Our God is Mighty!

We have so many friends who are going through really difficult circumstances right now that it continues to cause us to ask ourselves the question, "Can we trust God?"

When I am sitting in a meeting with other believers or worshiping at home after Bible study, there is no doubt or hesitation. "Our God is Mighty! -to the pulling down of strongholds! -to heal the broken hearted! -to save and heal the oppressed! -to heal our every sickness and disease! There is nothing too hard for God!" But when I am standing in the hospital beside the bed of a dear friend or their child, my heart breaks. Sometimes righteous anger arises and I declare God's will to heal, save and deliver. But there are times when it isn't that simple. It isn't that I don't think God can or wants to heal in that case. Is it because my faith is weak? Or is it because I am reasoning why this has occurred?

I am continually taken back to the days of the disciples walking with Jesus, listening to his stories and examples that were meant to reveal to them the heart of God in very practical ways. He used everyday situations to show them how to respond in faith to any situation. We are familiar with most of these stories if we have sat in a pew or Bible studies for even a few years. Jesus only taught his disciples for three years. Yet they so embraced His emphasis on the scriptures that they dedicated their lives to the message--the Good News of the Messiah--that Jesus taught from them.

It distresses me that there are believers who do not read their Bibles--some have never read the entire Bible. Yet these same people expect God to speak to them and teach them through every situation--"working all things together for their good and for His glory". Yes, God is faithful and He will do that, but how can they listen if they don't know His voice and don't understand His language? How can we expect our faith to withstand the tests in this difficult day and hour if we don't know what we believe? What do we believe?

I think of Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on the water during a storm. Picture this: It is the middle of the night and the disciples find themselves in the middle of the Sea of Galilee when a treacherous storm begins to whip up. They knew their lives were in great danger. They also knew Jesus was left behind on the far shore with no knowledge of their peril. They must have felt fear and abandonment--all that they had given their lives since they met him would end when the boat capsized. Surely that was about to happen. They had just witness Jesus miraculously feeding the five-thousand men--plus women and children. But they also knew that John the Baptist had recently been beheaded. These men had every reason to doubt--their faith may not have been big enough to continue to trust God, not even through that one storm. (Matthew 14)

In the midst of their fear and doubt they see Jesus walking on the water. It is no wonder they thought he was a ghost! Jesus tells them to take courage--he is there with them. He was letting them know that he had not abandoned them and reminding them of His supernatural ability to respond to any situation. Yet Peter has the most unbelievable reaction. "Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you!" Peter is apparently sold out, willing to die to move forward with Jesus in this preaching of the Gospel--no matter what. We know from the portrayal of Peter's personality that he was compulsive and may not have thought through his request. For that brief moment Peter expected to walk on water.

Yet Jesus, knowing Peter was still fearful and that he did not have enough faith to walk on water, calls him to come out of the boat. Once out of the boat Peter suddenly pays attention to the wind and the waves--those circumstances that would be the primary factors in any one's observation during a storm. When Peter cries out Jesus immediately takes him by the hand and they are suddenly safely in the boat, the sea is calm. Peter had walked on water! It must have been a dream like memory that consumed all of them as they completed their journey by boat across the lake. Imagine being on that boat witnessing these events!

This amazing story speaks volumes today. We know that God asks us to walk by faith, to show our faith by our works, to live by faith, that the prayers of the faithful will heal the sick--but we don't feel like we have enough faith against the onslaught of difficulties we seem to face increasingly. We don't! Our faith on it's own would never be enough to see any kind of miracle. But it only takes faith as a grain of mustard seed placed fully in a Mighty God for us to see the supernatural. Jesus said to Peter, "Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Jesus did not say, Why don't you have more faith? Jesus knows we are sometime impulsive and he knows our faith is inadequate to walk in the miraculous. It is our crying out to him that causes his heart to be touched on our behalf. Imagine what we could accomplish if we did not doubt!

This is different than that holy boldness that we sometimes walk in when we know that we know what God wants us to do or say and we can rise up in the power of his name and go forth. When we face seemingly insurmountable circumstances we must remember that when we feel the weakest, He is the strongest! He gets all the glory as we become less, yet trust him with our last, tiny bit of faith left in us to face that situation. This is victory. It is a victory that overcomes any circumstance--even death. We can trust him! He is a Mighty God!

Becoming a Grandma with Vitality

We all dream of growing old gracefully. No one wants to live to be one hundred and spend their last years confined to a wheelchair, disabled and dependent on others. Many of us have our private dreams of a favorite Grandma or Aunt whose smile and arms were warm and comforting. Visiting them is an adventure back in time as they share their stories of hardships and blessings through the filter of God’s blessings on their family and personal lives. I can close my eyes and envision myself in an outdated kitchen bright with fresh picked flowers and warm smells of freshly baked bread or desserts. I listen, sipping tea and wishing the moment to continue indefinitely as I absorb the life and wisdom of this treasure chest God has given me in my elderly, silver-haired friend and confidant. In her natural humility, she may not even realize I have made her my mentor.

As my oldest child married and settled into her wonderful new life, I watched and prayed for them with some trepidation. I knew the time was fast approaching that would one day make me a grandmother. I took comfort in her sensibility to not have children too hastily. After all I didn’t feel old enough to be a grandmother. Our family joke was that I was permanently twenty-three years old, full of life and adventure, with just a hint of wisdom gained from my mistakes and from experience reading and applying the Bible to my life. My daughter was already over twenty-five herself, her three brothers were soon to pass me by. I wasn’t in denial. I was a responsible, professional woman. I was actively involved in my church. I loved my quiet times with the Lord and enjoyed a healthy lifestyle. Gardening was my favorite pastime and also my prayer closet. I loved to travel.

My former mother-in-law was the grandmother I wished I could model one day. I felt inadequate to step into her shoes and become the loving, supportive pillar she embodied. I trusted that God would give me His grace to enable me to be a unique and loving grandmother to the offspring that were sure to arrive some day as my four children grew towards becoming parents themselves. What would they call me? I just couldn’t imagine a fitting title.

Time passed and four years after my daughter married they were happily expecting their first child. My life had taken some unexpected turns and I found myself leading women’s Bible studies at church, promoted in a new job at a start-up telecommunications software company, and unexpectedly dissatisfied with a growing feeling that there was more that God wanted me to do for Him. I had experienced my dream of visiting Israel, the land where I had envisioned the characters in the Bible to come alive. It was exhilarating and life changing to visit several times after having nurtured my strong desire to go there for nineteen long years. Now, the moment that I had anxiously anticipated was upon me. I was going to be a grandmother!

A delightful change took place in me as the day approached. I likened it to a hormonal release of grand-maternal instincts. It was more wonderful than I could have ever dreamed to hold that precious bundle in my arms. “God is awesome”, I repeated over and over, whispering under my breath. Within three months of my first grandson’s birth the Lord had radically changed the direction of my life once again. I was preparing to resign my position at work, sell my home and move to Israel to marry a pastor I met there nine months prior. I was entering full-time ministry to the nations.

My grandson was only five months old when I tearfully kissed him good-bye to get on that plane. My joy and excitement for stepping into the destiny God had for me was not diminished by the separation from my family. We would remain close in spirit through our occasional visits and correspondence. I felt invigorated by the prospect of living in Jerusalem and soon beginning our ministry by traveling to Uganda three weeks after the wedding. I had no idea that our trip there would in effect be an adoption of hundreds of Ugandan children, ages infant to eighty years young—each a precious child of God.

My husband, Duane, became a father figure to many Israeli individuals and to those in university and ministry there in Jerusalem as well. He had three sons and six grandchildren of his own in California. He selflessly poured out his many years of wisdom and experience from his intimate faith walk with the Lord to all who came in contact with us. I was married to a treasure! Shortly after I had met him, those were the words God used to describe him as I was praying for my new friend and his ministry. I had no idea the depth and riches of that treasure at the time and even today I am still discovering them. We have been continually awed at how God has used us in parent-like roles in Israel and our general ministry.

During the following year we would receive a promotion from our Ugandan family to the honored status of grandparents. How I laughed inside at the thought of eighty year olds whom I respected for their wisdom and grace calling me “grandmother”. This same title I had been so intimidated by just a few short years before, I now receive as a symbol of God’s love poured out through me to those He counts as so precious. What an honor! No parent could ever be more proud than I was when walking down the streets of Jerusalem I hear a shout with a heavy African accent, “Mama! Mama Ruth!” from one of our dear African brothers.

Okay, so I’m no longer twenty-three. But the age fits the excitement and adventurous spirit I feel as I live out this life the Lord has directed for me to tread. I still gain wisdom on a daily basis from our travels, our trials and even from our grandchildren. We now have ten grandchildren between us and hundreds more in Israel and Africa. We have returned to the US and live near my children and grandchildren for the present. We look forward to meeting new children and grand-children along the way even as we continue to welcome them into our family. I have had the privilege of living my dream of sitting in a kitchen sharing a cup of tea with myself as the compassionate friend and mentor I had envisioned so long ago. My hair may not yet be silver and my humble kitchen not as romantic looking but God has used me in a role I never thought I could fill as He filled me with His grace and wisdom. I pray I will always bring honor and glory to our Father in heaven as I bear the title Grandma Ruth with joy.

Everyday Miracles

My life has been filled with trials and miracles, sometimes both at the very same time! God has brought me on a journey to a place of embracing faith and trusting Him through anything. It hasn't been easy, but when we can allow God to speak to us and show us His perspective in any situation or circumstance, we position ourselves for Him to turn what was meant for evil in our lives into blessings--and a miracle occurs each time!

I have been a believer for many years now and have been learning to experience the supernatural on a regular basis. No, I don't talk with angels everyday or see the dead raised, but I do see God's hand in the simplest things sometimes. I have gained insight by traveling through some unbelievably difficult circumstances to trust God that He sees things much differently. We don't have to wait until we are at our wits end to ask God to reveal His purpose and plan in our trial. He is waiting to hear us call Him and ask from the beginning, in fact to ask to see His perspective each day when we awake, before we even open our eyes. He desires our friendship so much that He constantly gives little hints of His presence in our lives each and every day--just to see if we will notice and receive His blessing. To me this is the greatest miracle in my life, God loves me! Every moment of every day, in sickness and in health, in my weakness and when I shine with His glory--He knows my heart better than I do myself and God still loves me.

I have recently traveled through a valley under the shadow of death. An unknown severe blood infection caused my husband to nearly die seven times in 2007. Through the prayers of faith of family and friends from around the world we have seen many miraculous healings and financial provision. Without their prayers of faith combined with our absolute trust in our faithful God, we could not have passed through this devastating time. I now live with a walking and breathing miracle! My husband, Duane, a pastor for many years, has been transformed by God's hand into His vessel for His glory. I always believed he was one of God's chosen. He had already been a man of humility and sacrifice with a huge anointing on his life to reach those in Africa, Israel (where we lived) and the nations. But God had even greater plans for his life in his later years. Like Job, whom Satan planned to harm and God planned to bless, Duane’s end will be multiplied blessings.

It is an amazing blessing to watch first hand as the anointing of God rests on him today as he speaks prayers and blessings led by the Holy Spirit. His life shines with the reflection of one who has had a brush with death. He often responds with prophetic insight and has a different perspective that could only be known by a gift of knowledge and wisdom from God. Humility and grace abound in his speech and actions. Watching him walk under a cloud of Father God's favor, where doctors, officials and even strangers treat him with honor like he is an important dignitary is astounding to see. We are living each day in a new revelation of the supernatural. It is an amazing journey that we have only just begun I am sure!

That isn't to say it isn't a difficult journey. Having your husband transformed means he isn't the man you married. That can be a shocking revelation, especially if you really liked the way he was before. But I am also finding that God's grace and mercy is a miracle which abounds towards me as I ask Him to help me through all the little things that seem so difficult each day. The burdens and responsibilities that have multiplied to my shoulders because of the effects of his illness are impossible for me to bear alone. Yet God says, "Come to me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

Every day with God is a miracle as we live as citizens in His Kingdom, all and only for His glory. The showers of His blessings of mercy and grace are the best miracles of all!

**For details of this testimony you can purchase Ruth’s recently release book, Trusting God through the Valley, through her website.