His Supply

He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. Psalm 105:41

I am encouraged by this verse. In it I see God's hand, God's supply, God's presence, God's awareness, God's care, God's unusual choices, and God's provision. Just like He was aware of the needs of His people in the wilderness, He is aware of my needs.

The children of Israel most likely looked for water and when none could be found, despair and anger set in. The usual sources of water were unavailable to them so they assumed God's unavailability as well.

Psalm 105 encourages me to remember the wonderful things God has done in the past. Remembering brings hope to the present situation. Each of us can look back in our life and see God's work. He provided for us in the past ~ He'll do so again now. We must review His character, His power, His direction, His provision, and His intervention. The supply is limitless.
I may not be able to see how God will meet certain needs in my life but HE knows. When I am spiritually thirsty He has a "rock" to open where water gushes out to run in the dry places of my life. It may be a book I read, a speaker I hear, a song I listen to, a friend I meet. If I come to Him with a need and desire His method for meeting the need I will be astounded at His wondrous work on my behalf.

God, You are always moved by my plights. You have provisions in hand. May I open my heart to receive all You have for me! Amen.

My Lift and My Light

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. Micah 7:8

Some of the most difficult moments in our lives are when we experience despair, depression, and discouragement. The sense of hopelessness can be overwhelming at times. We have all been there ~ some more than others. Loss of a job, death of a loved one, a crisis of some sort. Unless we remember that God holds our very life in the palms of His hands we can begin to believe that people and circumstances direct and define us.

Micah shows me two lights at the end of the tunnels of life. I see proclamations and promises in both. "When I fall, I shall arise." Someone once said every valley is situated between two mountains. While there are things to be learned in the valleys of life, God's purpose and intent is never to leave me there. It is an opportunity to know God's heart better and to develop in me some Christ-like qualities. But I shall arise every time! Resurrections are common occurrences in a believer's life. Those things that seem to be put to death will some day be brought back to life in a richer way. Nature itself shows me this as a seed dies to bring forth a plant. With each discouragement and disappointment I too can voice the words, "I shall rise."

Each of us also knows times of darkness in our life. Times when we feel like our very soul is being placed in the blackness of a cave. How reassuring to know the Lord will be a light to us! Light can do a number of things. It dispels darkness, reflects off certain objects, reveals things that could not be seen in the dark, illuminates paths, and even brings warmth. My mom once told me to keep a candle in my car. If I somehow lost power the candle would give off enough light and heat to sustain me for a period of time. It is amazing to thing of the effect a small light has in a dark cave.

Father, how precious to know that You not only pick me up when I have fallen, but You are my light in the dark moments and places of my life. Amen.

Really Knowing

Jesus answered and said unto them, ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. Matthew 22:29

So many of our difficulties and unvictorious situations are a result of not knowing God's Word and God's power. It is not true that what we don't know can't hurt us. It is tragic to not know God's Word and God's power. God's Word is alive and active, full of wisdom, direction, promises, commands, and the very heart and mind of God. But if we don't know His Word we have so little to hold to.

Knowing something to be true makes a difference in our actions and reactions. If I am driving down a road at night and am warned of a bridge that is out, I will change my course to avoid an accident and possible death. My ignorance will not do away with the reality of the bridge.

Knowing God's power goes hand in hand with believing God's power. Faith moves God to a demonstration of His power. I think of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment. She believed and extended her hand in faith. May I learn to do the same.

I want my view of God to be enlarged. I want to see God in new, living, and powerful ways. I want to see his intervention in my life and the lives of others. I marvel that people in the Bible saw the miracles but with time their experience lost its excitement in their life. May I never desire to see God's hand more than His face. May knowing Him personally lead me to knowing His power. May I be found asking Him for more than He is willing to do.

Father, may I stop playing my life so safely. May my prayers become extravagant! Amen.

My Willful Choice

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:18

It seems that the hardest times to proclaim rejoicing and joy in Christ are when we face the harshnesses of life. The unfairnesses and injustices of this world sometimes paralyzes our faith. When needs go unmet, friends desert us, health fails us, or provisions are no where to be found, our view of God is suddenly exposed for what it really is.

When life gets difficult can I still proclaim the truths I voiced so easily during the good times? Do I still say God is good? Do I still trust Him? Do I still find my satisfaction and fulfillment through Him? Do I still feel like I am the apple of His eye and revel in the truth that my name is engraved in the palm of His hand?

It is in the midst of difficult moments that those truths become more precious to me than ever before. I must not look at God through my gird of uncomfortable circumstances but rather I must look at the circumstances through the grid of truth about God.

I have found great strength during my seasons of doubting when I began to voice out loud the truths about God. My circumstances and feelings do not change who God is and how He feels toward me one bit.

So like Habakkuk, when life is not going well and all seems to be hopeless, I choose to rejoice in the Lord and joy in my God. I choose to continue to believe I am in his care and sheltered by His arms. I choose to believe God and praise Him at ALL times!

Father, sometimes I have to proclaim these truths in sheer faith. Amen.

Deliverance

There shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of the enemies. Micah 4:10

I use to not like the wildernesses of my Christian life. Spiritual highs were what I lived for and spiritual lows were avoided as much as possible. I did not know their purpose, what to do during the "dry" season, or what God could accomplish through them. So instead of reaping the richness of the moments I looked for the quickest way to exit!

Now that I am further along on my journey I can see a pattern. In Micah 4:10 God brings Israel out of the city. He often brings me out of my comfort zones and places of security. He lead them to a field. He brings me into my own spiritual wilderness. A place that feels dry and uncomfortable. But then deliverance comes!

I have enemies He desires to set me free from. Israel had other nations as their enemies. I have Satan, the flesh, and the world. Satan seeks to destroy me, my flesh longs to control me, and the world wants to influence me. Anything or anyone that leads me away from God and His purposes must be looked upon as an enemy to my walk with God.

God wants me to live in bondage to no person, habit, attitude, or idol. His desire is that I walk in victory and freedom. I must ask Him to reveal to me the places where I am not yet doing that. The areas that seem to have such a strong hold on me that I despair of ever being delivered.
God's words through Micah are for me to claim today and every day. He longs to redeem and deliver me. May I learn to see the truth and cooperate with his work to set me free.

Father, You hold the key to every lock on every chain that binds and confines me. May I allow You to continually set me free. Amen.

Who Am I Imitating?

For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. Micah 4:5

I find that the people I get to know, spend time with, and highly respect have the biggest influence on my life. Their words begin to live in me as I find myself thinking like them, responding like them, even talking like them. That's called imitation and that's a good thing if who I am imitating is Christlike.

The same is true of following Christ. If I am saturating myself with His Words then it will have an effect on the way I think, act, and speak. He is the ultimate pattern for me to follow.
Sometimes I need a visual example of His character. So He graciously sends people into my life who demonstrate His qualities. When I see tenderness in another person I can more fully understand God's tenderness toward me. When a mentor allows me to be dependent on her for wisdom and guidance I can see Jesus as my personal mentor. When I have blown it and a dear friend embraces me (instead of abandoning me) I can understand more clearly Christ's willingness to forgive me and still love me.

I think of the gods people follow and they cannot compare with my Father. No other god daily demonstrates love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Under them there is no realization of being cherished and embraced. I have a personal God who wants me to know him.

Father, may I always chose to walk in Your name. How I thank You for letting me follow You! Amen.

Full of Power

But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. Micah 3:8

What is the key to owning power through the Spirit of God, and of judgment, and of might? Obedience! In Micah 3, God's judgment for Israel's disobedience was silence and the withdrawal of His presence. God saw the leaders' cruel treatment to His people. Just as Satan seeks whom he may devour, we see the devouring of God's people by the very ones who should have been protecting them, encouraging them, and patterning God to them. James says that teachers will receive the greater judgment. Why? Because they affect the lives of so many people. They can lead with the tenderness of Jesus or the cruelty of Satan.

There are times I feel the presence of God in my life. Just last night He replaced turmoil with peace, confusion with direction, and idolatry with worship of Himself. Like the tide that comes to shore and then returns to the sea, my load gave way to His touch. It took tears and a time of getting out in the open what was living in my heart. God truly does require honesty in the inward parts. It is then that He can come in and heal my spirit and restore to me the joy of my salvation. It is then that I can let go of the very things that have prevented me from taking His hand. Like the peace that follows a storm, God calms me inwardly and at that point surrender becomes my catalyst for receiving what He longs to give to me.

He is a God of exchange. He longs to give me strength for my weakness, forgiveness for my sin, direction for my wandering, joy for my tears, peace for my turmoil.

Father, today I revel in Your presence. Your Spirit as well as the spirit of judgment and power are mine when I yield to Your touch. You have once again engaged my heart and it is a place I long to always abide. Amen.