Call on Him as Father

When I think of a judge, I either think of a John Cleese-esk guy with a big gavel and funny wig straight out of the 1700's or think of Owen from Drop Dead Diva. However, this is not the image Peter is presenting to his audience. Instead of a stern and aloof judge, he presents a father. A good father bears the connotation of love, of gentleness and of protection not of condemnation and of judgment.

Peter's audience was facing religious persecution and they needed to understand who God is in light of their persecution. They were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, no longer living in the Promised Land but rather in ones consumed with cults and false gods everywhere you looked. It is into this situation that Peter says we have a Father who is our judge.

When you come before a judge, you state your accusations and leave the decision and punishment in his hands. He is the one who decides the outcome. We may not like the outcome, but it is decided; it is no longer in our hands. By presenting our case to our Father, it is easier to believe he will give us justice. Subsequently, this makes forgiveness easier as well.

We need to trust God will see justice through on our behalf according to His standard; when we do, we are satisfied with the judgment. We may not see it but God will bring justice. However, when we appeal a case brought to our Father, we are seeking a judgment from someone above God. Since the highest power is God, what results is bitterness and anger because we do not trust Him to bring justice on our behalf. We either do not accept his decision as just or do not believe He will act on our behalf.

As a side note: It can be hard not to push our perceptions of ourselves and others onto God. Let Him show you who He is. He longs to reveal Himself to you. Recently God has been doing a major upgrade in my understanding of who He is. He is taking away the perceptions I forced onto Him and is giving me a clearer understanding of who He actually is. He is taking away my perception of myself and showing me who I really am in Him. Sometimes we just need to ask our Father for He longs to reveal more of Himself to us (Acts 17:26-27).

Intro to 1 Peter 1:17-21

I have recently been reading 1 Peter 1:17-21. These are a few of the things that stood out to me: “Call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds... knowing that you were ransomed... with the precious blood of Christ...” 1 Peter 1:17, 18, 19.

The next several posts will be my written processings of these verses so I hope they speak to your heart as much as they do mine.

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (spotless lamb was required for a sacrifice). He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

1 Peter 1:17-21 (ESV)

Last Minute Miracle

These last several months, God has been growing and has been testing my ability to trust Him. He has been showing me that I actually do not trust Him like I say I do. My actions do not match my words. I say I trust God but then when it comes to backing it with my actions, I fail. I panic and stress and worry that God’s faithfulness does not extend to me. I worry that His provision will not cover me in this area, though for others I believe it does absolutely.

My roommate and I have been praying for a job for me since I graduated about seven months ago. I got a temp assignment that lasted about a month and then there was nothing for two months. It was not for lack of trying. I was getting interviews but nothing happened beyond that. I wondered if it had to do with my interviewing skills but this was not always the case either because I would get call-back interviews or be told the interview went well.

This past Friday was the deadline I had before I would need to move in with my parents. Last week was a really difficult week of waiting. There was much prayer, many tears and a deep struggle in my heart to hold on—to what I was not sure any more. It did not make sense as to why God would want me to move but I was beginning to believe it was the most viable option. There are so many things I believe God wants me to be a part of here that I could not understand why God would want me to move. My logic was telling me to hold onto the belief that God still wanted me here and would provide something for me. The worry in me said I should come up with a plan to move.

I was reading Isaiah 61 most of the week and kept coming back to verse 3 (sorry this is out of context): “... a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair...” So instead of spending the week worrying about what the outcome of Friday would be, I spend most of the week worshiping and praising God. Wednesday I worshiped and danced around the living room with God. It was a really lightening time. The worry could not hang on me when I was focusing on God. Thursday was a little harder to do so. Friday I knew I could do nothing but worship, pray and spend time in the Word otherwise I would be too tempted to try to figure out which way the day would go or what I could have done differently.

It was around two o’clock Friday afternoon when I got a call from my temp agency saying I did not get the position they put me up for. I got a little sad at this point. But then there was a “however.” However they had a position that would start Monday I did not need to interview for so if I wanted it I could have it. I was trying not to laugh at this point. “You’ve got to be kidding God. Really? You are really giving me a job?” It was one of those moments where you want to dance and laugh but aren’t quite sure how to react all at the same time. It was a giddy moment of realizing I was part of a miracle.

I am deeply relieved to not have to move. I am sad I did not stand firm throughout the entire time of testing but greatly encouraged my roommate was able to. My friends were greatly encouraging in helping me hold onto hope.

Even though this testing is over for a time, I know God will continue to test and to grow me in this. While the job is expected to end in about a month, I know God will provide for me. How cool is it that He cares about us enough to take care of our immediate needs!

“I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa 41:10).

Fearful Dreams

There is something deep inside us that dreams deeply and freely. Somewhere between the dreams of being a ballerina or fireman and the career we end up pursuing that ability to dream lessens. We start to look for more traditional occupations. We recognize there is pain in reaching for our goals. Instead of dressing up as princesses and warriors we trade the oversized gowns and chainmail for a lesser dream, a more attainable dream. We stop dreaming of being the best at something and settle for mediocre. But what if we were created for more than mediocre? We may settle for a supporting role but what if we were meant to have a lead?

I have big dreams that are unattainable by my power. They are growing into God-sized dreams and I have no idea how they will work out. I am excited and a little scared to see what the God-sized version will be. I had to laugh one day because I felt God saying I have no imagination when it comes to my dreams. I do not have His imagination. He will show me how to get there in His time. He wants to do something so much greater through me than I can imagine. Where I see roadblocks standing in my way God sees adventure and multiple routes.

This culture is one of instant gratification. We do not want to wait and often do not want to put in the time to get to the end result we seek. God gave famous artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael great artistic abilities. If they waited to use those until they got a paying job, they would have waited a long time. Instead, they became apprenticed to great masters and received training. They practiced. They helped another artist create great art before they had the chance to do so themselves. They certainly did not want to always remain an apprentice. They had the raw talent but it needed to be crafted into a refined skill.

We were created with intentionality and purpose. Fear was not supposed to rule us yet we allow it to have power over us. We do not need to believe fear. I do not need to avoid what I believe God called me to do because I am fearful. If God created me research and learn more about the culture and history of the people of Ephesus so I can better understand the book of Ephesians, than shouldn’t I be doing that? If God created me to do something and I am not doing it, then isn’t that also disobedience?

What are the things you are God-designed to do? Do not let fear answer for you. If you do not know, pray about it; ask the advice of those you trust. Find someone who has a dream and partner with them. Help them achieve it, and while doing so you will discover what you are created to do as well.

Have courage to dream and dream big. When God shows you a step you need to take toward those dreams, have the courage to do so. Let’s put an end to fearful dreaming. When God is leading you, He is leading you closer to your true identity, a follow of Christ.