THE WRATH OF GOD

The issue of cruelty and brutality throughout much of the scriptures is often defined as a pouring out of divine wrath. People throughout the centuries have known and accepted the Lord’s battle requirements and harsh outcomes in Old Testament history and New Testament revelation, but these ways of his are now under suspicion, leading to questions and doubts about him and his existence. What changed? We did!

A generation has arisen that views life as victims. A victimhood culture is becoming embedded in America and adopting a victim worldview, a perspective built more on the platform of sensitivity and empathy than on truth and righteousness. Greater attention is often given to human feelings rather than logical thinking. People are victims of cruel circumstances and biological makeup. Everyone should be seen with sympathy and accepted as they are, even when their concepts are shaky, will crumble under pressure, and end in catastrophe. Unwarranted respect and tolerance are now thought to be the new standard for compassion. Is it?

Gaining a more accurate conclusion about wrath.

Basic Logic: To come to a solid conclusion requires trustworthy premises. Premises cannot be proved; they are assumed, based on reliable evidence; they are simply believed. True premises establish reliable conclusions but conclusions cannot prove premises.

What are the premises that place the wrath of God, as recorded in scripture, in an accurate context? What must be believed about his nature so a person can understand his actions? With the right premises come more exacting conclusions.

There are many words used to describe God’s nature: eternal, transcendent, holy, all-knowing, ever-present, almighty, but one word overshadows them all: “God is love” (1 John 4). It surpasses every other description; it is the premiere quality of God. And those who believe in him are to respond to his love with a love for him and for everyone else. So, when examining any of God’s actions, the question must be asked: What dimension of his love is manifested?

In our victimization culture, most Americans do not love God but fear him. One way to arrest fear is to deny its source. “There is no God!” (Psalms 14 and 53), an unreliable premise for building a solid conclusion, a faulty and foolish belief system. People today are encouraged by scholars to place their trust in a science that tests, measures, and determines probable solutions, yet is designed to exclude the trustworthy Lord.

When harsh circumstances become attributed to God, many consider him mean and vindictive—actions done by a bully. The problem is not so much with the actions but with the lens used to determine them. Until people view his actions through the lens of his love, more than their fright, they will come to a faulty conclusion about the true meaning.

What moves a person away from fearing God? “Perfect love cast out fear.” (1 John 4) Only God possesses perfect love and the cross of Christ, the Son of God, is the manifestation of a pure, sacrificial love. (John 3:16) When we embrace his righteous love, fear subsides and his acts of righteousness are more clearly grasped.

A flawless love for him in this lifetime is impossible. However, the more perfect our love becomes for him, the more clearly his actions will be seen as they really are.

Consider the role of parenting. If you were to ask my four children if I was ever harsh with them, they would say, “Yes!” If they feared me, they would have misunderstood my less-than-perfect actions. Yet, amid the occasional harsh moments was an abundance of hugging, kissing, and expressions of love. The lens of mutual love helped them to see my actions, although unpleasant, as beneficial, even critical. (Hebrews 12:7-11)

Nineveh!

Jonah, 8^th century BC prophet

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah…, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” …Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. …When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. …And [Jonah] prayed to the LORD and said, “…I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. …[God said] And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 [possibly young toddlers or people spiritually unaware] who do not know their right hand from their left…?” (Jonah 1:1–2, 3:4–5 , 3:10, 4:2, 4:11)

Nahum, 7^th century BC prophet

An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum…. The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. …Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. …Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder—no end to the prey! …I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. And all who look at you will shrink from you and say, “Wasted is Nineveh….” (Nahum 1:1-3, 1:6–8, 3:1, 3:6–7)

Consider the following…

God always responds to repentance with forgiveness; he is gracious. The question about Nineveh’s remorse was: Will wrath be prevented or simply delayed? It depended on them having a permanent, thorough, life-changing turnaround. If only temporary, the confession is useless: “wasted”!

The pouring out of divine wrath on the city eventually came. However, the sins of the parents would not be held against the children. A century later, the new generation would experience wrath for reverting to the old beliefs and practices of the previous generation, which involved cruelty and harshness toward others. They were living a lie; they gave a hypocritical confession. Yet, the pronouncements of Nahum showed the grace of God amid his wrath; he knows those who continue to remain faithful to him.

In the message of both prophets are the testimonies of a “gracious” God, a “merciful” God, one who “pities”, one who is “slow to anger”, but will not “clear the guilty”. He is a God of “goodness” even amid the wrath, accurately knowing who is living with true integrity.

Searching for answers.

Belief in the love of God is a truthful premise to gauge his just actions. And by faith, a person gains the freedom to come to God and ask for a clearer understanding of the severe moments of life. But consider this: do you really need an answer? Not when you recognize that God is the epitome of true love.

There are times when you may come to a reasonable conclusion about a situation, but most of the time you will not. Faith gives you the liberty to question God, and faith gives you the freedom to not need a response. By faith, an answer, though desired, is not needed because you understand his actions are an extension of his tenderness and care.

When it comes right down to it, knowledge can never give inner peace about hurtful, wounding moments. I have heard most of the pious platitudes and none of them are good enough for the traumatized; there is something to find fault within all of them. What brings peace is the loving presence of God. He offers himself instead of insight. He gives his Spirit because knowledge will always come up short of satisfying curiosity. Answers from him rarely satisfy, while abiding in him always satisfies. In God’s kingdom, presence supersedes knowledge.

When commenting on Psalms 13, Eugene Peterson made this observation: Is it wrong to question God? Not according to the Psalmist. But note what happens. We don’t get answers to the “how long?” question; God doesn’t open his plan book to the curious eyes of impatient sinners. We get something better: the Lord himself, a “very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

The gospel writer Luke records a curious conversation, “There were some present at that very time who told [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? …Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?’” (Luke 13:1,2,4)

The disciples were pondering a gruesome tragedy that occurred to good, God-conscience people. Jesus did not give a reason for what happened, he simply asked contemplative questions and directed them to become planted in a vineyard of grace. (Luke 13:6-9) No one can give satisfactory answers to anyone basing life on faulty premises, not even Jesus.

What helps to gain peace in traumatic moments?

First, see the Heavenly Father as he really is—pure and perfect Love. Embrace the resurrected Jesus, the manifestation of God’s love and the perfector of human faith. (Hebrews 12) Let his presence cast a shadow over any and all confusion. The God of the Bible is the Lord of trust and triumph, not of tragedy and terror that victims prefer to promote.

Secondly, in his love, God always wars against anything and everyone that attacks our humanness—the beings made in his image and likeness, placed in the perfect Garden of Eden, now marred by sin and evil. He battles to restore the original portrait of humanity that will ultimately find its fulfillment in the soon-coming New Jerusalem (Revelation 21), the renewed Garden of Eden.

Thirdly, there is more in the scriptures about blessings and grace than there is about curses and judgment. When entering disturbing valleys of confusion, remember how the sovereign God prefers to abundantly forgive and build up. (Psalms 103)

“You gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.” (Psalms 18:3) This verse may have been the backdrop of a bit of prose written by F.W. Faber: “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea; there’s a kindness in his justice, which is more than liberty. For the love of God is broader than the measures of man’s mind; and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.” He is the God that provides sure-footedness when living in turbulent times; this is the God that I came to love and embrace.

Instead of brooding on bewildering tragedies, give greater attention to the Psalms. They contain every aspect of human emotions, pleasant and unpleasant—love; fear; compassion; hate; peace; anger; contentment; bitterness. These recorded songs of the heart show the Lord lovingly caring about every truthful feeling and offering comfort to the oppressed.

By his Spirit!

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? …you shall become a plain. …[we] shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” (Zechariah 4:6–7)

When abiding in his Spirit, the erupting volcano of fear can crumble and be capped with the thunderous sounds of grace. (Ezra 4:23-5:2; 6:13-16)

“God is love” brings people to a more solid conclusion about the heart-wrenching moments of ruin that occasionally occur in life.

THE VOICE OF GOD

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

Chapter 6, The Speaking Voice

(Condensed and customized for contemporary clarity)

It is the nature of God to speak, to communicate his thoughts to others. A word is a medium by which thoughts are expressed, the application of the term “word” to the eternal Son leads us to believe that self-expression is inherent in the Godhead. God is forever seeking to speak to his creation. God is speaking, is continuously articulate, and fills the world with his speaking voice.

This word of God which brought all worlds into being cannot be understood to mean just the Bible. It is not a written or printed word at all, but the expression of the will of God spoken into the structure of all things. This word of God is the breath of God filling the world with living potentiality.

The Bible is the written word of God. It is written, confined, and limited by the necessities of ink and paper. The voice of God, however, is alive and free, just as the sovereign God is free. God’s word in the Bible can have power only because it corresponds to God’s word in the universe. It is the present voice that makes the written word all-powerful.

We take a low and primitive view of things when we conceive of God at the creation as coming into physical contact with things, shaping and fitting and building like a carpenter. The Bible teaches overwise: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth all their host…. For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. And by faith, we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God. (Psalms 33)

Scripture is referring here not to his written word, but to his speaking voice. The word of God is quick and powerful. He spoke to nothing, and it became something. Chaos heard it and it became order; darkness heard it and it became light.

God is here and he is speaking—these truths are the backing for all other Bible truths. The word of God affects the hearts of everyone as a light in the soul. In the hearts of all, the light shines, the word sounds, and there is no escaping them. Even those individuals who have never heard of the Bible have still been spoken to with sufficient clarity to remove every excuse from their hearts forever. His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1)

The universal voice of God was by the ancient Hebrews often called wisdom, and was said to be everywhere sounding and searching throughout the earth, seeking some response. The tragedy is that our eternal welfare depends upon our hearing, and we have trained our ears not to hear. Could it be that this voice distilling like a living mist upon the heart has been the undiscovered cause of the troubled conscience that craves and seeks immortality?

When God spoke out of heaven to people, self-centered humans who heard it explained it by natural causes: They said, it thundered. This habit of explaining the voice by appeals to natural law is at the very root of modern science. Humans kneel, but not to worship. They kneel to examine, to search, to find the cause and the how of things. Our thought habits are those of the scientist, not those of the worshipper. We are more likely to explain than to adore. The order and life of the world depend upon the voice, but people are too busy or too stubborn to pay attention.

Every one of us has had experiences that we have not been able to explain—a fleeting visitation of light like an illumination from some other sun, giving us in a quick flash an assurance that we are from another world, that our origins are divine. We have not been fair to the facts until we allow at least the possibility that such experiences may arise from the presence of God and his persistent effort to communicate with humans.

Poets and artists create out of common stuff works of pure and lasting beauty and are considered a genius. Could it be that a genius is a person haunted by the speaking voice, laboring and striving like one possessed to achieve ends that they only vaguely understand?

The voice of God is a friendly voice. No one need fear to listen to it unless they have already made up their mind to resist it. The heavens, as well as the earth, are filled with the goodwill of him. Whoever listens will hear the speaking of heaven.

This is not the hour when people take kindly to listen, for listening is not a part of popular religion. Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity, and bluster make a person dear to God. To a people caught in the tempest, God says, Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalms 46) Our strength and safety lie not in noise but in silence. We must get still to wait on God. If we will, we may draw near to him and begin to hear him speak.

The progression is something like this: First the sound of a presence walking in a garden. Then a voice, more intelligible, but still far from clear. Then the happy moment when the Spirit begins to illuminate the soul. That which had been only a sound, or at best a voice, now becomes an intelligible word, warm and intimate and clear as the word of a dear friend. Then will come life and light, and best of all, the ability to see and rest in the embrace of the Savior.

The Bible will never be a living book to us until we are convinced that God is articulate in his universe. To jump from a dead, impersonal world to a dogmatic Bible is too much for most people. Someone may say, “These words are addressed to me,” and yet in their heart they do not feel or know that they are, the victim of a divided mindset—God is mute everywhere else and vocal only in a book.

Religious unbelief is due to a wrong conception of and a wrong feeling about the scriptures. A silent God suddenly began to speak in a book, and when the book was finished, he lapsed back into silence again. The facts are that God is not silent and has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God’s continuous speech.

A new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book that was once spoken, but it is also a book that is now speaking. God’s speaking is in the continuous present. We may use the past tense properly to indicate that at a certain time a certain word of God was spoken, but a word of God once spoken continues to be spoken.

To know the Lord, come at once to the God of the Bible, expecting him to speak to you. Scripture is a voice, a word, the very word of God.

Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Help me hear you speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of your voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of your speaking voice in heaven. Amen.

"THE SIGN OF JONAH", an Easter story!

 

Jonah and the large fish, c1400

[T]he scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But [Jesus] answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Matthew 12:38–39)

Jonah is mostly remembered for surviving inside a large fish for three days. Jesus refers to that event as similar to his death, burial, and resurrection. But is the sign of Jonah simply about a large fish? Is the prophecy of Jonah just about a judgment against a wicked city? What is the message of Jonah that Jesus was giving to “an evil and adulterous generation”?

You cannot separate events and dictates, duration and occupation from the person. It is not the locations or vocations, the miles or the smiles that define us. As it is with everyone, our well-played lives become our legacy. The lesson of Jonah is the story of the man!

When reading about someone recorded in scripture, do you put flesh and blood into the narrative, do you see them as real people? Their thoughts and feelings are not much different than ours.

Elijah had problems struggling with depression. “Take my life, Lord, I’m the only one left who loves you.” What a pity party! If he wanted to die, he just needed to stay around Jezebel. She would have loved to oblige him. Yet, this melancholy man was used by God to bring fire down from heaven, destroy falsehood, restore rain, and run a marathon—all in a single day. (1 Kings 18)

In an insignificant way, I can identify with a prophet named Elisha because, like me, he was bald. But he could not take bald-headed jokes. If children teased him about his receding hairline, they had to watch out for she-bears. (2 Kings 2)

The beloved John was a successful fisherman. He mentioned catching exactly 153 fish in a single haul. Why? Was John simply amazed at the size of the catch and wanted his readers to be equally astonished? He was a fisherman; they tell stories of great moments in fishing. That is what seamen do! (John 21)

The characters of the Bible were characters, and Jonah was no exception. In the archives of time, there was a real person named Jonah, a prophet of Judah, and the core of his story is the man himself.

Chapter One: Running from God.

To Jonah, this was the worst day of his life. He was filled with hate for a certain people group, he was prejudiced, and God was directing him to warn them of their destruction. If they were to be annihilated, then so be it. Why did they need to be alerted?

“Lord, just do it, why don’t you!”

The only possible reason for telling these people of judgment was to prevent it from happening, something he did not want to prevent. Jonah fully knew the loving nature of God and what could possibly happen if they were warned.

The prophet did not possess the heart of Isaiah who said, “Here am I, Lord, send me!” (Isaiah 6) He was more of the persuasion of, “I would rather not get involved!” He reminds me of an old R&R song of the ‘60s that included the lyrics, “Please, Mr. Custer, I don’t want to go!”

Jonah was instructed to go to a mean, oppressive people that resided in a very wicked city. “Lord, if I have to go somewhere, could it possibly be to some nice, clean, upper-middle-class suburban community? There are sinful people there, too, but they’re nicer and kinder and show more virtue, they better deserve being warned.”

So the hate-filled Jonah does not journey northeast by land but gets on a boat heading northwest by sea and puts the sailors and passengers at peril. When people disobey God, others are affected, usually those closest to them. Jonah tells the crew that everything will be just fine if they simply throw him into the water. It sounds very noble, doesn’t it?

This is where maybe we misread the story. The storm is raging while the ship is in the middle of the sea. The chances of swimming to shore are next to nil. Was he thinking, “I’ll simply drown and won’t have to go to Nineveh!”?

The sailors fulfill his request, the sea grows calm, and Jonah treads water. As he floats along the surface, a large fish approaches. Was he thinking, “I guess I won’t be drowning after all; my life will end sooner than I thought? But that’s okay because I still won’t be going to those despised people living in Nineveh. The wrath of God will consume them, just as I want!”

The large fish swallowed Jonah in one big gulp. He found himself alive in a small, shadowless, stinky, sticky space.

A day passed and he was still alive. Another day passed and he was still alive. A third day comes and he comes to his scenes: “God could keep me alive in this gooey gunk forever!”

Talk about holding a grudge. Most of us would have lasted maybe three minutes, probably no more than three hours before calling out to God, but Jonah held out for three days before he had a change of heart. That was one bitter and angry dude!

Chapter Two: Running to God.

Recorded in the next chapter is a flowery prayer, filled with laconic words. He made a sincere vow. A modest paraphrase would sound like, “God, if you get me out of this slime,…

I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,

O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;

I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord,

I’ll be what you want me to be.”

(A classic gospel chorus)

He gave an Isaiah response but not with an Isaiah passion. He simply conceded to do what God commanded.

Jonah was placed in a very unpleasant classroom, but he would not listen to God anywhere else—just like some of us. We dare not blame the Lord for some of the circumstances that we find ourselves in. We often place ourselves in repulsive situations through wrongful feelings, intoxicated with hate and prejudice.

Jonah in his self-induced predicament learned about the need for surrender, trust, and obedience to God. He discovered the value of repentance, the nature of mercy, the importance of praise, and the call for salvation. All this happened in the dark, smelly, gross classroom of a fish’s stomach.

Chapter Three: Running with God.

Jonah goes to Nineveh, but his spirit is not in the task. He hated these people; they were so cruel to his race. He was hoping to be the most unanointed, uninspired preacher that there ever was. Although it should take three days to cover the whole city, he gives one day to the task.

Try not to imagine a preacher zealously shouting a warning on a street corner with a loud voice. See someone walking unwillingly through the streets informing, not proclaiming—confidently strolling, casually speaking, cheerfully stating doom. He was fulfilling the letter but not the spirit of the command.

Did the delivery of the message, as well as the content of the warning, impact the response? Someone the townspeople detected despised them was so certain, so poised, so sure, so serene! His behavior was communicating an unequivocal verdict.

The citywide repentance grew and intensified until the whole town was impacted. Everyone had covered themselves with mourning clothes. People and livestock refrained from all forms of eating and drinking, an absolute fast. They meant business!

Chapter Four: Running against God.

The people’s response triggered a change of divine plans and Jonah’s anger boiled to new heights. He thought this would happen if they took his message to heart. That was the only reason for the judgment to be announced to them. He admitted as such in his complaint to God: “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” (Jonah 4:2)

God always responds to repentance with forgiveness. He changes not; it is an integral part of his nature. If anyone fervently repents, God will forgive, no matter how wicked! As far as the Lord is concerned, everyone is reachable, and everyone should be reached!

But what about Jonah? As the Ninevites repent, does he rejoice? No! He is more concerned about personal comfort than innocent lives, and the worm of bitterness destroyed the little comfort he possessed.

A COUPLE OF TAKEAWAYS

First, in many ways, we are not much different than the man named Jonah. Have you experienced cruelty at the hands of others—been hurt, been cheated, been stung by injustice? If the offender should repent and receive God’s forgiveness, how will you respond?

Corrie ten Boom tells the story of accepting an invitation to speak in Germany after her imprisonment when the war was over. At the end of the meeting, one of her former Nazi prison guards approached and acknowledged he had surrendered his life to God. He had become a brother in Christ and extended his hand to her. She wrote that she learned the importance of forgiveness when she shook his hand. God forgives, do you?

Secondly, the whole book of Jonah is about yielding to God, starting with the prophet himself. Jonah had to change his mind before the townspeople could receive the convicting message that would change their heart. Are you acting as a barrier, preventing others from repenting and experiencing God’s acceptance? What ill will are you harboring deep within that is keeping the love of God from being seen by others?

Finally, could Jonah also be a sign of the imminent return of the resurrected Lord? Could the “sign of the prophet Jonah” be about devout God-lovers harboring animosity and anger toward others as the day of his coming approaches? Resentful feelings obstruct divine solutions. One thing is for certain: slippery, stinker scorn is not a condition to be associated with anyone looking for his promised, “come again!” (John 14:3)

The message of Jonah is more than the story of a large fish. And the prophecy of Jonah is more than the gloom of death vomiting the resurrected Jesus from the grave into the garden of life. The sign of Jonah includes the anger and contempt of a demanding and lost generation that put Christ on the Cross in the first place.

YES, YOU CAN!

Garden of Gethsemane mosaic in Church of All Nations

At the Garden Tomb, the community members come together for group devotions each morning before opening the gates. The Deputy Director asked if I would give attention to Exodus 13 in a recent gathering.

The chapter begins by reminding the newly released slaves of the importance of the Passover. It was to be an annual remembrance. And for the Garden Tomb community, we regularly recognize Jesus as the perfect Passover Lamb, releasing us from slavery to sin and bringing us out of exile into God’s promises.

The chapter then transitions to emphasizing the unique standing of the firstborn, whether human or animal. We are then informed of the beginning of the Hebrews' journey to Canaan and of taking the bones of Joseph with them, as promised. It ends by telling us of God’s leading, which is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using the unique tools of a cloud and a fire.

Yet in the middle of the chapter are two verses that captured my attention and imagination.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. (Exodus 13:17-18 ESV)

Two phases caused me to ponder: “Lest the people change their minds when they see war” and then later “Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.”

The zenith years of the ministry entrusted to my stewardship occurred in Chicago, a very unique city. Chicago is populated with 3 million people along the shorelines of Lake Michigan and is fully contained in Cook County, a very politically progressive community. And in the middle of the city is the east/west Eisenhower Expressway that unexpectedly serves as a dividing line, separating the city between the north (Chicago Cubs baseball country) and the south (Chicago White Sox’s baseball country). But the difference between the two cultures is far more than just loyalty to two different baseball teams; they are radically different. I spent ten years in the northern area before spending six years in the south.

The people of Chicago also refer to the area as Chicagoland, which extends the borders of the city’s mindset. It runs from the Wisconsin border up north to the Indiana border down south, about 120 miles. You cannot tell when you leave one community and enter another in Chicagoland. It is one massive sea of humanity. Eight million people live in that stretch of land and are as culturally different as Chicago itself. Yet all the people of Chicagoland have one thing in common; they can be very confrontational. You never have to wonder what they think of you.

My general practice in ministry was to stand at the exit at the end of a church service and thank the people for coming, but I quit doing that when overseeing the congregation in Chicago Southland. I discovered that some people were uncomfortable having to pass by me and shake my hand. I did not want to prevent them from coming to church because of me. They liked the church and the people of the church. So, I welcomed people as they came to church and stayed at the altar at the end of the service, praying for people in need while those not wishing contact with me could safely leave.

One Sunday, at the end of the service, I saw a guy lingering by the exit. He normally avoided me, yet he never missed a church service and the church administrator once told me that he was a very generous giver. When I got to the exit, the man approached and said, “That was a good sermon; I like the way you preach. I don’t like you but I like what you have to say.” I burst out laughing and said, “Well, I have six others pastors on staff, why don’t you go and like one of them?” With a twinkle in his eye, he said, “I can do that!” And he did, he became good friends with the Associate Pastor, faithfully attended and generously gave.

In those same years, I was selected by my colleagues to be the official encourager and counselor of the 33 churches and 150 ministers in the immediate area, which I did for five years. And then my colleagues selected me to be a statewide executive leader, along with three other individuals, helping give direction and guidance to over 300 churches and 1500 ministers for eight years. So, on top of leading a larger local church, I gave a lot of attention to conflict resolution in other churches, helping sister churches that were going through various kinds of battles; and there were lots of them. I spent so much time dealing with intense conflict, chronic wars. It could be very draining at times!

Because of the unique strain associated with the ministry, most pastors need regular and ongoing affirmation, something more unnatural in Chicagoland. I have seen too many ministers quit because of the wars along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The conflicts were too many and too much, and they changed their mind about ministry and went back to their Egypt. It was not that they were unequipped to do ministry, just not equipped for Chicagoland. There were other places where they could have been very successful but they changed their mind and gave up.

The passage of Scripture just read states God would not let Israel take the shortcut to Canaan along the shoreline of the Mediterranean because he knew the wars would overwhelm them and cause them to give up, preventing them from attaining his promises. So, he gave them another route while still equipped for battle. What does that suggest? There would still be struggles and conflict but they would occur in the realm of what they could handle.

Here is the point: You may be going through a battle of some sort right now and thinking, “I can’t handle it.” And you are wrong; yes, you can! God does not bring his children on a route where the battle is too big and too frequent for them to handle.

You are equipped for your battles. And the God who guides you 24/7 has custom designed your very route AND the battles that come with it. Your battles are there for you to learn from and to spiritually grow from. And you can gain victory in every one of them.

The route he has for you is a route you can handle IF you allow him to guide you in the glory and light of his presence. Trust him and move on to the promises that he has for you.

(In context, the shorter and gentler topography of the more direct route near the Mediterranean would have made it too convenient for them to consider turning back, a quick and easier terrain. The lengthier and harsher wilderness topography would have discouraged them from trying to return.)