What's In a Name?

Our daughter Hannah was born last Sunday morning, on Father's Day.  A big factor in choosing that name, is what it means.  Hannah, means "grace".  We did not know what would come, Lord willing, whether it would be a boy or a girl.  Isaiah would have been the name if the child was a boy (meaning God is Salvation), and Hannah the name if a girl (grace).  A similar theme, I think.

Grace!  That's definitely what the labor experience with Hannah was, and has been.  After the experience with Micah (83 hours of labor, with marginal sleep), the perfect word for this labor is "grace".  Micah means "Who is like the Lord," and there were definitely times where we were ready to give up, and had to have the faith to rely on WHO the Lord is, despite our pains, throughout that time.

Hannah, though, came with grace.  She came with everything we wanted, so far as we can tell.  She came from beginning of contractions to delivery, in about 5.5 hours, at home, and with no complications.  Not only that, but when Shanda gave birth (whenever that would have been), I had plans with work to have the following week off.  What a beautiful week to have off work it has been!  It's the nicest it's been all year--sunny and warm.  It's allowing me to get some things done around the house and help Shanda get adjusted in the best way possible.  I'm going to go outside and work on the trailer here in a little bit.  And not to be forgotten, the night Shanda went into labor was a night Micah just happened to be spending the night at grandma and grandpa's, so we knew he was being taken care of while we prepared to deliver a baby.  GRACE!

Furthermore, it is our prayer that Micah would in some special way cause others to say, "Who is like the Lord!?", and Hannah would cause others to glorify Him for His grace.  And, I believe God has plans to fulfill that.  We're excited to see just how He will.

Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise...

Amos 3:3-6

³ “Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed to meet?
⁴ Does a lion roar in the forest,
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
if he has taken nothing?
⁵ Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
when it has taken nothing?
⁶ Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
unless the Lord has done it?

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Verses 3-6 are rhetorical questions asked by God, all having the same answer (No), of things that go hand-in-hand.  Yet, I think that when we come to verse 6, it will give many of us pause.

"Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?"
("No")

"Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?"
("No")

"Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing?"
(No)

"Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it?"
("No")

"Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing?"
("No")

"Is a trumpet blown in a city and the people are not afraid?"
("No")

"Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?"
("N.... well... wait a sec.)

God doesn't cause all disasters, does He?  Let me review these questions and their answers again.  I need to reread verses three through six.  Verse 3, answer is "No".  Verse 4 (two questions), answer is "No" and "No".  Verse 5 (two questions), answer is "No" and "No".  Verse 6 (two questions), answer is "No", and the answer is... must be No.

Consider the worst disaster that has ever happened to a city.  We have the tornados in OK, recently, or hurrican Sandy.  There is a long endless list of disasters we could list, on and on.

The title of this post is, "Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise."  Have you ever said it?  If not, perhaps you have heard it, or at least you can understand what is meant by it.  Or, what *should* be meant by it.  This post is BIGGER than a saying, so stay with me.  Do we understand disaster, when it strikes?  Do we rightly understand what is happening, when it comes upon us or if we hear of it coming upon others?  Many catchy things people say are not actually based in any truth at all, while others can just be misunderstood.  I believe this is the latter.  The question of the day is not about this saying, but about what are you saying when the creek does or does not rise?  Did the creek act on its own sovereign will, or was it resonding to the sovereign will of God?  There is a right answer.

For me, I believe I have (wrongly) made the "Lord willing", and "the creek don't rise" as two separate forces working independently of one another.  That would be, incorrect.  The "and" in that sentance, should not mean "this other thing working by its own will", but instead it should mean "according to the will of God".  Now it is not the saying that is wrong, in this case.  I think it is our understanding that can be wrong, as mine has been at times regarding it, and things of its nature (no pun intended, really).

In effort to keep this post short, which could be very long, I will just say this.  God causes disaster.  That is something we have to really come to grips with.  As I read through Amos, I see God telling them over and over that He is causing disaster here, and not there... there... and not here.  All the while, He is seeking repentance, purification, and righteousness. 

Whenever you see a disaster of any kind nearby or far away... it is supposed to cause YOU, and ME, (not just them) to repent.  The creek, and "nature", do not have minds of their own.  A better way of saying this more directly, with less chance of misunderstanding would be, "The Lord willing, the creek will rise or it will not."

James 4:13-17

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Luke 13:1-5

¹ There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”