Author Archives: cazehner

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About cazehner

I'm a woman who loves God's Word, the Bible. And I love sharing what it is God reveals to me through his Word. I pray that everything I write is consistent with Scripture, and that everyone who reads this blog will be drawn closer to the Savior. I am praying for you.

January 15

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Job 35-37

Elihu talks about how nature reveals God, how the thunder, the rain cycle, the expansive sky show us “How great is God – beyond our understanding.”

I remember when my nephew Ryan was a toddler he was so curious about the world around him. An ant crawling over a blade of grass would stop him in his tracks.

My Dad had a deep appreciation for God’s creation. My sisters and I were raised watching thunderstorms instead of hiding under covers, our Sunday afternoons often included a ride to the lake to try to skip stones or discover tadpoles. I remember once my Mom was looking to buy a dress but she wasn’t sure she liked it. “Blue and green don’t go together”, she said. My Dad replied, “Well then I guess God made a mistake”. Look how pretty it is when the green of the trees touch the blue of the sky. Mom got the dress.

Some people want to believe this was all a chance happening. But just look at nature – really look and you will see how great God is – beyond understanding.

Lord, help me see You today in the sunshine, the ocean waves, the rustle of leaves. Stop me in my tracks today to see what Your hands have made. Thank you for nature’s wonders which show us Your greatness. And then help us realize that the One who created this amazing world loves us and wants us to love Him, too.

January 14

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Job 32-34

Once again I am struck by the length to which God goes to redeem a lost soul. Job 33:14 says God does speak “now one way, now another though man may not perceive it.” Elihu goes on to say God might speak in dreams, whisper in our ears, or through hardships and illnesses. He goes on to say if there was a mediator to find a ransom, we would be restored by God to righteousness.

The beautiful thing about this is we know that mediator’s name. Jesus is alive and eager to do His work in our lives. Elihu reminds us that God doesn’t give us just one chance to go to Him. 33:29 says God does all these things to a man… twice, even three times… to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him.

I imagine most of us can remember times and situations in our lives when we were drawn to the Savior. Something we heard, or read, or experienced brought God to our minds. Times when we recognized a longing for more than this life offers.

The more we ignore that prompting from the Holy Spirit the easier it gets to ignore Him and the harder it becomes to even recognize God’s voice. God wants us to love Him, to receive Him and experience sins forgiven. There will be times today when He tries to get our attention. My prayer is that we will be sensitive to His voice and allow God to restore us to righteousness.

January 13

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Job 30-32

Job is still trying to make sense of what has happened. He examines his life closely and still feels he has lived a righteous life. I didn’t take time to count the “if”‘s in these verses but there are many. Job says, in the condensed version… if I was unfair, stingy, judgmental, if I was unfaithful to my wife or put my trust in gold I would have disobeyed God and could understand my suffering.

But Job stands firm in his belief that he did his best to be a godly man. And he was.

God is telling us through Job’s story that health and wealth are not connected to obedience. There are no guarantees that if you live a good life only good things will happen to you. If that were so people would go to God for the wrong reason… for what’s in it for them instead of going to God because of who He is.

So what is the incentive for godly living if I can’t be assured life will be easy? And what’s to prevent me from enjoying the lusts of the world if it rains on both good and bad people anyway?

I can say first hand that the benefits of godly living include a clear conscience, a blessed assurance, peace, hope, satisfaction, strength, and the knowledge that I am loved and forgiven. You just can’t buy those things no matter how wealthy you are.

God, thank you for blessing us with your Presence, more precious than gold. And thank you that, whether good times or bad, you are right there. Help us to realize everything that happens in this lifetime happens to draw us to you and to show you to a lost world who needs you. May you find us faithful because we love you.

January 12

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Job 27-29

Who was Job anyway? To hear him describe himself you would think he was the most popular, the most respected, the most loved man in town. Job lists his altruistic deeds and they are many. So are the praises from his neighbors.

Job naturally longs for the good old days. Back then he had it all… wealth, power, respect, his children, his health. The present is just too painful. My heart broke for him when I read, “Oh for the days when… my children were with me.” It makes me sad because I long for the days when Geoff was still with us, too.

I think God wants me to realize that if I allow myself to dwell on the past I miss out on the blessings of the present. Most of us at one time or another have probably been guilty of remembering the past a little rosier or a little worse than it actually was.

When I was a little girl there was a hill at the end of our dead end street that was perfect for sledding. We spent many happy hours on that giant hill and I remember not only the joy of flying down, but trudging back up the mountain over and over.

After high school I went off to college and hadn’t even seen the hill for years. One day I decided to take a walk up the street and was shocked to see that the hill had shrunk. It was nowhere close to being mountainous. Over the years I had created a long, steep grade in my mind. The reality was a more gentle slope. (It’s still a good place for kids to sled)

But isn’t that the way with memories? My dad used to long for the good old days when men were men and people were honest, when women didn’t dress like men and children obeyed their parents. Let’s be honest, though. Even the good old days had their share of problems.

Memories themselves can be precious treasures. And it’s good to take them out and polish them off sometimes. But if we choose to live in the past, whether the past was ideal or filled with pain, we can miss out on some pretty amazing things in the present.

God, when  you created us with the ability to remember you gave us a precious gift… and a curse. Thank you for a lifetime full of memories. May I put them in perspective and not allow them to take my eyes off what you have for me today. May my past not hold me back or steal the joy you want to share with me. Lord, I give you today. I thank you for yesterday. And I trust you with tomorrow.

January 11

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Job 22-26

Job is very confident in God. He doesn’t understand God and questions why these things are happening to him. He longs to speak to God face to face to present his case but realizes that is not possible.

Then he says…But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

That’s what God wanted Job to learn about himself. God doesn’t “test” us to learn something about us he doesn’t know. He knows everything about me including the number of hairs on my head. God allows things to happen in our lives so we can test ourselves.

2012 taught me that yes, I DO believe God is able to get us through the hard times. Yes, my faith in God doesn’t depend on easy living. Yes, God works through the hardest of times and reveals his great love. It taught me that God is trustworthy, loving, and does all things well. It taught me that it’s ok to question God but in the end, I can lay it all at his feet and rest in his care.

Job trusted God so much that, even  in the midst of suffering, he knew he would be ok in the end. Better than ok. He would be like gold.

Thank you,God for teaching me about you… and about me. Help me to learn the lessons you have for me today. Thank you for knowing the way I take and for the assurance that you are with me every step.

January 10

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Job 19-21

My mom was ready to die. We are one month short of seventeen years since her battle with cancer ended. There are things about that day that are still so fresh in my memory. Other details have naturally faded.

I will admit that to this day I harbor ill feelings toward Mom’s pastor. He didn’t visit her, although my sister asked him repeatedly if he would take communion to Mom. His wife brought soup a couple of times and I imagine that eased any guilt he might have felt.

Then at her funeral, he mentioned what a good mother Mom was. But he never once said anything to my Dad. Never once offered comfort to this dear man who was totally lost without her. The pastor gave a flowery, impersonal sermon based on Job 19:25. Although he had been the pastor of our church for ten years, he could have given the same sermon for a stranger. God forgive me, my anger toward this man is still strong. I am convicted as I read God’s Word today.

The truth is Mom did know her Redeemer lives. She knew without a doubt that she was ready to stand before Him. She looked forward to her eternal home. This verse will always remind me of my Mom.

Lord, may I have the same hope in my living Redeemer. Thank you that You are alive and present in my life. Thank you for the promise of heaven and the assurance that You will welcome me there one day. And help me to forgive as You forgive… as Mom would want me to forgive.

January 9

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Job 15-18

It’s a sad truth that we can be pretty judgmental. I’m not talking about identifying sin as revealed in Scripture. I’m talking about motive. I’m talking about feelings and reacting to circumstances.

“If it was me…” and we go on to tell someone what they SHOULD have done, or how they SHOULD feel. But Job says walk in my shoes, then we’ll talk.

Since Geoff’s death, his mom has experienced this several times. One person even told her she knew how Peggy felt because “my dog died”. A counselor told Peggy she knew what Peggy felt because she almost lost her own daughter in an accident. Almost. Peggy was quick to tell this counselor (and I use this term loosely) that she had no idea as long as she could still hug her daughter.

We need to be careful not to assume we know what someone else is experiencing. Empathy can only go so far. I am not you. You are not me.

One mother, who had lost her own young son to cancer told Peggy… I don’t know how you feel. But I know how I felt and still feel and it hurts. I’m here if you need me and I’m praying for you.

I think that’s the best counsel of all.

January 8

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Job 11-14

Job knows there is order in the universe. If it doesn’t rain there is drought. If it rains too much it devastates the land. Ears hear and tongues taste. He says nature itself understands what we do not. Ask the animals and they will teach you or the birds or the fish. They, Job tells us, know that in God’s hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Job reminds me today that this creation was not an accident. Our world is a beautiful, amazing work of art. From the tiniest cell in my body to the tallest mountain there are wonders to behold. And the Creator wants us to know him, to trust him.

Job said even if God slew him he would still put his hope in God. Life is not easy. There are struggles and sadness. But there are also some pretty incredible aspects, too. Not the least of which is the comfort that comes from trusting God with it all.

We who know the Creator know that as amazing as this life is here, our eternal home is even better. God is faithful in this life… and the next.

January 7

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Job 8-10

Job looks at his life and knows he is a good man as far as men go. Yet when he looks at his life in light of what he knows about God he is broken. Circumstances aside, he knows he is guilty before a Holy God. Job pleads for someone to stand in the gap.

“If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God’s rod from me so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him. But as it now stands with me, I cannot.” (9:32-35)

Job cries out for Jesus without knowing his name. As a follower of Christ I have a great High Priest, a Mediator, One who goes to the Father on my behalf. One who presents me faultless before the throne and invites me to come boldly.

It’s not that I have a free pass. In fact, the cost of my access to Almighty God was so high I couldn’t pay it. But Jesus did. Jesus stands with one hand on my shoulder and the other on the Father’s. And all I had to do to receive this incredible privilege was to accept his grace, knowing He paid what I could not.

January 6

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Job 4-7

I kind of like Job’s friends. They heard their friend was in trouble and they went to him. I don’t know how far they traveled but I know they didn’t catch a flight or take the turnpike. Going to Job was probably not an easy thing to do. But they went because their friend was hurting.

When they saw how much agony Job was in they just sat with him. For seven days and nights! They sat without trying to fix Job or make him feel better. Talk about support, sensitivity, love. These guys had it all.

But then they opened their mouths. I’m sure they meant well. And some of what they said is true. But they would have been more helpful if they had remained silent.

Eliphaz starts off by suggesting Job’s troubles were a result of sin in Job’s life. (He didn’t know about the conversation between Satan and God which started the whole thing) Eliphaz believes Job is being punished for some horrible deed he has committed. After all, he says… Who, being innocent has ever perished? Were the upright ever destroyed?

Um… yes. Babies die. People are killed for proclaiming Christ. Bad things happen in a sinful world to both good people and bad.

Here’s the other thing. We all deserve to be punished. There is no one righteous… not even one. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If God treated sin with disease, death, and tragedy there wouldn’t be anyone alive today.

But God longs to treat sin with grace. He took on himself the punishment for sin and offers forgiveness to anyone who asks. There are consequences for sin in this lifetime, of course. Whether it’s weeds growing in a garden, broken marriages resulting from infidelity, diseased livers from abusing alcohol, and everything in between, sin has devastating results. I worked for a principal who often talked about ‘natural, logical consequences’. If you put your hand in a fire you will get burned. If you don’t do your homework you will fail. If you jump off a cliff you will get hurt.

What God wants us to know is that He is not up there with a zapper, waiting for us to mess up so He can inflict harm. He wants us to know He is a loving God who is rooting for us to do the right thing. He doesn’t take any joy in seeing us suffer the natural, logical consequences for disobeying Him.

There are no guarantees that if you are good, good things will happen. There is no promise that if someone is unfair to you, something bad will happen to them. There is, however, a guarantee that no matter what happens in this life, God is standing next to us, ready and willing to help us get through it. God wants us to see Him, not the situation. He wants us to experience His strength when we have none of our own.

Thank you, Lord for grace. For forgiveness. For your love and care. And even when things in this life go wrong, may we trust you. Give us the ability to use our life experiences to proclaim Christ. May the choices we make today honor You and enable us to live healthy productive lives for Jesus’ sake.