Thursday’s Thread

The Preacher said it one Sunday morning like it was something you hear every day. My mind keeps grabbing his statement as my chest wrestles with it's truth and it find its way into every corner of my life and conversation over tables with the breaking of bread and sharing of souls.Although the preacher continually speaks truth into my life he also happens to be the one I've vowed my love to. His words have a mysterious way of making me think....simple yet deep.He said...'The children of Israel needed their own experience with God, they couldn't rely upon their parents' God-experience of the parting of the Red Sea without God giving them a faith experience of their own...'When I was 6 years old we moved to Maine. I grew up in Maine always knowing about God but not really knowing Him.My parents became Christians when I was around 10 years old. As I grew up my faith wasn't grounded in seeing God work through my own life. Instead I often saw where God wasn't active where I felt a void, instead of where He all along was crafting opportunities for me to see glimpses of Him. I can remember when I was in my early twenties and I began recognizing Him powerfully working in and around me. My parent's conversion wasn't enough for my faith to grow. Like the children of Israel I needed my own faith journey for me to really know God.What about you? Do you feel restless in your life? Wondering if God sees you and really knows you? Do you often feel like He's your parents long time friend?But friend, God is for you-He's not just the God of our ancestors. He's a personal God here for us!Just 40 years before Joshua and his army had their own experience of parting waters- their parents, grandparents and families would have seen the waters of the Red Sea climb up to the sky and be held back by God for them to cross. And just years later God declared another rolling back of waters to allow their kids to KNOW God and be KNOWN by God.So many times I've tried to feed my children MY experiences with God but.....Oh God come and let them live through a faith of their own!! For a shared faith with you God is one that lasts! It's one in which we stand firm upon for a lifetime.So as we pray for our children navigating them through our prayers of safety. May we pray bigger prayers for them to see God. Let us not mince our words asking God only for their protection but give God space to usher waves of His grace into their lives.As I sit by the ocean this beautiful autumn day in Maine...with the wind blowing my hair off to the side and as the smell of salt water is lining my nostrils one can recognize that the beauty of the ocean is not found in the smallness of waves but in the growing of their size as they fall. To know our God held back their strength not only for a nation's safety but for a nations children's faith.You see we don't see the power of our God in places of safety but in the midst of travesty and trials.What hard is knocking on your door these days?What pain seems to much to bear?Know the God who held back hallways of water holds them back for us as well!And for our sons & daughters they may have to suffer in order to know Him, their struggles are not in vain. None of our hardships ever get wasted by Him. We're made richer through our pain. For it's in these times we are able to see our need for God.The giant steps I'm leaning on today lead into a vast deep ocean which have were handcrafted by a loving God who kindly chiseled them out for our feet to look upon His greatness.God has sweetly carved Himself into our world and desires to do the same upon our hearts.And we can rest knowing....within our children's brokenness & hard they'll find their Father calling them nearer!