“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21, ESV) My friend laughs at my list-making and calendar-keeping ways. She does neither. Oh, she sometimes tries to write things down, but just as frequently she forgets to pick up her list as she heads out the door. When she does remember, she will proudly announce, “I have a list!” For the truly structured person, an interrupted schedule can be frustrating. Interruptions will come; that’s just life. When our plans go awry, we can let it irritate us…
“And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:7, NKJV) What is your community like? Is it a pleasant place to live? Do you feel safe and secure? Why did you choose to live there? Most of us have a choice about where we will live. Sometimes a new job or other change of circumstance will bring about a move, and then we have decisions to make. Where can I find an affordable, well-kept, and friendly neighborhood? Is the area safe? Is the school district good? How convenient are the stores and services I will need? All these things are important, but covering our city with prayer is vital to peaceful, happy living. The people of Judah did not have an option. They were forcibly removed from their homeland and relocated to a foreign land. After being taken captive by the Babylonian invaders, they were moved hundreds of miles and dropped into unfamiliar surroundings with a different language and culture. How easy it would be to allow despair and defeat to consume them. But God instructed…
“He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.” Psalms 18:11 NLT How often do we believe the lie that God has left us to suffer in our circumstances? That quiet and loneliness must be a sign that God is absent and unaware of our troubles. We often struggle with frustrated thoughts and emotions at what we have to endure in this life, at least I do. In my self-pity it’s so easy to crumble under the pressure, and cry out “Where are you God, and why have You left me?” But what if I intentionally sought Him out in the storm? What if His arrival won’t appear as though I thought it would? I do not know everything, nor do I know what is truly best for me. I understand that His ways are higher than mine, so why do I assume to fathom how He will show up, and work it all out? Psalms 18 tells an intense story of distress and how God responded. It says He covered Himself in darkness and veiled His approach with dark rain clouds. When we see a storm brewing, we automatically assume it will get dark and nasty…
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.” Psalms 91:1-2 There have been countless times in moments of anxiety and worry that I have clung to these words “He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.” I have declared these statements over tragedy and loss, and I have whispered them through tears while struggling to believe them…
“But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.” Genesis 45:5-7 I have always been fascinated by the story of Joseph. Things started great for him in life, but quickly took a turn for the worst. How awful it must have been, and how betrayed he must have felt to be sold as a slave by his brothers. The very ones who should have had his back and loved him the most became those who would hurt him the most. He endured countless hardships, from false accusations to years in a jail cell. He was forgotten, betrayed, and lied about. He is finally reunited with his brothers (who were unaware of who he was at first) and could have exacted his revenge on them by turning them away and sealing their fate to die of starvation. Instead,…
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James 1:22 NLT I have two young children, so speaking to them and not truly being heard is a frequent occurrence in my home. They are busy, active children who have their minds set on their current task and anything beyond that is unimportant. Usually, I have to fight for their attention, just to be sure that they have indeed heard the words I spoke. Sometimes I’m guilty of doing the same thing. I can walk away from people having not genuinely retained anything from our conversation. I’m either distracted, exhausted, or watching my children in the background, which can make it difficult to listen and truly participate in what is being said. I’m following a bible reading plan for the year, as I’m sure many of you are too. It can become just another item to check off the to-do list though, just one more task to complete. The sad reality of “scrolling” through The Word is that it just isn’t sufficient, there has to be more. I can read through my assigned chapters for the day, but if I’m…