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.