by Shannon Tillman | May 15, 2024 | Thoughts
My mom enjoys science fiction. She used to watch episodes of the TV show “Star Trek”. When an enemy vessel would approach, the captain would say “shields up” and some sort of force field would be employed to protect the ship.
I had difficulty even writing that paragraph because I am not a sci-fi fan. I prefer a biography any day. I love learning about people and events. However, there are some passages in the Bible that feel more like a sci-fi movie than historical fact. Truth is stranger than fiction.
In the book of Exodus, the ten plagues ravaged Egypt. Pharoah refused to let the Israelites leave the country so the Lord allowed plague after plague to hit the nation. In the first six plagues the people experienced water turning to blood, frogs invading the land, gnats swarming around, flies covering everything, livestock dying, and skin boils causing extreme pain to the people. The seventh plague sent to Egypt was hail.
Exodus 9:22-26
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
This was a storm of enormous proportions. The hail killed both animals and people in the fields. Miraculously, in the plague of hail, Moses and Aaron traveled freely to Pharoah without suffering any harm.
Exodus 9:27-29
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.” Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
Moses and Aaron walked out of a city ravished by hail without a problem. I imagine huge hailstones falling within feet of them but they could walk in the confidence of God’s protection. It was as if the Captain of the Universe said “shields up” and Moses and Aaron were completely covered. Moses and Aaron walked in faith of God’s care for them.
When we are in God’s will, He protects us. Even in judgment against a nation, the Lord can provide supernatural covering over us. This covering provided another testimony to the people of Egypt. They saw Aaron and Moses walking through the land unharmed. Animals and people outside had died, but not these two men. It clearly proved the message that the Lord was the true God, while the gods of Egypt were nothing and could not provide security or help.
When others see how God cares for us even during difficult times, we will be able to share with them our testimonies of the Lord’s protection and rescue during our lives. We can walk through the storm without harm. We may see the lightning, feel the wind and rain, but what could knock us over or take us out is not allowed to come near us. God is our shield in the storm. We can trust Him not only to walk us through, but also to pray for others in their storms, just as Moses did.
Exodus 9:29
Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.
Our safety in the midst of the storm allows us to pray for others in the storm so that the Lord is glorified. He protects, rescues, and delivers us from the storms, even ones we ourselves have caused. Whatever storm you are in, trust the Lord to guide you safely through. Shields up!
by Shannon Tillman | May 8, 2024 | Thoughts
My family does not like it when I am in control of the remote control. I always pick a biography to watch. I enjoy learning about the lives of others. I am inspired by how people persevered in their difficulties and chose to make a difference despite the obstacles. I cry during the stories while the family waits for a moment to wrestle the remote control from me.
Recently, when I had the remote, I picked a documentary on Charles Wesley. Charles lived in England during the 1700s. He was a clergyman, hymn writer, poet. He and his brother, John Wesley, began the Methodist movement. Charles wrote close to 9,000 hymns over a course of fifty years. They said he averaged around ten poetic lines a day to accomplish this feat.
The documentary was broken into segments, one being the hymns, others being topics such as early life, education, conversion, family, etc. However, I believed that separating the hymn accomplishment was a disservice to Charles Wesley. Because when you put the poems next to his life, it is even more of a marvel to realize he wrote ten lines a day.
Charles was married to Sarah Gwynne. They had eight children together. However, five of their children died and never reached adulthood. Charles wrote ten lines of Christian poetry a day. The documentary stated that their children that did live did not share the same faith and one lived in rebellion. Yet, Charles wrote songs to the Lord, ten lines, every day. While preaching, Charles was often barred from pulpits, despised by many church leaders. Yet, he wrote ten lines of a hymn daily. He was attacked by mobs while preaching in open fields and had objects and mud thrown at him. Charles wrote his ten lines of poetry. His brother and he had heated arguments and painful separations. Charles still penned his ten lines of praise. He dealt with serious illness. Somehow, the ten lines were written each day. His wife almost died of smallpox, which did take the life of one of his sons, and she was scarred horribly by the disease. And Charles wrote his ten lines each day.
In the midst of pain, Charles wrote hymns of praise, or sorrow, of searching out God’s heart. That is his true legacy. He pressed into the heart of God in the pain instead of closing off the Lord because of his difficulties. Around the world, his songs are song hundreds of years after they are written. The one that would be most recognized today would be “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”. He wrote these hymns, line by line, day by day despite his losses and pain.
We all suffer difficulties. We choose our response. We may not be writers, poets, hymn writers. But each day we can choose our “ten lines” of praise. Maybe it is prayer, a song, a psalm, a Scripture, or a quiet commitment to trust God in the heartaches of life. Charles Wesley is an example of this to us.
That is the reason why I believe I should have the remote control more often! We can learn and apply spiritual lessons from those who have gone before us. Give me the remote!
by Shannon Tillman | May 1, 2024 | Thoughts
I often return to the bible passage in John 4, the meeting of Jesus with a Samaritan woman. There is so much in these verses that are life changing. In this post, I want to focus on one sliver of the spiritual riches given in this encounter.
John 4:16-19
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.
Jesus lets the woman know that He knows the secret, the disgrace, the shame, the sin, the issue. Jesus already knew. But He wants her to know that He knows. She takes the revelation as proof that He is a prophet, which He is. Yet, I wonder if His revelation was a set-up for a later part of the conversation.
John 4:25-26
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
Jesus revealed to a woman, a Samaritan woman (Samaritans were considered less-than by the Jews), a woman living in sin, a woman with a shameful past, that He is the Messiah. He does not tell anyone else this amazing truth. He picked the most outcast of society to declare that He was the long-awaited Messiah, the One whom the world has waited upon for thousands of years. The disciples were not told this. The crowds never received this verbal affirmation of His title. But this woman heard the word first-hand.
I believe Jesus told her that He knew her past and current shame and sin so that she would know that He reveals Himself despite ourselves. She could never think “If He only knew the real me, He would never have told me that He was the Messiah. He probably wouldn’t have even spoken to me.” Instead, she knew that He knew and still revealed who He is to her. Amazing! Jesus wanted to make it clear that He was declaring the message that the world had been waiting on since the fall of Adam and Eve to a woman with a shady past and sinful present. Jesus knows and still reveals the mysteries of heaven to unworthy vessels.
Jesus knows. He knows our failures, our sins, our issues, our wasted time, our neglected dreams, our…. All the things that come to our heads and bring shame to our hearts, He knows. And He still wants to have a conversation with us. And He still wants to share the mysteries of heaven with us. And He still tells us things that others may never have heard first-hand. Jesus the Messiah, loves us and shares who He is with us. May we marvel at His heart toward us!
by Shannon Tillman | Apr 24, 2024 | Thoughts
Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
This is a command, so it is not an option. We are ordered to not let evil overcome us. How can we choose to not be overwhelmed, knocked down, or discouraged by evil? For it must be a choice since it is a command, thus we decide whether to obey or not. The strategy for obedience is given in the second half of the verse.
We are to “overcome evil with good.” God alone is good.
Mark 10:18
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
Thus, we overcome evil by God. How do we practically do this? We must focus on His goodness instead of the evil circumstances. We must trust Him even when we do not understand why we are suffering. We must seek His counsel on how to respond in a manner that reflects His goodness instead of our natural desires. In other words, to overcome evil is an intentional battle plan to combat evil with the goodness of God.
Is this easy? No. However, it is commanded for our benefit. God wants to protect us from being knocked down by evil. He wants to work through us so that evil is vanquished. The Lord does not want evil to prevail against us. The only way for us to not be consumed by the evil is to conquer the evil. The goodness of God is the assured victory over all evil!
Whatever evil situation that has risen against you is now your opportunity for victory! When you stand in the goodness of God, the enemy not only cannot knock you down, he also loses ground against you. The evil is overcome and the flag of goodness is placed up as the victory. In your difficulties, get the battle plan from God. His goodness will win!
by Shannon Tillman | Apr 10, 2024 | Thoughts
Proverbs 11:2 …
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
I have often read this verse and thought that when a person has pride then something bad would happen to them. It seemed a point of justice. Pride leads to downfall, disgrace, embarrassment.
It makes me think of the bully in a movie who does something cruel and then turns and trips and everyone laughs at the mean guy. You enjoy watching him fall as a sort of punishment for what he has done to others. (Or maybe that is just me and some of you would have sympathy on him. I would hope someone would jump out of the shrubbery and trip him again! Another fall for the bully. Yay!)
However, if we look at this verse again, it is not discussing a bad thing happening only to the proud. Both the proud and the humble experience difficulties. The second part of the verse does not show a protection from trials, instead, it simply states that the humble receive wisdom from the time of suffering.
Each situation gives the opportunity to respond with pride or humility. If I respond with pride then I am disgraced. But if I respond with humility than I am granted wisdom. Every circumstance provides a choice to get upset or to learn, to react or to respond, to look at the situation or to look at the God behind the situation.
The essence of humility is the acceptance of God’s sovereignty. I view the situation as from God and that He has allowed what has happened. Although it is difficult, I can ask God for wisdom in handling whatever trial has come my way. My attitude is one of what can be gained through the pain instead of how to avoid the pain.
James 1:2-5
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
The joy in trials is knowing that purpose will ultimately come from the pain. It will not be wasted if I handle the situation as directed by God. In humility I seek Him and ask for wisdom. Thus, I am not living disgraced for what was sent to “trip me up” instead I am choosing to utilize the situation as a platform for growth, change, transformation.
While this verse does not mean the proud bully will trip and fall (although that would be great!), it does mean that the trials of our lives can benefit me in the end when I allow the Lord to guide and direct me. The proud are disgraced by difficulties, the humble receive wisdom in difficulties. It comes down to our choice in how we respond to our trials.
by Shannon Tillman | Apr 1, 2024 | Thoughts
Soldiers came to the crucified thieves. They took mallets and broke their knees to cause them to die quickly. Jesus hung in the middle. They were about to break the knees of Jesus but He already appeared to be dead; His body hung limply on the cross. They needed proof so…
John 19:34
“…one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”
Blood and water, not just blood, flowed out of His pierced side. This means that the heart of Jesus was punctured, pierced, destroyed.
Have you ever felt broken-hearted? May this word encourage you. Jesus, whose heart was shattered at the cross, received a whole new heart in His resurrection.
John 20:19-20
“So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”
The hands of Jesus bore the scars of the nails. The side of Jesus bore the scar of His piercing. But the heart of Jesus no longer flowed with blood and water. Thus, it was completely renewed. He had a whole heart once again, as if it had never been wounded. A new heart was given at the resurrection!
These past few years, I have felt beat up by others and by circumstances. My heart ached and even beat irregularly with the pain. I cried out to God for a new heart, one that was not triggered by the pain of the past, one that had not been broken, one that did not feel the need to guard from the hurt of others, one that could love and be loved.
On Resurrection Sunday, I was praying before the service began. I thought of the wounds of His hands and feet. I then pondered His pierced side proving a busted heart, a dead heart, a destroyed heart. Then, I suddenly realized: Jesus has a new heart. Jesus, the crucified one, received a new heart! The resurrection of Jesus proves He was given a new heart, beating vibrantly now with the life that could never be taken again!
That means when I am resurrected out of my trials, my pains, my difficulties, my heart will be made new as well. I do not have to live from the pain of death from my circumstances, from the situations and the people who broke my heart. Instead, my heart can be made new!
I do not know what broke your heart. But I can tell you that the new heart of Jesus is a promise to all of us. He keeps the scars on His hands, feet, and side but not on His heart. While we may bear scars from the pain of our lives, we do not have to live with a broken heart. He makes this promise:
Psalm 147:3a
“He heals the brokenhearted…”
The word for brokenhearted in Hebrew can mean broken in pieces, hurt, torn, or crushed. It is a picture of mass destruction, a heart so devastated that it no longer beats. Yet, God can heal, restore, make a broken heart new, as if it had never been damaged. The resurrected heart of Jesus proves this word in our lives.
Take your broken heart to the Resurrected Savior. No matter what losses you have experienced, He can make your heart beat like new, as if it had not been injured by others or circumstances. Let Him heal your wounds and give you a new heart today.
