Known

“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand” (Psalm 139:1-6, NLT).

To realize that I am known so greatly—so deeply—so completely—goes beyond my limited human understanding. You know me, Lord. Not just who I present to the world, but who I am within my own heart. You know my struggles, and you know my grief. I open my heart to you, God, and my soul yearns for you to continually search me. I thirst for you, my living God, with an unquenchable thirst. I cannot move without you knowing it. Every step that I plan may be formed in my mind, but your Spirit directs my steps. My thoughts and my ways are not as high as your thoughts and ways, but you know and understand them because you became human for me. You understand me. For my safe, you became one with me in my suffering. You know when I am at ease and when I am distraught. You know when I have the faith to move mountains, and when I need rest to be revived. You are familiar with every part of me. Before I even speak, you know what I am going to say. Because you know my heart, you know if it is pained or if it rejoices. No matter where I am or what I am dealing with, I know that you know the real me.

Why do I ever become downcast? I can always hope in you. Because you know me and created me, I am yours and you are mine. You go before me and prepare my path. You follow me, Lord, and protect my life. You gave your life for me, and now you constantly draw me with your heart. I pray for any words I utter to only speak your love—your forgiveness—your power—your life. I pray right now before a word is ever spoken that my words are directed by you, Holy Spirit. I long to have a joyful heart that speaks life. You discipline me, Lord, and guide me in the right direction. You chastise me when I fail, and you encourage me when I succeed. You have placed your hand upon my life, and I am always aware of its steady loving pressure. Your love seems too much at times for me to even fathom. Often your call seems beyond reach. But you always draw me. You always pour yourself into me. You take what I say is not enough and make it beautiful.

I give you my limited life, Lord. That is my offering. It is all I have to give—an unfinished life waiting to be fulfilled. Take it, and complete it with your purpose. Give me a crown of beauty for ashes—a joyous blessing instead of mourning—festive praise instead of despair. You are my God. Make my life your own. Never let me claim it again.

  Lynn Hampton Lacher

Small Yet Perfect

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV).

You love God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. You live a surrendered and obedient life–one that seeks to please and honor the Lord. You seek Him every day through prayer and the Word. You seek His intimacy because without Him you are lost. You pray for others because if you don't, you will fail them and Him. You are available when He needs you, and you reach out to those who need help. He gives you what to say when you need the words, and He is able to direct your steps. You constantly seek to be closer to Him, and to be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. You belong to Him, and yet in your mind you are struggling to discover His great purpose for your life.

You have longed for this great purpose in your life that brings passion to your soul. You have cried out to God to know His perfect will. You know that if you are in His will, you shall be fulfilled. So you have struggled to discover it. In your seeking, perhaps you have missed the fact that smaller purposes can make up a greater one. Perhaps smaller opportunities that God has sent your way have been overlooked in the search for that great purpose, and with that overlooked opportunity, you have missed the passion and fulfillment you have sought.

Being renewed in your mind means being changed in the way that you think. Think differently about the little things that you do each day for Him. Don't believe that you have failed Him because you haven't perceived a great purpose. Live each day with expectancy that you shall be used by God that day. Ask Him for opportunities to be used, and you shall receive. Discover the purpose of your day that brings glory to His name. Make yourself available with a joyful spirit. Discover your passion in what has been given for you to do now. With a yielded heart of surrender and a mind to receive the direction of His Spirit, you can test and approve each opportunity that a day presents. Set your hand to the plow for the day and plow your purpose. You can “commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3. NIV). You shall be in His will–His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

God does not consider any service as being small. If you seek and serve Him faithfully in what you consider the small things, you will one day learn just how big they really are. You shall know that you have found the great, passionate, and perfect will of God for your life.

  Lynn Hampton Lacher

My Mask

Have you ever tried to hide behind a wall you have created for protection?  Have you ever worn a mask so someone else will not see what you are going through? I have! Once, on a day when my heart was broken, a friend asked if I was alright, and I answered, “I'm fine”. I never once considered that perhaps God had sent my friend to help me at my point of need, and I held my mask firmly in place. Perhaps I had missed the very healing God wished to impart. Maybe you at times have also missed yours. I know that the Lord does not want us to expose our pain to just anyone, but He does want us sensitive enough to the Holy Spirit to know when He has sent someone that we can trust. He longs for us to know when we have the freedom to open up our heart.

Perhaps the Holy Spirit wants us to open our heart to someone who is deeply hurt by either something in their past or something that has them bound in the present. Do we hold the mask in place, and not share our own pain and experience because we are afraid of our own vulnerability? If we do, there is no freedom because the Holy Spirit is held out by our mask. Perhaps we have denied not only our own healing, but also healing for someone else.

"We are not like Moses," Paul imparts, "who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:13-18).

Do we mask our hearts and not allow the Holy Spirit freedom to transform us? He wants to heal us, but He can’t if we hide behind self-imposed walls of protection. Christ has the power to set us free from the “old covenant veil” we hold in place so others don’t see our vulnerability and pain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my mind and heart dull and hardened. I don’t want to wear a mask to hide joy that has faded because I don’t want to appear less than I have been. I want to be real and trust that the Lord who exposes my pain will also heal that which I have entrusted to Him. Where the Holy Spirit is, I have the liberty, the freedom, the vulnerability, the trust, the faith, and the purpose to open my heart. In my giving, He will bring healing to those He has entrusted to me. And also bring healing to me.

  Lynn Hampton Lacher

Sacrifice of Praise

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15, NIV).

Praise. It springs up when, in my most difficult circumstance, I determine to honor Him. I determine to sacrifice all the emotions that arise from my human perspective, and praise Him for His faithfulness. I praise Him for bringing me safely through each trial that makes no sense—that I know will drown me if I do not give it to Him.  My praise, in every moment of distress, changes despair into joy. It dispels worry, and changes confusion into clarity. In praise I focus on Him and not my circumstance. I see His blessings much more clearly. All is well within me though outwardly the storm rages.

In praise I am changed, and that change must first come from within me. No matter how difficult my problems or my circumstance–the change is found in when I choose to praise Him. Praise in the midst of hardship breaks down inner walls. It recognizes the power of my God over the things out of my control. Once I grasp that truth my heart will trust His faithfulness, and in the chaos of my circumstances order will come. When things are hard—when pain persists—when problems overwhelm, I will seek reasons to be thankful. I will seek to realize the blessings He gives that often slip by unobserved. The gift of thanksgiving in my heart—no matter what is going on in my life—is my sacrifice of praise.

One day my sacrifice of praise shall no longer be a sacrifice. It will flow easily and joyfully no matter what surrounds me. My heart and mind will no longer be consumed with pain, but shall be filled with all of Him. I will only focus on the strength of His character and the faithfulness of His love for me. My praise shall flow into worship, and His Spirit will strengthen me. Lifted into His presence, I shall be free. His freedom shall be more real than anything that I face. It is my promise. And it will have sprung from my sacrifice of praise.

So why do I wait to give Him my sacrifice? Let it be now.

   Lynn Hampton Lacher

Waiting Well

Waiting Well

How do we discover the peaceful assurance that God is in control of all circumstances? This kind of spiritual assurance comes when we live by faith. The Word imparts that perfect peace can be found when we focus completely upon the unchanging strength of God’s truth (Isaiah 26:3), and not upon our weakness or circumstance. Living by faith is waiting with patience and trust for His answer—His will—His timing—because He has chosen the “what, when, where, and how” of our lives.

 The minor prophet, Habakkuk, was highly frustrated with the Lord for not punishing sinners in a way he thought was best. He brought his complaints to God, and then waited for the Lord’s answer (Habakkuk 2:1). The Lord’s answer to Habakkuk is timeless, and reveals the patience of a faithful Savior who speaks to the impatient heart of his complaining child. “I have heard your complaint. Habakkuk. What I tell you now can be carved in stone, and heralded as truth. I will move when I know the time is right. It might appear to take forever, but it is for my appointed time, and it will not fail. Though my promise lingers, have faith that it will come and will not delay. You, as my righteous child, are to live by faith no matter what happens” (Habakkuk 2:2-4).

Living by faith—focusing on the Lord’s strength and not upon what He may have promised—teaches how to persevere against all odds. However, when we are consumed with what God has promised instead of being consumed with God, we lose the ability to persevere. Faith which focuses more upon a promise than God will fail. But when faith rises from our love of God, it will prosper. What is important is discovering His will because of our love for Him, and not for what we shall receive. There is also a danger in focusing upon the way in which we think God will provide our promise. We might miss the “what, when, where and how” God supplies the need.

We are not to shrink from the hard times of life. We are to face them head-on with faith (Hebrews 10:38b-39). When we faithfully seek God in the storms of life, He rewards us with greater faith to believe in His unchanging character (Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 13:8). Our time of waiting upon the Lord then becomes our greatest time of spiritual fulfillment. “Even though I can’t see your provision, Lord, I will be joyful,” Habakkuk decided, “for you have lifted me far above my concerns, and made me sure-footed as the deer. I will not slip in faith, Lord. I choose to believe because you are my strength” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

No matter what the circumstances of life, God is faithful to perform that which He has promised. Perhaps one day we will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You waited well.”

 Lynn Hampton Lacher

Change

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT).

Life constantly changes. Whether good or bad, change can be hard. Change means that the circumstances you have relied upon or maybe even those you have come to accept in your struggle, are no more. They have ended. When circumstances change for the worse, you might grieve the loss of what you believed would last. When they change for the better, you may have difficulty with the adjustment that the change requires. No matter what happens in life, God is your constant and sure foundation in this vacillating world. If you are safely hidden in God—if He is your cornerstone of faith, you cannot fear change because He never changes. He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). 

His perfect plan for your life always gives hope for your future. Trust Him when the seasons of your life change. Learn His lesson in wherever circumstance life places you, and apply that lesson to your life. It makes the next change easier to handle, because you have learned spiritual balance in a world that offers no solid foundation. The power of the Holy Spirit to handle change is always available. Claim it, and use it constantly. His power—His strength—His faithfulness—His consistency—His balance are yours to exercise every day. You can never ask too much of God. His provision is unending. Living by faith in Him provides abundance in all that life brings. 

“‘I am about to do something new,’ the Lord proclaims. ‘See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.  I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world’” (Isaiah 43:19, 20b-21, NLT). Whatever new change lies ahead in your life—whatever season, He has made a way to provide exactly what is needed for your journey. He offers all the resources you need. You are His child, and He will not forsake you or leave you. Praise Him and accept His spiritual peace. It is His perfect gift for your life—to know that in whatever change occurs, He has a plan and purpose for your life.

  Lynn Hampton Lacher

Faith Not to Fail

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32, NLT).

It is the night of the Last Supper. It is just a little while until Jesus shall be arrested, accused, found guilty, and crucified. He knows His time has almost arrived. The evening is emotionally charged. The disciples have just argued among themselves who will be the greatest in His kingdom, and Jesus has explained that those who think themselves the greatest shall be the least. Satan has asked Jesus to sift His disciples like wheat—to see where their real allegiance lies. Now Jesus specifically addresses Peter because He knows what Peter’s temptation will be.  In His carefully chosen words Jesus reveals, by saying “when you have repented,” that He knows Peter will ultimately deny Him.

Jesus did not say that He pleaded in prayer for Peter to be delivered from temptation. He pleaded that Peter’s faith would not fail.  Even though he knew that Peter would fail, He still prayed for Peter to remain strong. Jesus knew what His Father expected of Him—to unselfishly give His life for mankind. Just as He knew what He would choose in the Garden of Gethsemane, He also knew the choice Peter would make by a coal fire. Jesus’ choice at Calvary would offer new life, and Peter’s choice would hide from its promise. In both choices God reveals the ultimate power found in redemption—the strength and healing found in forgiveness. In Jesus’s sacrifice the power of love would wipe out the sin of the world.  In Peter’s failure the power of Jesus’ love would soon set him free. Jesus’ words spoken by another coal fire—asking “do you love me, Peter”—would bring healing and forgiveness to his repentant heart. Jesus instruction to “feed my sheep” would inspire Peter to “strengthen his brothers” and rise from denial to victory.

The Holy Spirit knows just where the enemy will strike hard trying to tempt me. Thinking that I will never fail Him, I say, “Lord, I will never deny you,” Then find when I fail that I am traumatized by the choice I have made. Jesus also pleads in prayer for me. I, like Peter, am so overwhelmed by my own denial that I cannot move past it. I yearn so badly to be forgiven, but what I have done just seems to be too terrible. Jesus does not want me imprisoned by my failure. Just as I made a choice when I failed Him, He knows that now I can also make a choice to repent. Just as He told Peter when he had repented and returned to Him that He would strengthen his brothers, He also instructs me. He asks me again and again if I also love Him, and when I say “yes”, He lovingly takes me to my own coal fire where I am immersed in His forgiveness.  

Jesus continually prays for me to have faith that will not fail. He prays for me not to falter in my walk, but when I do, He prays for me to have the faith to return in repentance to Him.  Then He prays for me to have the faith to accept His grace that forgives, and realize that where I have fallen, He can now use me. He can take my failure and bring about His glory but not just for my sake. He strengthens me so I can be used by Him to strengthen others in the faith.

What is Jesus praying for you? Only you and Jesus know. In the sifting process of the harsh circumstances and temptations of life, choose Him, and experience the power of repentance. He already knows your weakness, and now He pleads in prayer for you to be strengthened. Never be defined by your failure, but always by His prayer. Rise from denial to victory and share the life that has been so unselfishly and freely given to you.

Lynn Hampton Lacher

Allowing Him

“Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2a, NLT).

What does it mean to be transformed, Lord?  I long to be changed. But so often I am not willing to surrender what needs to be changed in my life.  I hold on to its bondage unable to reach for freedom. What does it really mean to lay all of my life down?  To let go of all of myself?  To seek your desires instead of my own?  I need to change my attitude—my outlook—the way I think.  I need to allow you, Holy Spirit, access to my deepest feeling, emotion, and those deep places I have always held back from you. What I try to hide will never be hidden. What I try to change in my life in my own way and on my own strength, will never be changed. You transform me when I allow it. I determine to change the way that I think about all that I face—to see each problem or person as a challenge to refine my life and not as one to defeat it. You raise me up to walk above life’s circumstances—when I allow it. You call me out into the depths of the unknown to experience greater faith. You call me out so that I must rely totally on you because I have no strength of my own. You stretch me beyond myself. It may seem my breaking point, but it proves not to be because you are holding me. You wait for that moment when I have released all that you know needs to be released. You wait for that moment when my own way and my own strength proves not to be enough.  You wait with your perfect love for what I have feared in so many ways—giving up all rights to myself.

I can’t strengthen. I can’t change. I can’t fix. All I can be is yours. I let go. I breathe your promise. I breathe your peace. It is in the release of all of myself on your altar that I melt into your presence. I am clay just waiting to be molded. I cry out for your hand upon my life. I yearn to be made new in the spirit of my mind. I am ready, Lord, for those deep places which I have always held back to now belong totally to you. You own them. You own me. I have nothing to prove. I have no point to make. I rest in your grace that is sufficient. You hold me in your perfect peace because my mind has settled upon you. I am never alone in each thing that I need to give you. You are with me to strengthen and encourage. If I allow, you take into yourself my heart and mind. And you give what I can never give myself—the greatest peace for which there is no explanation. It just is because you just are. 

   Lynn Hampton Lacher

Open

There are no words this morning to express the pain of loss that I face each day. No one likes to face pain, Lord. When I live through suffering, my natural instinct is to bury the pain as deep as I can. But that is not your plan for me. What may be my natural instinct is not yours. You never waste my hurt or what I face, and you do not want me to just bury it. You long for me to use the pain I experience—the things that I regret—the highs and the lows—the fears and the failures—the very things I want to hide from—for the benefit of others. You want my life open so others might find freedom from their own pain, and I might discover healing for mine.

Sometimes I want to build a wall to protect myself from my own pain. But building a wall doesn't protect me. It imprisons my heart. It imprisons my spirit. It imprisons healing of not only my own wounds, but those of others. My wall turns my heart into a heart of stone because, in closing myself off, I have shut you out, Lord. But when I allow that wall of false protection to tumble down, you turn my pain into victory not only for myself, but for others. “I'll give you a new heart,” you promise, “and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

When my heart yields completely to you, Holy Spirit, it becomes one of tender spiritual flesh. It is a heart that is malleable, vulnerable, and not afraid of the pain that often accompanies healing. It is heart that is ready to face the hurt of the past or the present head-on, and allow you freedom to do whatever is necessary. Willing to deal with whatever must be dealt with, this heart trusts that if you have exposed pain, you are more that capable of handling all that has caused it.

This is where I want my heart this morning. This is what I know you wish for my life—to be real, vulnerable, and willing. Make me your instrument of healing, Lord. I open my heart to experience your freedom. I open my life trusting you will heal, move, and use me just as you desire.

Lynn Hampton Lacher

Limitations

 “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6, NLT).

Always look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of your faith. Don’t judge what you consider limitations in yourself and in others. Allow Him to make that call. In your struggle to give Him control lay down your need for answers and your need for what you consider justice. In your impatience realize His unfailing patience. In your own limitations and those of others realize He alone is perfect.  If you try to overcome what you can’t overcome you will fail. If you try to change what only He can change you will be defeated. What you judge in yourself is sometimes judged much harsher in others. You want to make right what needs to be made right. You want to change what you consider wrong, and at the same time you want to be closer to Him. He longs to use you and work through you, but He can’t until your life has been placed upon His altar. Surrendering everything and letting Him have control means that you don’t have to fix anything. You don’t need to have the answer. When you surrender and allow Him to continue His work in you, He will deal with all your concerns. You will know in every way, in every trial and struggle, that He is your Savior, your ever-present help in any time of need.

Don't ever despair in your human limitation. That limitation can drive you to surrender. That limitation can drive you to seek Him.  Surrender is peace. You no longer have to fix what you no longer judge. That is His responsibility. As you seek Him you will grow to be more like Him. You will no longer be limited by thoughts of your own human limitations because you will be with Him and He will be in you. He will be your guide and strength. You will have no need to judge the hearts of others. You will long for all to know this love that changes your life each day as you surrender again and again. As you remain in Him you will receive His conquering and miracle working power to fulfill your calling until the day that He returns.

In dying to self, you discover His life. To describe what He has designed for your life is impossible. He alone knows what your surrender brings. But that is your journey and your joy—to discover what He alone can work in and through you.

Lynn Lacher