The Walk-Through

A colleague of mine recently had a meeting in preparation for a media event. Much of the meeting time was spent on doing a "walk-through"-- a detailed discussion on what would be said, what ought not be said, who would do what, and how to keep the audience engaged throughout the event.

Have we devoted time, daily, to do a "walk-through" with God? What would it look like if, every day, we met with God for instructions on how to handle our lives? The good news is that we can meet with Him through reflection on His word. When we are immersed in the word of God we are taught what to say, how to pray, when to be still, and when to act.

Acquiring the habit of doing a God-directed "walk-through" will indeed equip us to walk through the highs and lows of life. Remember the middle of Psalm 23? "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4) It is the leading, loving hand of God, embraced and engaged over time, that positions the psalmist to navigate through the dark days that confronted him. You and I can walk through dark days too, if we open ourselves to God's guidance.

Lord God, it is a joy and privilege to know You. Please instruct us, lead us, and guide us. Give us Your grace. Walk us through Your master plan, so that we can be ready to walk through all sorts of circumstances. We love You and thank You for preparing us for every event we face. In Jesus's name we pray, with thanksgiving. Amen. 

How Long Is Too Long? Part Two: A Study of David

[Today's devotional is taken from the small-group study "Arrayed In Hope", which I wrote about a year ago.]

When David was initially anointed as king by the prophet Samuel, he was still young. In fact, First Samuel 16:12 describes David as “ruddy.” He had not yet grown facial hair. And he was not yet old enough to be enlisted in King Saul’s army, which had a minimum age requirement of twenty years old (see Numbers 1:3).

If we assume that David had just missed the age requirement for enlisting in the army, and was nineteen years old when he was anointed by Samuel, then we are contemplating a minimum waiting time of eleven years before David was able to take his place as king. But the wait might have been much longer than that, given the description in First Samuel 17:42: “When the Philistine looked carefully at David, he despised him, for he was only a ruddy and handsome boy.” From this description, it appears that David was so young that he could not even pass for a twenty-year-old.

The Scripture passages do not specifically tell us how David felt about the time gap between the anointing done by Samuel and the confirmation of David’s kingship by the elders of Israel. But we do have several psalms, written by David, in which we can read his affirmation of hope in God. Let’s read part of a psalm of David, aloud:

Psalm 25:1-5

In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.

I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame,

but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

How Long Is Too Long? Part One: A Study of Saul

[Today's devotional is taken from the small-group study "Arrayed in Hope", which I wrote about a year ago.]

In First Samuel 13, we read that Saul had given up hope on Samuel. Saul offers three reasons for his loss of hope (First Samuel 13:11):

• Saul’s army had started to leave.
• Samuel had not arrived at the appointed time.
• The Philistine army had assembled at Micmash (Michmash), ready for battle.

A strong enemy, a dispersing army, and a missing prophet moved Saul into a disobedience fueled by hopelessness. Perhaps we, like Saul, have had moments when we gave up hope and took matters into our own hands. For Saul, his lack of hope led him into doing something that he was not authorized to do. (Although he had authority as ruler of the people, he did not have authority as a spiritual representative.)

How can we be hopeful in moments where we feel like the help we need is “taking too long” to arrive? Perhaps we can take encouragement from Psalm 39:7: “But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope!” Yes, it is the Lord who is our hope. It is Jesus who represents us and pleads our case before the Father.

Say Something

I will tell about your justice, and all day long proclaim your salvation, though I cannot fathom its full extent. (Psalm 71:15)

Psalm 71 is a prayer song to God. A key theme of the song is our need of God throughout our lifespan. The writer reflects on how God watched over him in infancy and childhood, and petitions God to continue caring for him through adulthood and old age.

In verse 15, we find a wonderful thought: “I will tell… though I cannot fathom…” The writer admits that he cannot fully understand or explain the ways of God. In the face of his limited knowledge, he testifies anyway.

Sometimes we may feel like we are unqualified to speak because we are not Bible scholars, or we may feel nervous about being asked questions that we might not be able to answer. We need not be nervous! If we have made a decision to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we can speak confidently of our personal experience of salvation. We can speak confidently about the righteousness of God that has brought deliverance to our souls. We can boldly express our gratitude for what God has done in us and for us.

Perhaps we can become intentional about making daily proclamations. What can you and I say, today, about the things God has done for us?

Sing to the LORD, praise his name: proclaim his salvation day after day. (Psalm 96:2)

Stand-In

Yesterday evening, at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, Reverend Newton Gabbidon began a three-part teaching series on intercession and intercessory prayer. We have known Reverend Gabbidon for about eight years, and each year he has blessed us with excellent teaching and training.

If you are a person of prayer and missed last night’s session, please join us for the next two Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 10:00. The teaching will encourage you and move your prayer life to a deeper level! If you are not a person of prayer, you are invited to attend as well. As you learn of the value of prayer, you will doubtless be inspired to develop consistency and growth in your personal prayer life. (Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene is located at 971 East 227 Street, Bronx NY 10466.)

Today, let’s reflect on a few verses that pertain to intercessory prayer:

Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9)

First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (First Timothy 2:1-2)

A Prayer For You

My prayer for you today:

Psalm 20:1-5

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

On Patrol

I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him. Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” So they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet.” Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?” The Lord answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words. (Zechariah 1:8-13)

The prophet Zechariah, in his vision, hears a heavenly discourse about the state of the earth. There is a report of peace and quiet, and there is a petition for divine compassion.

Perhaps some of us have experienced a similar plight: there is peace, and yet there is need. In such times, we can be assured that the court of Heaven is aware of our situations. We, like Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, are blessed to have a heavenly Petitioner speaking on our behalf. He is Jesus, the One who lives to intercede for us (see Hebrews 7:25).

We live as beneficiaries of the mystery: from a place not bound by Time, the needs of our time-bound lives are met. The resolution of our problems may not always occur in the way we expect, but we can rest knowing that our Lord has addressed our concerns according to His perfect will. My prayer is that, today, He will pour His reassurance into our hearts and renew in us His peace.

God is in control.

The Shift From Covetousness To Contentment

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Sometimes it is difficult to live in true contentment. We live in a cultural context that thrives on advertisement: we are constantly presented with offerings of products and lifestyles that are deemed ideal. If our current circumstances do not fit the ideal, then we might be tempted to focus our attention on the things we don’t have.

Though our world is filled with temporal offerings, God is the ultimate fulfillment. He has given the greatest offering, that of His only Son Jesus Christ, so that we can enjoy abundant life on earth and eternal life in heaven. The abundant life we enjoy is not based on what we own; rather, it is based on Who owns us. Because we have devoted our lives to Christ, we can live every day by the power of His Spirit. He lives in us, He leads us, and He works through us.

We have a choice: we can choose to find contentment in eternal things, or we can burden ourselves by remaining focused on temporal desires. My prayer for all of us is that we will choose to worship God and embrace His attributes. The Lord knows our needs and our wants, and He will supply according to His will and His timetable. When we keep our focus on Him, our unfulfilled desires lose the power to consume our attention.

Where is your attention focused today?

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires. (Psalm 37:4)

But first be concerned about God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well.  (Matthew 6:33)

God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies, I grant your request, and give you a wise and discerning mind superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. Furthermore, I am giving you what you did not request—riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation. If you follow my instructions by obeying my rules and regulations, just as your father David did, then I will grant you long life.” (First Kings 3:11-14)

The Core Of Fellowship

This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched (concerning the word of life— and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us). What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ). Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (First John 1:1-4)

Our relationship with God is our source of joy. That relationship is like a wellspring, in which we are able to tap into the goodness of God. But, this delving into the Spirit-filled life is not accomplished by our own effort.

It is God who blesses His people with ears to hear, eyes to see, and mouths to testify. Because the Spirit of the Lord has made us aware of His presence and our need for Him, we are able to speak confidently of His life working in us.

It is God who moves His people to share His love; His love is the core of fellowship. If you have ever been on the receiving end of getting a “gift” shared under compulsion, then you know that charitable acts are not always correlated with love. It is only the presence and power of God's love that makes fellowship a loving, joyful exercise.

Dear God, our Source of joy, help us to deepen our relationship with You so that we can engage authentic fellowship with others. May our wellspring always be filled, Your Spirit overflowing in our lives, so that those who tap into us will encounter You. Bless us to love You; move us to love others. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

Prayer From A Thankful, Grateful Heart

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (First Peter 2:24)

Lord God, we thank You today for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the One qualified to accept and absorb the sufferings and injustices of the world into His own body. We rejoice in the mystery: He in His righteousness died for us in our sinfulness, so that we can know forgiveness, peace, and healing. We walk in wholeness today not of our own doing, but because You made it possible. May our lives always reflect our gratitude for this amazing gift from You. Amen.

Good Medicine

A joyful heart is good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness,
But as for a broken spirit who can bear it? (Proverbs 18:14)

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24)

My benediction for you today:

May your speech be pleasant, pouring forth words of life for the healing of peoples and nations. May your heart be joyful. May your spirit be strong, a testimony of God's strength in you. May you encourage others, moving them from brokenness to wholeness, for the glory of God.

Honorable Mention

I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. (Philemon, 4-6)

It’s not unusual for us to pray for people when they have a need. We often pray for people because we know they long for some sort of deliverance: they might have a sick family member, or they might be in financial straits, or they might be studying for an exam. We learn of the need, and we pray for God to help them.

In Philemon, we see the apostle Paul take a different stance. He prays not because things are difficult for Philemon, but because things are good. Sometimes we leave the ‘Philemon’s of the world off our prayer list because we don’t sense a pressing need to pray on their behalf. But Paul provides us with a prayer template we can model today: Lord, more. Let the faith of the faithful  be more effective. Let them see You in every good thing they do.

As we pray, let’s remember the sick… and let’s remember those who are well.

To Know And Remember

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative--that is, the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:26)

Some of us are blessed to have appointment books, calendars, family members, or friends who help us stay on track with important data. Others of us rely on electronic resources that sound a tone or present a list of what we are scheduled to do during a given day. In our faith tradition, though, we know of a perfect Reminder: not an external system, but the person of the Holy Spirit working within us.

In John 14:26 we read that the Holy Spirit teaches and reminds. What a blessing! In a world of conflicting opinions, we need to be immersed in God’s instruction. In the face of distractions and challenges, we need God’s word reinforced in our hearts every day. If there are areas of our lives where we really don’t know what God’s perspective is, we can ask Him-- and He will reveal it to us by His Spirit.

Yes, Lord, we need You to teach us and to remind us of everything You have said. Send Your Spirit, in full measure: give us the grace to understand and obey Your word.

"See" Levels

One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.” But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. (Nehemiah 6:10-12)

Nehemiah was a man who faced opposition. In chapter 6, we see that several people sought to thwart his attempts to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. But Nehemiah remained focused on his work, repairing the breaches and the broken-down sections, and the task was completed.

During his season of opposition, Nehemiah had an encounter that was unusual. His enemies hired a man to speak a “prophetic” warning, designed to make Nehemiah stop working. In verse 12 of the chapter, we see the reason why Nehemiah did not respond to the false prophet: the Lord had blessed Nehemiah with prophetic insight that kept him from falling into spiritual error. “I realized that God had not sent him…Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.” 

Nehemiah was devoted to God. His prayer life supported his work ethic, and in the moments when he needed it most God blessed Nehemiah with spiritual perception. Can we say the same of ourselves?

Lord God, we long for more of You! Transform our devotional life; may it grow deeper every day. Help us to remain anchored in You so that we will not drift into error. Thank You for speaking Your truth into the hearts of Your people. We love You and we ask for Your wisdom, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Long Time No See

But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face,  because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. (First Thessalonians 2:17-20)

It is disheartening when we are prevented from visiting our brothers and sisters in the faith, especially those with whom we have walked through the process of salvation. Often the longing of our heart is to see them in person, and to speak to them in person, for assurances that they are indeed growing in their faith. In such moments, we can agree with the apostle Paul: our hearts have been knit together by the Divine presence and the love of God. We are separated by distance; we are together in spirit.

Lord God, thank You for saving us. Our friends in the faith whom we cannot see are in Your gaze; please love them. Please protect them. In the face our of inability to embrace our friends, we ask You to embrace them. Though our desires have been hindered by the enemy, we know that You will bring glory to Your own name—so we rejoice. Please assure our friends that they are not forgotten by You, nor by us. We ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Overarching Peace

Those who love Your law have great peace,

And nothing causes them to stumble.

(Psalm 119:165)

What does it mean to have great peace? In Strong’s Concordance, the word “great” in Psalm 119:165 is translated as the Hebrew word rab: it means abundant in quantity, size, age, number, rank, or quality. So, there is plenty of peace available for us! There’s so much, in fact, that our sense of peace can outrank every other feeling and emotion.

Galatians 5:22 reminds us that one of the qualities of the Holy Spirit is peace. If our lives are filled with the Spirit of Christ, then His peace will permeate us. Life’s trials will lose the power to generate a spirit of despair, because there is a greater power at work in us: the Spirit of peace. In the presence of great peace, fear cannot establish a foothold.  We who love the law of the Lord are positioned to receive this wonderful gift… God’s great peace, in great measure, for His great glory.

Lord God, today we declare our love for Your law. Thank You for allowing us to experience great peace. Please let it overflow from our lives into the lives of everyone we meet. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

Praying The Word

I am rushing out of the apartment and don’t have time to write a reflective post, but I didn’t want to leave without sharing with you all. Let’s make this Scripture passage our prayer for today.

Psalm 119:33-40

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law
And keep it with all my heart.
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
Incline my heart to Your testimonies
And not to dishonest gain.
Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,
And revive me in Your ways.
Establish Your word to Your servant,
As that which produces reverence for You.
Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your ordinances are good.
Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me through Your righteousness.

Delay? Okay.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying, “Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it, the LORD is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:1-3)

There are times when the people of God suffer confinement. It may be in a physical prison, or (figuratively speaking) it may be in a season of delay: permissions are not granted, projects remain uncompleted, we find ourselves unable to move forward, and we feel stuck. In our season of confinement, we can be encouraged by this passage.

The Lord God spoke to His imprisoned servant, the prophet Jeremiah. A promise was given to him: Call to Me; I will answer you; I will tell you some things that will amaze you. Our question for today: Is God’s assurance of His answer sufficient for us?

Sometimes, in our confinement, we don’t want prophetic insights: our only desire is for release and we don’t take satisfaction in anything else. Sometimes we are reluctant to stay imprisoned and listen to God. My prayer is that, for all of us in such situations, we will be empowered to ignore our personal discomfort so that we can delight in the word of the Lord. It is the revealed word of God that gives us the strength to endure our season of confinement.

So, Lord God, we declare our rest in You. We may be confined, but we are at peace. Our ears are open to hear Your voice. We know that, at Your appointed time, You will bring deliverance as You see fit. We thank You for this, and we thank You for hearing our prayer. Your timing is perfect: we will joyfully wait for You to speak and act. Amen.

Petition As Disruption

For some of us, prayers revolve around the classic petitions of Christendom: the Lord’s prayer, the Jesus prayer, or some other prayer. Some of us memorized prayers in childhood; others of us may simply pray from the heart, based on our immediate circumstances. In all our prayers, though, do we make room to pray for the salvation and deliverance of persons whose lives are filled with evil words and actions?

There is a verse that is well-known in the faith community: "Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly." (Deuteronomy 32:35) If taken as a stand-alone verse, we may assume that God’s desire is satisfied when the wicked are destroyed. But, tucked away in the book of Ezekiel, there is another verse: "'Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?' This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. 'Instead, don't I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?'" (Ezekiel 18:23) That is God’s heart.

So, as we pray, let’s take time to pray for the deliverance of those whose lives have been patterned on evil. Let’s agree with God. Yes, He punishes the wicked, because sin carries consequences. However, He is calling everyone to repentance, so that all of us might experience God’s life and God’s love. He longs for every person to enter into abundant, eternal life in Him. Our prayers can be the catalyst that moves a person from wickedness to righteousness. Let’s pray to that end.

Lord God, You know the pains that wicked people cause. You have given them free will, and their life-choices have broken Your heart and ours. Please send circumstances to them that will move their hearts away from wickedness and turn them towards righteousness, so that they can be saved. May Heaven expand with a worldwide conversion of souls. We ask this in the name of Christ Jesus, the One who redeems. Amen. 

No Need To Worry

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-12)

“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

During yesterday's sermon in Bronx Bethany's Ministerio Latino, Pastor Martha shared from the intersection of Deuteronomy 6 and Matthew 6:

• We serve the Lord, who has a track record of providing for His people.
• We have the privilege and the responsibility to reflect on the word of God, covering our household with the remembrance of who He is and what He does.
• We, because of Him, can live every day without worrying about temporal needs.

God has not changed. In our moments of need, we can be encouraged that the Lord who fed ancient Israel in the wilderness will feed us; the Lord who brought water out of the rock can satisfy our thirst; the Lord who caused Israel’s clothing not to wear out can clothe us (see Deuteronomy 8:1-10). We can claim the prophetic promise and move from the land of servitude to the land of supply.

As we wait for God's promises to show up in our circumstances, how ought we pray? Instead of continually asking God to do things for us, let’s choose to thank God for what He has already done in us. He is our Father. He is trustworthy. God is not worried. His Spirit, who lives in us, is the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23a). May His character inform our conduct today.

Speak God’s word to yourself and to others.

Seek God’s kingdom and righteousness.

See God’s hand of miraculous, abundant provision.

Celebrate God's eternal faithfulness.

In The Produce Aisle.

With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied;
He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:20-21)

Those of us who have been Christians for a long time may have memorized Proverbs 18:21 at some point during our faith journey. Whether from personal study or practical experience, we've seen that words spoken over us by other people can be powerful. But, are we diligent to watch our own words? Just as food fills our stomach, speech fills our spirit. Our words are the nutrients that can build us up or wear us down. 

We can produce love, or indifference, or jealousy, or compassion, simply by speaking. Our body takes in each word— even the words we have spoken in reference to others— and Scripture asserts that the words hold so much power that they can affect us for ill or for good: death and life are in the power of the tongue. As we go through our day, let’s be careful to fill others (and ourselves) with the healthiest fruit our mouth can bear: words that please God and bless people.

Lord Jesus, Living Word, help me to speak words of life today. Amen.

For The Sake Of His Servant

But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty. (Second Kings 8:19)

Now King Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz’s reign. But the Lord had mercy on them and felt pity for them. He extended his favor to them because of the promise he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very day. (Second Kings 13:22-23)

Long after Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David had died, the Lord continued to honor His word concerning them and their households. The evil acts of some of their descendants, heinous as they were, did not have the power to nullify the covenant God had made with these men of old.

Are you seeing your children or grandchildren living in a way that dishonors God? Pray for them, and take heart. Though there may be seasons in which it’s difficult to watch family members drifting from the faith, you can be sure that God will uphold His word to you. If He has given you a word concerning your descendants, then don’t be swayed by what you see happening in front of you. Hold fast to His word.

Our God keeps His promises!

On-Time Delivery.

Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. (Daniel 6:16-17)

Daniel spent the night in the lions’ den. Was Daniel delivered? Yes. However, let’s take a few minutes to consider Daniel’s plight. From a sunset to a sunrise, he was placed in a dire situation that could not be changed.

We are sometimes tempted to believe that the process of deliverance is a preventing process that keeps us from experiencing situations like Daniel’s. We think that we are saved from crises. Daniel’s experience reminds us that, sometimes, we are saved through crises. Our great testimony is not that we avoided unjust actions; it is that we have experienced unjust actions, survived, and were vindicated.

King Darius’s words and actions in Daniel 6:16-17 may have seemed contradictory, but they were not. The king knew that he could not alter the laws of the land, and he knew that God had the power to supersede the laws of men. So, even though the king had to use signet rings as proof of a binding law, the king also used his own mouth to testify to the truth: God will deliver.

Has your faith caused you to be punished under a binding law? Have no fear. The law can be upheld, as it must, and the Lord God can deliver His people. “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” (Daniel 6:27) Be at peace in the den. The lions won't harm you. Evening will become morning, and you will be vindicated.

A Psalm And A Prayer

Psalm 126

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, Lord,
    like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
    carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
    carrying sheaves with them.

Lord God, thank You. You give us the power to sow, even as we sow in tears. Today some of us are walking back and forth, weeping. Some of us are captive to the consequences of past sin and error. Our prayer is that we will stay faithful to You, the Faithful One. We will keep praying, and thanking, and giving, and serving, because we have Your assurance that there will come a day when we will rejoice. Though we long for the days of harvest, we also long to be found trustworthy in the days of sowing. So we thank You for the bag of seed, and we thank You for the fruit that has not yet appeared. We know that Your promise still stands: seedtime and harvest will not cease. We believe You, Lord. Thank You for being with us in every moment of the cycle. Please receive our praise today, in Jesus’s name. Amen.

Pray-Tell.

And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him (Luke 9:18a)

Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; (Luke 9:28 and 9:32a)

Some of us are incredibly privileged regarding our access to ministry resources. We can hear Christian broadcasts, or we can read books written by Christian authors. Some of us attend seminars from time to time; some of us are studying in seminaries. Some of us get to hang out with amazing ministry leaders, learning from their years of experience. But there is no greater connection than when we, led by the Spirit of God, are able to participate in the process and mystery that is prayer.

Like the disciples in Luke 9, we may find that challenges show up when we seek to engage the ministry of prayer. There is the risk of merely being a spectator, watching and listening to others’ Spirit-led prayers without adding our voice of agreement (Luke 9:18). There is the risk of falling asleep (Luke 9:32). There is the risk of entering into worship and service paradigms that are out of line with God’s desire (Luke 9:33-35).

There are these risks, and yet we are drawn to be with our Lord daily in the place of prayer. Let’s embrace the opportunities we’ll have today to pray. It is our privilege.

Lord, help us to pray.

Retrieval System

Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live.” So he said, “Go.” Then one said, “Please be willing to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I shall go.” So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. (Second Kings 6:1-6)

There are times in our lives where we need a miracle, or where we know of someone else who needs a miracle. In those moments, we can take encouragement in the testimony of Scripture. In the Bible we see that the power and anointing of God can cause the miraculous to occur. In the Second Kings 6 passage, the response of iron in water was transformed: the thing that would normally sink was made to float.

What is our “axe head”? What are the things in our lives that have been lost? Things borrowed? Things owned? Lost dreams? Lost desires? Expectations that fell so far that we assumed they were irretrievable?

“Then the man of God said, ‘Where did it fall?’” (Second Kings 6:6a)

Today, let’s appeal to God for deliverance. Let’s petition Him regarding the places where we have lost things that we need to recover. Let’s be open to His leading, trusting that He has not lost the power to do what seems impossible. Let’s even be open to His using people as instruments of His power, just as He used Elisha. Who knows? He might even use us.

Lord, we are Your people. Please see us, please hear us, as we point to the places where we’ve lost things of value. God, have mercy on us: restore to us our property, our dreams, our longings, things we had borrowed, and things we have owned. Equip us with a believing faith in You. We know that You still have people on the earth who, like Elisha, believe and execute the miraculous. Lord, we thank You for the chance to see Your power at work. And, Lord, we stand ready to participate. Axe head, we call you to submit to the power of God: float to the surface today. We pray in the name of Christ Jesus, our Deliverer. Amen.

Understandably.

Then David gave to his son Solomon the plan of the porch of the temple, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms and the room for the mercy seat; and the plan of all that he had in mind, for the courts of the house of the Lord, and for all the surrounding rooms, for the storehouses of the house of God and for the storehouses of the dedicated things; also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord and for all the utensils of service in the house of the Lord; “All this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern.” (First Chronicles 28:11-13 and 28:19)

Whether we are constructing a building, or writing a song, or preaching a sermon, there is the possibility of our experiencing God as our Divine Director—the One guiding every step we take.  

Like King David of old, we may have things that we want to accomplish for God: things we want to do for Him and for His kingdom, just because we love Him so much. In David’s case, the Lord did not permit him to build the temple, but He did allow David to receive the plans and to prepare all the supplies needed for the work (see First Chronicles 22:5-10).

It’s an incredible privilege to be directed by the Lord. It is He who reveals to us what we can do, and what we must delegate to others. When we experience the desire to do something for the glory of God, let’s pray for God to help us and to show us His plan for transforming our desire into His reality.

O Lord God, Source of Divine direction,

Grace me to receive Your pure instruction;

Make me understand Your prescribed pattern.

Guide my hand, that I might build a temple,

Or perhaps to leave raw material,

The next generation to build withal:

The gift of everlasting legacy.

Lord, write Your heart-desire into me.

-G.A.R.

Tell What God Has Done: It Is The Better Story (by Rev. Ronald A. Benjamin)

Everyone is telling something. Talk shows; social media, news networks, texting, magazines, periodicals, mobile apps, news alerts…there is no scarcity of news. In addition to those who are telling there are those who are listening…there is a desire to know what is happening, what is being said or what’s not being said. I have watch several persons whose attention is constantly on their mobile devices catching up on the latest tweets. There is no scarcity of news…good and bad.

For over two years I have been conducting a weekly Bible study on Wednesdays in the Gospel of Luke. We began the study on Ash Wednesday intending to do it for the Lenten season. So we started our study in chapter 9:51 which informs us of Jesus’ deliberate decision to go to Jerusalem knowing that He was going to be crucified. Since then, we have completed the book and we resumed our study at chapter one. We are now in chapter eight.

Our recent study was the account of the deliverance of the Gerasenes demoniac (8:26-39).

That whole account actually began with Jesus telling the disciples to sail to the other side of the lake, 8:22. While on their way they encountered a storm which threatened their lives. Jesus was sleeping in the boat (I cannot imagine where He found a place to sleep on such small vessel) during the storm. In their fear, the disciples woke Him up and pretty much accused him of not caring that they were going to die. (If anyone was in danger of dying it would have been the sleeping passenger). Jesus spoke directly to the storm and it ceased. They did not abort the trip. They continued to the other side.

Upon arriving on the shores, Jesus was met by a man who was possessed by demons…legion. A legion could include between four to six thousand troops. Through direct command again, Jesus delivered the man from this severe case of demonic possession. There was some loss to valuable assets in the process because an entire herd of pigs were drowned in the lake due to the demons that came out of the man and entered them.

Now comes the time of reporting. The swineherds went to the city and reported what had happened. The citizens came out to see what had happened. They saw the man who was healed. He was sitting down at the feet of Jesus; he was clothed and he was in his right mind. The response of the people was fear. A human, a person was made well. The people saw the healed man. But his healing meant nothing to them. Instead of celebrating the amazing healing of the man, they became fearful and most likely concerned that there could be the possibility of more economic loss should any more demons got into more pigs. So they asked Jesus to leave their region.

The man who was healed was now begging Jesus to allow him to leave the area with Him. Instead of allowing him to leave with Him, Jesus told him to go home and report of the great things that God had done for him. At that very moment, there were several things that could be reported. But Jesus’s instructions to the man was very specific: “…describe what great things God has done for you”. The man could have reported about the drowning of the pigs; he could have reported the actions and request of the people. However, he was told to report what God had done for him. Jesus knew that it would be of greater worth to talk about what He had done than what the people or the demons had done.

Not everything needs to be reported. Some reports only stir up strife; some stir up anger; some endanger our souls because they make us gossipers and tale bearers. When we choose to report what God has done for us we become messengers of hope and blessings. Isaiah describes the beauty of the feet of the one who spreads good news: “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings news of happiness, who announces salvation and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’”, 52:7.

The decision not to report some things may displease some people because they take pleasure in negative things. By being intentional to make known only what God has done places us on the Highway of holiness. It takes away the opportunity from Satan to breed discord and dissension. The next time you give a report, make sure it is about what God has done for you. You can’t say the wrong thing in talking about what God has done.