Tag Archives: faith

April 29 – Excuses! Excuses!

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I Chronicles 7-10

I wonder what it would have been like to be Sheerah. In a male-dominant society, she is credited with building lower and upper Beth-horon, and Uzzen-sheerah. She is given one verse in I Chronicles (7:24), but her life must have been extraordinary.

I wonder what it was about her that she was able to have men listen to her, to follower her direction, to respect her. Because she certainly didn’t build those cities by herself.

I wonder what would have happened if Sheerah had sat back and not taken command of the situation. She could hardly be faulted if she had thought, “What can I do? I’m only a woman.” Or if the first time a man tried to overrule her if she had given up.

The thing is, God uses both men and women to accomplish great things. It just takes a willingness to step out in faith.

If God is calling you into some kind of ministry, stop making excuses. God used uneducated men who were willing to follow Jesus to lead the first century Church. If God can use them, He can use you, too.

God uses men and women, healthy and dying, introverts and extroverts, children and elderly people to do great things in Jesus’ name. When a heart is yielded to God, He can accomplish the extraordinary.

April 15 – When Life Gets Tough

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Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52

There is so much gold contained in the psalms. In the five we read today, you get a feeling for David’s pain, his confusion. He is being pursued by Saul, and betrayed by Doeg. David is hiding in a cave while he writes these words.

In these psalms David also gives us a glimpse of Jesus. Look for verses that refer to our Savior as you read. It’s pretty awesome.

But what stood out to me today as I read these psalms was David’s unwavering faith and trust in God. Yes he was running for his life. Yes, he was being treated unfairly. But no matter what, David rested in God alone.

52: 8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the loving kindness of God forever and ever.

34:1  I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth.

34:4  I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

34:8  O taste and see that the Lord is good.

31:14&15  But as for me, I trust in you, O Lord, I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands…

27:1  The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?

7:1  O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge…

I hope you’ll read these psalms as the prayer of your own heart. Substitute David’s enemy with whatever it is you are facing. I pray you’ll be able to face whatever would destroy you, with the same confidence David expresses in these beautiful psalms.

When life gets tough, the only place I want to be is clinging to God who loves me and shelters me and holds me close. There, and only there, I have no fear.

April 14 – God Uses Sinners

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I Samuel 21-24

David was described as “a man after God’s own heart.” But David sinned. And some of his sins were doozies. Here in these chapters of I Samuel we see David lie to a priest of the Lord. Ahimelech the priest gave David food and Goliath’s sword because David told him the king had sent him. In fact, King Saul had not sent David.

David got what he had come for. But it cost Ahimelech his life, and the lives of his family. David would have to live with the fact that his lie brought about those deaths.

Yet this liar is described as a man after God’s own heart.

My pastor talked to us last night at prayer meeting about Zaccheus (Luke 19). Zaccheus was a hated tax collector, getting rich by extorting money from the people. His neighbors described him as a sinner. But Zaccheus was radically changed when he met Jesus.

Think of the cruel and murderous Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus. And think about how he was used by God after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus.

What I notice about these three men is that they didn’t let their past sins stop them from serving God. Read David’s psalms and hear him repent of his sins, and put his trust in the Lord. The Bible is full of examples of how God used David to bless the nation of Israel, and yes, even examples of what a man after God’s own heart looks like. See how, when God called Zaccheus and Saul by name, their encounter with the Savior effected the rest of their lives.

God didn’t say, “Clean up your act, then come back to me.” Instead God says, “Come as you are.”

Hear God call you by name, then respond to Him with a repentant heart. No sin is too great for Him to forgive. No life too shattered for Him to transform. And no sinner is too far gone to be used by God, once that sinner has met the Savior.

I prayed for you today.

March 28 – God’s Promises Are A Done Deal

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Joshua 19-21

So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass. (21:43-45)

Did you catch what Scripture tells us? The Jews were given the land just like God had promised Abraham. None of their enemies stood before them. None of the promises God made to them failed. Not a one!

Can God be trusted to keep His Word? 100%

Would you mind if I share a personal burden I am carrying? I have a friend who is having surgery today to remove a large tumor from her brain. I am praying for complete healing, although this is not the only cancer invading her body.

I read passages like this one in Joshua, and in others like Matthew 4:23 where Jesus healed everyone who came to Him. Or like in James 5:16 that says we should confess our sins so we can be healed. And I am tempted to believe physical healing is God’s promise. But is it?

God promised the Israelites He would defeat their enemies. And he did. Promise kept.

But I am reminded that cancer is not my friend’s enemy. Her enemy was defeated when she asked Jesus to save her. She is a godly woman, a servant, an encourager. Her life has been a testimony for God’s grace for the forty plus years I have known her. She has touched thousands of lives through her years as a music teacher, a member of the city’s Philharmonic Orchestra, as her church’s organist and praise team member. Her unwavering faith these past couple years as she has battled this disease has shown a bright spotlight on her Savior to people in and outside the church.

I pray for a miraculous healing in my friend’s body. I pray for the doctors, for her husband and daughters. I pray for her church family and the community who loves her so much.  I pray that God will be glorified in this surgery today. No matter the outcome.

I know God will keep every promise He’s ever made to my friend. He will never leave or forsake her. He’s gone to prepare a place for her where she will live forever cancer-free, and in God’s Presence.

Would you pray with me today for Sheri? May God be evident in many ways, may hearts be drawn to Him, and may Sheri know the healing that God has in store for her.

He will keep His promises.

 

March 3 – Because I Said So

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Numbers 18-20

Moses knew how to get water out of a rock. At Marah, recorded in Exodus 15, God told Moses to tap the rock with his staff, and when he did, water came rushing out. Enough  water to satisfy the nation of Israel in the middle of a desert.

Now the Jews, who must be the definition of short-term memory loss, were thirsty again. They did what they always did when things got tough – they complained. So once again Moses asks God what to do.

This time, God tells him to go up to the rock and speak to it. Water will come.

Why Moses decided to tap the rock we can only guess. We do know it worked once before. Maybe he assumed tapping the rock was part of God’s water-from-the-rock formula and just neglected to mention it.

But did you read what Moses said before tapping the stone? “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock.”

Bad mistake.

First of all, God had said nothing about touching the rock. And secondly, how dare Moses take credit for the miracle. “We” are bringing the water? Oh, Moses.

God’s instructions were clear. Speak to the rock, Moses. Then God would bring the water out of the rock. I think God wanted the Jews to learn an important lesson, that God is who He says He is, that He has supreme control, and they can trust Him.

Moses prevented the Jews from seeing that lesson when he took matters into his own hands. His disobedience hid God’s power. And his words put the focus on himself, rather than on the God of miracles.

You might wonder, if touching the rock was such a big deal, why didn’t God explain that to Moses when He was giving instructions? Surely if God had been specific, Moses would not have tapped the rock.

But, dear one, God doesn’t need to explain Himself. His instructions were clear. And Moses should have obeyed for the simple reason that God had spoken.

Do you have kids who ask “Why” a thousand times a day? Do you feel obligated to give them an explanation every time? Maybe it’s time we all learned the lesson Moses is teaching us here. Sometimes the answer is, “Because I said so.”

Is God asking you to do something, talk to someone, forgive someone, take a step of faith? If God is instructing you, don’t wait around for an explanation. He doesn’t owe you  one. If He’s telling you to do something, do it.

Just because He said so.

 

Jan 31 – Oh, Moses

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Exodus 4-6

Moses. Moses. Moses. (I am shaking my head) You really didn’t want to be Israel’s leader, did you?

Six times in the chapters we read today, Moses tried to talk God out of sending him. He said things like, ‘They won’t believe me.’ ‘I am slow of speech.’ ‘Please send someone else.’ ‘Why did you ever send me?’ ‘If the Jews won’t listen to me, what makes You think Pharaoh will?’ ‘Pharaoh won’t pay attention to me because of the way I talk.’

Sometimes Moses protested right after God promised to do great things through him. And sometimes God was a little angry at this reluctant leader.

Moses seems to be inhibited by his speech. Did he stutter? Did he have a deformity? If it was holding Moses back, why didn’t God just heal him? God does all things well. And in this case, Moses didn’t need to be healed.

Reading about Moses reminds me God can use the least of us to accomplish great things. We don’t have to be the best looking, most talented, most charismatic people in the church. What we need is to trust God, to obey Him even if our knees are shaking.

The Charlton Heston version of Moses shows a strong, confident, fierce leader who led the Israelites out of Egypt. But I’m not so sure Moses was really that person. From what I read today, Moses might have been a bit more of a wimp than that.

God delights in revealing Himself through those of us who depend solely upon Him. Nobody was going to look at Moses and say, “He was born to be a great leader.” But they will look at Moses and say, “Wow. Moses has a great God.”

I want them to say that about me, too.

Jan 27 – A Great Deliverance

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Genesis 43-45

We don’t always get to see the answers to our “why” questions. But Joseph and his brothers did. I imagine there were times Joseph might have wondered why God allowed him to be enslaved, imprisoned, then exalted. It must have been confusing for the young man.

But Joseph knew the evil that had come upon him at the hands of his brothers came from Satan. Satan wanted the outcome of Joseph’s captivity to end badly. Instead, God used it to preserve the whole nation of Israel. Joseph called it a great deliverance.

Do you have the same confidence in God that Joseph had when circumstances are confusing, and seem unfair in your own life? Remember what Joseph said to his brothers, then apply it to your situation.

Because God is in control. God can bring about good out of the evil Satan throws our way. Because God loves you way more than Satan hates you.

Dear God, I pray for those reading these chapters in Genesis today who are facing circumstances that are confusing and difficult. I pray that they will trust You to bring about good. I pray that Your will will be accomplished in each life, and that those who don’t know You will find You through the examples shown in Your trusting children. Give strength where strength is needed. Give patience or boldness if either is needed. I pray for a great deliverance. May we trust You with every detail. And thank you for being in charge of the outcome.

Jan 19 – What About Isaac?

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Genesis 22-24

We are well aware of Abraham’s faith that allowed him to stand over his son Isaac, knife raised, ready to sacrifice his son on an altar, because God told him to. But what of Isaac’s faith? The Bible doesn’t say anything about that.

It’s kind of a picture of Christ, isn’t it? The father’s son, who carried the wood for the sacrifice, like Jesus carried the wooden cross.

I wonder if Isaac went willingly. That must not really matter because the Bible isn’t clear concerning it. But Abraham had said something to Isaac I choose to believe the boy believed:

The Lord will provide a lamb.

And I believe Isaac’s own faith allowed him to crawl up on that altar in obedience.

Makes me wonder how far my faith would take me. Am I really ready to lay it all on the altar? My health? My family? My finances? My future? What about my pride, my thought-life, my self?

God, give me faith like Isaac’s.

Jan 12 – Questions Without Answers

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Job 32-34

Elihu asks a question worth considering:

Why do you complain against (God) that He does not give an account of all His doings? (Job 33:13)

The book of Job is filled with reminders that God is God and we are His creation. There is a hierarchy and we’re not on top.

Friend, God does not owe you an explanation.

God didn’t even owe it to us to inspire men to write His Words for us to read, for us to use to get to know Him. And just because God didn’t include every tiny bit of information you might think you need in Scripture, it doesn’t mean He’s done anything wrong. He, in His ultimate knowledge, just doesn’t think you happen to need to know that particular detail this side of heaven.

That’s where faith comes in. God wants us to trust Him. Satan, however, would have us disappointed in or angry at God for not giving us the answers we want.

But let’s focus on what He HAS given us, the answers to other, more important questions. Like how we can be forgiven. Like how we can be sure of our eternity. Like how to live our lives in service to this great God who doesn’t owe us anything…

yet gives us so much.

 

Jan 8 – A Statement Of Faith

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Job 17-20

Job is feeling insignificant, like what he is saying and experiencing isn’t important. His hopes and dreams are lost, and his friends seem to only want to explain it away. Job tells them there isn’t a wise man among them. (I smile)

In chapter 19 Job says even if he is suffering consequences for doing something wrong, like his friends suggest, “my error lodges with me.” Then he continues to try to explain to his friends what he is experiencing and feeling in the moment. I can almost hear him plead, “Just hear me.”

But then Job gives a powerful statement of faith, beginning in 19:25:

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!

Once again this man of God acknowledges that God is alive and well, and one day Job assures his friends he will see God. Job is absolutely sure that this life is just the opening act, that the heart of the matter lies beyond the grave.

And Job trusts God even during this difficult and confusing time of life. My prayer is that you, too, have the same resolve. Even if you never get the answers you think you deserve during this lifetime, I pray the thought of seeing your Redeemer face to face causes your heart to faint within you, too. I know for myself, just thinking about looking into Jesus’ eyes brings joy and anticipation.

And in a very real way, the promise of being in the presence of the One who loved me and gave Himself for me, makes the cares of this life a bit more bearable, a bit less consuming.

I know that my Redeemer lives!