When God Stood With Me in Line

Standing in a long line in the hot sun is not my idea of a fun afternoon. Standing in line in the sun just for the privilege of standing in two more lines is cruel and unusual punishment. And yet, it was not the standing nor the heat that made me uncomfortable. The weight on my shoulders as I stood outside the passport office was the weight of not knowing what was going to happen. We needed a quick response from a government agency, something government agencies are not known for. A delay or a rejection would have upended our plans, leaving me unable to fulfill my promise to my family. It was there, with the results resting well beyond my reach, that I was blessed to see how God handles things as He stood with me in line on a hot summer’s day.

My saga began with a planned trip to my wife's home country of Jamaica. Everything ran smoothly up until we submitted our passport applications. The State Department sent three of the four passports in very short order but my wife's application was held on a technicality. As it turns out, when she took the oath to become a U.S. citizen, the judge forgot to write the date on her naturalization certificate. This clerical mistake, though seemingly small, was big enough to derail the entire passport application as the State Department sent us off to get a replacement certificate.

We submitted the application for a replacement without realizing how long it can take for the government to write a date on a piece of paper. We soon found ourselves within a few weeks of our scheduled departure date with nothing more than a letter acknowledging receipt of the application. Facing the possibility of not receiving the new certificate in time we looked into the process of getting a conditional passport, hoping to have something in hand that would allow us to travel as scheduled.

At first we only encountered road blocks, crossing paths with two phone agents who either did not know how or did not want to help. While frustrated we refused to quit, knowing our Advocate was greater than anything or anyone standing in our way. Continuing in prayer, we made a  third call which was answered by a very helpful agent who explained what we needed to do. This was the very person we needed to speak with, the one God chose to help us move forward. I am convinced God made sure we would call at the right time, having this agent ready to help and not hinder as the previous operators had done.

The next day I carried a sealed envelope to the Philadelphia passport office, praying God would put the papers in the hands of the "right" person. I arrived only to find two lines of people standing outside the building, one line for people with appointments and the other longer line for walk-ins. As I stood in the longer line, praying and worshipping, I was approached by a "Passport Greater" whose last name was also Coleman. After laughing about the coincidence, Mr. Coleman moved me into the shorter line. This line (and the two lines that followed) eventually lead me to two passport experts who promised to help move things along. By the end of the week the passport was in our mailbox, not a limited but a full fledged passport. And with passports in hand we left on schedule, enjoying a terrific week visiting with family.

God was in line with me that day at the passport office. He was also at work ahead of me, making sure our paperwork wound up in the right hands. What started off as a difficult situation, filled with obstacles and times of being unsure, lead to an opportunity to see God at work. Of course I could not see what He was going to do as I joined the line. What I could see were His promises, like the one in Romans 8:28: a powerful promise at work in every aspect of the life of a Christian.

If you are a Christian, remember this promise during your next trial. Let it be the starting point of your prayer, the truth that drives you to seek His best. Then watch as the Lord goes to work on your behalf. He is there with You, even when you feel stuck standing in place. Enjoy His presence and rest in Him knowing He will work all for your good.

How Do Christians Grow?

Christian growth should be easy, right? To be honest it is anything but easy. I find that God's prescription for growth quite often involves difficult challenges and very long wait times. His use of trials and tribulations as shaping tools runs counter to what most of us mere humans would use if in His shoes. Fortunately God takes care of most of the heavy lifting, leaving us with a small handful of things we need to do. Where do we start? Well, if you truly want to grow I suggest you start with reading and meditating on the Bible every day.

The first Psalm describes a man who meditates on scripture morning and night. He is like a tree planted near a river, well watered and enjoying abundant provisions. And like the rest of the forest, a riverside tree must endure the ups and downs of nature. Its best days start with a refreshing breeze and perhaps a cleansing layer of dew. On those good days the sun is warm, creating such a comfortable feeling that even weeping willows choose to smile. Those are the days when growth comes easy but the nicest of days can quickly give over to days that leave the strongest of trees wishing for cover.

Sometimes a string of good days gives way to a season of drought. The sun, once a friend, becomes an inquisitor seemingly focused on burning away all that matters. The air becomes stagnant, oppressive where it had once been a relief. Across the forest the ground which once provided nourishment becomes dry and unyielding, starving all plants of needed nutrients. Under these conditions the roots of our foundations are tested. And while others wither, that tree near the river continues to grow. It draws from the river which carries a constant supply of nutrients in what appears to the untrained eye to be nothing more than mud.

Such is life with its good times and bad. I wish that those who follow the Lord were immune to life’s ups and downs. Instead we are on the rollercoaster of life along with all of our neighbors. The promise of scripture is not one of a smooth life. It is the promise of growth and abundance no matter what we face at any given time. In times of plenty and in times of drought the person who meditates on scripture will continue to grow, drawing from the river of life that is Jesus Christ. Are you ready to start growing today?

Should Moses’ Experience at the Burning Bush be Called Prayer? Part 3

Prayer changes lives. And yet by definition, perhaps even by practice, prayer is reduced to us simply asking God for things. Moses experienced so much more than a question and answer session when he turned to investigate the burning bush. His prayer session became an opportunity to be changed by God. As he was changed, Moses would have the opportunity to get to know the God of his childhood. Should this be an expectation when we pray today?

Handshake picture By Rufino (hermandad - friendship) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Part III: God Introduces Himself

Exodus 3:6

Though adopted by an Egyptian, Moses was raised by his Hebrew mom (Exodus 2:1-10). While serving as his nurse, Moses' mother most likely taught him about God. We are not told what Moses believed before the burning bush but clearly he shows reverence as God introduces Himself.

This introduction was an important start to Moses' lifelong conversation. It was an opportunity for Moses to get to know the God of his childhood, an opportunity that continued as he learned of God's desire to end the suffering of the people of Israel. As He did with Moses, God uses prayer to introduce Himself to us today. We need only to show the same reverence and desire to listen as shown by Moses as he hid his face.

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." John 14:13

According to Jesus, prayer is an opportunity to see God glorified in our lives. I believe His intent was to encourage a conversation where we desire more than just receiving answers to our requests. In fact the context of chapter 14 is how we can see the Father today and can go to a place prepared for us in the kingdom where we will be with Him forever. In answering Phillip's question about revealing the Father, Jesus talks about answering prayer. In this context prayer is about God revealing (being glorified) to us.

The Bible encourages us to make our requests known to God but if all you expect is to receive things or to have your own way, you are missing out. Prayer is about seeing the glory of the Father and you should come into prayer with the expectation that, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," will reveal Himself to you.

Part I: A Conversation With God

Part II: Take Off Your Shoes

Should Moses' Experience at the Burning Bush be Called Prayer? Part 2

How do you define prayer? The dictionary definition says that prayer is, “Making requests known to God.” And while there is a biblical basis for this definition, what we see at the burning bush turns the definition around completely. Moses did not make his requests known. Instead it was God who made the first move, getting Moses’ attention so that he would turn away from his daily routine (Part I). And then it is God who makes His request known, calling Moses to humble himself in preparation for something much bigger than his chosen life as a shepherd.

Sarbel [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons

Part II: Take Off Your Shoes - Exodus 3:1-5

"Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."

God is holy and by nature fallen man cannot enter into God's presence without first being properly prepared. I suspect that had Moses moved any closer to the burning bush with his shoes on, his story would have come to an end right then and there and we likely would never have known a thing about the Hebrew-Egyptian shepherd. If the Bible mentioned him at all it would have told of how, in his pride, he forfeited his opportunity to become a great leader of the nation of Israel.

What did the sandals represent?

Moses’ sandals were likely covered in whatever he walked on (or in) while he worked as a shepherd. They carried the dirt of the ground which was not “holy” representing what we would now call the things of this earth. They were a physical manifestation of the fallen state of man which would have tracked the stain of sin upon the holy ground of God.

By taking off his sandals Moses left the stain of sin behind him. His bare feet allowed a direct connection with ground that was holy, working much like the promise Jesus made to Peter while washing his feet (John 13:6-10). With his sandals on I suspect Moses would have remained separated from God, like Peter would have had he refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. With sandals removed Moses was ready for a conversation with God, one that involved him being “cleaned” in preparation for walking on holy ground.

In order to come before God Moses had to be changed, a change represented by his taking off his sandals. He could not come before God with an expectation of God being changed. Likewise when we come before God we should do so with the expectation that we will be changed, not that God will change to bend to our will. If we expect our petitions to change God we are still wearing our sandals and real prayer involves God changing us so that our list might be made in alignment with His will. Only then will our prayers be accompanied by the power that comes with asking in His name.

Making our requests known is not the end all of prayer. In fact it is not even the first step. The first step involves having our hearts, our minds, our very beings bending and being molded according to the will of God. Prayer begins when we “take off our sandals.”

So, what’s on your feet when you approach God in prayer?

How Do You Define Prayer?

Last week I posted on how the dictionary definition of prayer does not cover what happened with Moses at the burning bush. There Moses had one of the most well known conversations with God. But should we call this conversation prayer? You tell me in the comments section or Tweet to @denniswcoleman.

Should Moses Experience at the Burning Bush be Called Prayer?

Part I: A Conversation With God

By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18898474

I recently looked up the word "prayer" in several dictionaries. Just about every definition limited prayer to simply making requests known to God. Normally I would not argue with the dictionary but it seems as if something is missing from this definition. Then again I guess prayer more often than not is about asking and there is nothing wrong with that. After all, the Bible tells us to make our requests known to God (Philippians 4:6). But if prayer is nothing more than asking God for things, what do we call the experiences of people like Moses?

Moses had an interesting and very different prayer life that began, not with him going into his closet and getting on his knees, but with a burning bush. If not for this early version of a flare Moses would have tended his father-in-law’s sheep and gone home after a good day's work. He likely never would have asked to go back to speak to the leaders of Israel and I doubt he would have asked if he could lead his kinsmen out of Egypt. In fact it was God who reached out to Moses, interrupting His life for one of the most well known conversations in history. This encounter had nothing to do with Moses asking for something. Yet, even without his asking, Moses’ conversation with God was the beginning of one of the greatest journeys taken by a man.

Should this be called prayer? It does not fit our normal definition of prayer, a definition that seems to exclude the idea of God making His requests known as He did with Moses. And yet without Him making the first move (for Moses a burning bush but for us: the cross), our prayer requests would go no further than the ground directly in front of us. In calling Moses to turn aside for a moment God gives us an opportunity to see how Moses became a great leader. From this example we see how our prayer life can be much more than simply asking. We see how our relationship with God can grow into something great. It all begins with Him making the first move.