A prayer after reading Romans 15:9, 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18:49.
Oh Lord, I honour You. You are a firm place for my feet. A safe place for me to dwell; Refreshing and affirming to my spirit. My flesh rests in You, my soul is at peace. My heart is satisfied by Your goodness. Your mercy overwhelms me. Your love seeps into my deepest parts. I am changed because of You. I praise You, Lord Jesus; my redeemer, my life blood. I worship You, oh God and sing to Your name. I honour You with my life so that others may know and bless You. One day, I will be with You forever. One day, I will see You and look at Your beauty; Your majesty. One day, I will see You looking at me.... Some of the biggest battles in the church have been over this one. What do we sing? What traditions do we hold on to? Why change things? What about us? If we pull things to the contemporary some love it, some hate it. If we leave things as they were in our parent's generation or farther back... we loose this one. I believe that as Christians, we should always be in motion, never hanging our hats on one tradition or even one successful genre of meeting. It's not to discount or minimize the past, but rather to let the past continually build strong foundations that the present walks on. "It's not to discount or minimize the past, but rather to let the past continually build strong foundations that the present walks on." Paul talks about this a lot as someone who was asked by God to move beyond the acceptable boundaries of the Jewish culture. Jesus lived it; always taking the letter of the law to a deeper level. He did not discount or nullify the commandments, but went beyond the act to the heart of them. It wasn't just 'Don't commit adultery (as in physically going out and having sex with someone that is not yours)' ... but, don't even look at someone else with evil desire, for adultery is committed in the simple act of the wanting & lusting. (see Matthew 5:27-28) Jesus didn't abolish the law, He actually took it to a more integral level.
Anyway, here it is to ponder... read Romans 7 & 8. Let the word that came from God speak life & freedom to you. The law does not save, it only guides. Our traditions and styles do not save. We will always struggle with our wants & desires, but need to be purposed to know God's. And sometimes that will mean doing things a little differently, for He may desire it. This is the verse that actually got me thinking about all of this today: "But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." Romans 7:6 Ask God for His heart. Ask Him for His plan to reach your community, your family... you. He loves you, so it can only be good! When you choose a picture to represent yourself to the world (like in Facebook) what do you pick? My guess is that it would be one of the following:
Life is not like the picture. A picture remembers what we have chosen to. That's why I love reading what David has to say in the Psalms. I can totally relate!! He wrote about the stuff in between the photo-shoots! How often have I prayed, Search me, God and know my heart; try me and know everything I worry about. See if there are any wicked ways inside me and lead me in Your ways? (Psalm 139:23-24) Oh, I've prayed this more times than I can count. Possibly because this is one of my highest pursuits; to be more like Christ. (my highest is to give Him all-out worship) Anyway, as I was reading today I came across another verse a couple of chapters past the one above. Here it is... "Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil. Let my head not refuse it." Psalm 141:5 Ha! Don't you just love God's Word!? I have not yet heard God's tangible voice, but I have heard His voice. Sometimes it has sounded like it did today; words that bypassed the use of volume. Other times it has been through the voice of a friend, or mentor. Often it has even sounded like a child...
How well have I been listening? If you are praying, 'search me, try me, know me, lead me' then be aware of those who God may be trying to answer you through. Be humble. Listen well. Live well. Be humble. Listen well. Live well. Today I went to a funeral for someone I had never met... someone who really lived. (http://www.danielroberthall.net/) Having known Robert's in-laws for many years, we simply came to quietly stand with them in their pain.
I sat, stood, listened, pondered, cried, sang, reminisced, repented and worshiped for almost 3 1/2 hours. One of the very last things spoken was that there was a sense that this had truly been a 'significant' time. I think that says it in the best way for me. I am still digesting. Even though much was said to describe this life so sorely missed, I walked away reflecting that this had definitely been a service that commemorated our Lord. I listened as many gave testimony that Rob Hall was a man who loved well and left the fragrance of Christ where-ever he went. Without anyone obviously striving, it was Christ was ultimately honoured as His characteristics & purposes were described through the life & actions of Rob's. Magnificent! Thank you. Thank you for sharing your memories with us. Thank you for the truth spoken midst the pain. Katie & the kids, I will keep praying for you. Jim & Kathy, I am praying for you as well. You are loved. Teach me. Show me the path. Guide me today.
Shine, so I can see where to put my feet. Lord, I am walking in obedience. Give me renewed passion & purpose for You. May I, like Phinehas, do Your will in this complicated world. Psalm 106:30-31, Numbers 25 Jesus, You were there in the beginning; fashioning, shaping the world, the generations and me. Thousands of yeas ago (in human terms:) You were planning, strategizing and creating. May I be struck by Your Majesty! Jesus, if You were there in the beginning, then you were surely there when perfection fell. You saw the greed & forgetfulness, the shame & nakedness. You saw the cowering to hide as Your holiness drew near in friendship. And you clothed them. May I know Your love. May I fear Your holiness. May I love like you do. Genesis 3 And Jesus, You watched the generations trust, then forget over and over again. You watched with Your Father as the nations chose to not serve You wholly. You watched Your very own people choose evil over good. And yet, You came to give another chance. To redeem. You gave everything to woo them back. They didn't even know it was You! You suffered humiliation. You took all of our sin... my sin. You sacrificed it with Your body and died. May I be full of Your grace & mercy toward others. Then, Jesus, You rose up; back to life. Death could not hold Innocence. You put all my sin to death and came back stronger than ever! You are my King. You have killed my debt. You have given me life without shame. May I live in it! May I worship You forever! May I always remember. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13 It's amazing to me how I can now be so fed and motivated by the Psalms whereas a few years ago, I did not have the fortitude to read them. I've been taking the time to read through the book of Psalms again. In all honesty, it has been a very long time since I did this. I mean, I read a Psalm here or there among other things, but I have not journeyed through the whole book now for quite some time. Today, as I was reading chapter 37, I recalled the struggle of a few years ago. It was after my dad died. The very last thing that my dad said in his right mind was, "The Lord is my Shepherd ... what more is there to say!" From there he went into 3 open heart surgeries (in the span of 4 days!), months of struggling to heal, heavy depression and subsequent suicide... An anger toward God's seemingly lack of 'shepherding' built up in me to the point that I could not even digest the words of the psalmists. Today, over 12 years later, as I began to read Psalm 37. "Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun." My mind wandered... The thought flipped through my head, "Wow, anger is really damaging. It distorts truth and works in a kind of short-sited, fast judgment sort of way. I was so wrong in my thinking when I was angry!" Then my mind went back to Psalm 37 and I continued reading: "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil." Ha! Isn't God funny! He confirmed my thoughts without me even looking for it!! (read the rest of the story here to finish chapter 37) God has answered my prayer. He has given me fortitude again to read His word and to believe and trust Him. He can do that for you too. If you haven't allowed your eyes to drink from God's word lately, pick it up. His cup is really full of good stuff!
![]() A Chinese Soldier rests on his shovel during an effort to dig out victoms... What does this mean? I am inquiring, personally, for I know that God is trying to teach me, to woo me toward this place of intercession. I should have written a month ago when I first heard this. He reminded me again today. Let's look at these verses... "He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so His own arm worked salvation for Him, and His own righteousness sustained him." Isaiah 59:16 (NIV) "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD." Ezekiel 22:30-31 (NIV) BOTH of these guys (Isaiah & Ezekiel) were prophesying (speaking God's view point) about the sin and injustice in Israel. After laying out the details of the problems in the land, it seems that God looked first for someone who was interceding - or as Ezekiel puts it, making a wall and standing in the gap before Him 'on behalf of the land' - so He would not destroy it! So, God sought. And He could not find one person doing this. And God 'wondered'. He was stunned, appalled, astonished. He found no one. What does this mean? He personally moved in. With strength, judgment and wrath. He repaid people according to their deeds. His salvation came dressed in holiness & fury, but with a promise of mercy for those who would turn & repent. Remember he was talking through Isaiah & Ezekiel. Were they not even interceding? Oh, how my heart broke when I first heard these words; I mean, really heard. Do you hear the heart of God? Intercession is more than declaring, prophesying and praying. It is standing on the corrosion of sin, applying the blood of Jesus to it and calling heaven to earth. It is doing what Jesus did. It is compassion, empathy, good deeds and prayer. It is 'building a wall and standing in the gap'.
Intercession is getting dirty, feeling the pain, helping the hopeless, crying out on their behalf before our righteous God. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 For many years I have asked God to heal me. Now you may be surprised at that, but when I was a young teenager we discovered that I had a twisted spine. The label the medical community puts on it is scoliosis... For the most part it never really hindered me from doing what I wanted. But, as time marches on, I have had to battle the effects of imbalanced muscles caused from the curve. I have been through seasons of migraines, muscle spasms and chronic pain and each time God has healed me ... but not when I wanted Him to.
I have examined this from many angles, but today I was listening to someone that I admire greatly and who has much to say about this subject of healing. Her name is Joni Eareckson Tada and she is a quadriplegic (she has a new audio-book that is being released and you can download the 1st hour of it free at https://christianaudio.com). Joni said something that surprised me, but that I can totally relate to. She quoted Psalm 37:4 and said that as much as she desires to be free from the wheelchair and the present pain, she has a greater desire to know God & to grow in Him. Joni is allowing God to work good in her despite (or is it, 'to spite') what the enemy has thrown her way. My heart totally concurs. I started to recall all of the times that I went up for prayer, with absolute faith to be healed (and each time in response to God's prompting for me to do so, I might add). I have continually come away from each of those experiences with God answering a deeper need, a greater need every time. My back is still curved. He eventually healed me from the migraines & spasms. But again, my back is still curved. My greatest quest in life is not to have a straight back, although I won't argue if it comes. My greatest quest is to know God's peace, to really trust Him, to have His mind, to be so intertwined with His presence that I am truly one with Him. My 2nd greatest desire would be to reflect & wear Him well to my family... and to you. I'll stop here. If you are in a hard place, trust God to deliver you. If He does not alleviate your physical circumstances, trust Him. Do not let the enemy gain control of your mind & your spirit.
Maybe I've been looking at this the wrong way.
Is obedience simply something that is required? Is it a chore? How do I do it with joy... with absolute trust? I've been asking these questions a lot lately. I want to be obedient; in fact, I think that I am for the most part. But, I want to find how to be 'peacefully' obedient. I have come to realize that I can only do this by putting my full trust in the One that I am obeying. I've been reading in Exodus and in just one sitting I read the following:
Aside from the incredible privilege of seeing that (yeah, yeah; I'm that old! :), I think that the next great reward of obedience comes in the form of 'peace'. What a treasure (& relief) peace is; for when I am not struggling against God well, I am not struggling! Take time to ponder this today. Obedience to a gracious, kind and merciful God is His way of rewarding us. What a good God we serve. |
Inquiring MINDS
Please inquire for the word of the LORD today. 1 Kings 22:5
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