Funny how a one-letter change in a familiar phrase can completely redefine it. As I pray about the New Year, I’m also contemplating possible New Year’s revolutions – yup, that’s not a typo – with a sweaty brow, a grin, and my seat-belt buckled. Here are some ways the Lord brings about revolution in our lives:
Funny how a one-letter change in a familiar phrase can completely redefine it. As I pray about the New Year, I’m also contemplating possible New Year’s revolutions – yup, that’s not a typo – with a sweaty brow, a grin, and my seat-belt buckled. Here are some ways the Lord brings about revolution in our lives:
1 – God takes what we resolve to do and revolutionizes it for our growth or safety. I don’t know how many times I have planned to have this job or marry this person or live in that place before God revolutionized my plans. And I am soooo glad He did. Can you relate?
Esther was poked, prodded and preened to be a contestant of The Bachelor: King Artaxerxes Edition. I bet she didn’t know when she was competing for the king’s heart that Yahweh planned to use her favor as queen to save Israel from a pogrom.
Naomi moved out of Bethlehem due to famine, and perhaps she felt secure with her husband and two married sons. Who knew (but God) that her son’s choice of bride, namely Ruth, would be the decision that would save her life?
2 – God revolutionizes lives and then changes names. One definition for revolution is “a sudden, radical, or complete change.” Oh, yeah, this is God in all of our lives. Here are some biblical examples:
Abram to Abraham – from comfortable in his father’s land to international traveler, businessman, and forefather of the chosen people.
Jacob to Israel – from a conniving trickster to father of 12 tribes and an eponymous people.
Saul to Paul – from a privileged zealot and murderer to a missionary, church-planter, convict and martyr. God is in the renaming and transforming business.
Today, most people don’t make legal name changes once they receive Christ (although I know one person who did!). But in His book, our names are radically changed. We are no longer defined by sin or shame, but by the good works that the Father has predestined for us because we are His Beloved. Whether your testimony is dramatic or “tame” (as if a relationship with the living God can be so defined!), your destiny is forever changed. My name has gone from Sharifa Afraid /Ashamed/Slave-to-Sin to Sharifa Redeemed/Beloved/Forgiven.
3 – God gives us an unblinking account of the cycle of history so that we can recognize patterns. One of the other definitions of revolution according to Webster’s Dictionary is “the period made by the regular succession of a measure of time or by a succession of similar events.” In other words, “revolution” makes a great synonym for “cycle.”
God didn’t airbrush the cycles of His chosen people in the Bible. I am so glad He kept it real, because after I scoff at the entire book of Judges, or roll my eyes at Peter for swearing allegiance to Jesus in one chapter and betraying Him three times in the next, or chide Elijah for being so unduly depressed just after whipping Baal tail, I’m stopped in my tracks by…conviction. These cycles are at work in my own life, where after moments of incredible intimacy and victory, I find myself especially susceptible to doubt, fear, or resentment. The moment I think I have the Christian life thing down, my arrogance trips me up and, by God's grace, brings me back to humble dependence on Him.
My hope is to recognize the cycles illustrated in the Bible as they play out in my own life, dodge the pride and skip straight to belief. I know there’s hope and grace for me, as there was for the people of Israel, Peter, and Elijah.
I’m grateful for how the Lord has revolutionized my life this year, from the physiological changes of pregnancy, the sleep-deprived, obssessive crucible of new motherhood, the transition/trauma from working outside of the home to working-my-tail-off-at-home, to rediscovering my best friend (my husband). I remember when my home, husband and son had yet to be; just nascent hope and fervent prayers yet to be answered. God is good.
I hope you can recall the challenges, answered prayers, and the faithfulness of His revolutionary presence in your life – and I would love to hear about them.
Post Views: 107
4 Comments
Sue Bohlin
Whipping Baal tail. . .??
I don't care who you are, that is just FUNNY!!!! Way to go, Wordsmith! 🙂
Sharifa Stevens
Tee Hee!
Thanks, Sue. :o)
Lael Arrington
I thought so too!
Thanks for your sassy take on resolutions, Sharifa.
Sharifa Stevens
*blushing*
Thank you for the encouragement, Lael! It means a lot. :o)