Posted on by Jennifer Tritsch

Anticipation

My husband and I once attended a Mississippi Christian Writers’ Association workshop.  One of the activities of the day was an opportunity to draw four random words from a basket and come up with a short story or topic within a set time period.  It was a very challenging and fun activity for me; and to be honest, I didn’t do so well during the first morning session.  My brain completely froze over, and the gears seemed to stop working.  But by the afternoon session, the gears had thawed; and as I looked at the four words I had in my hand, the following short story flowed easily from my pen to the paper.  I’d like to share it with you.  My words to work with were “white,” “bubblegum,” “Mississippi,” and “elephant.”

The Story

“The heat of the late afternoon sun hung heavily in the simple brick room.  The lone fan slowly turning above the young nurse’s head seemed to merely stir the heat rather than dissipate it.  The long, arduous day of vaccinating the young children of the small African village had been a challenge for the new missions nurse from Mississippi.  Her eager smile that had shone so brightly earlier in the morning had now faded into a tired grin as she gave the final injection into the upper arm of the squirming child held firmly in the lap of his mother.  Jane reached into the pocket of her white scrub top and produced the promised piece of bubblegum to her young patient.  A quick hug goodbye ended her long first shift.  The screen door slammed with finality as the mother and boy left.

“Jane quickly finished her charting; cleaned the small, sparsely furnished clinic; and locked the door behind her.  The evening sun was just beginning to set while she walked the narrow, beaten path to her waiting Jeep.  As she rounded the little curve behind the clinic, she suddenly jolted and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Staring in awe, unable to move, Jane beheld an enormous, gray elephant standing ever so calmly beside her tiny Jeep, flapping ears as large as windows in the Savannah heat.  A weathered, wrinkled face studied her.  A long trunk that hung between two massive tusks of ivory slowly swung up as to point a silent greeting to her disbelieving eyes.  Jane’s heart was pounding in her chest. Her respirations were coming in labored, quick gasps.  Her mouth instantly dried upon trying to form the words needed to call for help, even though Jane was having a difficult time remembering how to do so in the first place.  There they stood in silence, the small missions nurse and the gigantic elephant, each eyeing the other and taking in every detail, each anticipating the other’s next move.”

I was a young fifth grader when I first heard the Kelley Huff song that taught me the definition of the word “anticipation.”  However, I wouldn’t fully come to appreciate the meaning of the word until many years later as an adult.

“Regard as probable; expect or predict…Guess or be aware of (what will happen) and take action in order to be prepared…Look forward to.”

“Anticipate.” https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/anticipate. English by Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2018.

Expect or Predict

How wonderful it would be if we were able to expect and predict those seemingly endless curve balls we’re thrown in the game of life!  Underneath my outer, compassionate, nurturing, extremely emotional personality beats the heart of a natural leader who loves organization and preparedness (believe it or not).  I know this will come as a shock to some who know me, but I love to be prepared.  Navigating the uncharted regions of life can completely upset my little world.  The more details I have in advance, the better I can withstand change, which I personally detest.  That’s why it’s so hard for me to have confidence in the face of the unknown.  That’s why I am a natural skeptic at heart.  It takes a lot to win my trust and even more to get it back if broken.  Faith is a big deal for people like me.

Take Action

One thing I love about the definition of anticipation is the part that says to “take action in order to be prepared.”  Anticipation is not simply a passive thought; anticipation requires effort.  The children of Israel were told to have their meal eaten, their staff in their hand, and shoes on their feet during that first Passover.  They were anticipating something.  They didn’t know what exactly, but they were ready when their deliverance came (Exodus 12).  Anticipation made Elijah send a servant to look for a sign in the sky seven times before it was ever seen (1 Kings 18).  When the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom marched together against the king of Moab and were parched in the desert, God told Elisha to tell them to dig some ditches in preparation for the water that would ultimately save them. That took some effort; but without it, they would never have received their life-sustaining blessing (2 Kings 3).  That’s three quick references in the Old Testament alone on how anticipation required some effort.  The Bible is full of such examples.  Put some action into your anticipation the next time you’re waiting on God for a move in your life!

Look Forward To

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

1 Corinthians 2:9

Oh, how I love this verse!  We can’t even begin to anticipate the things that God has in store for us.  The Word tells us that He orders the steps of a righteous man (Psalms 37:23).  When we don’t know what to expect, the one thing we can expect is that God always has been, is still, and will always be in control if we’ve placed our lives in His hands.

I’ll close with the words to an unfinished song the Lord gave me many years ago… “In this ever-changing world I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I’m glad that I know the one who holds tomorrow.”

Posted on by Delbert Tritsch

An Atmosphere for the Miraculous

A Testimony

Fifty days ago, the Savior of the world drew His last breath on a Roman cross.  We never knew such pain and despair until that dreadful moment when a suffocating blanket of darkness enveloped the world.  Our hearts were broken and our hopes dashed.

I remember so well when He cried out, “Eli!  Eli!  Lama sabachthani?!”  To hear the Hope of My Salvation declare His own forsakenness was more than I could bear.  But I did, somehow.  Unaware at the time, now, I know it was by the strength of the very One I saw disfigured before me.  The Lamb of God at His weakest, yet proving Himself stronger than ever!

But just three days later, He rose from the dead.  I could hardly believe it when I first heard the news; but then, I remembered things He had said about this very thing.  He told us that He would die and rise again, but we didn’t understand…until it actually happened.  My heart was overcome with joy to know that He had risen!

Now, we’re here in Jerusalem in this upper room because Jesus told us before He ascended into the Heavens to wait here for the Promise.  Over one hundred of us are here with one consent, one purpose.  And we’re not leaving until it happens.  Jesus is coming back!

Three Ingredients

About 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, there was an atmosphere for the miraculous.  A group of disciples of Jesus Christ were filled with the hope of His return.  And though He didn’t return in the flesh, He did return in the Holy Spirit.  About 3,000 people were filled with the Holy Ghost, and there was great revival like never before with signs and wonders.

This was a supernatural season wherein God began to pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh and to show Himself strong to His people and through His Church.  Three ingredients were present in that outpouring two millennia ago, and these same factors can produce an atmosphere for the miraculous, today.

God’s Promise

Luke wrote to Theophilus in the book of Acts saying that Jesus “shewed himself alive after his passion” (after Calvary) “by many infallible proofs” and that He was seen alive for forty days and that He spoke “of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).  He recounted how that Jesus had instructed the apostles to remain in Jerusalem and to wait there “for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4).  And Jesus told them that, while John had “baptized with water”, they would “be baptized with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 1:5).

The Lamb of God had paid the price to redeem mankind from the bondage of sin.  Jesus told His disciples in John 14:19 that the world would soon see Him no longer but that they (His disciples) would see Him, and He said that they would live because He lived.  Jesus was speaking of that “promise of the Father” saying that they would discern Him through His return to them as their Comforter, the Holy Spirit of Christ.  Because He rose from the dead, they would also experience new life in Him.  And Jesus said in the next verse, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:20).  At that day, they would receive divine revelation and a fulfillment of things that Jesus had been teaching them but that they had yet to experience.

So it was that they were waiting for the promise in an upper room in Jerusalem at that day.  And at that day, they were filled with Holy Ghost and understood the deity of Christ beyond what logic, philosophy, or academics could offer.

The promise from God of the infilling of His Holy Spirit set the stage for the miraculous; and that promise that Jesus made to them, He also made to you and me.

For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Acts 2:39

Our Unity

Before God’s promise could be realized, the people had to be united.  Acts 2:1 tells us that, as they waited for the promise, “they were all with one accord in one place.”  Acts 1:14 says they “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication”; but in verse 15, Peter interrupted their prayer meeting because he understood that there was a matter that needed to be addressed.  Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus and taken his own life, left a vacancy in the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ; and that void needed to be filled because Scripture required it.

“Peter!  This is not the time to have a business meeting!  We’re in the middle of a prayer meeting!  We’re praying for the promise!”

Sometimes, there is business that needs to be addressed before a prayer meeting can be effective.  If there is anything that may be an obstacle to unity in the body, it must be handled wisely; or you may not see the move of God that He desires for you.  Peter’s wisdom in dealing with things that could have been an obstacle to unity put them on the stage that God’s promise had set for the miraculous.

My Tremble

The atmosphere for the miraculous that existed in that upper room in Jerusalem would move out into the larger Church that was about to be born.  After they were baptized with the Holy Ghost, Peter preached Jesus to the crowd that had gathered outside; and many of them “gladly received his word” and “were baptized”, and “about three thousand souls” were filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:41).

Beyond that glorious day, “they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).  One might expect the excitement to wane or the supernatural intensity to decrease, but it did not.  Acts 2:43 gives a clue as to why this divine move of God continued.

And fear came upon every soul:  and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

Acts 2:43

Fear, or a deep reverence and respect, toward God came upon, not just most, but upon EVERY soul.  They were in awe at the presence and power of the Almighty God.  They had their tremble.

God-pleasing unity that births the miraculous can only occur when I have my tremble.  You may think that you’re okay because you believe in God, but that only makes you as good as devils.  James 2:19 says that “the devils also believe.”  But many people today may not even measure up to devils because James said that “the devils also believe, and tremble.”

Where is your tremble?  Where is your awe at His majesty?

I believe that the main reason we don’t see more of the miraculous is because we have lost our tremble.  There is a manifestation of the presence and power of God that will only be realized when a people find their tremble at His majesty.

Job said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom” (Job 28:28).

David said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalms 111:10).

Solomon said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge”; and he said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”; and he said, “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 15:33).

Solomon said that the “conclusion of the whole matter” and “the whole duty of man” is to “Fear God, and keep his commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psalms 2:11

Let all the earth fear the Lord:  let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psalms 33:8

The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble…

Psalms 99:1

God provides the promise; we agree in unity; but only I can have my tremble.  And when a people of promise who agree in faith recognize the supreme sovereignty of the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-existing God of the universe and tremble in awe of Him, they will have created an atmosphere for the miraculous.

Posted on by Delbert Tritsch

The Author and Finisher

Sheriff Robert Mitchell tightly grasped the reigns in his left hand and a rifle in the other as he leaned forward into the wind.  Hooves pounded on the desert floor throwing dirt into the air with a cloud of dust behind.  Mitchell and his thoroughbred raced through the canyon just to the south of town as Major’s sorrel coat glistened with sweat and his raw, muscular power drove them toward the three fleeing bandits.

They had jumped him in town as he walked by the saloon.  He had tried to fight them and got a few good licks in, but they had overpowered him and rode out of town with his revolvers.

Zzziiing!  A bullet flew past the sheriff’s ear with the crack of a gunshot trailing in the distance.  The pursuit had taken Mitchell to the edge of a narrowing in the canyon, and gunmen were in the rocks above.  Robert quickly slowed his steed, dismounted, and shooed him back just out of immediate danger.  He dove behind a large boulder nearby just as another bullet ricocheted off the same rock.

He crouched with his back to the stone shield as grit and sand broken from the canyon walls by flying lead pelted the ground.  After a few minutes, the sounds of gunfire quieted.  Suddenly, the silence broke with a distant holler.

“Give up, Sheriff!  We gotcha surrounded!  Ain’t no way outta here for ya!”

Mitchell knew the sound of that voice.  Tuck McCreary was wanted in four states for several robberies and two murders.  The sheriff had his suspicions Tuck was in these parts and planning something big.

“McCreary!  I know you killed a man in cold blood!  I’m taking you in, today; and you’ll hang for what you did!”

Before he finished the last word, Mitchell grasped his rifle with both hands, swiftly spun around, and raised up to take aim over the boulder.  From the sound of McCreary’s voice, Robert had already determined the murderer’s location.  The sights fell directly on McCreary.  The sheriff squeezed the trigger.

Bang!  Mitchell was knocked to the ground landing squarely on his back as his rifle flew to the side about three feet away.  Dazed and with a sharp ringing in his ear, he gasped to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him.  Another one of the gunmen had shot the sheriff’s rifle from his hands causing him to miss McCreary altogether.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that to kill me, Sheriff!”  McCreary let out a yelp of defiant satisfaction.

Once he had regained his composure, Mitchell carefully and quickly retrieved his weapon and crouched behind the boulder.  The hammer was jammed and the receiver cracked.  His rifle was useless.  His quick-draw double holsters were empty.  He had spotted two men, besides McCreary when he tried to shoot him.  That meant the whole gang who were all now in the rocks above made six against one.  He’d been in tough straights before, but none any worse.

Not about to reveal his disadvantage, the sheriff shouted, “Any of you boys decide to turn on your boss, and I might be able to save you from the gallows!  But if you don’t, I’ve got a cell big enough for the lot a ya; and the judge has plenty a rope!”

McCreary’s cohorts laughed and sneered as he retorted, “You’re outnumbered, Sheriff!  You ain’t makin’ it outta here alive!  Just go on and make peace with God ‘cause I got a bullet here with your name on it!”

Robert wasn’t the most religious man.  He didn’t always attend Sunday morning service.  But he respected the preacher.  He believed in God, and he believed in doing right.  He even read the Bible now and then.  And it wasn’t uncommon for him to talk to God when no one else was around.

As he hid there pondering his predicament, Mitchell realized there was no way out of this situation alive without a miracle.  He recalled one of the few Bible passages he had memorized; it was his favorite.  He whispered it to himself, “’Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.  For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.’  Romans thirteen and one.”

Mitchell bowed his head.  “Dear, God.  You made me sheriff.  These men can’t do anything, unless You let ‘em.  If it’s my time, it’s my time.  But if it ain’t, help me arrest these outlaws.”

“Who you talking to, Sheriff?!” McCreary shouted.  “You ain’t outta ammo, are ya?  I think we gotcha in a tight spot!  Ha!”

Mitchell knew it wouldn’t be long before they started moving around to set their sights on him from behind.

A high-pitched scream pierced the short-lived silence.  “I’ve been bit!  I’ve been bit!!!”

Mitchell peeked over the boulder to see one of McCreary’s henchmen dancing near the edge of the canyon wildly shaking one leg.

“I’ve been bit by a rattler!”  As the poetic victim panicked, his foot slipped on loose gravel causing him to fall headlong over the precipice.  A scream much louder and more strident than the first filled the canyon for about two seconds and ended abruptly with a thud.

Mitchell could see the man lying contorted and motionless on the ground about thirty feet away.  He saw it, but he couldn’t believe it.  As he pondered in amazement what had just happened, he saw a movement in the corner of his eye toward the other side of the canyon.  He quickly turned his head and looked up to see another gunman looking at him down the length of his barrel.  Before Robert had a chance to move, the gunman pulled the trigger.  With an explosion and puff of smoke, the shooter fell back.

Robert waited and listened.

“Jones!”  McCreary motioned to another of his men on the far side of the canyon, presumably to check on the gunman whose rifle had just exploded in his face.  Jones ran with his head low toward his incapacitated comrade when he tripped.  His head hit a rock with a thump loud enough for Mitchell hear it.

Within three minutes from the time Mitchell prayed for help, three of his adversaries had been disabled.  He was dumbfounded and emboldened as he realized God was truly fighting for him.  With a confidence that surprised himself, the Sheriff decided to physically confront McCreary and demand his surrender.

Mitchell whistled.  Major galloped toward the boulder.  Mitchell stood, grabbed the pommel, and mounted his steed with a single leap.

With a “Giddy up!” from his rider, Major raced toward a steep path to the canyon top a few hundred feet away.

McCreary and his remaining gang were so stupefied by the sudden disabling of three of their own that they failed to even take a shot as Mitchell approached.  Robert brought Major to a halt just a few feet from McCreary.  He remained in the saddle as McCreary aimed his rifle at him.

“You’re under arrest.  Throw down your weapon, and tell your men to do the same.”  Mitchell hopped down from the saddle, stepped toward McCreary, and held out his hand.

Without a word, McCreary handed the sheriff his weapon as he motioned to his men to surrender.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Life is fair.  Most say life is not fair.  “Bad” things happen to “good” people.  Some people are born into wealth while others are born into poverty.  Some enjoy good health with ease, but others struggle with disease all of their lives.  We are not all given the same advantages.  But these arguments merely emphasize inequalities while failing to disprove the equitableness of life.

Inequalities in life abound; in fact, this earthly existence would be quite mundane without them.  Not only would the dullness of ubiquitous uniformity depress us, but most of us would still conclude that life is unfair.  Our assessment would be founded on the same measure as it is in reality:  the comparison of ourselves against ourselves.  Paul told the Corinthians those who do such are unwise (2 Cor. 10:12).  They look inwardly to set a standard for justice and make the devil’s job easy by blinding their own selves to truth (2 Cor. 4:4).  Thank God for our differences!

Life is fair because the Source of all life is “free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice” and He is “in conformity with rules or standards.”[1]  “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34); He does not show partiality.  He loves us all, but He does not give us all the same gifts.  He deals with us as individuals.  We may not establish true standards by our own selves, but God has established the only true standards by His own power and authority.  And God keeps His standards.

Life is fair, but life is not always easy.  Your life—a testimony of God’s equity—is undoubtedly filled with ups and downs.  During trouble, it can be difficult to recognize God’s fairness; but the wise soul who chooses to place their trust in the Faithful One will find peace in knowing “that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

Rather than setting our own standards or comparing ourselves with others around us, let us keep biblical standards and follow the examples of the heroes who have gone before us blazing the trail of faithfulness.  Avoid those unnecessary things in life that would weigh you down slowing your progress.  Forsake those sins that would injure or disable you.  Run this race toward Jesus.

Your story began with Jesus even before you knew Him.  He is the Author of it.  Your story will end with Jesus.  He is the Finisher of it.

As the Author, Jesus knows how to tell a story exceeding the excellence ascribed by all literary awards and accolades combined.  He is the Doctor of Drama and the Sage of Suspense.  He is the Master at building tension, excitement, and thrill.  He can place you in a disadvantage with the odds favoring your adversary to teach you unwavering trust in Him.  Just as easily, He can draft your deliverance with a rewrite of divine reward for your faithfulness.  It could be that the suffering He scribed in your saga was a setup for the promotion He’s about to pen.

Right now, He is writing your story.  He already has planned your final chapter.  He said, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you…thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jer. 29:11).  He knows your plot.  He’s in control of your storyline.  And He really enjoys writing unexpected and miraculous deliverance into your life.  You see, the Author doesn’t need anything extra or any assistance to change the direction of your story.  Your antagonist is no obstacle to the Author.  Your situation will not stop Him.  All the Author needs is His Words, and He can write in your miracle anywhere He pleases.

I started working on this article on March 2, 2015, quite a while before the genesis of Treach the Word™.  The inspiration for this writing came from a message my father preached many years ago.

[1] “fair”. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 5 May. 2017. <Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/fair>.