Category: Faith in the Workplace

on • Michelle Van Loon

Experiences of exile are meant to transform me and you into pilgrims – people who look ahead and not behind.

The children of Israel experienced supernatural miracles as God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. He guided them by cloud and fire, provided food and water, and gave the gift of his beautiful Law.

But Scripture reveals that these newly freed exiles weren’t receptive students.

Instead, they responded to the lessons of their desert classroom in 10 key ways.

1. Questioned the leadership of Moses (Exodus 14:11–12)
2. Complained about undrinkable water (Exodus 15:24)
3. Accused Moses of trying to starve them (Exodus 16:3)
4. Attempted to hoard manna (Exodus 16:20)
5. Ignored Moses’ command not to search for manna on the Sabbath (Exodus 16:27–29)
6. Whined (again) about a lack of water (Exodus 17:2–3)
7. Created and worshipped a golden calf (Exodus 32)
8. Griped about their circumstances (Numbers 11:1–2)
9. Grumbled about the lack of variety in their food (Numbers 11:4)
10. Refused to enter the Promised Land because they were afraid (Numbers 14:1–4)

They flailed and thrashed as though they were drowning in the desert. The bad days in Egypt took on a shiny new luster in their souls: Maybe it wasn’t so terrible there.

At least they knew what they could expect as slaves in Egypt. Their exile hearts were on full display when they stood at the doorstep of the Promised Land a little more than a year after leaving Egypt.

God led the exiles as far as they could go, but asked them to embrace their identity as pilgrims. He wanted them to look forward, so they could follow him out of exile the rest of the way home.

Instead, they looked backwards and refused big time—ten big times–a number with great meaning as it equaled the number of plagues God had visited upon the Egyptians.

As a result, in his holy love, God sent his people on a journey away from Canaan that would end up lasting four decades (Numbers 14:21-23).

In the face of the Israelite’s fear-filled refusal to obey him, the exiles heard from God that would live out their lives in the School of the Desert for the next forty years. They’d serve as God’s teaching assistants, telling the story of God’s promises to their children.

When the last of them were gone, their pilgrim children would be free to cross the Jordan and finally head toward home (Deuteronomy 6:10–11).

In our own experiences of exile, may we be willing to learn how to obey God in our desert, and become his pilgrims in the process. Instead of looking back, may we learn how to look forward into the future.

*For deeper reflection, listen to Exodus 14: today.

  1. Exodus 14

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(Adapted from “Born to Wander: Recovering the Value of Our Pilgrim Identity”, Moody Publishers, 2018)

on • Keeya Vawar

For years, I lived a secret life of brokenness while married to a pastor. I was buried under psychological pain while quoting Scriptures, leading Bible studies, and serving others, and being a wife and mother. I had wounds from childhood trauma I refused to address. Seeking counseling would mean I had a problem, and I just wanted to forget the pain altogether.

Yet, despite the masks I had affixed with well-rehearsed responses, my weighty burden chipped away at me. My cover-up was breaking down.

The question remained, “How do I turn this ocean-liner around? How can I help others in pain without sacrificing myself?”

I learned that I needed to make small micro-decisions toward healing.

First, I had to withdraw my application for a savior—that position was eternally filled with Jesus. Why did I need to carry the world on my shoulders rather than address my own issues?

Second, I had to face the truth that I couldn’t help others until I received real healing. It’s been said, “There’s only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” So likewise, the healing journey is filled with micro-decisions – small, wise choices that result in real healing over time.

Proverbs 11:14 says, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.”
If this Scripture was true for Solomon, I needed to also embrace its wisdom.

That meant making the micro-decision to pursue a professional “advisor” to become my authentic self. Facing my lifelong fears was the first way I could conquer them. Then, I’d be better at nourishing my relationships and supporting others.

Our micro-decisions must be anchored in God’s Word so we can come along and help others as we heal.

Then, instead of wearing a cape, we can humbly and boldly kneel at the cross alongside those whose burdens we share.

*For further reflection, listen to Proverbs 11 today.

on • Tiffany Bluhm

Like any woman with a pulse, I have had times when my back was against the wall, and I have had seasons when I certainly lost more than I have gained. Dreams of a marriage, a child, or a new venture did not turn out as I had hoped, but all was not lost.

I was left with the Dream Giver, the one who loves me, longs for my good, and will never leave me for dead. He was behind the scenes, working everything for good. He was with me and for me, leading me all the way. There was never a moment when I had to fight for the dream on my own. We were in it together, partners every step of the way. He was kind to me. He held me. And I found abundant life tucked in His presence.

In the end, I wanted Him more than the dream.

In our lives, we will experience dreams dying, dreams being resurrected, and dreams becoming a reality. Through it all, may the Dream Giver always be the One we long for—more than our dreams, more than our plans; may the Dream Giver be the One we are after.

I promise you this: the One who created us will always be enough for us. As we place Him on the throne of our lives, we can run toward our dreams with the Dream Giver, never apart from Him. He is the Giver of the dream, our Partner as we pursue the dream, and the One who gives us the victory.

To dream is to trust God with our destiny and live a life worthy of the calling that has been placed upon us. Each and every one of us was born to dream. You and I were built for a much larger capacity than we imagine; we are stronger than we think we are.

And let me assure you of this: you are probably doing a better job than you think you are. The Dream Giver delights in you, loves you, and will never leave or forsake you.

You are the dream of His heart. You are what He is after.

Your life is so very precious to Him. He wants more than anything to draw you in, love you, strengthen you, and unleash you to reach the dreams He has placed within you.

“I desire you more than anything on earth…How good it is to be near God!” Psalm 73:25, 28

*For deeper reflection, listen to Psalm 73 today.

Excerpt from She Dreams: Live the Life You Were Created For Copyright © Abingdon Press, 2019. All Rights Reserved.

on • Heather Thompson Day

Why does God sometimes answer us immediately, and other times, we pray and pray and see nothing for months or even years?

There are two things about God and prayer I find to be helpful to remember. The first is found in Daniel 9:23. It says, “The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God.”

Sometimes we pray, and immediately a command goes out, and God places the answer to our prayer in our lives. Immediately God responds.

But there is a second example we find in the very next chapter, Daniel 10:12-13. The second prayer we see Daniel pray, is not answered immediately, and it’s interesting to read the reason.

Then he said, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come to answer your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way.”

This verse is super important to understanding how prayer works, or, as it sometimes seems, is not working. Bible commentator Charles Ellicott says of this exchange:

Perhaps no single verse in the whole of the Scriptures speaks more clearly than this upon the invisible powers which rule and influence nations… From this chapter we not only learn that Israel had a spiritual champion (Daniel 10:21) to protect her in her national life, and to watch over her interests, but also that the powers opposed to Israel had their princes, or saviors, which were antagonists of those which watched over Israel. The “princes” of the heathen powers are devils, according to 1 Corinthians 10:201

In Daniel chapter nine, we see God answer immediately, and in Daniel chapter 10, we see Daniel’s answer is delayed due to the intervention of evil supernatural influences in the region at that time.

What is important to note is that both times, Daniel is loved by God.

A delay in this instance is not brought on by Daniel himself, but rather, is a reaction to the organization of demonic spirits in the supernatural realm.

Sometimes, it is not your turn, and it is also not your fault.

There is a real devil, and a real army of evil constantly organizing to delay your promise. So, we must learn as believers how to pray thoroughly.

Prayer is not a one size fits all experience, and God will answer and respond to you differently season by season.

But prayer does matter, and prayer does change things, and prayer does change us.

*For deeper reflection, listen to Daniel 10 today.

~ Excerpt from It’s Not Your Turn by Heather Thompson Day

1 By various writers. Edited by Charles John Ellicott, An Old Testament commentary for English readers, Charles Ellicott & Bible. Old Testament. English. Authorized. (London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin, 1882). https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/daniel/10.htm.

on • Leslie Leyland Fields

I just turned 64, but I’m not asking what the Beatles asked: “Will you still need me? Will you still feed me, when I’m 64?” I am asking something else.

It started when I hit 40. That day I went for a walk on the loop of our gravel road, my husband and our kids. I had just started to color my hair, which was greying around my face. When I was eighty, I decided, I would go shopping in a purple jogging suit. I would wear bright red lipstick until I died. I would be kind and generous but feisty and wear whatever I like.

When I turned 50, my husband threw me a party. A houseful of friends came for lunch. Ten years older than me, Sue gave me the best present of all: “I loved my fifties. It was the best decade ever.” Our mothers and fathers died suddenly. I scattered stones. I mourned. I wondered how to live with such losses.

Then I turned 60. My sons and then my daughter got married. I spent my days locked in closets wrestling with God, writing books. I traveled. I taught. I wore bright lipstick every day, even to the gym, where I tortured my muscles and felt glad to be alive.

At 64 now, I am working harder with more joy. I no longer feel alone. I have people who come alongside me and beloved learners all over the globe. I’m a grandmother twice over, soon three. Even when I feel unworthy and inadequate, I no longer let that stop me from doing everything God puts in my heart.

But I know that someday I will lay it all down. I will arrive where the writer of Ecclesiastes arrives at the end of the book in chapter 12:3, at the door of the house of the bent old woman looking through the windows—seeing dimly. Soon, my “dust will return to the earth,” and my “spirit will return to God who gave it.”

I’m closer now to that house than I’ve ever been before. We all are. We’re standing on the porch before that cracked door. I don’t want to be afraid. Because the one who has filled my empty cup every day of my 64 years, he’ll still be there. Listen to what Isaiah says:

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” (Is. 46:4)

Dear ones, please don’t resist Him any longer. Let him carry you—all the way through that door.

*For deeper reflection, listen to Isaiah 46 today.

on • Carolyn Custis James

The U.S. presidential inauguration introduced a new voice, as twenty-two-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman inspired a fitful nation with her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” on January 20, 2021.

Her final hope-filled lines stuck with me:

For there is always light,

if only we’re brave enough to see it

If only we’re brave enough to be it

History is full of ezer-warriors “brave enough to be” light in their time and place. The Bible frequently highlights women (often very young) who confront the challenges of the moment to bring light and hope to others.

I think of Ruth.

Marriage to Naomi’s son swept Ruth into Naomi’s tsunami of suffering. Naomi was a famine refugee and a widow. By the time the dust settled both women had plummeted to the bottom of ancient society. Both were childless widows. Post-menopausal Naomi and barren Ruth had no future. Ruth was about Amanda Gorman’s age when she faced the hardest decision of her life. Yet instead of abandoning Naomi, Ruth chose a dark, foreboding future in Bethlehem by embracing Naomi, her people, and her God.

That changed everything.

Ruth took refuge under God’s wing and, from that place of blazing light, drew courage to do whatever Naomi needed. From that moment, she refused to hold back or shrink from bravely making bold initiatives to a powerful man—all on Naomi’s behalf. She ignored cultural boundaries limiting her as an immigrant, an impoverished widow, and a scavenger for food to bring light and renewed hope to Naomi.

Ruth never knew God was advancing his purposes for the world through her brave, selfless love for Naomi.

Her story reminds us never to underestimate how God might multiply our smallest act of kindness, encouraging word, or helping hand. We should all be asking, “If Ruth, why not me?” May God help us to be “brave enough” to bring the light of hope to others.

*For deeper reflection, listen to Ruth 1.