Still Waiting On God?

Psalm 105:17-19 (God) sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. 18 They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. 19 Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.

Every person I know who loves Jesus and lives with the desire to follow Him and be pleasing to Him has something in common with me, and probably with you: we are waiting for some dimension of our word from Him to come to pass. Let me ask you that question – are you, or is anyone you know, living in the complete fulfillment of what the Lord has spoken to you?

Waiting for God to fulfill His promises to us is a challenging thing. Although I’ve certainly never had the experience of Joseph (recorded in Genesis 37-50), with my feet fettered, nor have I been laid in irons like he was, I’ve endured times of waiting for the words spoken over my life to be fulfilled. So have you. In fact, we are still waiting, and in the waiting, being “tested.”

What is the waiting and the testing all about?

For Joseph, the word of the Lord came to him through a pair of dreams when he was seventeen years old. It was a stunning word about his destiny as the savior and deliverer of not only his family, but the nation of Egypt as well. There was no way Joseph could produce his own destiny by his own efforts; as a matter of fact, when he shared the vision, he was mocked and reviled by the very ones he was destined to save. If you are willing to hear it, Joseph’s story was clearly a prophetic picture of the life and work of Jesus Himself.

Joseph had to endure a time of “testing” while he waited for the promise to be fulfilled. The method of testing that would prove him worthy of the reward was brutal: family rejection, being sold into slavery, false accusation of sexual harassment and attempted rape, imprisonment, neglect by self-serving prison inmates – probably 20 years of hassle and abuse that the Holy Spirit terms “testing.”

How would Joseph respond while he endured the firestorm of the proving process? The word “testing” here literally implies a fire – it’s the word that means to be melting in an extremely hot fire so that any impurities will be forced to the surface to be removed. For gold and silver, the fire is that smelting furnace. For the believer, that Fire is God Himself – see Proverbs 17:3.

During the testing time – 20 years of hassle during which Joseph was being trained to rule – his response to his brothers was being forged: “You meant this for evil, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). I am convinced that Joseph must have repeated this phrase a thousand times during the 20 year testing process. As he waited, in prison, in pain and confusion, he would have battled the enemy’s accusing voice:

“Where is your God now? What about your word, that promise? It’s nothing, and you’re nothing, so give in to bitterness and hate, and plan the revenge that your brothers deserve, just in case you ever get a chance to repay them.”

Joseph never gave in to that voice. He knew God, and knew that his word, his destiny, was a certain thing. So, Joseph commanded his soul, declared the truth of his word from God, chose the long view, and waited until the time for fulfillment came.

You have a word from God. His view is the long one – eternal in its scope. Declare His word over you every day, let the testing, refining process of waiting do its work, and know that the day will come when your word will come to pass in full measure, to a degree that you do not imagine. The God of Joseph is your God – He is faithful, and He will do what He said.

Gary Wiens

Enlisting the Help of Angels

“Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” – Hebrews 1:14

Over the past few months, the Holy Spirit has been shaking us awake regarding the ministry of angels in our everyday experiences. Beginning with a blog entry from Kris Vallotton, in which he challenged us that believers have neglected this very Biblical resource, there has been a steady stream of reminders from many sources that God is emphasizing the ministry of angels in this season.

The first thing we became aware of is the almost 300 Biblical references to angelic activity in which these heavenly messengers are sent to assist humans that need help from Heaven. Two of those situations struck me personally – both involving angelic ministry to Jesus Himself when He was at a point of need. Once in the wilderness, after His season of testing by Satan, and once in Gethsemane as He was strengthened for His ultimate test, the cross by which He provided salvation and everything involved in that reality for us, angels came to minister to Him.

If Jesus needed and benefitted from angelic ministry, how much more do we need the assistance brought by these ministering spirits?

Two stories that directly involve angelic ministry: Last fall, during a transition in our lives, Marie and I had sold our home, and were looking for a different house to purchase. In the interim, we lived in a motor home for two months. The RV had an awning over the doorway that operated by hand, using a mechanism to roll the awning in and out. This mechanism had broken, and when it came time to move into our home, we needed to move the RV, but I couldn’t get the awning to retract. I worked on it for more than 30 minutes, getting more frustrated by the second. It simply would not work, and I couldn’t move the RV until I got that fixed. As I was stewing in my frustration, the simple thought came into my mind – “Ask for an angel to help.”

Now understand – I was not in a particularly spiritual mood, at least not a holy spiritual mood! So I blurted out “God, I need an angel to help me here, right now!” The prayer lasted 3 seconds. I tried the awning again, and it went right into place as though it was new. Bang – done! I started laughing and called Marie to tell her.

Second story (this one just happened within the last ten days) – Marie has a sister, Laura, who lives in Minnesota. She is a horse woman, and has a favorite horse she has ridden and loved for years. Recently, she asked her veterinarian to administer an inoculation against the West Nile virus, and the horse had a severe reaction against the drug. It went into convulsions, thrashing on the ground, unable to rise, its organs beginning to shut down, eyes bulging, tongue hanging out of its mouth. Laura and the vet worked with the horse for several hours, and at around 1 AM the vet told her that there was nothing more to do, that the horse would likely not live through the night.

Now, Marie had been telling Laura about angelic activity, sharing stories with her. So, Laura immediately went into the tack room of her stable, and in her anguish began to call out to God for an angel to help. After some time, she suddenly felt very sleepy, and went to her bed. In a deep sleep, suddenly a “man” came to her in a dream, and said “Wake up! Your horse has been healed.”

Laura went back out to the stable, and her horse was standing in his stall, perfectly well, even looking younger and stronger. Laura insists that he was even a lighter color than before the incident. She called her vet the next morning, explained what had happened, to his surprise and shock. The angel she had asked for did the healing work.

Angelic activity is real and available to those who inherit the Kingdom of God. Marie and I urge you: begin to study out the Scriptures concerning angelic activity. Read books about angels – James Goll and Billy Graham have written two of the best. Watch the movie “I Am Gabriel” on YouTube. God is doing something amazing in our time, and angelic activity is a big part of it.

Blessings on you all.
Gary Wiens

Stones and Bread - What to do While Waiting for God

This morning I’m meditating on Matthew 4, the account of Jesus’ preparation for His ministry that occurred in the wilderness. This story is profoundly important for us, as we are given insight into the ways of God as He prepares His Servant-Son for the assignment laid out before Him. This impacts you and me because in the same way that the Father prepared Jesus to receive ultimate authority over all creation, so He prepares you and me to realize the destiny promised to us as the Bride of Christ.

The first thing to notice in this story is that it is the Holy Spirit who DRIVES Jesus into the wilderness experience! Our Father God specifically designs seasons in the wilderness for our preparation, times where His presence seems to be withdrawn, so that we might make the choices for trust and faithfulness that Jesus Himself needed to make. If the tangible presence of the Lord has been withdrawn from you, it is because He has a purpose in it, and your response in this season is critically important for your destiny to be realized.

The second thing to remember here is that this withdrawal was not related to Jesus’ disobedience in any way. The Father had just declared His pleasure upon Jesus, and now it was time to demonstrate Jesus’ qualification to receive the authority for which He was destined. In that deprived state – fasting from food and water with no sense of the Father’s presence – Jesus was faced with options: “If You are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.”

The question before Jesus was this: would He use His power to comfort Himself, or would He wait for God, trusting Him even when His presence was withdrawn for a season?

The same question comes to us in our “wilderness seasons.” Will we generate something on our own in order to comfort ourselves, or will we wait for God to release His Word and His provision in His own way and His own timing?

Jesus responded perfectly to the tempting situations. He relied on the written Word of God, and chose to wait for His Father to release Him. At the end of His wilderness exam, Jesus was found worthy, and angels came and ministered to Him! I imagine the meal He ate and drank at that moment was worth the wait!

If you are in a wilderness season, take heart from the example of Jesus. Rest in the Father’s pleasure that is over you, rely on the promises in His written Word, and simply wait for God to release you. He wants to entrust you with the destiny He has planned, and your choices in this season will ensure the proper reward.

Who knows – maybe there is an encounter with angels at the end of the story!

Gary Wiens

Loving Justice and Righteousness

Psalm 106:3 Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!

Having grown up in a religious, church-centered culture, the words “justice” and “righteousness” were part of my vocabulary, nearly from the beginning. However, I had virtually no comprehension or understanding of what those terms actually mean – they just became synonyms for “behave yourself, and you won’t get in trouble with God.”

I’ll acknowledge that there is a nugget of truth there, but the reality is far more appealing and fulfilling. “Righteousness” and “justice” are words that refer to the essence of who God is, and how He sees reality from His eternal perspective. God creates everything – including you and me – from His perfect vision of what we will be when the process of our lives is complete, when mercy and grace have had their full effect, and we are fully transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

In Psalm 45:7, the Messianic King (Jesus!) is said to “love righteousness and hate wickedness.” This is not primarily speaking of behavior, but of loving the perfect essence of every person and situation that is in God’s heart, and hating the sin-caused distortion of that perfect essence. So, “righteousness” is essentially the true nature of who you are in God’s vision of you.

“Justice,” then, is the process of bringing you and me into that perfect state of righteousness. According to Isaiah 42:4, King Jesus will not rest or give up until justice is established in the entire earth – in other words, until all things are fully conformed to the vision God had when He created it and called it “very good.”

Here’s some really good news – Jesus’ righteousness (His perfect alignment with the Father’s design and will) is given to us as a free gift (Romans 5:17-18), which includes the power to become what we were created to be! He has infused into you and me the desire and the capability of being fully conformed to God’s design, and loving the process!

This is why Jesus says in Matthew 5:6 that those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will be fully satisfied! He’s not just talking about learning to love good behavior, but receiving the revelation of who we are in the mind of God, and then pursuing that reality with everything in us. The result? Full satisfaction, every longing fulfilled, every desire realized!

Psalm 106:3 tells us that if we “keep justice” and “do righteousness,” we will be blessed. In other words, guard and protect this understanding, live in line with the revelation of God’s heart concerning you, your family, your friends, your city, and full joy and blessing will be the result.

Gary Wiens

It Takes Light To See Light

Psalm 36:9 – “In Your Light We See Light”

I’m drawn to this little phrase from Psalm 36 this morning, because it is one of those short, pithy sentences that articulates a deep and powerful truth – it takes light to see light. Seems obvious, but this is the revelation of one of the basic principles of how the Holy Spirit works, both to initiate relationship with individuals, and to help us understand how we as followers of Jesus approach life in contrast to those who have no relationship with Him.

C.S. Lewis said something like this: “I believe in the truth of God’s Word for the same reason I believe in the sun; not only because I can see it, but because by it I can see everything else clearly.” When God, in His mercy, sends the Spirit of revelation to someone, the eyes of that person’s heart are “enlightened,” and they are able to see things as they are.

In the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus encountered a blind man seeking healing. He described Himself as “the Light of the world” (v.5), and then healed the man’s eyes. When questioned about the miracle, the man simply said, “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” (V.25).

In Luke 15, Jesus told the story of the prodigal son, who left his father’s home to attempt to find fulfillment in the far country of self-indulgent living. When he became bankrupt in every way, he “came to himself,” and went back to his father’s home, where he was restored. One interpretation of that phrase is that “he saw things as they really were.” In other words, it dawned on him, a light bulb went on in his head, the shadows cleared away, and he woke up to reality.

In 2 Corinthians 4:6, the writer tells us that salvation has come to us because God the Father shined in our hearts the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ. He sent the light of truth, and those who believe in Jesus woke up and saw the light, and decided to follow Him.

By the mercies of God, “those who walk in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2, quoted about Jesus in Matthew 4:16). Because our Father takes the initiative to shine the light of the Gospel of Jesus, anyone who chooses to see can see. The seekers of Light will find Him, even though there are many who will remain in darkness because they love it (John 3:19). That is the choice that condemns people – in love with darkness, they reject the Light, and nothing can be done for those who refuse to see.

Jesus, in Your light we see light, the freedom to choose truth and goodness over evil and darkness. Send Your Spirit of revelation, awaken the hearts that still sleep in darkness, and let brightness of Your Kingdom fill all the earth. Amen.

Gary Wiens

Gaining Access to the Presence of God

In Psalm 15, the question is asked, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” The writer is identified as David, who has touched God’s presence in such wonder and amazement that he longs to not just go there from time to time, but to stay there, to live and remain in the presence of his God.

So the Lord responds to David  with some powerful statements of the character qualities that He is looking for in those who would enter into His Presence and remain there. I want to focus this article on two of the phrases that God speaks in verse 2: the one who wants to be in the presence of God all the time must “work righteousness,” and must “speak truth in his heart.”

It’s really important here to be clear on the meaning of the word “righteousness.” This is not primarily good behavior; rather, righteousness is being aligned with God’s definition of reality, conformity by the power of the Holy Spirit to God’s design of your life and character. Right behavior arises out of being aligned with His definition of your life, and living out of that true place.

The fundamental thing that every believer in Jesus must understand about this passage is that Jesus Himself has done this perfectly, and is now in the Father’s presence as the perfect fulfillment of every demand of righteousness and truth. Through the miracle of the new birth, by the Holy Spirit’s presence in us, Jesus has infused His righteousness into you and me, and given us the raw material we need to walk in righteousness even as He did.

Practically, this simply means to seek out, from the Word of God, by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, what God’s definition of your life really is. The more we comprehend what He intended when He thought us up, the more we are able to be aligned with that reality, and live in agreement with His thoughts – namely, live in righteousness.

Speaking the truth in the heart, then, is simply the outworking of internal righteousness. We agree with what God thinks, the truth concerning ourselves, those around us, the world situation, and we speak in our hearts, and then through our lips what He thinks. The more that our minds and hearts are in agreement with Him, the freer we are to simply stay in His presence, to abide there.

This kind of person is a world-changer. We think of ourselves and others according to righteousness – agreement with God’s opinion – speak those things in the secret places of the heart and then in the open places of our relationships, and the atmosphere begins to change by the power of the Word of the Lord.

Jesus has done it. He is in the Father’s presence, speaking the truth about you and me, and about everything else. He has invited us to listen in, and to agree with what He is thinking and saying. As we do, the influence of the Kingdom of God changes our environment, His presence increases, and the glory of the Lord begins to fill the earth, just as He promised it would.

Gary Wiens

I Believed, Therefore I Spoke

Psalm 116:10 I believed, therefore I spoke, "I am greatly afflicted."

Last Sunday, Marie and I had the privilege of attending Harbor Life Church in Gig Harbor, Washington, where we live. Tyson Lash, the pastor of this congregation, brought a strong and helpful message from the Book of Lamentations, a message focused on giving the people permission to grieve and mourn, and help in understanding how to do so in a way that actually brings comfort to the soul.

Through this week, I’ve reflected on that topic, and this morning’s reading from Psalm 116 brought another insight that seems profound to me. The Psalmist writes in verse 10: “I believed, therefore I spoke – ‘I am greatly afflicted.’”

Here is a powerful understanding of true faith in the presence and goodness of God – the one who believes is the one who can truly be honest and real about the troublesome situations of life. The individual who knows God has the freedom to be brutally honest and transparent in the midst of dark days because he is firmly planted on the rock of intimate relationship with the Living God. No pretense in this relationship, no “putting on a game face,” no slight comfort here – my Heavenly Father is real, and true, and present, and good, and faithful. He has promised to me the sure mercies of David (Isaiah 55:3), which He enacted most powerfully in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (see Acts 13:34).

When faith is shaky, or when my perception of God’s character is inaccurate, I cannot afford to be real about difficult times. If my belief in a good and powerful God Who works all things for my good is not settled, then I am forced to pretend that all is OK, that I’m on top of things, and that hard situations don’t really bother me. Strong emotions get pushed down under the surface, with all manner of predictable and negative results.

The Psalmist knows God in a different way than that. He knows that God’s mercy and love are unshakeable, permanent, and never wavering. The God of Psalm 116 is not subject to mood swings, nor is He impatient with His children when they acknowledge weakness in the face of difficulty. Rather, this God is the Father of our Lord Jesus, who faced the deepest and darkest pressures of the enemy, and emerged victorious yet compassionate.

As I write this, the song playing on my Pandora station is repeating this phrase: “I believe in God the Father, I believe in Christ the Son, I believe in the Holy Spirit – our God is Three in One. I believe in the resurrection, that we will live again, I believe in the Name of Jesus.”

Because this is so, I can confidently speak about the realities of my life, knowing that I am loved, I am understood, and like my older Brother, I will emerge victorious.