When You Don’t Know When . . .

by Afton Rorvik

Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called place Marah (which meant “bitter”). Then the people complained and turned against Moses, “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.  Exodus 15:22-23 NLT

First they had too much water, and then they didn’t have enough.

The people of Israel had just watched God part the mighty waters of the Red Sea so they could walk through them to safety from their Egyptian pursuers. Then they had witnessed God calling the waters of the sea to regather and crash down around the Egyptians, obliterating them.

They danced and celebrated and praised the Lord.

Then three days later, they got thirsty and started whining. Did they forget that God had just parted the Red Sea for them? Did they forget that God had just rescued them from many years of Egyptian oppression? Did they get so focused on their own immediate needs that they forgot to remember God’s past provisions?

Yes, yes, and yes.

And oh, I understand. After a year of so many uncertainties, I just want some certainty. I want to know when this Covid virus will release its grip on us. I want to know when schools will reopen. I want to know when I can once again have neighbors gather around my dining room table. I want answers. I want to know when.

Like the people of Israel, I can all too easily complain about what I need and want today and not remember to thank God for the many times He showed up for me in the past in His perfectly orchestrated timing.

I forget the way He helped me find a job just weeks after my previous job ended. I forget the way He helped orchestrate the arrival of a book contract the month the pandemic began, providing me a distracting project while quarantined at home.

Lord, help me to remember!

As I read about the people of Israel, I notice how God graciously continued to remind them of His care:

Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. After breaking camp at Rephidim, they set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.

Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:1-4 NLT).

Oh, Lord, remind me that You see and you care, that You carry me on eagles’ wings too. Help me to trust Your timing. Forgive me for whining while I wait. Help me to live grateful.

About the author: Afton Rorvik writes about living connected, something that matters deeply to her even as an introvert. In her book Storm Sisters, she talks about the power of friendship in hard times. Afton and her husband John have two adult children and love to walk and hike in Colorado. You can connect with Afton on her website, or on Facebook.

Join the conversation: What do you remember about God’s gracious care for you?

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Empty-Nest Living by Faith

by Afton Rorvik @AftonRorvik

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8, NIV

I first discovered this verse in my twenties, at a time when I moved a lot. I wanted so much to respond to God as Abraham did, to trust God for the future unknown.

That future turned out to contain a husband, children, and a home for decades in a comfortable, quiet suburb. I love my neighborhood, my house, my yard, my “let’s-get-together” neighbors. I have loved raising my family here.

I could stay here forever. Perhaps I shall. Or perhaps God wants me to leave this comfortable place, this now empty-nest place. Perhaps He wants me to stretch. Perhaps He wants to show Himself faithful by leading me to unknown destinations.

How I would love to hear God speak to me in His out-loud voice as He did to Abraham. Wouldn’t you? Genesis 12:1 (NIV) says, “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’ “

Ah . . . a clear voice. A distinct voice. An audible voice.

The waiting and the listening for next steps challenges me. When will God direct? Where will He direct? How will He fit all the pieces together? Truthfully, staying put and sticking my fingers in my ears sounds much easier. A bit childish, perhaps, but safe.

When I return to Hebrews 11:8, however, I can’t help but notice that it starts with two simple words, “By faith . . .” In fact, those words pepper Hebrews 11, a chapter that begins this way: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Abraham might have heard God speak, but He still had to place his confidence in that voice and act on what he heard.

And I know I must do the same. As I pray and listen and read and reread God’s Word, I must open my hands and heart to God in trust. I must keep learning to say, “I trust you and will follow your lead.”

Somehow living by faith stretches me more now in empty nest than it did in my twenties. Perhaps I have come to depend on routines and the known comforts of life. Perhaps I have settled into a no-risk pattern of daily life. Perhaps I have taken my eyes off the One, the only ONE, who knows what the future will hold and tried instead to put together the puzzle on my own.

Oh, may I, in this empty-nest season, learn to live by faith. May I remember that living by faith means trusting God when I don’t know the where or the why or the how.

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About the author: Afton Rorvik savors words, flavored coffee, time outside, and living connected. Although an introvert, she has come to realize that what really matters in life is people and faith in Jesus. Afton’s book,  Storm Sisters (Worthy), takes a story-filled approach to learning to stick around when storms hit a friend’s life. She blogs monthly at  aftonrorvik.com and thoroughly enjoys Pinterest (Afton Rorvik). You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Join the conversation: Has God asked you to trust Him and follow His lead?

“That’s the Magic of Christmas”

by Afton Rorvik @AftonRorvik

 ‘Tis the season… for Christmas movies. I love them! Happy people, beautifully decorated houses and towns, and wishes that come true—what’s not to love?  I watch and smile and go to bed happy with the phrase, “. . . that’s the magic of Christmas” rolling around in my head.

And I want that magic. I want amazing things to happen in relationships and at work and in our broken world. I want to keep believing in the good and the possible and the miraculous.

I know I can’t really write a letter to Santa and get a wish granted, and I know that I can’t really rub a snow globe and get what I want for Christmas. But often, without really thinking about it, I also know that I have treated God like a magic wish-granter: “Please, please, God . . . “

One morning recently I read some words that made me stop and think and remember that life with God is about so much more than getting what I want from Him: “God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes” (Psalm 18:4 MSG).

Honestly, that phrase “opened the book of my heart to his eyes” makes me a bit uncomfortable. So personal. So honest. So very much NOT about asking God to do this or fix that for me. More about siting in the presence of God day after day and letting Him see all of me, then listening to what He teaches me. More of a long haul, a day-by-day, year-by-year process of transformation. Not quite as splashy or obvious as a quickly-granted wish.

But, ultimately, what can compare to a transformed heart, a rewritten life?

In this busy season of Christmas may we take the time each day to open our hearts to God, inviting Him to transform us. May we celebrate the gift of being known by the God of the universe, the God who loved us so much that He came in human form at Christmas. May we learn to let go of our wishes and rest in His loving presence.

Psalm 139 (NIV)

You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

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About the author: Afton Rorvik savors words, flavored coffee, time outside, and living connected. Although an introvert, she has come to realize that what really matters in life is people and faith in Jesus, which gives her the strength and courage to live connected. Afton wrote Storm Sisters (Worthy), a story-filled book about learning to stick around when storms hit a friend’s life. She blogs monthly at  aftonrorvik.com and thoroughly enjoys Pinterest (Afton Rorvik).

Join the conversation: How has God rewritten the book of your life?

The Mysterious Gift of Being Grateful

by Afton Rorvik @AftonRorvik

The package on my doorstep surprised me. I hadn’t ordered anything. No one in my household had a birthday. No national holiday loomed on the near horizon. And I hadn’t heard the doorbell ring. My dog hadn’t even barked.

I ripped opened the squishy package and discovered a pillow with a large word written on it: GRATEFUL.

Who could have sent this? I hunted and hunted for a card, but clearly someone had ordered this from a company and had it shipped to me. Was it the friend I helped out last week? Or the guests we housed last month?

Although I wanted to send a thank you note, I sort of loved not knowing who sent the pillow because it caused me to evaluate my life over the past few weeks. Had I interacted with people in such a way as to make them grateful? Had I lived in a grateful state within my own heart—looking daily for God’s good gifts?

I love this word: Grateful.  I want it to stick to me like Velcro and follow me around like a love-me-please puppy.

BUT gratitude takes effort. I naturally tend toward more of a glass-half-empty view of life—an Eeyore mentality. I can wallow in worry about what-ifs, isolate myself, criticize people in process who don’t respond to me the way I think they should, keep a list of all that seems upside-down in my life. . .

I’ve working to retrain my brain and heart by starting my days with worship. I sit in a cozy chair, turn on my playlist of worship songs, and open my hands to God. I let go of what weighs on me (often naming them specifically) and celebrate God’s good gift to me of Father-love as I let the music wash over me.

And I find myself returning again and again to this verse in James 1:17 (NIV): “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

How could I NOT live in gratitude when I live in the truth of these words and in the presence of the Father who does NOT change?

After posting a photo of my mysterious gift on Facebook, I learned that it had come from a friend I first met when I was 13. We now live states away but have managed to stay connected all these years. What a delightful no-good-reason, just-for-the-fun-of-it gift! J  But even more fabulous—what a gift of enduring friendship!

This November my new pillow sits in our dining room window reminding me (and hopefully all who enter there) to remember the transforming power of this word: Grateful!

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.                                                                                                                                    1 Chronicles 16:34 NASB

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About the author: Afton Rorvik savors words, flavored coffee, time outside, and living connected. Although an introvert, she has come to realize that what really matters in life is people and faith in Jesus, which gives her the strength and courage to live connected. Afton wrote Storm Sisters (Worthy), a story-filled book about learning to stick around when storms hit a friend’s life. She blogs monthly at  aftonrorvik.com and thoroughly enjoys Pinterest (Afton Rorvik).

Join the conversation: For what are you grateful this week of Thanksgiving?

 

In Tune with Each Other

by Afton Rorvik

Some days my head spins with details on my to-do lists and my heart feels as if it could literally crack under the weight of concerns for people I love.

On these days I crawl into my favorite chair and talk to God about it all and beg Him for perspective and strength. If only I could stay in this chair all day, wrapping God’s love around me like a warm blanket. But life calls: responsibilities, decisions, opportunities, people.

And, truthfully, it is the people part of life that so often disrupts my sense of peace and sends me back to my chair. Because I care about people, I hear and see their pain. I want to listen. I want to help.

Most days.

Other days I just want to block it all out—no emails, no texts, no phone calls, no conversations. Just Jesus and me. Peace! Quiet! Solitude!

Life with people is messy. And joy-filled. Challenging. And life-giving.

The other day, while sitting in my perspective-setting chair, I read this in Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing.” (MSG)

I have read this verse many times in the NIV but reading it in a different version brought a new perspective. I saw, as I had never seen before, the connection between the peace of Christ and the ability to keep in tune with each other.

So many times I have hugged the peace of Christ to myself in order to feel better. I have NOT regarded the peace of Christ as something that helps me reach out, something to help me live life with people. And, when faced with a challenging situation, I have thought to myself over and over, I can do this. I will just roll up my sleeves and do this.

This verse reminds me that the peace of Christ should become my fuel for reaching toward people and working to develop relationships with them, something that resembles a complicated, beautiful song. It also reminds me that a song sounds richer and stronger with multiple voices. Living for Jesus is not a solo act.

Just like any driver of a traditional car, I must refuel frequently—fill up my tank with the peace of Christ. I can do that in my chair, yes. But then I must push myself to stand up and leave that chair and go connect with messy, encouraging, hurting, thoughtful people.

Many congregations as part of their weekly service encourage members to turn to someone around them and extend a handshake and a greeting: “The peace of Christ be with you.” Congregants often respond: “And also with you.”

What a beautiful sound as a building buzzes with the words, “The peace of Christ.” And what a clear, visual reminder that the peace of Christ is meant to be shared, not hugged to ourselves in a comfortable chair in a serene living room.

Life with people. Life fueled by the peace of Christ.

“. . .so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” Romans 12:18 NASB

About the author: Afton Rorvik loves shaping words, reading books, listening to music, drinking coffee with friends, traveling, and savoring the words in her favorite book—the Bible. In 2014 Afton published Storm Sisters (Worthy), a story-filled book about learning to stick around when storms hit a friend’s life. You can connect with Afton on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Join the conversation: How has God’s peace affected your relationships?

 

 

Key Word: Abide

by Afton Rorvik

Several years ago, we tore out the evergreens in front of our house and planted perennial plants and grasses. That means that every winter when they die, the front yard looks barren. By the time May rolls around, we eagerly long to see color and life in our front yard again.

One recent May morning my husband glanced at our front yard plants just poking their beginning sprouts out of the ground and said to them facetiously, “Come on! When are you going to have some color? Get with the program!”

As I’m sure you know, talking to plants did not make them grow faster! They needed time and rain and sun. But by June, we did have color.

We cannot force growth in the natural world, although we sometimes try with various products that promise amazing growth. We can’t force growth in the spiritual world, either, although we do sometimes try the “quick-and-easy” in effort to make ourselves an abundant, fruit-producing person by next Sunday.

But Jesus’ perspective on growing fruit is very different.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:5-8, NIV).

Remain. Some translations use the word abide. The Message says, “make your home in me.” Doesn’t sound like a lot of “doing” after all, does it? Not exactly “getting with the program and getting it done.” It is rather a long-time endeavor, characterized by rest, of staying connected to the Vine.

I recently read a story about John Stott, the former rector of All’s Souls church in London, that so clearly illustrates this idea of remaining and then letting the Holy Spirit do the fruit- producing.

Rev. Stott dearly loved the words of Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT):

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

In fact, he prayed these words back to God every morning:

“Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

In the introduction to his book, Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit, Christopher J.H. Wright (p. 13) comments, “It hardly seems surprising, then, that many people who knew John Stott personally said that he was the most Christlike person they ever met. For God answered his daily prayer by making the fruit of the Spirit ripen in his life.”

Oh, may we learn to remain and let God grow His fruit within us.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4 NASB

About the author: Part of the publishing industry since 1987, Afton Rorvik enjoys her roles as wife, mother, friend, editor, and writer. She loves shaping words, reading books by contemplative authors, listening to music, drinking coffee with friends, traveling, and savoring the words in her favorite book—the Bible. In 2014 Afton published Storm Sisters, a story-filled book on how to be present when storms hit a friend’s life. You can learn more about Afton and her ministry on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Free Book Contest!  Arise Daily will use a random number generator to pick a winner from today’s comments. To enter our contest for Afton’s book, Storm Sisters, Friends Through All Seasons,  please comment below.  By posting in our comments, you are giving us permission to share your name if you win!  If you have an outside the US mailing address, your prize could be substituted with an e-book of our choice.

Join the conversation: What are ways you have found helpful in staying connected to the Vine?

Beyond My Control

by Afton Rorvik

I like order. I like lists. I like knowing what tomorrow holds.

Many years ago when the company I worked for merged with another company, I flailed. My position was being threatened by the powers that be. I knew this job, these people. I worked minutes from my house. There was a lot to lose. But more than anything, I hated sitting and waiting for someone else to make decisions about my life.

During that time, I discovered an Old Testament passage that has since become my go-to story when life throws me a challenge beyond my control. This account, found in 2 Chronicles 20, features Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. He received news that a huge army was about to attack his kingdom. When Jehoshaphat heard the news, he was alarmed. Who doesn’t feel alarmed when unexpected situations come flying at you?

Jehoshaphat, however, did not wallow in panic or fear. And he did not start drawing up a battle plan or gathering troops. Instead, he gathered the people together to fast and pray. His subjects came from all over Judah to jointly pray and seek the Lord’s help.

Jehoshaphat stood among them and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.”  (2 Chronicles 20: 6, NIV) He went on to recite all of the ways God had proved Himself faithful in the past to His people. He ended the prayer by pleading, “For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV, emphasis added)

God responded to their cry. He spoke through a prophet right then and there, and gave reassurance to the people. The prophet told them “Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but Gods’.” (2 Chronicles 20:15 NASB)

Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord as well.

So . . . a vast army lurked. And Jehoshaphat did something seemingly illogical and impractical. He worshiped.

Let’s be honest, most of us don’t fight life-threatening battles with worship. My knee-jerk response to the unexpected usually involves crawling into myself and focusing on private prayer that goes along the lines of “God, please fix this!”

I need to follow the example of Jehoshaphat in spending time reminding myself of God’s steadfast, powerful, and never-changing character as well as remember the weakness and ineffectiveness of any human effort. And be drawn not into despair but rather into worship.

Worship might take the form of fasting or congregational singing; or it might look like a woman sitting alone in a comfortable living room chair thanking God every morning that He sees, He cares, and He is at work in situations far beyond my control.

I did eventually lose that fabulous job and went on to face a lot of other life challenges. And I’m sure I have many more such challenges ahead of me.

And that is why I return again and again to the story of Jehoshaphat. It pulls me back to worship and helps me make Jehoshaphat’s words my own: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20: 12 NIV)

About the author: Part of the publishing industry since 1987, Afton Rorvik enjoys her roles as wife, mother, friend, editor, and writer. She loves shaping words, reading books by contemplative authors, listening to music, drinking coffee with friends, traveling, and savoring the words in her favorite book—the Bible. In 2014 Afton published Storm Sisters, a story-filled book on how to be present when storms hit a friend’s life. You can learn more about Afton and her ministry on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

 

Free Book Contest!  Arise Daily will use a random number generator to pick a winner from today’s comments. To enter our contest for Afton’s book, Storm Sisters, Friends Through All Seasons,  please comment below.  By posting in our comments, you are giving us permission to share your name if you win!  If you have an outside the US mailing address, your prize could be substituted with an e-book of our choice.

Join the conversation: What unexpected situation have you faced that might have been helped by Jehoshaphat’s story?