Linger Longer with Gail+: March 2023

“I lift my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1,2. These words remind me of my own wilderness journey. I memorized these words in third grade then lost them completely for decades. Many prayed for me during this time and the Holy Spirit never ceased to woo me to Himself.

In the same way the Spirit of God drew Abraham unto Himself. We do not know how long Abram was prompted to ‘follow God into the wilderness’ but we do know that he left a very prosperous and highly sophisticated city, Ur, to wander into a dustbowl called the Promised Land.

What ‘force’ drew Abram from his surroundings of pagan idol worship into the powerful presence of one God? What opened Abram’s heart to uproot his family and leave all that was familiar to them and wander in the wilderness for decades? Family consisted of at least three generations along with all they owned and would rely upon during his many years journey to . . . only God knew.

God, the Holy Spirit prompted Abram, about seventy-five at the time, and pulled him from an easy life into decades of nomadic wandering. Perhaps words from God similar to those in Psalm 121 drew his heart forward. “I lift my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth.” Abram had no scripture or commands, like the Mosaic Law, to follow. His faith in the God whom he would never see, never touch, never embrace physically grew into righteousness that is a marvel to understand. Abram simply knew in his heart to follow some force Who was guiding him into covenant relationship that would multiply followers that exceed the number of stars in the sky.

Abram’s faith was reckoned as righteousness. That’s an abiding faith. Abiding faith is continuous and active. Abram’s belief in God was not a ‘once and done’ event but a step-by-step movement of God’s grace that filled him to overflowing. This grace, administered by the Holy Spirit, enveloped Abram and all who joined his wilderness journey with God.

Abram’s extended family followed at least from Ur, at the mouth of the Euphrates river, north to Haran. Abram continued west to the land of promise, Canaan, with his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, a few relatives and his trusted servants. Abram was surrounded by those who may have pulled against the forces of the Holy Spirit. They sensed their only guide and protector, like an umbrella, was Abram. When any, like Lot, left Abram’s sphere of influence, they became fodder for the evil one. I suggest you read the book of Genesis. It’s like reading a novel, full of intrigue and tension between good and evil.

Abram’s unquenchable faith grows his righteousness because he said ‘yes’ to God throughout his very long 100+ years of life. Abram’s covenant relationship with God passed to his son Isaac and from Isaac to Jacob and from Jacob to the twelve tribes of Israel. For generations to come, covenant relationship with God was the ‘glue’ that kept a remnant of God’s chosen people from returning to pagan worship. By faith, through God’s grace, they were reckoned as righteous.

And so Abraham’s story of faith in our one God sets the scene for Nicodemus and for us. Nicodemus embraced the Abrahamic covenant as a wise and mature Jewish pharisee. He knew prophecy. He knew the scriptures. He knew the Law and the 613 lesser laws that surrounded the decalogue. He knew that sacrifice for sin was the only way he and all Jews could remain true to God’s covenant. So when he observed Jesus preaching and saw his miraculous healings, Nicodemus was filled with questions. He seemed to be on his own wilderness journey when he came to Jesus in the quiet hours of the night. He knew the Psalm by heart, “I lift my eyes to the Hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth.” Could Nicodemus see Jesus as Lord?

How can one who is born into a Hebrew family who follows the Hebrew law be ‘born again,’ have a do-over? Nicodemus sought change. He knew the Spirit of God was being quenched by his fellow Jewish leaders. Yet, Nicodemus sensed that same Spirit of God working in and through Jesus. Jesus’ sense of authority, words and miraculous healings showed a power beyond human ability.

The same power that moved Abraham into covenant relationship with God was evident in Jesus.

All Nicodemus had to do was believe. He only needed to say, ‘yes’ to embrace the full presence of God through Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. For now, Nicodemus would face God in the flesh and have an intimate moment with Jesus, the anointed one. The Spirit of God was upon Nicodemus but the spirit of fear held him back. He would not yet understand the words of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not parish but have eternal life.”

We who are open to the leading of the Holy Spirit are also woven into covenant relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ, the new covenant. By saying ‘yes’ to God through his Son, Jesus Christ, by stepping into a faith relationship with the One who gave himself up for us, we are reckoned as righteous. Do you believe this?

Do you have a wilderness story of your own that you can share with others?

Even though we may know these words in John, do we take time periodically to digest what they mean to us today?

Has a health diagnosis or have family challenges caused you to wonder how God is working in your own life?

Do you have dashed expectations of how life and family should be at this moment in time?

During this forty days of our own wilderness experience during Lent, we can ask the Holy Spirit to show us a new way to see our life with the Lord. Perhaps we can breathe deep and embrace a fresh path the Holy Spirit desires to lay before us.

“I lift my eyes to the Hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth.” . . . “God so loved the world . . . all of us . . . that he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for Nicodemus . . . for us . . . so that any and all who believe in Him shall not die but have eternal life.”