have accepted Jesus and follow Him faithfully in this life will receive a new name in eternity as well:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone,
with a new name written on the stone that no one knows
except the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:17 ESV

You see, Christians are not simply citizens of the world that is seen, but of the one that is yet to come; and it is there that our true names, our everlasting names, are written:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power
that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Philippians 3:20-21 ESV

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage,
and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Revelation 21:5-7 ESV

Regardless of any earthly name or its meaning, a child of the King has a name that is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life:

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 21:27 ESV

FOREIGNERS, STRANGERS AND ALIENS NO MORE!!!

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Hope When All Seems Hopeless

Barbara Kain Parker Inspirational , , , , , ,

I am usually known for a steadfast faith, which proclaims that God is sufficient through every circumstance. I try to live it; I write about it; I teach about it; but I also recognize that it’s only possible because it is a spiritual gift that God gave me very distinctly. Driving on the freeway one day in 2003, struggling to worship instead of cry; His voice spoke more clearly than probably any other time in my life saying, “I have given you the gift of faith, for without it you would not have survived.” Believe me when I say that any faith I have is from Him!

The Bible is full of faith stories, not the least of which is the summary account of the Old Testament saints in Hebrews 11, often referred to as the Hebrews Hall of Fame. Like them time and again, our faith is challenged; yet we are encouraged through God’s Word, where we are instructed:

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.[1]

I must admit, over the past couple of days it has been awfully hard to keep standing! After a year chock-full of hardships (just like everyone else in the world!), I’d had about all I could take. As if shutdowns and masks, health issues, political unrest, and rampant injustice and unrighteousness weren’t enough, two nights of practically no sleep just about did me in. Like so many others these days, I felt trapped in the sludge of hopelessness and despair. The peace I’ve felt lately, regardless of the fact that everything around me seems negative, was suddenly gone. I didn’t like it—not one bit! Where was God now? The only cry in my heart yesterday was that of the psalmist:

Why are you cast down O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?[2]

It’s a verse that’s repeated three times in Psalm 42 and 43; but wait—there’s more, because as soon as the question is asked, the psalmist continues:

Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.

I agreed in my heart, but my soul still wasn’t feeling it. My spirit knew without a doubt that I could rest in all of God’s promises, but holding onto hope remained a struggle when all I wanted to do was escape the physical reality of everyday life. Yes, I would hold onto my faith, but there were still the questions that countless other believers have asked down through the centuries:

Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave.[3]

Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?[4]

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?[5]

Why do you forget us forever, why do you forsake us for so many days?[6]

Thanks be to God that He didn’t leave me hanging there very long, even though those two days seemed interminable. This morning, after a night of blessed sleep, I awoke and everything seemed different. Why? While journaling, I had the thought to do a Logos search of the word, ‘hope’, and was astounded that the very first scripture that popped up was Psalm 33:17:

The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 

That got my attention!!! We cannot hope in any person, place or thing aside from God. Even when the plans of man are inspired by God and led by the Spirit, He must always be our ultimate source of hope, for a God-given strategy can easily fail when derailed by a bit of self-will, pride or sin of any. Psalm 33 continues:

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. 

As evil swirls across our land and around the world, what better scripture could there be for the present physical reality? Has there ever been a time closer in history to the second coming of the Lord, that day for which we all hope? No, by if only because with each day that passes His return draws nearer; but however long He tarries, it appears more and more imminent as we encounter all of the things of which Jesus warned in Matthew 24. Fear of such end times threats as well as every other obstacle the enemy can throw at us threatens our peace on a daily basis.

Another thing I often write and speak about is the importance of waiting on the Lord, as we are advised to do time and again throughout the scriptures. All too often though, waiting and patiently trusting Him flies in the face of our desire for quick action; His mysterious ways that frequently seem so slow can challenge our faith. But: 

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. [7]

Continuing my research with Logos:

Hope is the expectation of the future attainment of a desired object or outcome. It is often associated with trust, whether in God or others.

In Hebrew, hope is expressed most commonly with the verbs קָוָה (qāwâ, “to wait”) and יָחַל (yāḥal, “to wait”) and nouns related to these. The verb qāwâ conveys a sense of waiting with expectation.[8]

Get that? I suppose I knew that hope involves waiting, but had never put them together in such close proximity. Essentially, hope requires waiting! A hope that has been fulfilled no longer requires waiting for it to happen. Hope is made evident in the waiting—the two go hand-in-hand.

About this time in my research, I was beginning to ponder 1 Corinthians 13:13:

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Then I read this (bolded text mine):

Hope, it would seem, is a psychological necessity, if man is to envisage the future at all. Even if there are no rational grounds for it, man still continues to hope. Very naturally such hope, even when it appears to be justified, is transient and illusory; and it is remarkable how often it is qualified by poets and other writers by such epithets as ‘faint’, ‘trembling’, ‘feeble’, ‘desperate’, ‘phantom’. The Bible sometimes uses hope in the conventional sense. The ploughman, for example, should plough in hope (1 Cor. 9:10), for it is the hope of reward that sweetens labour. But for the most part the hope with which the Bible is concerned is something very different; and in comparison with it, other hope is scarcely recognized as hope. The majority of secular thinkers in the ancient world did not regard hope as a virtue, but merely as a temporary illusion; and Paul was giving an accurate description of pagans when he said they had no hope (Eph. 2:12; cf. 1 Thes. 4:13), the fundamental reason for this being that they were ‘without God’.

Where there is a belief in the living God, who acts and intervenes in human life and who can be trusted to implement his promises, hope in the specifically biblical sense becomes possible. Such hope is not a matter of temperament, nor is it conditioned by prevailing circumstances or any human possibilities. It does not depend upon what a man possesses, upon what he may be able to do for himself, nor upon what any other human being may do for him… Biblical hope is inseparable therefore from faith in God. Because of what God has done in the past, particularly in preparing for the coming of Christ, and because of what God has done and is now doing through Christ, the Christian dares to expect future blessings at present invisible (2 Cor. 1:10)… [therefore] it is not surprising that hope should so often be mentioned as a concomitant of faith…What is perhaps more remarkable is the frequent association of hope with love as well as with faith. This threefold combination of faith, hope and love is found in 1 Thes. 1:3; 5:8; Gal. 5:5–6; 1 Cor. 13:13; Heb. 6:10–12; 1 Pet. 1:21–22. By its connection with love, Christian hope is freed from all selfishness… Faith, hope and love are thus inseparable. Hope cannot exist apart from faith, and love cannot be exercised without hope. These three are the things that abide (1 Cor. 13:13) and together they comprise the Christian way of life.[9]

Looking back anew at my why-are-you-cast-down-O-my-soul complaint from yesterday in Psalm 42-43, and the first verse out of the box today in Psalm 33, the Lord tied it all together in Psalm 42:8:

By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

It is His steadfast love that makes it possible for us to enter into faith, hope and love:, and my soul in alignment with my heart now sings the truth:

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;  his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” [10]

[1] Ephesians 6:13

[2] Psalm 42:5,11; 43:5

[3] Job 10:18-19

[4] Psalm 10:1

[5] Psalm 13:1-2

[6] Lamentations 5:20

[7] 2 Peter 3:9

[8] Fenlason, A. C. (2014). Hope. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

[9] Tasker, R. V. G. (1996). Hope. In D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman (Eds.), New Bible dictionary (3rd ed., pp. 479–480). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[10] Lamentations 3:21-24

I’m Still Standing

Barbara Kain Parker Biblical Insights, Book Release, Inspirational, Personal Testimony , , , , , , , ,

Recently, The Lord impressed me that I needed to re-do the book I published in 2008 after my battle with breast cancer. The revised and updated edition of I’m Still Standing is now completed and is available on Amazon. From the back cover:

ISS CoverThe revised and updated edition of I’m Still Standing includes both the original compilation of essays about the author’s battle with breast cancer in 2006, and an addendum to each that is sub-titled 2020 Hindsight. The intervening years, including the challenges of Covid-19, are discussed. As a RN and former hospice nurse, she fully understands the potentially serious outcomes of diseases such as cancer and Covid-19 that may range from complete recovery to a slow-and-painful death. This is a testimony of God’s sufficiency throughout that terrible year of suffering in 2006, as well as during the intervening years. It illustrates how faith truly does overcome fear, delivering peace in the worst of times. Prayerfully, her experiences will encourage others, and bolster their faith in the God who is able to do far more than we even ask.

Peace Is A Person

Barbara Kain Parker Inspirational , , , , ,

FEAR NOT PICI often forget what I’ve written in days gone by, especially on this blog that has been sort of off my radar for some time since I’ve been busy writing elsewhere. So, when I posted Paul Knight’s recording, Afraid? just a few moments ago, I was surprised to see my own post, Shelter In Place, from March 5, 2020!

God has not been taken by surprise by the Coronavirus threat the world faces today, and He is still our refuge, as is clear in Psalm 91. He not only knew the days of our lives that were appointed for us, but also is aware of every word before we speak it. In this time we can take great comfort in His truth as expressed in Psalm 139:1-18:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you;the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

Yesterday I wrote the preface for a new book, a portion of which I will share here:

By the time this book is published, the pandemic will be history; but as Jesus foretold, the latter days, or end times, will be rife with terrible and frightening events. Even so, His promise remains certain:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

Contrary to the media, Christianity is not against science. Rather, the media hates Christianity and denies God’s righteousness; it denies the reality of His truth regarding the spiritual world, which the Bible identifies as the heavenly places. Oh, fictional supernatural thrillers and super heroes are fine, but in the physical realm our supernatural God is unwelcome by many. 

During this stressful time, not-so-helpful suggested coping mechanisms I’ve read include:

    • Embrace the resiliency of life; after all, regardless of what happens, human life will go on and years from now this will be just a distant memory
    • Take a deep breath, hold it for ten seconds and release it slowly to alleviate some of your fears
    • Burdensome to-do and not-to-do lists of things that will lessen anxiety

Regardless of the advice, unless biblically based, it all seems to come down to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words, “Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” Not true! Peace is not a place; it’s not a state of mind that one achieves; peace is a person, and His name is Jesus Christ:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called WonderfulCounselor, Mighty Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

May the Prince of Peace meet you at the place of Your greatest need. Rest assured that He is able to bring you through the storm. As Jesus so often taught, fear not!