BANKING ON IT
“Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. God heeded his prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant.”
Genesis 25:21

Being married now, I find myself being asked a new series of questions. People ask about our home and if we are finished with mixing our décor styles. Please ask if we are going to be getting a minivan to tote the whole family in one car (which we just got this last weekend). People ask how we are adjusting as individuals and as a family unit to all the changes. But occasionally people ask if we are planning to have any more children. It is for these people today that I write this devotional.
Are we going to be having any more children? I cannot answer that fully, and here is why. While the desire is there, the ability is not. Back in 2005, following the birth of my daughter, my wife at that time and I decided to have no more children and I had the ‘man surgery’ done. But I cannot say that that may have been the wisest decision. I knew even back then that I wanted another child and I began to regret my decision within hours of the procedure. Now, married again with a total of four little ones running around in the house, I feel a fullness as well as an emptiness. While the quiver may be full, the desire to add another youngster to the home still weighs on me.
In my alone morning moments with God this past Monday, I was reminded of a verse talking about prayer for a barren woman. I am sure you know the verse. It is Genesis 25:21. “Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. God heeded his prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant.” For Isaac and Rebekah, I feel the feelings may have been the same. He had a fullness in that he had a wife, but he lacked the pitter-patter of little feet. The difference in their story, though, was that she was barren as opposed to him having had a procedure done. Shortly after their wedding they found themselves in a position where children were not coming. So what was the action taken? Isaac prayed.
Isaac had seen the faith of his father, Abraham. He had seen God work His miracles as he himself had been a miracle. So in learning that they would be unable to have children, Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife and asked that her womb be opened. God heeded his prayer. Soon after Rebekah became pregnant and gave birth to not one child, but two. But I want you to notice something in this fact. The enemy was at work. Abraham had been promised that he would be the father of many. Abraham had in all eight sons. But only one of those sons was the true promised son. But now the true promised son from whom the promise would continue was faced with the fact that his wife was barren. Right there the promise could have ended, the devil could have won, and God could have been named a liar. But, Isaac prayed.
This speaks to me because it gives me hope. Just because I have gone under the knife does not mean that God cannot work a miracle. I have talked with people who have had body parts pop out of nowhere, have had ears and eyes open, and have been healed of deadly diseases. If God can do all that, can He not mend back together my man parts to function and produce another child? I will answer for you…YES! So I stand in faith that it will happen. And this is just one area. I stand in faith that the promises in the Bible will happen to me. I am reminded of Deuteronomy 28 where God speaks via Moses that the people are blessed coming and going, are the head and not the tail, and are the lender not the borrower. It may be hard to see this knowing I have a student loan I am still paying and truly am the borrower, but again I stand in faith that what God has said will come about. Nothing is too hard for God, and this ‘thing’ of having a baby is ‘nothing’ difficult in His eyes. So, will I have another child? All I can say is we will see…but I am banking on it.

DECISIONS
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Over this past weekend I was helping my wife unpack some boxes from our moving and stumbled upon one of my first journals following my divorce. As I flipped through the pages, I found one of my early entries talking about the decisions I was making at that time. This trip down memory lane got me to thinking over the past twenty-four hours, and I would like to share a few thoughts with you if you have a minute or two. Before I jump into my enlightenment, however, I think it is best that we define the word ‘decision’. According to Webster, decision is defined as the act of deciding; a conclusive judgment, determination, or firmness; or the power of making up one’s mind easily and moving into action.
Some decisions are easy to make, like what clothes to wear, or what to prepare for dinner. Others are not as easy to make, though, such as choosing a mate or deciding on which college to attend. Still other decisions are thrust upon us, like the final needs of a passing relative. And some decisions we have power over, like deciding how many children we will have and when to begin the family. We make decisions daily, such as whether to exercise or not, what to watch on the television, whether or not to answer the phone when it rings, and giving 100% to our job today instead of the 50% we normally give when the boss is not looking.
But what about our decisions when it comes to living for Christ? Looking in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, we read of a warning we should keep fresh in our minds concerning our decision making process. This passage reads, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” It is here we are told first to fear God and keep His commandments. This word ‘commandments’ is the Hebrew word MITZVAH, meaning laws. In Exodus 24:12 we see the relationship of this word to the stone tablets and Ten Commandments. And it is these commandments that again we are being told by God to keep fresh in our mind. Why? Because this is the whole duty of man. In keeping His mitzvah we have our purpose while in refusing to follow His commands we have our ruin. An example of this is Adam and Eve. The command to Adam and Eve was to not eat of a certain tree, for death would happen if they did. Yet, while we can argue they were deceived, the fact is they ate. The blessing of the Garden was gone and death was found. True, they did not die immediately, but they suffered a death far worse…the knowing of what was, and the knowing they could not have it back. Their decision to not obey the command ended in death.
Yet as we continue in this text, however, we read that every deed, good or bad, will be known. Basically what this means is that every decision we make will be exposed. Each one of our MA’ASEH, our deeds, pursuits, undertakings, and achievements, will be made known. Every one of our ‘ALAM, concealed actions or secrets, will be presented for viewing. There is no decision, good or bad, that can be hidden from the judgment of God. This concept reminds me of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, who thought no one would know when they changed their minds on the price they would give the apostles. When the home sold and the money was in hand, they pocketed a little and thus found physical death for their decisions. What they thought they could hide was brought to light by the Spirit of God. There is nothing we can hide from God and I know this well. Back in 2000, I was convinced that I could hide my pornography addiction from my then wife and friends. This thought pattern went on for months and I remember saying boldly to God, “I’m too good to get caught.” Within the next twenty-four hours my world came crashing down as God exposed me. I had been able to hide it from those close to me, but could not hide it from God.
Daily I make decisions, be it good or bad, that I will one day answer for. But then why is it that so many of my decisions are made so hap-hazard? I am not talking about what shirt I choose, but rather what I choose to do when no one is around. In college I heard that the definition of ‘integrity’ is what you do when no one is looking. Who am I when it is just me? What decisions do I make when it is just me? What determinations do I allow myself to choose when I think no one else will be affected by my actions? Does my integrity prove that I fear God? And I am not referring to a fear as if God is going to strike me down with a stick, but a fear as in reverence. We are told in John 10:27 that His sheep know His voice and listen. So, do we?
I can only answer that question for myself. If I was to be honest with you, my answer is that some days my decisions bless Him and in reverence I obey Him. As such, my actions, determinations, and decisions are all based on what God requires. However, there are other days where the decisions I make reflect an answer that is ‘me’ centered, and what will accomplish ‘my’ will. This challenge of right decision making is for all of us, though. Will we consider our decisions? The man who allows himself even a single stray, a single bite of the fruit, or a single lie, wakes up later only to find that Eden is no longer where he walks. It is because of this death sentence that our decisions can bring us to that we should all make our decisions wisely, and in the fear of the Lord.