What's for Supper, God?

 Yesterday I was unsettled in my spirit. I’ve been having skin problems and psoriatic arthritis that I am trying to treat with eating the right foods. I know there is a food connection, but I’m having a difficult time figuring out the fine details. I have become obsessed with food. I've spent hours pouring over recipes and articles. It is so hard to know how to cook because there's an extensive list of foods to avoid and I'm not positive of what’s good for my body and what doesn't work for me. I’ve done a lot of research, but not everyone agrees and of course we are each made uniquely so what works for one person doesn't work for another. As I was driving home from the grocery store the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He pointed out that I’ve been spending way more time worrying about what to eat than spending time with Him even though my times of communing with God recently have been especially rich. This realization was a wake up call.

I came home, put away the groceries and went straight to my Bible. I read the part in the Lord’s Prayer that asks God to give us our daily bread. I have always thought of that as praying for God to tangibly provide for our needs. Today when I read the phrase, I realized I could trust God for ideas, to tell me what to fix each day. My organized nature wanted a whole week’s worth of menus, but God asked me to be content with Him telling me what to cook for my next meal. I instantly had an idea of how to modify a recipe I really enjoy. I only had one idea, not a lot of ideas. I decided to thank the Lord for that idea for supper and as much as possible not to think about food anymore that day trusting God to give me another idea the next day. (He did! Menu ideas yesterday and today came to mind without stress or searching and the food was delicious too.)

I have a Bible study I'm working through that pointed me to Psalm 73. As I read it, I was comforted to know that God will hold my hand (v.23) and give me guidance (v.24). v.25 says the earth has nothing I desire besides God. I’ve been obsessively desiring menu plans for the week and God wants me to desire Him and let Him help me with meal planning. I’m ready to take refuge in God! (v.28)


Psalm 73: 21-28 New Living Translation
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
    and I was all torn up inside.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
    I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
23 Yet I still belong to you;
    you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
    leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever.
27 Those who desert him will perish,
    for you destroy those who abandon you.
28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
    and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

It's quite likely you aren't obsessing about menu plans, but maybe there's something else that keeps you from desiring Him more than anything. Let's join the author of the psalm, Asaph, in choosing to make God our deepest desire.

Mother's Day 2014

Today the church we normally attend was meeting at a park which isn't wheelchair friendly so we decided to take the opportunity to visit a Japanese church where we have lots of friends. In the 1990s I used to meet with ladies from this church for Bible study.

It was so encouraging to renew friendships! I keep in touch with Christmas greetings, but this was the first time in a year I've actually seen them. While there were more empty seats than I recall in the past, there were still signs of health that brought us joy. A class for baptismal candidates was announced. A young adult male brought a friend visiting for the first time.

Recently I've decided part of my ministry in Japan is hugging. It's not common, but I think all of us really need hugs to be healthy. When I saw K. san she responded more eagerly to my hug than any Japanese I've ever known. She has struggled with depression and sometimes talks to me on the phone. I honestly can't understand everything she says, but I listen and pray for her. Today she wouldn't let me go. She hugged me so tightly it gave me courage to try out hugs on others.

N. san struggled so much when she first came to faith in the church plant we worked in. Today she was part of a group sharing about their recent trip to Fukushima, the site of the nuclear disaster in March 2011. Things remain quite bleak there, but this group of six offered hope. I have never seen N. san so vibrant!

M. san apologized that she wasn't able to mail me a stollen bread this past Christmas as she usually does. She told me with her characteristic smile how her mother-in-law moved into their home last December and she is learning a lot about trusting the Lord. She asked me to pray for I. san who has not attended church for a year since her sister died.

Y. san is the first fruit of the church plant we worked with in the 1990s. When I asked her how she was doing, tears threatened to appear. Her husband died last summer. Just a few days earlier he was baptized on his hospital bed. She has faithfully been the light of Jesus to him for all these years. What a joy to have him make the most important decision of his life before it was too late.

During the service it was a joy to sing with them again "Kami no kuni to kami no gi o mazu motomenasai" (Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God). They have sung that song every Sunday since its inception. It's so key to everything about life. As is the practice in this church, the children came to the front and quoted the week's memory verse in nice loud voices. There were just five kids and three of them were preschoolers, so really it was two loud voices. There used to be quite a passel of kids. The numbers reflect the country as a whole. In spite of financial incentives from the government for families to have more children, the kid population continues to decline. I've been thinking recently a lot about children and how important they are to Jesus. I pray that God will raise up a new generation in Japan to love Him back!

As Russ and I left the sanctuary another friend came up to me and reported on how well her daughter is currently doing. God has been answering prayers even though it's been a long time since I've talked to Him about this young lady.

Then dear S. san presented me with flowers. She came to Christ through the witness of missionaries years ago and continues to express her gratitude to all of us missionaries! I love her and the beautiful flowers.

All these Mothers Day blessing brought me great joy. In addition, our daughter who is currently at home with us in Japan, washed all the dishes and initiated a blessing game at dinner to honor me. I got a special email from my son. We got to talk on the phone with both my mother and mother-in-law. My mom turned 90 years old today!

It was a great day!