01262019 God Is Near

Dear Missionary Lady,

Have you noticed that life does not always go smoothly? In times when things tumble out of place, when life gets overwhelming, or when trouble arrives and brings lots of companions, we need help. Sometimes people can do something to help, but often they are powerless. Husbands, as much as they may care and want to help, may have no ability whatsoever to bring change. Sending pastors, supporting pastors, family, and dear friends - those who would ordinarily seem to be good sources of help - are far away. When no one is near enough to intervene effectively, God is always near. When it seems you are absolutely forgotten or utterly ignored by those who used to care or who seem like they should care, God is still there.

As I meditated on this concept of God's nearness, one special verse immediately came to mind. "Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help" (Psalm 22:11). In David's life, trouble was near. It ran with him day after day and was his constant companion. David acknowledged that the trouble was near; under those conditions, he needed God to be near also. As much as trouble might seem to cling to us, like hair on a staticky sweater, God can be even nearer. Oh, how we need God to be closer than our problems!

There are times that we sense the nearness of God, and times when His presence seems elusive. Regardless of what we feel, God IS near. He has promised to be so. "For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). On Mars Hill, Paul preached about unregenerate mankind. "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us" (Acts 17:27). Listen, God is close even to the unsaved. He is nearby, just waiting for them to call to Him. Since that is the case, there should be no doubt whatsoever that God is near to His dear children, those whom He loves deeply, those who belong to Him. God is near!

I believe it was my childhood pastor who often made this statement: "God is as near as a whispered prayer." I don't know if that quotation was original to him or if he had borrowed it from another source, but truly God is that close. The moment we open our mouth to call on God, even in the most feeble and tremulous tones, He is there. He is listening. He is at our side to hear and care and help. "The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth" (Psalm 145:18). That prayer can be so simple. "Oh, God, help." We may not have time for more than that, or we may be so overwhelmed that we don't know what else to say. God hears that prayer. He sees what is in our hearts that we cannot put into words, and in His nearness, He hears and supports and answers. God is near!

While God's nearness is a comforting reality, there is also comfort in knowing that we can draw close (or closer) to God. I can't say I completely understand that. If He is already committed to be constantly with us, how can we get any closer? But we do understand that concept on the level of human relationships. We can draw closer to others (or we might think of it as a deepening of friendship). This can happen when we go through a shared experience together, especially an intense situation. It can happen when we are reunited with someone or begin spending more time together than we previously had. It can happen when there was a rift or misunderstanding, and we "make up." It can happen when one of us does something particularly special for the other one.

Those factors seem to relate well to our relationship with God. We can consciously lean on God and be more acutely aware of His presence during a difficult time. We can in a sense "cuddle up" to Him, purposefully reaching out to Him and spending time with Him. We can "clear the air" by confessing sin, recommitting, and refocusing. We can make a special sacrifice for Him, showing our love. Just as human relationships can grow, and certain relationships become particularly special, so our relationship with God can grow. "But it is good for me to draw near to God" (Psalm 73:28). "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). He is always willing for that to happen. When I feel some distance with God or start to doubt His nearness, I have to ask myself how much I have been in His Word and how much I have been talking to Him and thinking about Him. The answer is often sobering, because the reality is that God is near!

God's nearness means that we can go on. We can be faithful. We can endure. There is a song by Mac Lynch that states "When God is near, how can I stray? How can I falter? I'll stay upon the altar. I know my God is near." Yes, He is near, and that assurance strengthens us to be true and faithful, to remain dedicated to the one who is so special to us. I pray that you will be aware of His nearness to you in whatever is happening right now, and I pray for you the same that I pray for myself - that I would grow ever closer to the One who longs to be so near to me.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com

01192019 The People

Dear Missionary Lady,

There are lots of things not to love about missionary life. The heat. The dirt. The rainy season. The insects. (Did you know if you spray a scorpion with Raid, it will curl up for a moment but won't die?) The spiders, snakes, rats, lizards, etc. The smell of the market. The health risks. The driving. The inconvenience in finding things you want. The paperwork. The governmental restrictions.  The threats and dangers. The separation from "home." For home missionaries, those unlovable things might fall more into the areas of finances, travel, and apathy.

The mission field is certainly not a picnic, and I don't think anyone ever said it was. Those inconveniences, fears, and deprivations can be challenging and discouraging, but they are not the whole picture. In fact, they aren't even the most important part of the picture.

When I lived in Mexico, many of those things listed above were an unwelcome part of my life. I learned the fact about scorpions by personal experience. Three times I blasted that scorpion with Raid, and each time he promptly got up and walked away. What's worse than seeing a scorpion is knowing that there is one but not knowing where it went! The good old shoe finally did the trick.

There were times when those things bothered me, of course, and times when certain of those challenges were especially difficult. When I look back over my experience, however, those things are relatively minor. What I most remember and most value are the people.

When I say people, I mean the native residents. My live was intertwined with theirs. They were my purpose for being there. They were accepting and responded to me with love and friendship. We had a bond in Christ, and together we served Him and grew in Him. Can I share some of the things I loved?

A mom, three of her teen-aged daughters, and her son with a constantly beaming smile. This family was the most faithful nucleus of the small church work that I first ministered in.

A national pastor and his dear wife who served tirelessly, lived on not much money, and had a genuine heart for God. He was truly burdened to reach those around him with the gospel.

That pastor's teen-aged son with his joyfulness and friendliness, who tried to teach me to play the guitar.

Times of visitation, mostly accompanied by the teens of the church, who showed up faithfully week after week, who went back to the same contacts over and over, willing to continue reaching out as long as the people would receive them.

A group of teen-aged girls who began to meet with me regularly to do extra visitation that was not part of the normal church routine, and to share with one another progress in spiritual goals.

The youth group of the church, with whom I interacted often. At one church activity they got involved in a water fight that started mildly - glasses of water - and ended with garden hoses and buckets. They were patient with my sometimes insufficient Spanish, teaching me new words, sometimes teaching me jokes. They "taught" me how to play basketball - street style. They helped me learn important customs, like smashing the birthday person's face into his cake. I enjoyed many outings with them and they consistently welcomed and included me. They even comforted me when homesickness overwhelmed me and I broke down in tears.

A church friend who invited me often to her home, including me in the simple fare she prepared for her family, and eventually inviting me to live with them so I could have love and companionship. (I didn't, but her offered love was special.) Her baby daughter who consistently stopped fussing and fell asleep whenever I took her.

Two church ladies in particular who wanted to learn how to teach the children's classes and met with me for training.

Three sisters who faced a difficult home life. The youngest in particular bonded with me and looked to me in areas where her embittered mother failed her. They once invited me to join them on a two-week family trip.

A young wife who talked with me often, invited me to her home, tried to teach me how to make tortillas, and corresponded with me for a time after I left Mexico.

I'm sure I could come up with more, but the point is that the life of a missionary - the part that really matters - is about interaction with people. It is about fellowship with other believers, about encouraging one another in the Lord, about helping each other to grow, about serving together. It is about the love of God that makes those relationships special, the common bond that we have in Him in spite of our differences. It is about reaching out together to those who are still lost and to those who still need to grow significantly.

While my experience may not be replicated in the experience of all other missionaries, the primary impression that I have about the indigenous Christians with whom I worked is LOVE. To be able to share a bond like that with others around the world is special. It is evidence of the work of the gospel. It is proof that God has transformed those people. It is therefore encouragement that He can do the same transformation over and over again in the lives of even more people.

God's work in missions is about people. The weather, climate, creatures, and other inconveniences may be a nuisance, but they are not the important thing. Can I encourage you this week that when those externals start to annoy, that you would remember the most important thing? That you would focus on and continue to minister to those dear people? Maybe even take a little time to reflect as I have done and to count up the blessed relationships and interactions that God has given to you over the years. What you do today matters for eternity; the eternity of people will be different because you are taking the time to minister to them. Keep on keeping on.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com

01122019 Rapture

Dear Missionary Lady,

The words of a certain hymn have been a blessing to me in recent weeks, with these words running through my mind often.

Jesus may come today, Glad day! Glad day!
And I would see my Friend;
Dangers and troubles would end
If Jesus should come today.

Glad day! Glad day! Is it the crowning day?
I'll live for today, nor anxious be,
Jesus my Lord I soon shall see;
Glad day! Glad day! Is it the crowning day?

Certainly, that day - whenever it comes - will be the crowning day of our lives and the crowning day for the history of the world! There are many reasons to long for heaven. This first stanza mentions two: I would see my Friend, and dangers and troubles would end.

I would see my Friend! As the years go by and I grow in my relationship with Him, this aspect becomes more and more meaningful. Oh, to finally be united and in the presence of the One who is so dear to me! If He is so precious without seeing Him, it will be a great delight to finally see Him.

Dangers and troubles would end! This world does have pleasures and beauty, but it is not an ideal place by any means. This world is filled with sorrow and trial and challenge. The continual struggle is wearying and discouraging, but in heaven that will all be over. No more sin, death, sickness, sorrow, tears!

I will be made perfect! The struggle with the sin nature is a daily battle with far too many failures. Even when I want to do right, it is so hard to be consistent, and my flesh is so weak. But in that glad day, I will leave this sin nature behind forever, and I will be like Him, for I shall see Him as He is!

The supernatural struggle will end! Since the garden of Eden, there has been a spiritual warfare and conflict of an immense nature. Principalities and powers and rulers of the air have battled in this great arena that is beyond our comprehension. Even the earth itself groans for resolution, and in that day it will come. God will completely and unquestionably defeat and silence the realm of evil once for all. The universe will be at peace!

I will enjoy the blessed rest! Heaven is the ultimate rest that God has prepared for His children. Such blessings will be there - such beauty and splendor - the gates, the streets, the foundations. It will be filled with joy and light and praise. It will be a glory that we cannot imagine!

My labors will be rewarded! Finally, all the toil and service and faithfulness will be completed, and the results will be revealed. Words of commendation and approval will be spoken. Crowns will be given. And then we can turn and give those rewards back to the One who has made it all possible and who was the reason for our devoted service.

Reunions will be enjoyed! I don't have a lot of close people waiting for me yet - my grandparents, a cousin, an aunt, a few former coworkers. Unless the Lord tarries, that list will grow, and there probably will be people that I miss very much and long to see. In heaven we will be reunited and will never be separated again. Additionally, we will be joined with thousands and perhaps millions of other saints throughout history. What a meeting that will be!

Perhaps there are other reasons to look forward to heaven as well. These are the ones that come to my mind. I realize that in a few cases I have consolidated end time events that begin with the rapture. Some of those results will have to wait till after the millennium and battle of Armageddon. For the most part, however, those wondrous blessings will begin when Jesus comes in the clouds to call us to heaven.

It certainly will be a glad day, and it is no wonder that God specifically offers the hope of heaven as a source of comfort. To the sorrowful disciples, Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not se, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3).

Paul shares these words: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). And then he says, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (v. 18).

The hope of heaven is intended by God to calm our troubled souls and to comfort our sorrowing hearts. It is the hope that keeps us going when times are tough. It helps us through discouragement, setbacks, and disappointments. It is the expected hope and the anticipated reward that carry us through the dismal times of seemingly fruitless labor, and it is the assurance that multiplies our joy when good things happen and blessings come. What you do today matters for eternity, and it will all come together on that glad day when we see our Friend!

It could be this year. It could be today. Look for the blessed hope, and continue faithful until that day, whenever it is.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com

01052019 Cling to God

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings, and may God's blessings be on you and your ministry in this new year. Undoubtedly difficult things will happen this year, things you don't expect or want. But surely wonderful things will also happen this year, evidences of God's work and blessing, things you could never accomplish on your own.

Can I invite you this morning into my personal Bible study? I have a verse that I think is wonderful. I woke up on New Years' Day and was reading my Bible, and I came to Psalm 63:1, where I read, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."

This verse pulled at my heart, and my heart responded that this is what I want. I want to long after God as if He is what I really need to survive. I don't want my relationship with Him to be casual and mediocre. Rather, I want it to be what drives my entire life. I want it to be alive and vibrant.

That's a great verse, but it isn't the one I really settled on. That happened in verse 8: "My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me." When I read this verse, my heart again was stirred, and I thought, "This is a great verse for me to claim for 2019." I made myself a poster of these two verses and posted it in my living room where I can see it daily and be reminded of this great truth.

I realized that this verse has two parts, and both parts are necessary. The first part is my response toward God - to follow hard after Him. This verb has several possible translations: to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch. The idea is to be extremely close to something or someone, inseparable from that object, and if you aren't there at the moment, you labor to get to that position and to stay there.

The word is used 54 times in the Old Testament. Yes, it is the word God uses for marriage, about a man being joined to his wife and being one flesh. There are many other uses that help give the flavor and impact of this word - about how serious, close, permanent, and even aggressive this clinging is. Shechem when he fell in love with Dinah. Solomon's love of foreign women. Ruth clinging to her mother-in-law Naomi and also of Ruth placing herself exclusively in the fields of Boaz. The loyalty of the men of Judah who stayed with David when the rest of Israel deserted him. Proverbs about the friend who sticks closer than a brother. God's commandment to Israel to love Him, walk in His ways, and hold fast to Him. In Psalm 119 about clinging to God's testimonies. Wicked kings (Jehoram) clinging to sins. Trials (droughts, diseases, trouble) that follow or overtake certain people no matter where they try to escape. How an inheritance stayed with a tribe and couldn't be transferred to another tribe. David's mighty man Eleazer, who fought so long that his hand couldn't let go of his sword. Leprosy clinging to Gehazi - it was in his skin permanently. Job's skin clinging to his bones. When rain storms fall upon dry dust and transform it into sticky, muddy blobs. The creature Leviathan about how the different parts of his body are connected and firm. Various times of the tongue sticking to the roof of the mouth. A waistband clinging to a man's waist. Laban hunting down Jacob after he had left secretly. Multiple battle situations, where a group of soldiers set out after a group of enemies until they overtook them.

The second part of the verse is God's response to me - that His right hand upholds me. Various translations: to grasp, hold, support, attain, lay hold of, hold fast. Examples: Joseph grabbing hold of his father's hand to move it when Jacob was blessing the wrong son. Aaron and Hur holding up the arms of Moses. The Proverbs 31 lady as her hands grasp the spindle. A king holding a scepter. Steps staying faithfully in a path. The ways of an adulteress belonging to death. The way sin binds a person. Prophetically of the Messiah in Isaiah 42 of how God will uphold Him. This is something that is held firmly to, for the purpose of keeping it in place or moving it or manipulating it or keeping it from falling.

I may fail sometimes at my part. In fact, I know I will. I am weak. Even my desire will not always be consistent. And when my desire is, my flesh is weak and my spirit is weak, and I will fail. I will let other things get in the way, and I will at times forget the passionate pursuit that I want to have with God.

God, on the other hand, will never fail at His part. He is entirely faithful, completely consistent, and utterly dependable. He is always the same and always does what He says He will do. God's hand does uphold me. It always has, and it always will. Without Him, I would fall into the dirt. I would fall and be broken. I would no longer be able to function according to my designed purpose. I would be weak and unsupported. But God upholds me. He will uphold me, whatever this year brings. My challenge is to trust Him to do that. To believe in the dark places that He is doing it. To rest in the assurance that He will continue to do it.

In this year, may I cling to God, relying on Him as if we are inseparable. May I trust Him to uphold me when my own strength and wisdom are woefully inadequate. May I recognize and be thankful for the many ways in which He will do that this year - both in small, everyday situations as well as in the major storms that will certainly come. And may all of those things be true for you as well. Cling to God, and trust in His upholding hand. God bless you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com