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Worship VI Streams In The Wilderness: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Streams In The Wilderness!

The Questions

1) What does it mean to be “brought up from Sheol” or spared from “the Pit?”

2) What should our response be to the Lord’s rescue?

3) What is the favor of the Lord?

Psalm 30:1-12

I will exalt you, Lord, because you have lifted me up and have not allowed my enemies to triumph over me.
2 Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from Sheol; you spared me from among those going down to the Pit.

4 Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor, a lifetime. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning.

6 When I was secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you showed your favor, you made me stand like a strong mountain; when you hid your face, I was terrified.
8 Lord, I called to you; I sought favor from my Lord:
9 “What gain is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your truth?
10 Lord, listen and be gracious to me; Lord, be my helper.”

11 You turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12 so that I can sing to you and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Original Intent

1) What does it mean to be “brought up from Sheol” or spared from “the Pit?”
According to Albert Barnes, the word Sheol means grave or “the region of the dead; the underworld which is entered through the grave.”  King David uses this word in Psalm 30:3 when he sings, “Lord, you brought me up from Sheol; you spared me from among those going down to the Pit.” Albert Barnes also notes the “word pit here means the same as the grave.”  David rejoices that God delivered him from Sheol and the Pit.  Author David Guzik points out, “we don’t know if David here described what we might call a near-death experience or if it would be more like a narrow escape from death. Either way, in his life as a soldier and leader, he had more than one time when death was near, and God rescued his soul from death.”  David makes sure to memorialize the Lord’s goodness to him in a song which is sung at the dedication of his palace (Enduring Word Bible Commentary) He had been delivered from the jaws of death, and he wanted to “Sing to the Lord!” (Psalm 30:4)

2) What should our response be to the Lord’s rescue?
In Psalm 30:1, David extols the Lord for lifting him up and rescuing him from his enemies.  Author Samuel Chandler points out that the Hebrew verb, dalah, “is used in its original meaning, to denote the reciprocating motion of the buckets of a well; one descending as the other rises, and vice versa; and it is here applied, with admirable propriety, to point out the various reciprocations and changes of David’s fortunes, as described in this psalm. . .”  Indeed, David does describe many other times the Lord has rescued him in Psalm 30.  In verse 2, David says he called out to God for help and He healed him.  In Psalm 30:3, David says the Lord brought him up from Sheol and spared him from the Pit.  In Psalm 30:11, David notes how God turned his mourning into dancing.  Each time that God provides rescue, David has the same response.  He praises God and gives Him the glory.  Throughout Psalm 30, David exalts the Lord, sings to the Lord, praises His name, vows to sing and not be silent, and to praise the Lord forever.  Author David Guzik points out that David praises the Lord because “He knew his security and status were the work of God. It wasn’t as if God did it all as David sat passively; he was a man of energy and action. Nevertheless, it was God’s work far more than his own.”  David Guzik further argues that “God worked in David’s life so He would bring Himself glory and appropriate praise. Though it clearly benefited David, it was primarily for God’s own glory He did this.”  Whenever God rescued David from trouble, David responded with praise so God would get the glory.

3) What is the favor of the Lord?
One Messianic Jewish author explains how the “word favor in Hebrew is hen. . . It comes from the word to pardon: l’hon. When you hen someone, you grant favor to a prisoner and cancel his punishment.” According to Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, favor “means gaining approval, acceptance, or special benefits or blessings. There is also a close association among favor, grace, and mercy, which are sometimes used to translate the same Hebrew and Greek words (such as hen and charis.”)  In Psalm 30:5, King David speaks about the favor of the Lord when he writes, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor, a lifetime.” David suggests that God’s favor is God’s pleasure, or the opposite of God’s anger.  David also discusses God’s favor when he writes in Psalm 30:7, “Lord, when you showed your favor, you made me stand like a strong mountain; when you hid your face, I was terrified”.  Here, David asserts that God’s favor brings strength and the opposite of favor is God hiding his face. The good news according to Ron Cantor is, “the instant you put your faith in Yeshua, God turned His face towards you. You found favor in His eyes.” Having God’s favor, or His acceptance and blessings, is a gift granted only to those who trust in the Lord.

Everyday Application

1) What does it mean to be “brought up from Sheol” or spared from “the Pit?”
I love the song “Still Rolling Stones” by Lauren Daigle.  In this song, she expresses what the psalmist, David, proclaimed in Psalm 30:3.  He sang, “Lord, you brought me up from Sheol; you spared me from among those going down to the Pit.”  Lauren Daigle sings it this way:

Out of the shadows
Bound for the gallows
A dead man walking
Till love came calling. . .

Six feet under
I thought it was over
An answer to prayer
The voice of a Savior

I cannot express it musically, or even lyrically, but I have felt that same joy and relief at being rescued by my Savior when I was as good as dead.  Before I trusted in Jesus as my Savior, my sins were leading me to the grave, as everyone’s sins do (Romans 6:23) By the grace of God, I have not been a “dead man walking” for over 40 years now!  Some days are easy; many are not, but each day is filled with God’s grace and love and the joy of living a life redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  That freedom in Christ is something to sing about!

2) What should our response be to the Lord’s rescue?
Asking for help is hard for me.  Unless it is reading a map or reaching something up high, I usually muster what’s needed to get the job done.  But sometimes (usually when I find myself in a real mess), I cry out for God’s help.  Without His intervention and deliverance, I would be headed for the Pit like David in Psalm 30:3. God always comes to my rescue. Kyle Idleman tells us the Psalms “reference God as a rescuer about thirty times!“  Psalm 34:19 declares, “One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all.”  Sometimes God swoops in and delivers me.  Sometimes He sits with me as I deal with the fallout of my actions.  Sometimes He holds me while the storm rages, but He always takes my pain and problems and works them out for my good. (Romans 8:28) However He chooses to help me, my response is to praise Him and give Him glory. Psalm 40:2-3 says, “He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.” After David’s deliverance, the Lord put a song of praise in his mouth.  David even used praise as an argument in favor of protecting his life: “What gain is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your truth?” (Psalm 30:9) David knew one reason the Lord rescues is so we will give Him glory and draw others to also find their rescue in the Lord. So, if you are in need of rescue today, know that God is a gracious and loving Savior. His sacrifice of love is the ultimate rescue from death, and His ongoing love provides daily deliverance.  Rejoice with me today that God provides rescue!

3) What is the favor of the Lord?
When I was in 3rd grade, we had a new student several weeks into the first quarter.   The little girl had been in the middle of an art project at her old school, and she brought it with her to work on.  My teacher was kind, but she was also strict and no-nonsense, so I was shocked she let the girl work on the project during class time.  When something went wrong with her creation and the girl burst into tears, I expected the teacher to demand she pull it together and act like a 3rd grader, not a kindergartener.  But she just put her arm around the girl, spoke reassuringly, and let her go to the nurse’s office to get a drink and calm down.  I have always remembered the care and grace the teacher took with this nervous, scared girl.  Her kindness was the key to that girl settling in to our class.  This is how I picture the favor of God in my life.  When I least expect it or deserve it, God pours out His favor on me, wrapping me in His acceptance and showering me with His blessings. Author David Mathis points out that while God often chooses to lavish His people with His favor, there are also certain daily habits that attract God’s favor.  Mathis argues that what “sends our roots deepest, truly grows us up in Christ, and produces lasting spiritual maturity, streams from the ordinary and unspectacular paths of fellowship, prayer, and Bible intake in its many forms.” We can be grateful for God’s unexpected favor, and we can also seek His favor by prayer, fellowship with the saints, and studying the Word of God.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Streams In The Wilderness!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship VI Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Relentless Day 9 Relentless Love: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Relentless Love!

The Questions

1) What caused Jonah to become “furious” (4:1)? Why is it so significant to the story?

2) What caused Jonah to be “pleased” (4:6)? Why is it so significant to the story?

3) What does God’s response reveal about His heart of compassion toward rebellious people (4:11)?

Jonah 3:10-4:11

10 God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with. And he did not do it

1 Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. 2 He prayed to the Lord: “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I thought while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster. 3 And now, Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah left the city and found a place east of it. He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew over Jonah to provide shade for his head to rescue him from his trouble. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. 7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered. 8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head so much that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”
9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “Yes, it’s right!” he replied. “I’m angry enough to die!”
10 So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. 11 But may I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?”

Original Intent

1) What caused Jonah to become “furious” (4:1)? Why is it so significant to the story?
In 2 Kings 14:25 we find evidence that Jonah was a historical prophet (not a parable character) called by God. He was a real man whose story was equally real. Jesus also referred to Jonah and Nineveh, giving us some idea what the city was like and what made Jonah furious. “This generation is an evil generation. It demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.” (Luke 11:29-30) In Jonah 4:2 Jonah tells God: “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.”
Old Testament professor Dr. Douglas Stuart says Jonah “was a prophet who has this kind of special situation.” Unlike his contemporaries Amos and Hosea, the attitude of Jonah is revealed more than his message. Dr Stuart gives insight into Jonah’s anger and its significance. The prophet had been preaching “the destruction of Israel’s enemies. [But] the Assyrians were far more threatening than some of those Jonah preached against like the Syrians. He does not want to hear that God is now calling him to go and have a ministry of compassion to people he hates.”

2) What caused Jonah to be “pleased” (4:6)? Why is it so significant to the story?
Bible scholars are not in agreement about the best interpretation of the Hebrew word used to describe what God provided for Jonah’s shade. The word kikayon is only referenced here in the book of Jonah. The CSB says God caused a “plant” to grow over Jonah’s head, where other translations will say tree. Whatever it was, Bible commentator John Calvin said “it must have therefore been something extraordinary. God added this shrub to the shade afforded by the booth: for in those regions, as we know, the sun is very hot; and further, it was, as we shall see, an extraordinary heat. So, it protects him a little bit in the early day when the sun is slanting and late. Then God causes this leafy gourd to grow up very quickly and suddenly he has got a roof. Now that is not bad. Breeze comes through and you have got shade and it is not bad. He kind of likes that gourd; it is a nice gourd.” (Biblehub.com) Simply put, the shade pleased Jonah. The contrast in Jonah’s attitude from anger to pleasure was of great significance, revealing what mattered most to Jonah. Sadly, it was not God’s mercy that comforted the prophet. Neither did he desire for it to be shown to the Ninevites.

3) What does God’s response reveal about His heart of compassion toward rebellious people (4:11)?
When God told Jonah He “cared” about the people of Nineveh (verse 11), He was communicating His mercy. The Hebrew meaning here is “to pity, look upon with compassion.” (biblehub.com) God’s desire was to spare them, despite their wickedness. This tender God would have spared the city of Sodom if only ten righteous men were found. (Genesis 18:20-33) Jonah obviously knew it was this kind of God who called him to Nineveh. “I knew You were a gracious and compassionate God.” (verse 2) Although some interpret the phrase to denote only children, most likely the “people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left” (verse 11) refer to all the Ninevite people in spiritual ignorance. The Hebrew word used here in Jonah is not the Hebrew word for “children,” giving evidence that a broader interpretation which includes all the people in Nineveh is probably the best rendering. (Holman OT Commentary) God is a God who takes pity on those who stumble blindly in the darkness of sin. His heart is merciful toward those far from Him. On the cross, God the Son prayed for His Father to forgive those who were murdering Him, saying “because they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:32-24)

Everyday Application

1) What caused Jonah to become “furious” (4:1)? Why is it so significant to the story?
When we first read about Jonah’s anger toward the people of Nineveh, we might find ourselves judging him and being critical of his merciless attitude. But if we consider the many who had loved ones die on 9-11, we begin to possibly comprehend his hatred toward a group of people.
What would you feel if you had a grandmother who shared her experience of captivity and severe abuse at the hands of Germans during the Holocaust, and then God called you to go as a missionary to Germany? From a distance, we can allow our resentment to subtly take shape within our hearts. We convince ourselves that evil and murderous people don’t deserve God’s love. We even dismiss them from our thoughts, or we pray for their destruction. Thankfully, God is not like us! He calls us to share the good news of the gospel even with our enemies. Though there will ultimately be a day of judgment for those who reject God, until then He calls us to patiently wait on Him as He pursues people and bestows His mercy on those who repent. (2 Peter 3:6)

2) What caused Jonah to be “pleased” (4:6)? Why is it so significant to the story?
Jonah was pleased while things were going his way. Briefly he sat watching Nineveh from his comfortable shelter in hopes that he would witness the destruction of those he hated so much. His pleasure, however, was short-lived when God interrupted it with a worm and a scorching wind. Similarly, the Scriptures tell us of a man named Job (Job 1:1) who was experiencing all the blessings of God. Amid his comfortable life, unknown to Job, Satan approached God and asked for permission to strike his life and fill it with suffering. Like Jonah, Job began to question God about his life, wondering why he was even born. (Job 3:1-3) Unlike Jonah, he did not waver in his understanding that God was in control. He knew He could put his hope in Him no matter what would come. (Job 2:10, Job 13:15) The significant lesson for us is that God is God and we aren’t. When Job asked God to explain, God didn’t really give an answer as much as He simply declared Who He is. (Job 40-41). When Jonah fretted over the loss of his comfort more than people’s lives being destroyed, God reminded him of Who He is and how He loves: “May I not care about the great city of Nineveh?”. (verse 11)

3) What does God’s response reveal about His heart of compassion toward rebellious people (4:11)?
Before we are too hard on old Jonah, we must ask ourselves what our response would have been. WE are Jonah! Thankfully, Jonah wasn’t judging the Ninevites and neither are we the final judge of our enemies. It is the gracious God of the universe who calls them to repentance and offers His forgiveness. Just as we are Jonah, we are also Ninevites – people desperately in need of the mercy. The shepherd/king, David, is a great example of someone who rehearsed the goodness of God (Psalm 23) He was deeply grateful for the forgiveness of God. (Psalm 51) I especially love David’s reflection when he had disobeyed God regarding a census. Of the three consequences presented to David, instead of relying on a human’s mercy, David chose to trust the mercy of God. (2 Samuel 24) And I’m with David! “David answered Gad, ‘I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because His mercies are great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.’” (2 Samuel 24:14)
“Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will put my hope in Him.’” Lamentations 3:22-24

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Relentless Love!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Relentless Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Relentless Day 7 Faith Or Fear: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Faith Or Fear?

The Questions

1) How can I wait quietly for the Lord when I am desperate for help?

2) What does it mean that “the Lord is my portion?”

3) Why should God’s love and mercy give me hope?

Lamentations 3:21-26

Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
24 I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the person who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.

Original Intent

1) How can I wait quietly for the Lord when I am desperate for help?
The original Hebrew title of the book of Lamentations, ekah, means Alas!  But, according to John McArthur, “rabbis began early to call the book “loud cries” or “lamentations.”  The author, Jeremiah, weeps for the calamity that God’s people have brought upon themselves because of their love affair with sin.  Even in this tragic time, though, the Lord brings hope.  Charles Swindoll notes, “at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord (Lamentations 3:22–25). This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of surrounding darkness shines as a beacon to all those suffering under the consequences of their own sin and disobedience.”  Jeremiah determines to wait quietly for the Lord’s salvation.  According to Ellicott’s Commentary, waiting quietly means “wait in silence: i.e. abstain from murmurs and complaints.”  Jeremiah understands that waiting on God without complaining brings him closer to His rescue.  Matthew Henry notes that quietly waiting is “not quarrelling with God nor making ourselves uneasy, but acquiescing in the divine disposals.”  Quietly waiting on God is yielding to His will and trusting He is in control, even when we don’t understand His plans. It is only possible if we love and trust God and acknowledge that His plans for us are for our good, even if it’s a “good” we don’t yet understand. God told Israel in Jeremiah 29:11 that His plans for them included a hope and a future.  Likewise, He promises us in Romans 8:28 that He is working all things out for our good. God promises He has destined true believers for eternal salvation and not for wrath in 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10. We can wait quietly for God’s help, even when we are in distress, because we trust His plan for us.

2) What does it mean that “the Lord is my portion?”
The book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah at a time when the great city of Jerusalem was devastated by the Babylonian invasion of 586 B.C.  The book is full of Jeremiah’s descriptions of the pain and desolation around him, but it also contains the hope Jeremiah finds in God. That hope was found in Jeremiah recognizing God as his portion and satisfaction. Author David Guzik points out, “Jeremiah found the key to satisfaction—finding one’s portion in the LORD. Whatever measure he was to receive, whatever inheritance, whatever future, it would all be found in Yahweh.” Having the Lord as our portion means recognizing God as our ultimate source for every need. Bible commentator John Gill says this about the Lord as our portion: ”All he [God] is, and has, is theirs; they are heirs of him, and shall enjoy him forever, and therefore shall not be consumed; he is a portion large and full, inexpressibly rich and great, a soul satisfying one, and will last forever.” Matthew Henry, another theologian, states, “It is our duty to make God the portion of our souls, and then to make use of him as our portion and to take the comfort of it in the midst of our lamentations.” Recognizing the Lord as our portion is important if we are to make it through hardships in life.  With the Lord as our portion, we can always find comfort and hope.

3) Why should God’s love and mercy give me hope?
Some scholars find in the Jeremiah of Lamentations a picture of Christ.  Author Ray Stedman notes, “As you read through this book, you will find many foreshadowings of our Lord weeping over the city of Jerusalem.”   Author John J. Parsons points out that “in many profound ways, Jeremiah pre-figured the prophetic ministry of Yeshua (Jesus).”  Jeremiah also prophesies and previews some of Christ’s main teachings, including salvation and our hope in His unfailing love and endless mercy.  Jeremiah reminds himself that the Lord is always loving and always merciful, which gives him hope knowing God would be with him and help him in the terrible situation the Jewish people were in after the Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem.  Jeremiah also prophesies about Jesus’ coming, when God will make a new covenant with His people.  God will forgive their sins and write His law in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34).  Author Tim Mackie asserts that Jesus’s life and death announced “the dawn of Jeremiah’s “new covenant.” Jesus would die for the sins of his own people, and simultaneously bring about that great act of forgiveness anticipated by Jeremiah.”  How amazing to see God’s plan for a Savior revealed to His people to give them hope even in their darkest days.  His love and mercy are truly remarkable!

Everyday Application

1) How can I wait quietly for the Lord when I am desperate for help?
Several years ago, I experienced unexplained vertigo.  I was anxious, wondering how I would care for my family if I couldn’t even stand without the room spinning.  I needed to get better fast, not wait on the Lord.  Yet waiting is what Jeremiah recommends in Lamentations 3:26 where he proclaims, “It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.” Waiting did not seem good to me. But since I was dizzy just lying in bed, there wasn’t much else to do but call on God and wait for His intervention.  I began to understand Andrew Murray’s assertion that God “will never disappoint us.  In waiting on Him we shall find rest and joy and strength, and the supply of every need.”  Quietly waiting on God helped me determine that a prescribed medication was the cause of my vertigo, and I quickly improved.  But waiting on God also taught me I can trust Him with everything.  God showed me that is purpose in the waiting.  Andrew Murray says, “The waiting is to teach us our absolute dependence on God’s mighty working, and to make us in perfect patience place ourselves at His disposal.”  While I waited, my panic abated, and I recognized God was in control and watching over me.  It is not easy to wait when we want the answer NOW, but sometimes it is part of God’s plan.  In Psalm 33:20, David resolves to “wait for the Lord; He is our help and shield.”  In Micah 7:7, Micah vows he “will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”  Once I calmed down and waited patiently for the Lord, He came to my rescue and became my Refuge.

2) What does it mean that “the Lord is my portion?”
I grew up spending summers with my sister and seven cousins at my grandma’s house.  We had lots of fun, but there were inevitable squabbles, usually over who got to drink out of the favorite green cup or who got the biggest slice of apple pie.  We each wanted ours to be the biggest and the best.  I think of that mindset when I consider the idea of the Lord as my portion.  If I want the best for my life, it is most definitely found in the Lord.  Charles Spurgeon called God’s portion the “infinite possession.”  He said, “It is better to have our good God than all the goods in the world: it is better to have God for our all than to have all and be without him.”  To have the Lord as my portion is to have the hope of eternal salvation and the hope of present refuge in God (Psalm 142:5).  To have the Lord as my portion is to have blessings found only in Christ and hope for an eternal future (Psalm 16:5). When I have God, even when I am weak, He makes me strong (Psalm 73:26). When you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior from your sin, He becomes your portion.  He takes all of you and gives you all of Him; a trade that works infinitely in your favor!  When God is the Lord of your life, He promises to “supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).  In Matthew 7:8, God promises “everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  To have the Lord as your portion is to have all that you need . . . the infinite possession indeed!

3) Why should God’s love and mercy give me hope?
In Lamentations 3:21-22, Jeremiah says he has reason to hope because he is reminded of God’s faithful love and his never ending mercies.  We can find hope in God’s love and mercy, too.  Ephesians 2:4-5 tells us, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!”  God, through His grace, extends salvation to us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, who took our sins on the cross so we could be forgiven and have eternal life if we believe in Him.  When we have Christ in our lives, we have great hope.  1 Peter 1:3 tells us God has caused us to be “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  We have the hope of life eternal with Jesus, but we also have the hope of friendship with God while we are living this life here on earth.  Jesus tells us in John 15:14-15, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.”  This communion with God is a wonderful way God provides hope to His children!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Faith Or Fear?

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Relentless Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Awaken Day 14 Awake My Soul: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Awake My Soul!

The Questions

1) The phrase, “If God is for us” seems uncertain or questionable. Is the author unsure If God can be for us?

2) Who could be against us?

3) Since God is for us, can we avoid tragedy and pitfalls in life here on this earth?

Romans 8:31

If God is for us, who is against us?

Original Intent

1) The phrase, “If God is for us” seems uncertain or questionable. Is the author unsure If God can be for us?
In the Latin translation of Romans, the phrase, “If God is for us” is translated, “Dues Pro Nobis” meaning “God for us”. Paul is not indicating an uncertainty about God being with or for us, rather Paul is using a form of hyperbole common in his culture to emphasize the ridiculous thought that God could possibly be anything but for us. For our western minds, we could easily use the word “since” or “because”. “Since God is for us, who could be against us?” ( John Wycliffe)

2) Who could be against us?
“Who can be against us” is a rhetorical question. The answer is simple and definitive. No one! Truly, with a power as matchless as the Lord God’s, no thing and no one stands a chance against us. Since God is our strong salvation, what force could possibly prevail against us? NONE! God’s love for us was supremely manifested in the sacrifice of his own Son on our behalf. (E F Spruce) God proved how much He was for us by sacrificing His Son for us. There is no greater love than this and no power greater than Christ’s resurrection. Paul goes on to emphasize a few verses later, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

3) Since God is for us, can we avoid tragedy and pitfalls in life here on this earth?
The answer would be NO. Satan is powerfully alive and continues preying on our sinful nature to deter us in our faith journey and our relationship with God. This battle against the enemy will continue until Satan is finally cast in to the Lake of Fire, or Hell, where his punishment will continue for eternity. (Revelation 20:10)
God never promised His followers an easy life; instead, He warns us to expect suffering. (John 16:33) But there IS powerful hope, unceasing love, and protection given by the Hand of the Almighty. He has not left us alone! (Psalm 91)
Because God is for us, the Christian life is not a comfortable life, but it is a fulfilling one. Because of the work Jesus did on the cross on our behalf as He took the punishment rightly intended for us, He demonstrated a love and a power that none could equal as He drew us into His own Presence!

Everyday Application

1) The phrase, “If God is for us” seems uncertain or questionable. Is the author unsure If God can be for us?
There can be no stronger encouragement to our everyday faith journey than dwelling on God’s unstoppable saving purposes for His people. No force of evil can prevail against His Beloved ones. When we are His, nothing can snatch us away from Him. (John 10:27-30)
In times of uncertainty, choosing right or wrong, dealing with temptations no matter how small they may seem, the “little” lie, or the excuses we make to justify our actions can be GIANT struggles as we fight against the evil enemy. When trial an temptation meets you today, remember God is for you and put on the full armor of God, pray at all times in the Spirit, stay alert, and persevere unswervingly in truth.  (Ephesians 6:12-18)

2) Who could be against us?
Because God is for us, it doesn’t matter who is against us. The enemy’s spiritual attacks, the trials facing our everyday, tumultuous relationships, financial strain, or anything else that presses in on us making us feel alone may appear powerful, but Paul encourages our hearts by reminding us that though the whole world be against us, God is for us.
Jesus taught that the world would indeed be against us, but because we are God’s, nothing can come between us and His love and grace. (John 15:18-19) God is the final judge and ultimate authority. No trial or tribulation we experience here on earth past, present, or future can have eternal damage on the safety of our souls.  In spiritual conflict, mighty forces, both natural and supernatural can and will be used against us, causing pain and anguish. When we choose to dwell with God, and hiding in the protection He gives through the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf, we are counted as Overcomers because Jesus overcame the world. (Romans 8:29-39)

3) Since God is for us, can we avoid tragedy and pitfalls in life here on this earth?
The apostle John wrote, “Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world” to remind and encourage believers who faced difficulties “in the world”.  (1 John 4:4)
Be aware and alert that yes, Satan will prey on our hearts and minds as he seeks to pull us from the Father’s grasp, but that’s an impossibility. As you face trials, whether its cereal on the floor, spilled milk in the car, not enough money for bills, or a relationship that leaves you spiraling, remember the One who is for you is infinitely GREATER than the power at work in the world against you. Spend time with Him, refocusing on the truth of Who He is and how deeply He loves you!
As HIS chosen people, as the outer self fades away, (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) the inner self is being renewed day by day until that glorious moment when we stand perfected before the Lord Jesus! When we abide in Christ, the things of this world grow dim in the Light of His glorious grace.  Take comfort in knowing the Lord is for you and use your time on earth to share His truth with those around you!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Awake My Soul!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Awaken Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Awaken Day 12 Victorious Wonder: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Victorious Wonder!

The Questions

1) What is it about “dwelling” with the Almighty that brings such protection and rest?

2) How can we reconcile the protection spoken of here and the reality that everyone, even believing Christians, struggle so much physically, emotionally, mentally, and relationally?

3) What are the three perspectives we hear in this psalm?

Psalm 91

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High
dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust:
3 He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,
from the destructive plague.
4 He will cover you with his feathers;
you will take refuge under his wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,
6 the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.
8 You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord—my refuge,
the Most High—your dwelling place,
10 no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.
11 For he will give his angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.
12 They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.

14 Because he has his heart set on me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.
15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will rescue him and give him honor.
16 I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him my salvation.

Original Intent

1) What is it about “dwelling” with the Almighty that brings such protection and rest?
The Hebrew word for “dwell” literally means “to sit” and “remain”. A few months ago, a lovely saint in Christ invited me to lunch in her home. She prepared a delicious soup and bread and set the table with cloth napkins and delicate silver. As she invited me to sit down and eat with her, the intention was that both of us would be fully engaged and remain with one another until the conversation had pleasantly ended. We weren’t in a hurry or thinking about all the “nexts” of the day. We had no agenda other than enjoying the gift of being with each other. This is the meaning of the Hebrew word for “dwell”. When we abandon everything else about life with all of its burdens and aches and pressing insistences, coming to the Lord with His Word for the purpose sitting and remaining, He delights in extending His gracious presence to us. He fills us with good things, He teaches us to trust His heart, and He leads us into righteousness. He protects us at the very core of who we are in our hearts when we choose to dwell with Him.

2) How can we reconcile the protection spoken of here and the reality that everyone, even believing Christians, struggle so much physically, emotionally, mentally, and relationally?
Yes, Scripture itself teaches that trials, persecution, and burdens are indeed the reality of life lived here on earth, but we cannot possibly know the depth and breadth that the Lord has protected believers from. This psalm isn’t a promise that nothing “bad” will ever happen to a believer, but it is promising that even in the midst of “bad things”, He is still for us. He uses all things, good and bad, as if they were tools to shape us to become more like Him. While the reality of present danger cannot be ignored, neither can the very real testament of believers who have received innumerable protections from the Lord. God is intimately acquainted with our lives, our comings and goings, and, holding all power, protects us constantly. We are never outside of His gentle, fatherly hands of love.

3) What are the three perspectives we hear in this psalm?
Verses 1-2 are the psalmist’s personal testimony of his own experiences with the Almighty One as he has chosen to make Him his dwelling place. The Lord is “my God, my refuge, and my fortress”. He then proceeds in verses 3-13 to prompt his listeners to do the same. He sees the busyness, the unrest, the destruction, and the pain happening in their lives and pleads with them to just dwell with the Lord. “He will rescue you…He will cover you…you will not fear…pestilence will not reach you…no harm will touch you…..no plague….He will protect….He will support.” But it is not the protection believers who receive this gift are seeking, it is simply to dwell with the Lord, to know Him in ever deepening ways. His protection is a gift overflowing from the relationship. (verse 9) The final perspective is of the Lord Himself in verses 14-16 which depict that precise intimate love between Most High God and us, the Beloved of God. Protection is given because the one who seeks after Him “has his heart set on Me” says the Lord. God extends loving protection “because he knows My name.” Relationship is central! These last 3 verses are precious indeed to the one who daily chooses to dwell with the Lord!

Everyday Application

1) What is it about “dwelling” with the Almighty that brings such protection and rest?
If we are to truly “sit and remain” with the Lord, we are to do it regularly, daily, and consistently. We benefit from the Lord’s protection and His presence when we are immersed in it, daily choosing Him over all other, lesser loves. A curious philosopher holding a chirping sparrow in his hands, wanted to discover the source of the sparrow’s song, and sliced open the bird to find the reason it sang. Of course, the song ended with his life. Similarly, the love, intimacy, and buoying protection shared between the one who dwells with the Almighty and the Lord God Himself, is also one of mystery. It simply is not fathomable or searchable unless it is experienced for one’s self. Have you discovered that rich delight that comes with dwelling with the Almighty? The intimacy that protects your heart, guards your mind, and teaches you the path of right living? Come away with Him! Dwell with Him! Know Him as He already knows you and delight in the rest and protection He brings!

2) How can we reconcile the protection spoken of here and the reality that everyone, even believing Christians, struggle so much physically, emotionally, mentally, and relationally?
An unexpected check in the mail during a difficult financial time, encouragement when we were tempted to give up, a friend offering to get groceries for us when we ran out of time, an easing of the schedule because of a cancellation, these are all protections from the Lord. Sometimes we take these things for granted as just a “coincidence of life”, but it is the Lord who sees and knows, and acts to protect on our behalf because we love Him and He loves us. Praise Him for these! The Lord is so mighty that even in the midst of intense suffering, as the believer draws near to dwell with the Father, enough strength and peace are given to bring rest and encouragement because while the Lord does indeed give protection in this life, His protection into life eternal is immutable and permanent! Rest here in His presence and find unspeakable treasure!

3) What are the three perspectives we hear in this psalm?
We bring glory to the Lord when we tell of His deeds in our own life. The act of writing down His faithfulness in our own personal faith story not only encourages our own faith because we can see on paper the mighty hand of the Lord, but it also equips us to better share with others how the Lord has been our sheltering refuge. If you’ve never done this, take the challenge to do it this week! Consider upping your personal challenge and sharing it here with the GT Community by emailing your story to Faces of Grace. When you get the chance in everyday, regular life, implore those around you to find shelter with the Lord by dwelling with Him. Speak of His goodness, share of little moments when He has protected you, boldly declare Him! For the last 3 verses in Psalm 91, take them in deeply. Savor them. Memorize them. Pray them out loud over yourself, your friends, your spouse, your children, or even your enemies. Experience the precious gift of truly dwelling with the Almighty and being hidden in Him!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Victorious Wonder!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Awaken Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Awaken Day 7 Still, Small Voice: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Still, Small Voice!

The Questions

1) Why is Elijah in the cave?

2) Why does God choose to speak in “a soft whisper”?

3) Why does God leave 7,000 in Israel?

1 Kings 19:9-18

He entered a cave there and spent the night.
Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”

11 Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.”

At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies,” he replied, “but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they’re looking for me to take my life.”

15 Then the Lord said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu. 18 But I will leave seven thousand in Israel—every knee that has not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Original Intent

1) Why is Elijah in the cave?
Beginning in 1 Kings 18:20 we see the set up for why Elijah ended up in a cave. Elijah was the only faithful prophet to God and he challenged Ahab and all the others who were worshipping the false god Baal. More specifically, Elijah attacked the beliefs of the worshippers of Baal, set up an impossible-to-win stand-off to prove Baal had no power while the One True God was all-powerful. God, of course, defeats the prophets of Baal. However, this action brings about a threat on the life of Elijah from Queen Jezebel. Upon receiving the threat Elijah is afraid and runs for his life. God remains faithful to Elijah, providing for his basic needs and, after 40 days, he eventually ends up in the cave.  Elijah is in a cave as a direct result of his decision to run away.

2) Why does God choose to speak in “a soft whisper”?
In 1 Kings 19:11-12 God displays His power over creation. There is a great, destructive wind, an earthquake, and a fire that all take place before God finally chooses to speak. God could have shown up and spoken to Elijah in any of those moments, instead He chooses to wait. God displays His power for Elijah once more and then, in the small whisper, God finally speaks. God waits for the intimate moment when He has Elijah’s full attention to speak, and when He speaks, He asks a question reminding us of the question God asked Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3:9 quickly following Adam and Eve’s decision to sin, God comes into the Garden and asks, “Where are you?”. God doesn’t ask this because is ignorant, He asks to re-establish the relationship that once was. In a similar way God comes to Elijah in the quiet whisper and asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. Again, God doesn’t ask because He doesn’t know the why, He asks because He is restoring the relationship God and His prophet Elijah have had.

3) Why does God leave 7,000 in Israel?
During the intimate conversation between God and Elijah we learn Elijah feels alone. He feels there is no one left who is faithful to God. He essentially wonders why the Israelites are still God’s people despite their unfaithfulness. God chooses to show Elijah that he is not alone and there are 7,000 believers who had never abandoned the faith. In these same verses we see the consequences of those who have been unfaithful, as well as the love of God in sparing those who remained faithful to the covenant between God and Israel. God encourages Elijah there would be another prophet to follow in his footsteps when He instructs Elijah to anoint his replacement, Elisha. Even though Elijah felt alone God showed him he has never really been alone.

Everyday Application

1) Why is Elijah in the cave?
It has always amazed me that in one moment Elijah displays such faith in God that he stands up to Baal without fear knowing his God will be victorious and in almost the next breath Elijah is running away fearing his life from a human queen. Just like Elijah, there are times in our lives where we will fear the circumstances in our lives. The decision before us in those moments is whether we will lean in and trust God, or run in fear of what might happen. While the decision to ask God into our lives is a one-time decision, the decision to trust God in all circumstances and situations is one made moment by moment, day by day.

2) Why does God choose to speak in “a soft whisper”?
God is a God of power who controls all of creation. He can choose to show Himself and speak through anything. Yet, many times in our lives God does not speak to us through big huge billboards we can’t miss. No, instead, He comes to us in the quiet moments when we choose to set the noise of the world aside and draw near to Him. It is in the moments of intimate relationship that God often speaks to our hearts. You see, above all God prioritizes our relationship with Him. He wants us to draw near, to sit and be still, to lean in ready to hear what He has to say. The question is, will we be still long enough to hear the soft whisper?

3) Why does God leave 7,000 in Israel?
Just like Elijah felt alone, how many times in our lives do we struggle with the same feeling of loneliness. There will be times in our lives we look around and may be tempted to think there are no faithful believers around us or there is no one left to keep the faith when we are gone. However, just as in the life of Elijah, we are never truly alone. If we look hard enough, there are those around us who are clinging to faithfulness and living their lives devoted to the One True God. There are those being raised up in the faith that will continue to grow in faithfulness and who will carry on the faith once God calls us home. No matter how hopeless circumstances may look, we must remember that just as Elijah wasn’t alone in his faithfulness neither are we. Like Elijah, we serve not only a faithful God, but also a just God and those who are faithless will one day have to answer for that faithlessness. However, we must also remember that faithfulness does not equal perfection. As believers, God is continuously at work in our lives to make us more like Him as we choose to cling to Him in faith.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Still, Small Voice!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Awaken Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Glimmers Day 7 Hope In The Should Have: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Hope In The Should Have!

The Questions

1) What are the circumstances for this psalm of David?

2) What is the significance of all the location names in verses 7-10?

3) What is the central anchor for David’s hope?

Psalm 108

My heart is confident, God;
I will sing; I will sing praises
with the whole of my being.
2 Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.
3 I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
4 For your faithful love is higher than the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 God, be exalted above the heavens,
and let your glory be over the whole earth.
6 Save with your right hand and answer me
so that those you love may be rescued.

7 God has spoken in his sanctuary:
“I will celebrate!
I will divide up Shechem.
I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine,
and Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin;
I throw my sandal on Edom.
I shout in triumph over Philistia.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 God, haven’t you rejected us?
God, you do not march out with our armies.
12 Give us aid against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
13 With God we will perform valiantly;
he will trample our foes.

Original Intent

1) What are the circumstances for this psalm of David?
This psalm is a historic “mashup” of two other psalms David had previously penned during two distinctly difficult times in his life. Verses 1-5 were first written in Psalm 57:7-11 where David, the anointed king of Israel, found himself hiding in the cold depths of a cave to save his life as the current King Saul chased him down to kill him. If ever David was in need of hope, it was in that dark cave. Verses 6-13 are first found in Psalm 60:5-12 as David, now King, but having experienced significant defeat at the hands of Edom (descendants of Esau) on Judah in the south. David was surrounded by defeat within his own land and Israel was left reeling like a drunkard with the beating blow of her enemy’s victory. The “mashup song” then was combined by David as a firm reminder of these two turning point instances in his life. The purpose was to quickly call to his mind how the dark the past had been and how victorious the Lord had proven to be. Now, having survived both the depths of depressing darkness and resounding defeat, David urges Israel to look forward and take new ground for, with the Lord as their help, nothing else matters.

2) What is the significance of all the location names in verses 7-10?
Moses had led the budding nation of Israel out of the chains of slavery in Egypt and forward into all God had promised them in Canaan (the Promised Land). After Moses’ death, Joshua led them across the Jordan River to literally take new ground the Lord had given as an inheritance to His people. Shechem and the Valley of Succoth (Genesis 33:17-18) were the first territories Israel would have encountered when crossing the Jordan. The other names are locations farther into Canaan that were all part of Israel’s inheritance from the Lord. Here, the David calls to mind the Lord’s words in speaking over David, “I will divide up Shechem. I will apportion the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine.” (verses 7-8) This was the Lord’s reminder that the inheritance was the LORD’S. He owned it, He ruled it, and whatever circumstances were happening, the Lord was the final victor and King.

3) What is the central anchor for David’s hope?
David’s words speak of victory already won and real reason to celebrate. “My heart is confident, God. I will sing; I will sing praises with the whole of my being!” (verse 1) His reason to rejoice is so sure and solid that he boasts of “wake(ing) up the dawn” with his loud rejoicing. (verse 2) But remember, these words were written as David sat in the back of a cold, musty, cave with little supplies and a sinking morale among his men. Clearly, defeat appeared ready to swallow him alive, yet he sang. He rejoiced so boldly he “awakened the dawn”. He declared the Lord’s goodness to all, he praised God for His faithful love and His magnificent glory. David praised God’s character when his circumstances gave him nothing to praise Him for. I doubt David felt like worshipping while he crouched there with his life hanging in the balance. But David made a very intentional choice to praise God’s good character because his anchor for life was found in the Lord Almighty and nothing less.

Everyday Application

1) What are the circumstances for this psalm of David?
This is a great time to grab a journal, pen, and Bible. Read through Psalm 108 again with the understanding that it represents two very dark times for David, then write your own psalm with the same format. What have been shadow grounds for you in your past, how has the Lord proven His victory? Speak of His great hope that displayed itself in the middle of your night! Or maybe you’re exploring the Lord and the claims of the Bible. Perhaps you’ve never experienced that victory or known His hope as it settled into the core of who you are. Give time to consider your current dark places, the areas of your life you’d rather run from than walk into. What if, like David, you decided to trust the Lord in the midst of mayhem? What if you asked Him to make Himself known to you like He did to Israel? It’s one prayer the Bible says the Lord will absolutely answer in the affirmative every single time! Call to Him, ask Him to show you Who He Is! (Jeremiah 33:3, Ephesians 1:17-18)

2) What is the significance of all the location names in verses 7-10?
As believers today, we aren’t given specific plots of land to call our own from the hand of God, but we are given incredible inheritance, one that lasts for eternity. An inheritance where the boundary lines have fallen in wide, open spaces because the Lord Himself is our inheritance. (Psalm 16:5-6) We are co-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ, all He has access to is ours in Him. His is an inheritance of faith, joy, peace, grace, un-ending love, incorruptible hope, and treasure that neither rusts nor fades! Like David, whatever the circumstances of your journey right now, you can claim the Lord’s victory over it. If you are His, having been washed in His blood shed at the cross as He took the punishment deserved for us upon Himself, His righteousness is yours as you are made eternally right in your standing with God. You are His, purchased by His sacrifice. Just as the Lord reminded David that his inheritance of the land and kingdom was really the Lord’s and owned and ruled by Him and His heart of love, so are we, our lives, and our circumstances. There is nothing we experience, walk through, grieve, or worry about that He is not intimately familiar with. Because He is our victor, living within us by His Spirit, we can confidently shout with David, “My heart is confident!”. (verse 1) Hear this, the Lord Himself is celebrating over you because while He is our inheritance, we are His! And He celebrates that! (verse 7)

3) What is the central anchor for David’s hope?
In yesterday’s Journey, we saw Israel stuck in a cycle of sin, consequence, repentance, and return. Israel stubbornly chose to live perpetually below the inheritance they had received as God’s chosen ones, yet the Lord pursued and loved because He is a God whose heart loves unconditionally. Sit With That. How often we run, shoving back the embrace of the Lord who loves us. How often we find ourselves focused on dark circumstances, our woeful feelings, our shaking fears, and our incessant worries, but we have a choice, just like David did and just like the Israel did. We can return, we can still our hearts before the Almighty and chose to worship Him for Who He Is, the Great Bringer of Hope. Hope glimmered for Israel every time the Lord disciplined them, drawing them back. They hadn’t gone ‘too far’ for His love to reach because there is no such thing. Hope glimmered in the back of a cave and on a defeated, bloody battlefield for David, not because his surroundings were ‘up and to the right’, but because His God Was GOOD. Sister, the same is true for you and me. Hope does more than glimmer for us, it shines brilliantly, piercing our ugly parts because the baby in the manger is God on the cross and Final Victor over death and sin. Hope Lives. Praise Him for being HIM!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Hope In The Should Have!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Glimmers Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Glimmers Day 1 Hope In The Darkness

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:1-5
John 1:12-18
Genesis 3:1-6
Hosea 6:4-7

Glimmers, Day 1

My five year old looked up from the Jesus Storybook Bible he held on his lap. His brow was furrowed and his eyes were a little teary.

“Mama, I don’t understand. If God knows everything and He is always good, then why did He let Eve and Adam sin in the Garden of Eden? If He really loved us, why didn’t He just make that not happen? He could have done it. I KNOW He could have. So why didn’t He just do that?”

I pulled him on to my lap and hugged him. “It’s hard to make good choices, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes,” he huffed. He was just coming out of a time out, and his thoughts were centered around a poor choice he had made a little while earlier. No doubt, he was thinking about how much easier life would be without the opportunity to make a bad choice.

I can totally relate to how he felt. And maybe you can, too?

Sometimes, after I’ve said a harsh word or entertained a negative thought, I wish my own fleshly feelings could be cancelled out completely. I mean, how much easier would this life be without any opportunity to do or say the wrong thing? I think I could win that game. Right? How about you? Do you find yourself frustrated when you haven’t made the choice the Lord would have you make?

The kind choice.
The honest choice.
The forgiving choice.
The loving choice.

If we’re being honest? I think we can all agree that this refining fire of the Holy Spirit-filled life stuff is exhilarating and so necessary. We need His constant teaching to shape our hearts as He trains us to turn from sin. At the same time, it doesn’t always feel good. In fact…(and maybe I’m speaking only for me here) often it is painful. As He works and refines us, it’s easy for us to subscribe to the feeling that our sin has hooked us so deep, we will never be able to separate ourselves from it.

But Loves? That’s because we can’t.
No matter how hard or long or mightily we try, we will never be able to remove our own sin.

When we find ourselves feeling trapped under the weight of a sin we can’t seem to escape, or fighting despair as we stand at the altar, wondering how we are in the same place, again, or feeling hopeless in the face of our frail humanity, we must remember Whose responsibility it is to save us from our sins… and turn toward Him.

That sovereign, weighty duty belongs only to Jesus.
He paid a hefty price, and for us to attempt to shoulder the weight of our salvation on our own shoulders is both foolish and wrong.

What my five year old didn’t fully grasp (and many of us may sometimes forget) is that Jesus was always ever “the Plan.” God wasn’t surprised by Adam and Eve’s sin as they chose to live by their rules instead of God’s design. He knew it would happen. And while His heart undoubtedly broke (and continues to break) at that separation, He also wrote glimmers of hope into His story.

I mean, if any of us could have ever walked without sinning, it would have been that first son, Adam, and his Eve, right? They had no outside influences. No violent television shows or easy access to pornography. They didn’t have broken families or spend time with other broken people who might portray broken lives for them.

And yet, they fell.
Just as we fall.

God knew, all along, that the only One who would ever walk this earth without falling would be He, Himself.

Emmanuel, God with us.

God the Son, come down to His people in the form of the weakest of beings: a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. He was the powerful King Who had been foretold from generation to generation, but He was not the King anyone expected.
He was Jesus: perfect love and our everlasting Hope.

Loves? God never expected us to save ourselves.
He never expected we could live a sinless, perfect life, but He longs for us to choose Him above all else! His passion for us runs deeper than any we can imagine. Read His words about you in the book of Hosea if you have any doubt, and know that the God of the universe feels those things for you and me, His Bride!

From the beginning of His story until now, the fall of Eve and Adam has always pointed straight to the eternal hope we find in Christ Jesus, the sinless Son of God Who gave Himself to pay for our sins and secure our eternal citizenship in Heaven!
Grab hold of this hope and share it today, Sisters!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Glimmers Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Glimmers!

Worship IV, Day 5 Singing Israel’s Song

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 15:1-18
Psalms 105:26-45
Psalm 136:1-15
1 Peter 2:9-10 

Worship IV, Day 5

There’s a difference in reading something to get through it, 
and studying it to know and understand it. 

Last year I didn’t just read through the Psalms in the Bible.
I studied them.
All 150 of them. 

I don’t say this to toot horns here, I share it because, with intentional study,
I am now convicted of this: 

One cannot discuss Biblical worship 
without observing the Psalms and other songs in Scripture. 

Some may not know that the book of Psalms is made up of songs or poems written by multiple authors. One of them being Moses, author of Psalm 90. 

You know… 

“Baby in a basket” Moses.
“Raised Egyptian, but actually a Hebrew” Moses.
“Prince of Egypt” Moses.
“Murderer of an Egyptian” Moses.
“Runaway” Moses.
“Burning bush” Moses.
“Led God’s people out of Egypt” Moses.
“Crossed the Red Sea on dry ground” Moses. 

Whether a Sunday School teacher first introduced you to Moses, or Disney’s Prince of Egypt did, most are familiar with the story. But did you know that following the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, another song was sung by Moses and the Israelites in Exodus 15. It makes perfect sense that an outburst of rejoicing would follow an escape from the chase of an enemy. 

Wouldn’t you erupt into song after being literally chased by your adversaries only to witness, with your own eyes, that very enemy being swallowed up by the same sea you had just crossed on dry land?! 

I would. 

Many times in the Psalms, as in Exodus 15, we see a consistent intentionality to worship God for who He is and His mighty deeds. 

What I love about Psalm 105 and Psalm 136 is how each of these songs declare the history of God’s people and the LORD’s continual rescue of His people, Israel. In Scripture, worship is often purposefully birthed, not only to rightfully bring glory to God, but also to commemorate historical events, i.e. the Exodus of Israel out of slavery into freedom. 

Naturally, the Israelites, along with Moses, would offer a song of thanksgiving unto the Lord following their rescue. Because God had set them free, praise broke out! 

Bible scholar, Dr. Bob Utley, notes how Exodus 15 consists of two parts:
verses 1-5 focuses on the acts of the LORD (all caps, meaning YHWH, God’s personal name) and verses 6-17 focusing on YHWH’s character.

Biblical worship should, at its core, remind us what we have been rescued from, and most importantly, who our mighty Rescuer is. 

I will forever be convinced that worship is a powerful thing.
No matter the circumstances of our everyday life,
regardless of how dark or how desperate our moments,
we have reason to worship because
we have been rescued from Sin by an eternal Rescuer!

Countless generations before us have carefully preserved and recorded in Scripture
their acts of worship.
Their hymns, their music, their generosity, and the beautiful overflow of their lives as they reflected love back to their Redeemer. Their worship invites us to recall how God has moved mightily in our own lives, remember His faithfulness, and bring Him worship because of His deliverance and His good character! 

Psalm 100 says “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.” 

We are given the beautiful opportunity of coming before the presence of God
thanking Him for His salvation and praising Him for who He is. 

Israel sang to the LORD for rescuing them from the hands of their tyrant enemy (Pharaoh).
God was faithful to deliver His people from Egypt and physical bondage, and deserved their worship.
But one day, the same LORD, through the Lord Jesus Christ, would deliver all people from the overwhelming darkness of our tyrant enemies, Sin and Death.
This Jesus is our Eternal Rescuer; He deserves the worship of our everyday lives! 

Hallelujah! 

Does that reality not just want to make you echo Israel’s song? 

How could it not?!

When God gave everything to rescue us.
When He forgave us.
When He provided for our every need.
When He takes the time to be mindful of us.
When He gives us far more than we deserve.
When He, even still, hasn’t given up on us.
When He loves us more than anyone ever could.
When He never ever broken His promises. 

How could we not praise Him? 

How could we not open our mouths and sing the Israelites’ song?
Or reach for an instrument as Miriam did?
Or dance in the freedom and joy of the LORD, our great Deliverer!

Let’s be worshippers who open our mouths and declare His goodness!
Worshippers who fall to our knees in gratitude and reverence!
Worshippers who reserve our love, loyalty, and attention for the only One who is truly worthy!
Worshippers who exalt the One true God, YHWH, our Rescuer in the ebb and flow of our everyday! 

Let’s be worshippers who continue singing Israel’s song!

We were once lost, enslaved, and living in darkness.
As Peter writes, we were once not a people, but now we are God’s people.
We once did not receive mercy, but now we have received mercy
so that we might
“proclaim the praises of the one who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Hallelujah!
Let’s sing on! 

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Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship IV Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship IV!