Restorer of life

A valley of dry bones would not be a nice place to visit. It would probably be reeking of death. A reminder of devastation. A morbid picture of things in the past.

But the Spirit of God did not take Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones to discourage him. He was not giving the message “all is lost” in this vision. The message was just the opposite: no matter how dead, how dry, how desolate things are—I can restore life!

What is dying in your life? What has already died that should not have?

The message to Ezekiel is the same message God is giving us today. “I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord” (Ez 37:6)

The dying world needs to see what it means to be truly alive. May they see it in us!

Always Good. Always Faithful.

Great is Thy Faithfulness: one of my all-time favorite songs. The phrase “God is faithful” that we tend to use rather loosely may sound like a placating response to the challenges of life. It is much more.

The verses we draw this truth from are in Lamentations. They were not written when things were going well, or when the blessings of God were evident and overflowing. The entire book is a lament, an outpouring of grief from the faithful but nearly disillusioned prophet, Jeremiah. The scene was devastation. Death. Jerusalem, God’s holy city, had been destroyed. Those who survived were carried away into captivity.

Yet, in the crux of catastrophe and middle of his anguished cry, Jeremiah raised a parallel reality: “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness” (Lam 3:22-23)

When things fall apart – marriage, business, a nation – God IS faithful. God IS love. Ever present. Full of grace. Constant and true.

Great is thy faithfulness.

~ Diane

Hearing His voice

Each shepherd has a distinctive call that his sheep recognize. In the holding pen, several flocks mingle together. They separate when they hear their shepherd’s voice.

It is dangerous if sheep start to listen to other voices indiscriminately. They could easily get into the wrong flock or head out in the the wrong direction.

Likewise, we need to give diligent attention to discernment. We dare not just follow what sounds sweet in the moment, responding to the many voices that call out to entice us into their ways. God is always speaking. It might be in a still, small voice. It might be through His written logos Word or the voice of the Holy Spirit carrying His revealed rhema word. It might be through the advice of trusted counselors, or the apt words of a not-very-trusted ‘donkey.’ It might be in the circumstances of life, our own common sense, or a divine impartation of wisdom and knowledge. Our Good Shepherd IS calling. Speaking. Telling us where to go. Lord, tune my ears to hear You.

~ Diane

The sheep of His pasture

We as the flock of the Lord are the object of His affections. He gives us loving care. Intense vigilance. Patient endurance.

Are we worthy? Not at all.

“’I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down’, declares the Sovereign Lord. ‘I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak…. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid’” (Ez. 34).

There is a lot a shepherd must contend with when taking care of sheep. Sheep can wander off based on the mood of the moment. They follow other sheep blindly, even when those other sheep are going the wrong way. They share territory with vicious hyenas. Their landscape includes gaping crevices and raging rivers. Yet, they live in safety!

Am I totally convinced of how diligently the Good Shepherd is watching over me? If yes, wouldn’t I be more prone to trust and less prone to struggle?

~ Diane

The Good Shepherd

We move on to another analogy of our Lord. Jesus as our shepherd is a common biblical theme. In Psalm 23, David says, “The Lord is my shepherd” and in John 15, Jesus identifies Himself in the same way. The analogy has been explained extensively by those who understand sheep and shepherds.

Without getting into those details, I will share a few impressions. You see, herds of goats, sheep and cattle are common sights here. Yes, even in the city. Especially in the dry seasons, shepherds guide their flocks in search of “pasture.” Within Nairobi, it might be the roadside grass that no one takes responsibility to mow, or the vacant lots whose makeshift fences allow points of entry.

What strikes me about these shepherds? First, they have what looks like  a very miserable job. It is hot. It is dry. “What do they eat?” I wonder. “Do they eat at all?”

And where do they sleep? How do they feel when everyone is shouting at them because the herds are a nuisance as they cross the street? What could possibly be more boring than spending day after day with stubborn, smelly, oblivious animals? It really requires commitment.

Oh, how Jesus loves us: stubborn, smelly, thankless (too often) as we are. A flock of unruly sheep, but our Shepherd still laid down His life for us. Alleluia!

~ Diane

At work in us

Bracelets and pumper stickers brandish the slogan WWJD: What Would Jesus Do? While it is a great question, Chris Tiegreen in Worship the King suggest we could be asking  a more pertinent question: WIJD – What Is Jesus Doing? This reframed twist puts in a sense of Jesus as present with us and active through us—NOW.

Yes, Jesus’ life gives us an example to follow; we can ask “What would Jesus do?” in any situation and try to do likewise. But more than just an example, He lives within us. Inhabits us. Empowers us. Gives us directions, in real time.

God is at work. Can we see it? Do we understand it? Are we, the pots of clay in our Potter’s hands, cooperating so that He can also put us to work in the places He is already moving?

After the melting, refining, molding, and shaping, may we grasp and get involved in whatever Jesus is doing today.

~ Diane

In the fire

Clay is not the only substance that has to be put through fire. Gold does as well. Actually, every precious metal must go through a purification process if it is going to become something glorious: either by electric current, by being boiled in a closed chamber, or by enduring the fire itself.

Gold, as “precious” and shiny as it is when we see it, is hardly recognizable in the mines. It is as good as hidden – visible only to a trained eye. In the refining process, the whole lump suffers heat. Everything feels the flame, including the gold itself. That which is impure is burned away, and whatever is pure is melted.

God presents Himself as our Refiner. He can take any lump, no matter how useless-looking, and extract the treasure within. Yes, the treasure within these earthen vessels–God’s power at work in us (2 Corinthians 4:7). But the process is hot. Intensely hot.

Important to note is that the revealing of that which is pure within us requires incineration of every part of us. We might not mind so much when only stubble is burned, but would want to preserve the precious parts from that painful process. However, it doesn’t work like that. Even the “pure” things in our lives – the worthy acts, the sincere intentions, the God-given dreams – need to be put to the test. This is painful, not just because our impurities suffer intense heat, but because the best of us, the treasure in us, does also.

I suppose ours is to “count it all joy” and trust the process. Our Refiner knows what He is doing!

~ Diane

The Treasure

Our Potter. He not only makes us into something beautiful, He also comes to dwell within that which He has made. That Treasure is revealed as we open our lives to others.

My pottery advisor explains that after the process of forming a piece of pottery, the new design is still just particles of clay. Putting it in the fire forces the particles to hold together. Can we say they die to self? After being fired, the pot is no longer porous, but waterproof, strong and ready to be used.

“We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours. Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option. We are persecuted… We may be knocked down… We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity…. So, death is at work in us but it releases life in you” (2 Cor 4:7-10, 12 TPT).

Purged in the fire, but not destroyed. In fact, it is the very act of being “fired” that releases the Treasure within. That Treasure has the power to change lives, ours and others’, when we let it.

~ Diane

Something beautiful

Imagine that you see an appealing piece of pottery—maybe an elegant vase or stunning bowl. Would you tell that pottery, “You really made yourself well!” No. You would want to give your commendation to the one who made it.

Yes, God is all about the process of making and molding us. Understood. But the product is also important. The beauty that He displays through us should point admirers back to Him. Whatever good can be seen in my life is intended to be for His glory.

Isn’t it crazy how we so easily start to feel that we do deserve some of the praise? We say it is all for God’s glory, yet feel really good about being recognized as a vessel. It is subtle, yet strong.

I used to feel very uncomfortable about being praised publicly. That has changed. People can say whatever glowing things they want to, but I just smile inside, knowing they are “deceived” if they think any of it is my own doing. “You know the truth,” I whisper to the Lord. “I am so weak and unworthy. Just take the glory. It all belongs to you!”

You ARE something beautiful; all praise belongs to God.

~ Diane

A lump of clay

I recently asked our daughter-in-law Taylor—artist, teacher, and pottery person—about her motivation for working with clay. “What I really love is working the wheel,” she explained. “The pleasure is found in the process of taking a lump of clay and forming it into something. It becomes something unique. Useful. Beautiful.”

I like to think that is true of God our Potter also. He enjoys working with us. Our carnal mindset tends to be results-driven and product-oriented. What will I DO with my life? What will I produce? What will it look like? What will I become?

Certainly, these questions are valid. But they can create a lot of pressure to “perform” for others—and even for God.

I think it more comforting to see God as the God of the process. He is with us on the journey. Destination is important, but the route through which we get there is what our daily walk with God is all about.

God, our Potter, working with clay. May my pliability be pleasing to His hands!

~ Diane