In This Thing

Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 1:32 (KJV)

Our faith in God can be tenuous at times. How often have we been through trying circumstances, experienced God’s faithfulness, witnessed His powerful interventions in our life, and known without a doubt that God was on our side, only to turn around and be filled with unbelief at a new issue, problem, or situation? The children of Israel epitomized this so well. Even with their history with God and His continual assurances and reminders, they still acted out of fear rather than faith. Their fear lead them not only to disbelief but also to disobedience. They were so focused on what they saw, heard, and felt that they became deaf to God’s voice, forgetful of His past provisions, and blind to His presence. They caved in to the opinions of others and all the “what ifs” their minds could conceive.

As I read this verse I am instantly aware of the areas in my life where God is saying the same thing to me that He said to the children of Israel. While I may not have specified, laid out directions from Him, I do have a multitude of promises from His Word that should cause me to walk with confidence, determination, and courage. His Word is meant to be a sword that I wield at any thought that leads me to believe lies about God or His involvement in my life. He longs for me to hear Him whisper His assurances to me. A few come to mind right now…

I will never leave you or forsake you. I know the plans I have for you. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. I have loved you with an everlasting love. I delight in you. I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands. I will supply all your needs. My grace is sufficient. I formed you in your mother’s womb and continue to carry you Myself. Trust Me. Seek My face. Obey My voice. I will lead you. I will protect you. I have My hand and eye on you. My banner over you is love. Come unto me for rest, direction, wisdom, and guidance. In Me you will mount up with wings as eagles. I am here. You are mine.


His words are meant to do more than make me feel good or help me to merely survive. They are meant to equip me to walk with boldness and unhindered faith, so that His words to me can become, “In this thing you DID believe Me!”

Make it so, Father. Make it so. Amen.

God's Invitation to Us

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. I Samuel 1:10 (KJV)

For any who are battling hurt, rage, anger, disappointment, depression, or extreme sorrow, Hannah becomes an example. When she came to the temple that day it was with a heart full of every imaginable emotion. The baggage she carried had been filled with the pain of infertility, continual verbal abuse of a family member, and a husband who did not understand why she was so upset. (I Samuel 1:1-8) She had hit her breaking point and resorted to the only One who understood her turmoil and could act on her behalf. She held nothing back as she poured out her complaint to God. There was no guardedness to her prayer, no denial of thoughts and feelings, no suppressed or repressed emotions. She was transparent before God. It may have taken her a while to get to that point but once she was there everything was brought out in the open. This was a woman who knew how to make God her refuge!

When was the last time you opened up to God on this level? When was the last time you came before Him with raw emotions, unhindered thoughts, and complete exposure of your internal world? It has taken many years for me to realize the necessity of such prayer times and to understand that God is actually inviting me to come to Him in that way. How it must have grieved God to see me with a guardedness when I approached Him. How He must have ached to see that I would hold back tears, keep back my true feelings, and lack an assurance that I was safe in His presence. I had somehow learned to play “dress up” and “pretend” with a God who could see right through me. But the masquerade ended when I began to realize God’s love is unconditional and His desire for me to come to Him with honesty is sincere.

I now know what it is like to cry so hard on His shoulders that my eyes are swollen and my throat hurts. He comforts and heals as I express my true feelings and admit what I am really thinking. I can now attest to the fact that not only can He handle it, He invites it. Each time I get out into the light what has been locked in the darkness, God amazes me!

Father, You have brought me from a guarded place into Your embrace. You taught me the necessity and appropriateness of my tears. Thank you for helping me to remove the “Off Limits” sign from my heart. Amen.

Making Matters Worse

Now behold, you have risen up in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to add still more to the burning anger of the LORD against Israel. Numbers 32:14 (NASB)

These words were Moses’ answer to a request made by the children of Gad and Reuben. They wanted to possess the land they stood on without crossing over the Jordan River to the promised land. It was a decision that could easily cause the rest of the nation to follow suite. That is exactly what happened forty years prior to this discussion, when eight out of ten spies gave a fearful report concerning the promised land and that fear spread throughout the camp. It ultimately led to God’s requirement that they wander in the wilderness for an additional four decades.

We see a principle in Scripture that we would do well to digest. Sin angers God and that anger is increased when our sinful choices affect the people around us. This can be played out in two ways. People can become a victim of our sin and made to feel the affects of the consequences or they can actually follow the example we are putting before them.

Victimization is seen when a drunk driver hits another car causing injury or death to innocent people. Or when an angry gunman opens fire in a public building. Or when a person with sexual perversions preys upon a small child, teen, or adult. Or when shoplifting results in a store raising its prices to compensate the loss. These and many other scenarios have consequences that affect more than the one who makes the original choice. Each of us can reflect back on times in our life when we have brought pain and suffering upon another person because of a sinful choice we made.

But today’s verse points to the aspect of our sinful choices having a negative influence on another person. Our actions encouraging others to the do as we are doing. It can be as serious as involving something that is illegal or immoral or it can be on a smaller scale of spreading gossip, laziness, dishonesty, or discontent. My words and my actions in the presence of others serve as encouragements for them to follow my lead. May I determine to be an encourager of something that would lead to God’s pleasure instead of adding to His anger.

Father, keep reminding me that my choices affect more than just myself. May my influence on people lead them in the ways of righteousness. May the duplication of anything I do or say bring You delight. Amen.

Missing the Key Ingredient

Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted , and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. James 5:8-10 (KJV)

How often I have approached God with my sin and gotten no farther than merely confessing it. I would admit what I had done, agree with God that it was wrong, ask His forgiveness, and walk away feeling like the child who had just had a meeting with the principal concerning classroom misconduct. I struggled to sense forgiveness and acceptance. But I also found I walked away unchanged. What was missing? The entire middle section of this passage.

I often saw my sin and need of cleansing but failed to possess the affliction, mourning, and weeping. To see my own wretchedness and be broken over it to the same extent that God is grieved over it. For any who have sat under harsh, rigid, and legalistic teaching this whole topic only appears to be an invitation to shame and condemnation. We struggle to see God in any way other than the way He was when He appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai to give the Ten Commandments. It is foreign to see Him as the father of the returning prodigal. Watching and waiting and then embracing with open arms.

God’s response when I draw near to Him is that He draws near to me. When I humble myself before Him, He lifts me up! But part of the drawing near and humbling myself is found in seeing the seriousness and wretchedness of my sin. It involves being honest with myself and with God. No excuses, no blaming of others, no avoidance of the real issues.

This will be hard and nearly impossible if I see God with a scowl on His face, arms folded, cold, detached, unapproachable, and distant. Freedom comes when I approach Him with sorrow and brokenness and see Him as loving, accepting, and forgiving. It starts with honesty, transparency, and openness. God already tells me how the meeting will end and that in itself should help me to approach Him with genuine confession and repentance.

Father, I am still in the process of learning these truths. You teach me with such persistence, patience, and gentleness. Thank You that while You condemn my sin You love and accept me! Amen.

Confident Living

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14 (KJV)

I have spent the last number of weeks brooding over a situation I know I will soon be facing. Turmoil, fear, and apprehension have marked my internal world because I did not feel I had it in me to walk with confidence and I doubted there would be favor shown to me by a particular person. This morning the Lord has graciously given me Psalm 27 to ease my mind and realize where strength, confidence, and assurance will come from. It is in looking to Him! All that David is saying in this Psalm is meant to be more than just nice words and wishful thinking. It is meant to infuse me with courage and strength.

Like David, I must make some proclamations about God that will in turn permit me to stand with certainty and poise. He is my light and salvation. My hiding place. My teacher, leader, helper, and deliverer. He is the one I seek and desire. He is the one who will take me up and set me upon a rock of security. I seek His face, His mercy, and His answers. I long to walk in His ways and experience the plain path He has carved out for me! While the enemy has sought to distract and discourage me with self-doubt and an anticipated negative reaction of another person, God is encouraging me to center my thoughts and focus on Him! The answer lies in Him. The confidence comes from Him.

Verse 14 gives me the prescription for a strengthened heart. Wait on the LORD. This is not just an act of biding my time until God intervenes. The true sense of the word is that I bind myself to God, look to Him, and place my expectations in Him. His desire is that I stand in confident trust and reliance upon Him. His message to me this morning is, “Connect with Me and I will more than see you through the very thing that has you perplexed. I will give you songs of joy and praise to sing!”

What an offer! Delight instead of despair. Confidence instead of confusion. Victor instead of victim. Singing instead of sadness. His thoughts really are higher than my thoughts!

Father, I love it when You give me counsel and advice! How You must delight in knowing that I am about to take in truth from You. Thank you for housing treasures in Your Word. I walk with a fresh boldness because of You. Amen.

God's Solicitude

Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. I Peter 5:7 (KJV)

Armed with five Bible translations, a Thesaurus, and a couple dictionaries I decided to dig through this verse to find the treasure. It is rich with meaning and has spoken volumes to my heart. To think that I can hand over to God anything and everything that has me in turmoil with the realization that He is interested in me and I matter to Him, leaves me feeling cared for and carried.

Often times our English words are so broad that we can lose their full impact. My cares are my anxieties, worries, concerns, heartaches, turmoil, and burdens. They weigh me down, slow me down, and confine me. They consume my thoughts, deplete my energy, and hold me prisoner. Freedom comes when I realize I can give them over to God because He is attentive to my needs. His care is not one of worry and distress, but rather an affectionate, watchful solicitude. He has thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward me. Pictures of a mother hen with her chicks or a young mother with an infant come to mind. God’s tenderness astounds me!

It is this truth that will stick with me on days when I feel rejected, abandoned, misunderstood, or unloved. When those who at one time seemed close and caring but now seem distant. When the shoulders that use to be places of refuge have become cold and unavailable. When it feels like the welcome mats to hearts have been pulled in and the door of friendship has slammed shut. When I feel untouchable to the ones who use to embrace me, accept me, and affirm me. In all those times and more, I can now hold to the truth that God Himself hovers over me with tremendous affection, compassion, and fondness. He is always ready to heal my broken heartedness, bandage up my wounded spirit, and release me from all that is troubling my mind.
Tears really can give way to joy as I enter into His rest, His arms, and His compassion. What is given to Him is never rejected. What is spoken to Him is always heard. No one but God can own such acclaim. I not only bow to Him, I hide in Him.

When I fail to see this about God, I so easily view Him as a last resort when I am hurting, worried, or fearful. May I now see Him as my ONLY resort. The One I can run to with confidence.

Father, I am learning to see You with outstretched arms ready to receive my heavy heart and troubled mind. Thank you for such love! Amen.

A Focused Life

For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. Psalm 26:3 (KJV)

What I choose to focus on and walk in makes all the difference in the world to how I will live out my Christian life on a day by day basis. My awareness and acknowledgement of God’s acts of love and kindness are what will keep me from despair when I face the difficulties and disappointments of life. Living my life according to His truth is necessary if I want to live a victorious, confident, and purposeful life. My heart grieves for anyone who is consumed by the dark reality of their life and has believed every lie the enemy has thrown at them.

Today’s verse had to be lived out by such people as David who lived with a threat on his life for years, Joseph who faced rejection and imprisonment, Ruth who faced the death of her husband and famine, Daniel who was given to the lions, the three Hebrew sons who were cast into a fiery furnace, Paul who faced beatings, imprisonment, and persecution, countless Christians who faced (and still face) persecution, torture, and death. No one comes forth as gold unless Psalm 26:3 becomes their mantra on a daily basis.

In order to flesh out this verse I must be willing to see the events, circumstances, and hardships of my life dim in comparison to God’s attentiveness and God’s truth. David said “He daily loads me with benefits.” Am I alert to them? I am told His Word is truth. Am I reading it to find the truth, claim the truth, and walk in the truth? If so, this is what it will look like.

Feelings of rejection will be met with “I will never leave you.” Heartache will be met with “He is the God of all comfort.” Financial difficulties will be met with “My God shall supply all your need.” Guilt will be met with “I have put all your sin behind my back.” There is not a single thing that can happen to me today that God’s Word does not have a response for. His kind acts abound and His truth stands. Whether or not that makes a difference to me is dependent upon what I do with it.

Father, for so long I failed to see Your involvement in my life and I failed to walk in truth. Thank you for giving me a new way to live my Christian life. Thank you for outshining any tragedy and exposing any lie the enemy would seek to use against me today. Amen.