Restoring What Has Been Damaged

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. Joel 2:25 (King James Version)

One of my favorite Bible tools is the dictionary because it helps to shed light on a word I may not have a full picture of. Such was the case with the word restore. It means “to put or bring back into existence or use; to bring back to or put back into a former or original state; and to put again in possession of something.” None of that is necessary unless something has been damaged, lost, taken, or injured.

God is ready, willing, and able to show us what needs to be restored in our life. To show us what has been “eaten” by the locust of circumstances or people. Understand that behind it all is the enemy of our souls for he is the one who comes to destroy and devour us at every turn. We often times can only see the tools and individuals he is using but it is imperative that we realize his hand is in the ruin and havoc.

This morning I am thinking of the things that need to be restored, not only in my life but in the lives of those who will read this devotional. It could be the locust of our life has eaten our sense of something that use to come so easily for us. Those who have had their homes broken into often say along with the possessions the person took my sense of feeling safe in my own home. Those who were sexually violated or exploited live with the loss of feeling pure or clean. Acts of betrayal, rejection, or sabotage have left some with the inability to trust others in future relationships. Those who have been ridiculed or slandered may no longer possess a sense of confidence and strength. Those who felt the pain of failure or loss may no longer have a desire to venture out into the unknown. Whatever the case may be, if there is a sense of loss or the feeling that what has been destroyed will never mark my path again, God will show me where that incident took place, what affect it had on me, and the promise that He will restore it.

I cling to that promise today, for I am fully aware of what the locust has eaten in my own life and the result of it. Now I open my arms and my heart to the restoration that only God can bring about.

Father, restore that which has been shattered in my life, so that it no longer affects my relationships. The end of my story is still be written by You. Amen.

Fearless Heart - Point of Grace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DljiOolx3j0&feature=related

There are now over 800 previous devotionals housed on this blog site. Read them according to date, theme or book of the Bible. Copy them for a personal notebook. Share them with others. Enjoy!

When Someone is Running

The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Jonah 1:4 (New American Standard Bible)

There are times when God will go to great measures to come against our places of comfort, security, or escape. Jonah was in such a place and God’s intervention was evident. In some ways, he reminds me of the prodigal son from the book of Luke. While the father let him go and waited for life to become uncomfortable enough to bring him back home, God was still at work in the background to bring about that change of direction.

Maybe there is someone reading this devotional right now and you have a loved one who is living the life of a Jonah. They are running as fast and as far as they can from what God wants for them. You may be praying for their salvation or you may be praying for their return. As hard as it may be to watch what they are doing to themselves (and possibly to others in their life) be aware God can still control the situations of their life. God is still in the business of bringing about personal famines or storms to redirect their thinking, their steps, and their lives.

So what does a person do in the case of someone they know who is running? First of all, if they are an adult, let them go. Teens and children are still under our care and responsibility. But for an adult, let them go. It will be in the midst of their wandering that God will be able to begin His work. Secondly, pray for God’s intervention in their life. God may use health, He may use finances, He may use discomfort, He may use loss, or any number of other methods that bring about effective change. If someone keeps stepping in and rescuing them, the process gets interrupted and prolonged. God knows what to use to get their attention. The control they think they possess over their life will be challenged by the One who really is in control. Consequences for personal choices really are beneficial. Thirdly, use this time to reevaluate your own life. What are the areas God wishes to redirect in you? God can multi-task very well. As He shows you areas to change, cooperate with Him. And finally, wait! Things may happen quickly or it may take years. Trust that whatever God is doing it is out of a heart of love for you as well as for your loved one.

Father, many hearts this morning ache over the choices loved ones are making. May they know that Your heart aches as well. Give them wisdom to trust You to intervene for their ‘Jonah.’ Amen.

God Will Make a Way - Don Moen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hOjYR8UZT8&NR=1

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Redemption and Reunions

Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21 (New King James Version)

The countless offenses Joseph forgave became the distinct backdrop to an exquisite portrait of grace and mercy. Joseph was not in denial. He plainly stated the evil intent of his brothers along with the sovereign working of God. After years of separation from family and imprisonment, Joseph came to see that God had never taken His eye or His hand off Him. What was meant to destroy him actually became the passage way to his life’s calling and vocation. By the time he was reunited with his brothers he was ready to provide for them, comfort them, and speak kindly to them.

I believe much of this was contingent on the fact that Joseph had fully embraced the truth that God meant the things in his life for good. It was not just a lofty thought to him. While his life entailed much pain, sorrow, and tears, he knew where the path ultimately led…..the saving of many lives including his and his family’s. He knew that only God could bring about such a story of redemption. That only God could bring beauty from his ashes. His incredible reunion with his brothers hinged on his personal connection with God and the acceptance of God’s plan for his life.

Within that context hope is born in me this morning. I am daring to believe that God could do such a work in me as He did in Joseph. He can redeem ANY story in my life that I allow Him to redeem. He can bring about reunions with individuals that I consider impossible. He can transform my internal world into a thing of beauty.

Joseph’s story far exceeds anything I have ever faced and that in turn helps me to see the possibilities of God’s intervention on my behalf. That is one of the reasons there were so many stories recorded in Scripture. It is so we can know that our stories too can be redeemed by the same loving, personal, devoted, and capable God.

Father, it is with joy and confidence that I offer to You my own story. Do Your work in me. Thank you for what I will see come of this. Amen.

Taking Hold of His Feet

Suddenly, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings." The women came up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Matthew 28:9 (New Century Version)

No other gospel book records this account. Women had been to the tomb of Jesus and heeding the words of an angel, were quickly heading to the disciples to let them know Jesus had risen from the dead. On the way, they are met by Jesus and their response has captured my attention. They take hold of His feet and worship Him. What they could do in a physical sense, I want to do metaphorically and it will necessitate several things.

Taking hold of Jesus’ feet takes place only as I humble myself and bow before Him. It entails closeness with nothing between Him and myself. To take hold requires empty hands whereby I am not holding on to other things including negative attitudes. It must be a priority. It is a place of submission, intimacy, openness, and reverence. Ultimately, it leads to worship, adoration, and praise.

I am broken this morning by the realization that it does not take much for me to release my hold on His feet and distance myself by my words, thoughts, actions, or motives. There are times my hands become soiled from sinful choices I have made, bruised with wounds I bring upon myself, tainted by the idols they have grasped, closed to the opportunities to reach out to others, and weakened by the continual harboring of trinkets and treasures. Yet, when I come to the place of reaching out to take hold of His feet once again, He does not recoil, back away, or despise. My confession and repentance is ALWAYS met with forgiveness and reconciliation. He will forever display the heart of the prodigal son’s father.

When I recently found myself at odds over some petty things, I asked the Lord how to make things right again. This morning He is letting me know the first step is to reach out and take hold of His feet. As I do that, worship will follow as well as further steps of obedience. His availability to me and acceptance of me have once again wooed me to Himself. At His feet I am not sensing shame, condemnation, or harshness. I am sensing His heart.

Father, You have shown me much about Yourself and myself this morning. Thank you for doing so in such a gentle yet profound way. Amen.

In Pursuit of Us

And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. Jonah 4:6 (King James Version)

Today was the first time I have ever read through the book of Jonah and saw God’s pursuit of him. God pursued him in his place of comfort. (chap. 1) He pursued him when he ran. (chap. 2) He pursued him when he repented. (chap. 3) And He pursued him when he retreated in anger. (chap. 4) That is the place of today’s verse. God meets him in his grief and ministers to him.

We so often think of God as One who leaves us in our time of rebellion and anger. And yet David writes in Psalm 139 that no matter where we go, God has us encircled, enclosed, and hemmed in with His right hand on us! The knowledge of that in its entirety was too much for David to fully grasp. Think of it! God remains ever present and ever personal no matter what! This is not to say He approves of our sinful choices or ignores our actions. He does not set aside the sowing and reaping principle nor does He simply ignore our behavior. That would not be loving or wise on His part. But He desires restoration and deliverance for us just as He did for Jonah.

This morning I am reviewing in my mind the many different places I have been where God was still pursuing me. He pursued me as a lost sinner in need of a Savior. He pursued me in my camps of performance and legalism. He pursued me in my pursuit of others. He pursued me in my repentance and brokenness. And presently He pursues me in a time of healing and restoration. Like David, I am unable to grasp the knowledge of it. But God doesn’t expect me to understand it all. He simply desires that I embrace this aspect of Him and live life as a recipient of His mercy, love, and grace. He has promised to finish the work He started in me and I marvel as I see Him doing just that! Undeserving but delighted by it!

As you read this, I don’t know where you are in your walk with Him. You may be closer to Him than you have ever been before or you may be farther from Him than you ever thought you would be. I don’t know which it is but I know this: God is pursuing you every step of the way! He has enclosed you and has His right hand on you if you are His child through faith in Christ. He is not leaving and He is not letting go. He has a vested interest in you! Delight in that truth and own it. Let it sink in!

Father, You have put me in awe once again. The best and worst of me has not distracted, dismayed, or discouraged You from pursuing and wooing me. I cannot wrap my mind around that truth but I open my heart to it! Amen.

Awakened By His Offer

And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desires in scorched places, and give strength to your bones, and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11 (New American Standard Bible)

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and longed for it to be real in your own life? Today’s verse is one such example for me. How I long for God’s continual guidance. To know and follow His step by step instructions. I want to be satisfied in the dry places of my soul and to have an internal strength that carries me through difficult times. I yearn to be like a watered garden and spring of water….an unending supply of refreshment. I am crying out for guidance, satisfaction, strength, and refreshment. And the cries are not falling on deaf ears because they are directed toward my heavenly Father.

He has been watching me awaken to the realization that this is exactly what He wants to do for me. Many have been the times He spread a table before me and invited me to dine with Him only to see me approach other tables. Countless have been the times I turned down His offer of intimacy for other friendships. Each time I reached for what I thought would satisfy and fill me I came away empty and dissatisfied. Confusion, bitterness, and anger were often my companions on such a journey. And still He extended the offer of Himself.

This morning, He awakened me at 1:30 to once again invite me to reconnect with Himself. This time there were no distractions or offers that looked even slightly appealing. He has caused my hunger and thirst to surface and He is the One I am turning to get those needs met. He has once again planted seeds of hope in me for a deeper, richer walk with Himself. He offers rest for my weariness, comfort for my pain, forgiveness for my sinful choices, sight for my blindness, and His embrace for my loneliness. It is changing how I am talking to Him and what I am hearing Him say to me. I want to learn how to receive all that He offers me and in order to do that I must be willing to see what my hindrances have been. If the words full, abundant, satisfying, and complete do not describe my Christian life than I have once again closed my heart and withdrawn my hand from Him. He is using each consequence to draw me back into intimacy with Himself. I am not walking. I am running full force into His extravagant offer.

Father, You have watched me flounder and fall many times. Thank you that You continually welcome me home! Amen.

House Cleaning

The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart. Proverbs 20:27 NKJV

For You will light my lamp; the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. Psalm 18:28 NKJV

Recently I became motivated to do a thorough house cleaning. It is amazing when I begin going through closets and dressers how much stuff I find that has been hidden away for YEARS! Some of it is useful and still needed. Much of it no longer needs to take up the space. This project is getting spread out over a number of weeks but when I am finished there will be a sense of accomplishment and welcome space.

This morning I am sensing God urging me to do an internal house cleaning. He is probing my heart with questions that are causing me to do a lot of thinking. It is not the kind of questioning that leaves me feeling shamed and condemned. Rather, the questions are inviting me to allow Him to reveal to me some hidden areas that need my attention and His touch. I am finding that over time I can pack away, stuff, and hide many things and it is time to open the doors and drawers of my heart so that WE can begin to clear away some clutter and allow His Spirit more space in me.

Here are the questions that have already begun to make their way down the corridors of my mind. What are the things I still fear? Is there anyone or anything in competition with God for my heart? Where do I still feel shaky in my walk with Him? What changes am I presently unwilling to make? Where is my energy, focus, and passion directed? What strongholds have yet to be demolished? What lies am I believing about God, myself, or others? To whom am I not willing to show love? What are my conversations centered around? How am I spending my free time? Where do I tend to walk in distrust? What are my priorities? What are my motives and agenda behind my actions? What wounds still need healing? What have been my most recent victories? Where do I see growth in my Christian life? With whom have I recently shared Jesus?

The questions are endless but certainly not daunting! God will use my honest answers to show me where we still need to work. I am assured of His love, patience, and help through all of this. I feel safe and cared for because He has already shown me His heart and character. May this time be productive and beneficial in many ways!

Father, do a thorough examination of my heart! Illuminate all that needs to go and all that needs to stay. I give You the key to every “room” in me. I rest under Your watchful eye and in Your tender hands. Amen.

Setting Me Straight

Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! Psalm 80:19 NKJV

When we pray the very thing God desires for us, we can have full assurance of an affirmative answer! I have often looked at past mistakes, failures, and sins in such a way that I thought I had messed things up too badly for any hope of a fresh start. Because I could not change the past I seemed to think the black marks would never go away and would forever remain a part of my present. I was like the person who had broken my leg and never had the bone set straight. Walking with a limp became a normal (and sadly accepted) way of life for me. There was the continual sense that although I was forgiven I had blown it…my track record remain marred. While this should not be the case for a child of God, I strongly believe it is often the reality of many. The continual self loathing, internal condemnation, and hopelessness is not God’s doing. He knows at which point we withdraw our hands from accepting His full gift of forgiveness.

I want to go back to the broken bone analogy. Asking God to restore me is the same as asking Him to “set me straight” again, to realign me with Himself, to get me back on course. It is the reality of a fresh start! It is coming to the place of seeing that whatever has happened is unchangeable but not unforgivable. Will I dare to embrace this truth and allow it to change my view of God and myself? Not if I keep putting conditions on it and limiting its full meaning! Not if I cling to condemnation rather than grace.

I have often said that becoming a Christian and accepting God’s free gift of salvation was easy. Living out the Christian life is the hard part. Not because it isn’t possible but because I carry with me wrong mindsets, unresolved issues, and areas in my life that have yet to experience the touch of God’s grace. My restoration and deliverance in any area requires honesty in the inward parts, opened hands lifted in God’s direction, and trust in His ability to do whatever “surgery” is necessary. He is not only the Landscaper of my soul….He is the Great Physician who heals and restores!

Living out my faith and seeing internal changes is a life long process. He will reveal to me where I have gotten off track, where I have demanded my way over His will, and where I have messed up big time. But the revelation and the restoration will both be done in love and with success!

Father, I can become over whelmed with all that needs to be seen, acknowledged, and changed in me. It is only as I see my need to simply cooperate with You that my soul relaxes and my mind becomes at ease. I join You in Your work of restoration and healing. Amen.

The Benefits of Exposure

And they have not exposed your iniquity so as to restore you from captivity. Lamentations 2:14

Ever since Adam and Eve tried to hide behind fig leaves, people have tried to hide the issues and sins of their heart. We use many techniques to avoid confronting and confessing the things in our life that are not good. Excuses abound in hopes that somehow we can circumvent dealing with the truth. Many times we forget God’s purpose in revealing those things we are trying so hard to hide.

Two of God’s motives for exposing our sin are for restoration and release. He wants nothing more than for us to be restored to right fellowship with Him. But He also wants us released from the things that have us in their grip. The first step someone must take when trying to overcome an addiction, be it with drugs, alcohol, food, or relationships, is to admit there is a problem. As long as they just keep referring back to the many reasons they have the addiction nothing will happen.

Lamentations is a short five chapter book that depicts God’s people under judgment for their sin and rebellion. While God holds them personally responsible for their actions He also makes it clear that part of the problem has been in the false prophets who did not point out their sins so that they could be restored from captivity. They sugar coated their messages to appease the masses. They said what people wanted to hear rather than what they needed to hear. They actually hindered God’s work rather than helped it.

I see two extremes in our pulpits today. While some pastors never mention sin and warn of consequences others are all too happy to brow beat and shame their congregations. Sitting under the first gives people a false sense of security in the way they are living their Christian life. Sitting under the second causes people to walk in shame, condemnation, and the feeling that they just can never measure up. Both ways leave out the very heart of God. While God does not ignore sin, neither does He expose it for the sole purpose of letting us know how horrible we are. He is a loving Shepherd who wants to woo us back to Himself. His motives are always for our good. May we find a good balance between hiding and harping!

Father, I am learning to trust the exposure of my heart to You. Show me my own captivity and any area that hinders fellowship with You. Amen.

Resorting To Time With Abba

If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. Psalm 94:18,19

Have you ever had a time when God allowed you to internalize the truth of this passage? Often times, we go through our days feeling our feet give way underneath us and engulfed with numerous anxious thoughts. I am always amazed how much God desires to hold us and settle us. And His desire is evidenced in the precious ways He chooses to minister to our very needs.

I just returned from a four day get away with my family and my husband’s family. Our abode was a beautiful cabin overlooking the Ohio River and tucked away in the Hoosier National Forrest. While it was nice to see everyone, my soul hungered for some individual time with God. I was touched to know that those were His sentiments as well!

Each day afforded me the opportunity to take a two-hour solitary walk with my Abba Father! With walking stick in hand, CD player, numerous Cds, and a hungry heart I found a road that not only led me through some beautiful scenery but right to the heart of God as well. While I listened to music, poured out my heart, shed a few tears, and took in the beauty, God began to settle many internal issues for me.

I am back home now with a refreshed spirit, renewed mind, and a well rested body! God has given me new direction, new focus, and a new outlook on this journey. He was even gracious enough to birth two new ideas in me that I am very excited about.

So how do I continue to bask in this kind of relationship with God? I must continue to allow Him to lead me into quiet moments with Himself. I want this passage to become so embedded in my memory that it becomes my daily heart experience. I must continue to review His lovingkindness and delight in His consolations. Take in His Word and allow it to saturate me.
Listen to music that expresses my worship of Him. Learn to speak and listen in my prayers. That is His heart’s cry as well!

Father, thank you for turning my walks into such special times with You. May my delight in You never stop! Amen!

A Family Resemblance

To whom would you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me, that we would be alike? Isaiah 46:5

Throughout Scripture, God proclaims He is God alone and there is no other. While people may claim He is one of many gods, He sets the record straight. There are countless false gods but only one true and living God. He alone created this world and He alone sustains it. He is the only One who deserves to be worshipped and will share His glory with no one else. He said He is a jealous God. So when I read His question in today’s verse I answer it with a resounding “No One”… as far as gods are concerned.

Yet I know that as His child He wants nothing more than to transform me into the likeness of His son. Jesus was the very likeness of His Father. He told His disciples, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” If we want to know what God is like we simply look at Jesus. His desire now is that we would be a picture of Him to others.

This is only possible as we spend time with Him. It is a daily process of getting into His Word, allowing His Word to get into us, and asking His Spirit to change us at the very core of our being. As we talk to Him throughout our day and allow Him to talk to us as well, we find a connection with His heart that is able to cause us to resemble Him.

My mother is in Heaven now but people tell me I am just like her. I enjoy hearing that! I know the character qualities they are referring to and the comparison is usually meant as a compliment. I inherited many traits from her and watched those traits develop as we spent time together.

I also know that when I admire people and spend time with them I tend to take on some of their qualities as well. They impact my life in such a way that I smile as I see resemblances of them in the way I think, speak, and act.

God is in the process of daily conforming us to the image of His Son. It brings Him great joy when we bear a family resemblance. When we become His through faith in Christ, we inherit many of His traits. As those traits are developed the likenesses become evident.
So who is like God? Hopefully it can be said, “His children!”

Father, You created us in Your image. While sin mars that image, You are restoring it. May I imitate You today. Amen.

The Ultimate Landscaper

The wilderness and the desert will be glad, and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it will blossom profusely and rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. Isaiah 35:1,2

Wilderness and desert. Those two words conjure up images in my mind of emptiness, loneliness, and dryness. While there may be life and plant growth in such places, it is sparse. Compared to a tropical rain forest or lush landscape it has more barrenness than vegetation. Conditions are ripe for thirst and discomfort.

Many times it is not unusual to find ourselves in spiritual deserts and wildernesses. At first glance there is no shade, no food, no water, and no company. It certainly lacks the comforts of home. Makes me more fully appreciate the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying.

That's one reason today's verse seems so extraordinary to me. to think of a wilderness or desert being glad, rejoicing, and blossoming is amazing! Sounds like an incredible way to spend my time in a place that is so easy to dread. If God can bring water out of a rock, He can surely bring life to the barren places in me.

His desire for me is to experience the joy and rejoicing even in the midst of my deserts. My flesh cannot manufacture this on my own, it must be Spirit produced. Those areas I yield to Him become the landscape He works with. I have a choice. I can hold on to the dryness or release it into His hands. He is the ultimate landscaper.

Father, I have been holding on to the very things You seek to work with. Give me the grace to let go. Amen.

A Tender Shepherd

The LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He inflicted. Isaiah 30:26b

I have heard it said if a lamb continually wanders away from the flock the shepherd may take extreme measures to break the habit. He will break the front legs of the lamb and carry him on his shoulders until his legs heal. He is brought close to the shepherd even in that time of discipline.

It strikes me that many times it is in the experiencing of painful consequences that we make our way back to the Shepherd of our souls. Let’s face it, pain can be an effective deterrent and wake up call. God knows each of us so intimately that He sees the way we are prone to wander and He implements the means which will bring us back to Himself.

What I find comforting is the picture in today's verse of what He does once we come back to Him. He begins to do His work on the broken places in us and the very bruises He caused. I picture a doctor gently wrapping up a broken arm. Or a nurse applyng some ointment to a bruised area.

God knows that in our times of wandering and coming back we are in need of healing internally. He has much to show us about why we wandered off in the first place. Not much woud be gained if we merely experienced the painful consequences of our wrong choices. That's only a small picture of the whole process.

Part of His binding and healing is done with loving rebuke and lasting assurance. His intent is not that we cower in fear and shame. His purpose is for restoration and reconciliation. He is NOT a "Hitler" who strikes the table in anger and heaps disgust on us. He is a loving heavenly Father who longs to embrace us and bring us back into unity with Himself. If that is hard to fathom, think of a person who loves you dearly and would meet you with open arms and reassuring words. Think of the feeling of acceptance their embrace gives you. THAT is a mere shadow of God's heart.

Father, I marvel that You meet me with such gracious acceptance. May I demonstrate that quality to others so they will begin to understand that aspect of You. Amen.

Hearing His Whispers

Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or the left. Isaiah 30:21

I am rejoicing today over God's involvement in my life. He does not send me out on journeys and assignments without His presence. Each step of the way He is behind me with His hand on my shoulder. At pivotal moments, He leans forward and whispers into my ear the direction He would have me to go.

It is imperative that I tune my ears to hear His voice. Many are the distractions that would seek to get me off track. Many are the voices that long to lead me astray. But God is the one who can direct me along the right path ~ His path.

And what about the times I fall to distractions, listen to other voices, and get off track? God faithfully begins the process of wooing me back to Himself. The discomforts of wrong choices are just one way He has of bringing me back to Himself. There is never a point when I cannot turn back to Him. He never forbids my feet from stepping back onto His path. My decision to step away in the first place hurt us both. But after I have repented and rejoined Him, He once again places His hand on my shoulder, leans forward, and whispers, "Welcome back! This is the way, walk in it." That is when I once again know I am where I should be.

Father, You are a gracious Guide and Companion of my journey. I feel Your hand and I listen for Your whispers. Thank you. Amen.

Don't Fight the Life Guard

For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength. But you were not willing. Isaiah 30:15

God’s ways are truly unique. In an age of self made men and women God’s prescription for salvation and strength remains the same ~ repentance, rest, quietness, and trust. It reminds me of a life guard who swims out to a person who is drowning. All the victim’s efforts are working against him. The more he thrashes around in the water the more his energy drains from him. In an effort to stay alive he may even fight against the one who has come to rescue him. As he ceases trying to save himself and places his life in the able hands of the life guard, it is then that he will be saved.

The same is true in my Christian life. As I read some earlier verses in Isaiah 30:9-11 I was struck with the determination God’s people had to remove themselves from the truth. May I not live my Christian life that way.

I must start with honest introspection. I make a BIG mistake when I decide to hide or cover up my sin. Fig leaves did not work for Adam and Eve and they will not work for me. There is a freedom and strength that comes from finally acknowledging to God what He has known all along. Ask anyone who is recovering from an addiction and they will tell you the first step is admitting you have a problem When I refuse to admit my sin to God I am once again “fighting the life guard.”

When my children were small , part of my parenting was in teaching them to do things for themselves. Yet God’s methods are to teach me to rely and depend on Him. Rest, quietness, and trust are gifts I must learn to value. May I not be found telling God, “I can do it myself.” If I would take all the energy I use trying to figure things out by myself, trying to control situations and people, and trying to get life to work for me, and instead look to God for His wisdom and ways I would then realize my salvation and strength.

Father, You continually extend Your hand and Your heart to me. Help me to trust You more each day. Amen.

Being Merry In His Presence

So they feasted and drank freely with him. Genesis 43:34

Joseph’s brothers have been through quite an ordeal. Their emotions have been a roller coaster ride of great proportion. They carry the baggage of the past and trust no one with the present. Personal invitations have been viewed with suspicion and fear. Their spirits are jumpy as they wonder what will happen to them next.

A failed attempt to gain assurance from the house servant keeps them afraid. Then they meet Joseph. They bow, they give a present, and they exchange a casual greeting. They expected a storm but have entered a place of rest instead.

Once they see it is a meal and nothing more they relax. The KJV says “they drank and were merry with him.” They had come to the place of abiding in the presence of the one they greatly feared just moments before. In their wildest dreams they never imagined it could be like this. Instead of prison they shared a feast. They exchanged spirits of heaviness for garments of cheerfulness. Their tenseness was replaced with calm. The whole scenario has changed and they are thriving under undeserved tenderness.

That is how God wants my time with Him to be. He wants to rid me of doubts, fears, insecurities, suspicions, condemnation, guilt, and uncertainty and help me learn to relax and be merry in His presence. That happens as I learn the truth of His character and the essence of His heart.

He wants me to really see that His love is unconditional, His delight in me is real, His plans for me are good, His presence is constant, His thoughts toward me are innumerable, and His arms around me are safe. His eyes are tender, His ears are open, His heart is full of compassion, His hands are guiding, His arms are embracing, and His voice is soothing.

Father, may I hold Your hand and look up into Your eyes often as we go through today. Amen.