Walking on Water

Eddying Out – Africa Adventure

Posted on March 6, 2015 by wamplerp

I have taken an extended “eddying out” from my posts on Walking on Water due to limited bandwidth…both for the internet and myself. I have spent the last week in Ghana, west Africa. This is my first trip to Ghana and Africa so it was all new and different for me. I have been reflecting on my trip and all the new people and places I have seen and have simply not been able to carve out time, or bandwidth, to continue my walk with water in the bible during my trip.

I have been looking at many water-related things in West Africa. I am here preparing to lead 15 students on a summer abroad trip this summer. We will be working in three main areas for our service learning: 1) students wanting to do medical service learning will be working with Ghana Public Health; 2) students who want to learn more about child slavery and contribute to the work of an organization called Challenging Heights which was the subject of a previous Eddying out called “Eddying Out – A Purchased People“; and 3) students who want to contribute their time and energy to a new NGO called ISHEW that will be working on providing sustainable water and education solutions in rural communities.

I have learned much during the last seven days in Ghana, both about Ghana and about myself. It seems there are times when I will be called to “walk with water” in a tangible way. That is what was happening this week. There are many stories I could share but the one that is most vivid at the moment is my visit to a rescue shelter for child slaves. The children, ages 4-16 were rescued from child slavery on Lake Volta near the capital. The families of these children often either cooperated with the traffickers or were deceived by them to give up their children for the equivalent of a couple of dollars.

The extended family structure in Ghana contributes to this dark trade as “relatives” will often come to family members and children and offer schooling and work with an “uncle” on Lake Volta. Many times this relative is not in fact related and proceeds to overwork and abuse the child for many years.

Part of the reason I was visiting the shelter was to test their water sources to make sure they were safe. I discovered that some were safe while others were in need of attention. I was able to make recommendations to the staff so that they could provide safer water for these children who have seen many years of hardship. The last thing they need is for their water to make them sick. Many of them already feel betrayed by the very family who was supposed to protect and nurture them.

There is a take home message here about the body of Christ and how we relate to one another. We are all brothers and sisters in christ and thus tend to trust one another. Sometimes people abuse this trust and lead people away from God (they fail the Meribah Test). We should all be careful that we honor our close kinship with other christians and that we do not harm those God calls us to love.

Prayer: God be with the children of Challenging Heights as they learn to trust again, and be with us so that we can trust one another.

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Eddying Out, Ghana, Life Together, Obedience | Tagged bible, bible study, Christianity, Daily devotional, Slavery, water | Leave a comment

Drink up Evil Like Water

Posted on March 1, 2015 by wamplerp

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: “Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind? Would they argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value? But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God. Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you. “Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have? The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father. Are God’s consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you? Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth? “What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous? If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water! – Job 15:1-16

Job’s friend Eliphaz is hard at work attempting to encourage Job. Once again the question comes up…what can we know? The accusing finger pointing at himself…I am not sure I understand what Eliphaz is getting at when he says “If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes”. What or who is Eliphaz talking about here? How does he know that the heavens are not pure in God’s eyes?

I suppose there is an argument that could be made that all of creation fell with Adam and Eve and in that sense even the heavens are not pure in God’s eyes. I have typically thought of the heavens as being part of the heavenly realm and thus not subject to “the fall”…perhaps I do not understand the dynamic going on in the spiritual realm.

In his science fiction book “out of a silent planet” C.S. Lewis is kidnapped and taken on a journey through space to Malacandria (mars). When he awakens in a space ship travelling through the “void” of space he finds that the view of space from the silent planet (earth) is bent or distorted. Instead of a cold dead place the “heavens” are alive with spiritual inhabitants. The planets are places where this spiritual reality becomes muddy and difficult to discern, especially on earth because of it’s status as a planet under siege….fallen to the control of the dark one.

If creation and earth are truly fallen and under the control of the dark one then our earthly bodies would in fact ” drink up evil like water”. As inhabitants of earth our bodies could not help but be ” vile and corrupt” — it is in our earthly DNA. What I think Eliphaz is missing here is that we are spiritual beings and as such have our feet planted in both worlds. At the moment Job’s earthly reality is shattered and broken….what remains to be seen is whether his spirit can endure. I think this is the fundamental question of all those who seek God with their souls. Can our souls endure the trials of the bodily journey of our life on earth? Will our souls get sick drinking up evil like water?

Prayer: God protect our souls from the steady diet of evil our bodies ingest.

Posted in Covenant, Discernment, Discipleship, Faith, Following God, Job, The Earthly Realm, The Spiritual Realm, Wisdom | Tagged bible study, Daily devotional | 1 Comment

Weathering

Posted on February 28, 2015 by wamplerp

But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and as a rock is moved from its place, as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy a person’s hope. You overpower them once for all, and they are gone; you change their countenance and send them away. If their children are honored, they do not know it; if their offspring are brought low, they do not see it. They feel but the pain of their own bodies and mourn only for themselves. – Job 14:18-22

As I write this I am in Ghana west Africa. Home to some of the oldest and most heavily weathered rocks in the world. It is fitting that my walk with water in the bible has arrived at this passage today about erosion and weathering.

Mountains erode and crumble and rocks are moved from their places. Hope destroyed like water wears away stones…wow this is truly a dark time in Job’s life and spirit. Weathering is the process whereby rocks are broken down into their fundamental components and carried by water to the sea. As I have pondered this passage it strikes me that “weathering” is actually what is happening to Job. Through a series of hardships and toils he is being broken down into his fundamental spiritual components.

On one level this process could be seen as destructive and harsh, but in the grand scheme it is part of a necessary “breaking down” that it seems must occur if we are to leave the beach and join the spiritual ocean — the kingdom of God. As we pass though life, at least life after 30, our bodies are in many ways starting to break down, weather if you will, and I can attest to this as my body nears the half century mark. We can view this breaking down as a terrible loss for which our souls mourn or we can view it as a necessary transition as we are stripped down to our souls.

As rocks are broken down the components become dissolved into the waters carried by rivers and streams. It is these ions that accumulate in the oceans to make them salty — liquid mountains awaiting their chance to rejoin the dance through the geologic cycle. I do not know what happens to our souls once we die, but it seems from what I have read so far that we join a spiritual sea, but remain distinctly ourselves. This is a great mystery and one that some day will be made clear when my soul crosses over.

Prayer: God the process of our bodies breaking down can be hard, help us to remember that they are just temporary homes for our souls.

Posted in Christian Community, Christianity, Death and Dying, Faith, Following God, God's Love for Us, Job, Obedience, The Earthly Realm, The Spiritual Realm, Trusting God | Tagged bible study, Christianity, Daily devotional, Science, Sea, water | 2 Comments

The Scent of Water

Posted on February 27, 2015 by wamplerp

At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant. But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. As the water of a lake dries up or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, so he lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, people will not awake or be roused from their sleep. – Job 14:7-12

Does water have a smell? It seems like we humans have mostly lost our ability to smell water, at least in areas where water is abundant like where I am from. I just spent several hours flying over the Sahara Desert and I can attest it is a very waterless place….no green…no flowing water. I suspect the people of this desert can in fact smell water….assuming there are people who inhabit this desert.

In many ways we are desert people thirsting for spiritual living water. This makes me wonder if we can “smell” spiritual living water? Can we sense the spirit of God from a distance? I wonder if we suffer from the same problem as people who live surrounded by water..Jesus said I am in you and you are in me (John 14:20)….perhaps being surrounded by living water has made us lose our ability to send our roots toward water and “bud”.

The passage turns a bit bleak as Job describes dying as like a lake or river bed drying up. That is an interesting choice of water metaphors. Lakes and rivers dry up when the source of their recharge is reduced or disappears. It seems that job feels he is disconnected from the spring and far from the One River. This end is very different than the “pouring out” or crossing over referred to earlier in the bible. I prefer the imagery of pouring out to drying up.

Prayer: God You are the source of living water. May we always know its scent.

Posted in Death and Dying, Faith, Following God, Heaven, Job | Tagged bible, bible study, Christianity, Daily devotional, water | Leave a comment

Lord of the Dance…

Posted on February 26, 2015 by wamplerp

To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; those he imprisons cannot be released. If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land. To him belong strength and insight; both deceived and deceiver are his. He leads rulers away stripped and makes fools of judges. He takes off the shackles put on by kings and ties a loincloth around their waist. He leads priests away stripped and overthrows officials long established. He silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of elders. He pours contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty. He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light. He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them. He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he makes them wander in a trackless waste. They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards. – Job 12:13-25

Job is responding again here to his “accusers” AKA his friends. It is a sad day when our friends are also our “accusers”, unless of course we are engaging in something worthy of accusation. Job is not, but his friends do not know this. Job still reveres God and attributes Him with great power over our lives.

God is able to “hold back the waters” and He is able to send them in excess so that they “devastate the land”. This is sometimes difficult to understand. Why would God withhold water that we need and send rains that destroy. God has done both in my walk with water in the bible. He caused devastating droughts during the time of Elijah (1 Kings 17:1-6), and he sent a destroying rain, God’s rain, during the time of Noah (Genesis 7:4-7). This rain on the righteous and wicked was explored in a previous post about the spiritual cycle, and I also explored some of this nature for God in a post about How God is Like Water.

God is clearly the “Lord of the Dance” from Job’s perspective, even though at the moment Job feels as though God has abandoned him on the dance floor. The song “Lord of the Dance” is still one of those songs that can give me goose bumps. What an image of a loving God who wants to dance with us. Here are a few of the lyrics:

I danced in the morning when the world was young
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he…

Job has it right the Lord of the Dance is He…

Prayer: God you are the Lord of the Dance…indeed. May we learn to dance with You and for You.

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Covenant, Faith, Following God, Job | 1 Comment

Let the Sea Inform You

Posted on February 25, 2015 by wamplerp

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food? Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? – Job 12:7-12

This is short passage with only a passing reference to the sea, but the questions and underlying content here is so meaningful to me as a geoscientist that I just had to dwell here to a bit. We are instructed to learn from the the animals, birds, and the very earth itself.

As someone who has studied the earth and how it works for most of my life I can attest to the fact that no matter how much one learns about the earth there are far more questions than answers. What is interesting and encouraging about this passage is that we are directed to ask, to know, to be curious. I am convinced that in science, and in our pursuit of spiritual truths, curiosity is more important than raw knowledge

This flows against those who would prefer to accept someone else’s interpretation of who God is or what He wants us to do. I am convinced that God wants, as Tozer put it, “children of the burning heart”. He wants us to be like little children exploring our world, learning new things, and yes, making mistakes. God has already told us that he will be there to carry us like a son or daughter when we fall.

The passage implies that the answer to the questions we pose should point us toward a source, the hand of God — a truth that is apparently obvious for those who look closely. In the world, and all that I see, it is clear that all the complexity of life on earth and it’s amazing processes have much more in common with a composed symphony by Mozart than a pile of random sticks.

The last part of passage holds an intriguing question, “Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?” I had to think about this for while, the analogy is imperfect, but it does make one think. Do we often eat foods we have tasted and found distasteful? How often do we allow our ears to listen to words that are distasteful in movies, television, or even friends. It seems like what the last part is saying is that the old and wise learn how to listen to words that bring understanding — the rest they refuse to “taste”.

Prayer: God You have given us evidence for your creativity and love of beauty are all around us. Give us eyes to see it.

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Discernment, God's Love for Us, Job, religion, The Earthly Realm, The Nature of God, Trusting God, Wisdom | Tagged bible, bible study, Christianity, Daily devotional, faith, Sea, water | Leave a comment

Eddying Out – Packing the Boat

Posted on February 24, 2015 by wamplerp

I am preparing for a trip to Ghana later this week and I find that there is not enough time in the day for packing, preparations, and my walk with water so I am taking a day to Eddy out. I will continue the journey tomorrow, God willing.

Posted in Eddying Out | Leave a comment

Waters Gone By

Posted on February 23, 2015 by wamplerp

Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp. – Job 11:13-20

Waters gone by…sounds a lot like the expression “water under the bridge”. Both expressions mean essentially the the same thing –what is past is past and we need not let it permeate our present or foul up our future. Why do we want to hold onto waters that have already passed?

I have prayed and pondered about why we sometimes hold onto “water that has already gone by” today and I have come up with three possible reasons (I am sure there are more): 1) we do not know we are doing it; 2) we are afraid to face the present and future for some reason so we hold onto the past; 3) we do not have a support system or communication skills to process past hurts or problems.

Water as it flows changes whatever it flows over. It carries nutrients, oxygen, sediment, seeds, and a myriad of aquatic critters. Typically water that is moving is safer to drink or use than stagnant water. This is because moving water creates an entire symphony of interacting ecological processes which, when functioning properly, tend to remove waste products and pathogens that make water unsafe.

Sometime people create “dams” in an effort to stop the “flow” of “water” in their lives. This can sometimes be because past hurts are simply too painful to be allowed to pass by again…so a dam is constructed to stop the flow of this painful “water”. Unfortunately this also stops the flow of the healing living water that God provides.

A properly functioning ecosystem of people following Christ can help people to “free the river” and allow water to pass. The Christian ecosystem includes listeners, prayers, teachers, learners, and people willing to share their time and prayerfully help others allow “the water to pass by” without recalling it (or saving it for later).

Prayer: God help us to participate in a healthy Christian ecosystem so that the water flowing in our lives, and the lives of others, is healthy and life giving.

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Discernment, Discipleship, Faith, Following God, Job, Obedience, The Earthly Realm, Trusting God | Tagged bible, bible study, Christianity, cleansing, Daily devotional, water | Leave a comment

What can you Know?

Posted on February 22, 2015 by wamplerp

Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: “Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated? Will your idle talk reduce others to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock? You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.’ Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin. “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. – Job 11:1-9

Enter friend #3 to provide solace and advice to Job. Zophar is equally inept at discerning what is really going on between God and Job. He is rebuking Job for complaining to God about his predicament. Zophar is concerned that Job’s posture and perspective is setting a bad example for others.

It is Zophar’s desire that God will disclose to Job “the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides”. This is a puzzling way to put this…true wisdom has two sides. What does Zophar mean by this? Does he mean that what appears to be wisdom from one perspective is folly from another? It turns out that Zophar is right, although not in the way he thinks. The two sides of wisdom are Zophar’s and Job’s.

Zophar goes on to say that God “has even forgotten some of your sin”. Now I am not sure what sin Zophar thinks he knows about that Job has committed or, more importantly, how he knows which sin God is willing to forget. It is reassuring that no such double-sided wisdom is necessary as far as Jesus is concerned. He forgives all of our sins (Matthew 9:4-6).

In the last part of the passage Zophar’s accusing finger inadvertently points back toward himself…”Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” Zophar realizes that none of us can know the mind of God and we are foolish to try, especially as it relates to knowing how God views someone else. So what can we know? Excellent question! I think we can know that God loves us, He sent His son to see with human eyes, love with a human heart, and forgive the sins of those who ask to be forgiven.

Prayer: God thank You for sending your son to see us with human eyes, love us with a human heart, and forgive all our sins.

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Covenant, Discernment, Following God, Forgiveness, Healing, Job, Obedience, Sin, The Spiritual Realm, Trusting God, Wisdom | Tagged bible, bible study, Christianity, Daily devotional, Jesus, water | 3 Comments

Wave upon Wave

Posted on February 21, 2015 by wamplerp

I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. I say to God: Do not declare me guilty, but tell me what charges you have against me. Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the plans of the wicked? Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees? Are your days like those of a mortal or your years like those of a strong man, that you must search out my faults and probe after my sin— though you know that I am not guilty and that no one can rescue me from your hand? Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit. “But this is what you concealed in your heart, and I know that this was in your mind: If I sinned, you would be watching me and would not let my offense go unpunished. If I am guilty—woe to me! Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head, for I am full of shame and drowned in my affliction. If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion and again display your awesome power against me. You bring new witnesses against me and increase your anger toward me; your forces come against me wave upon wave. – Job 10:1-17

This passage is a continuation of Job’s reply to Bildad. Job is wondering out loud “giving free rein to his complaint”. Job is wondering why bad things happen to good people. This is an age old philosophical question. Job does not provide a definitive answer and neither can I…but God can. The insight this verse provides is that sometimes there a things happening in the spiritual realm that we do not know or understand — including what looks very much like bad things happening to good people.

After posing this question Job poses two more very interesting questions directed at God: “Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees?” What Job is looking for is a God who sees him. The God who see with human eyes is something that is to come — the God-man Jesus, who will have eyes of flesh and see as a mortal sees. Jesus looks on those who follow or seek Him with both spiritual eyes that look into our souls, and with earthly eyes that can see the “mortal coils” that our earthly bodies must navigate.

Job goes on to give God credit for his very existence. God made the “soul ship” which carries Job’s soul. He formed him from clay and he feels like God has turned him to dust. Job’s body has become battered and torn on the rocks that God has allowed Job to traverse. The damage to Job’s soul vessel threatens t to maroon him in a place separate from God.

The last sentence is where water comes in with the statement that God’s forces will come upon Job like wave upon wave. This sounds like dangerous surf which threatens to sink Job and his ability to faithfully follow God.

The only thing Job can do is batten down the hatches, tie down the sails, and place his fate in God’s hands. This is easy to say, but hard to do in practice. When rip currents and raging torrents threaten our health or life circumstances seem to be raging against us we must do the same as Job… batten down the hatches, tie down the sails, and place our fate in God’s hands. He has our souls firmly in His grasp, assuming we have placed them in His hands.

Prayer: God it is difficult to separate our earthly bodies from the soul that inhabits them. Help us to focus on following You even when waves are battering our earthly bodies.