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Pause VIII, Day 12 A Collect For An Unknown Future

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Pause VIII ~ Day Twelve

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His Words Before Ours

Psalm 46
Matthew 6:25-34
John 5:17-19
Matthew 22:34-40

It’s been election season in the US.
If you live here, enough said.

If you’re not familiar with American politics, particularly in a year in which there are elections across the entire landscape of the American government from the president to local positions, let me just say, it’s a loud mess.

A big part of that mess is rabid fear-mongering.

Throughout this Journey Theme, I’ve shared bits of my experiences in detangling my faith. One desperately twisted-up narrative has been thrown into sharp relief this year: they’re coming for you.

Both spoken and implied within my childhood faith communities, this narrative was always lurking, always shaping the way we viewed and responded to the world around us. Its presence always stemmed from a place of fear.

As I’ve started listening to a wider array of voices and perspectives, I’ve been dismayed to discover this narrative exists across the entire cultural, political, and ideological spectrum. 

If you think for a moment, you’ve probably heard it, too. We can all fill in the blank of the villainous “they” of whom our particular subset of society is afraid, but the narrative is always lurking. Always from a place of fear.

Okay, I promise this study isn’t just about politics; politics is just one space of many in which we find ourselves tangled up in knots over an unknown future.

What will be the outcome of the job change or loss?
The diagnosis that changed everything?
The physical or cognitive decline of a loved one?
A child’s immature or reckless choices?
A relationship spinning endlessly out of control?

Whatever its context, an unknown future often feels scary (and we could spend another whole study digging into how we handle Things We Cannot Control!).

While I don’t want to invalidate the reality of our struggles, I also want to encourage us, in our fear, to run to our strong refuge (Psalm 46), the One whose perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:16-18) The One who promises to be with us as our future unfolds, and the One who calls us to live faithfully today, rather than in a thousand imagined tomorrows. (Matthew 6:25-34)

“When I am afraid, 
I will trust in You.”
(Psalm 56:3)

A Collect for an Unknown (and possibly scary) Future
One in Whom we trust,
our only certain refuge in foreboding days:
guide us along the narrow path
            of releasing the weight of a tomorrow unforeseen and uncontrollable
            while, in the way of wildflowers and sparrows,
            faithfully following our Creator today.
In the encounters You set before us each day,
            may we love You and our neighbors
            inseparably and well
            to the glory of your name,
in the surrendered way of Your Son and through the power of Your Spirit, amen.

Today’s Collect Components
Address: One in Whom we trust,
Doctrine: our only certain refuge in foreboding days,
Petition: guide us along the narrow path
            of releasing the weight of a tomorrow unforeseen and uncontrollable
            while, in the way of wildflowers and sparrows,
            faithfully following our Creator today.
Aspiration: In the encounters You set before us each day,
            may we love You and our neighbors
            inseparably and well
            to the glory of your name,
Mediation: in the surrendered way of Your Son and through the power of Your Spirit, amen.

{*If one of the fears we’ve named is a them rather than a circumstance, we also need to preach the Gospel to ourselves, reminding ourselves we are all sinners in need of a Savior, and Jesus loves and offers redemption to them just as He does us. Then, we need to repent of self-righteously dehumanizing people made in His image, and commit to heeding His call to love them just as we love ourselves. (Matthew 23, Matthew 22:34-40)}

Meditate & Reflect

1) Today, let’s begin by naming our fears in the presence of our Strong Refuge. *In prayer, let’s bring Him all of our concerns, our spirals, our catastrophizing . . . don’t hold back. He alone can carry this weighty burden.

2) Next, let’s read once more through Psalm 46, jotting down phrases or verses that resonate with our current struggles. Alternatively, check out this list of Scripture passages on fear and perform the same exercise.

3) In closing, let’s choose a single verse or phrase of Scripture on which to meditate. Perhaps a lit candle or soft music might help you focus; alternatively, silence or stepping outside into nature might be helpful. Let’s spend a few minutes letting the truth of Scripture soak into our souls and ask God to meet us with comfort and courage as we face the unknown.

Worship

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Pause VIII Journey Theme

Pause VIII, Day 7 A Collect For A Fresh Revelation Of The Gospel

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Pause VIII ~ Day Seven

New To The Journey? Start Here!

His Words Before Ours

Mark 10:17-22
Matthew 9:14-17
Hebrews 5:12-14
2 Corinthians 3:12-18
Psalm 52:8-9

Y’all, I grew up in the church.
I knew that I knew the Gospel of Jesus.

Until it became very clear
I didn’t.

Maybe that’s not quite fair.
My heart was, and is, fully committed to following the way of Jesus.

But, as I shared previously in A Collect on Detangling Faith, I reached a point where my tangled-up understanding of the Gospel simply couldn’t carry me any further.

I began interrogating what I believed, approaching Scripture from a stance of critical thinking with an emphasis on context, and I allowed myself to contemplate so many questions I’d been keeping quiet in fear of judgment.

In January of 2024, my discipleship group (a small group of women committed to in-depth study and application of the Bible) began working through the gospel according to Mark. Concurrently, I began reading Jesus the King, a commentary on Mark’s gospel by pastor, theologian, and teacher Tim Keller.

Y’all, it was like the bursting forth of springs in the desert, to borrow the language of the prophet Isaiah. (Isaiah 35:6-7; Isaiah 41:17-18)

Despite having read through the gospels many times in the past, beginning in January, I spent wayyyyy more time than I care to admit thinking things like, “Has this been here the whole time??” and “Wait, that’s what this means??”

For the first time in a very long time, the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus became a weight slipped from my shoulders, rather than a growing burden of moralism.

My wise husband called this experience a fresh revelation of the Gospel.

For those of you who see some part of your own faith journey reflected in my words, here’s a collect I wrote about this experience.

A Collect for Fresh Revelation of the Gospel
God of limitless depths,
who both loves us exactly where we are and longs for deeper communion with Your beloved children:
when our infantile understanding of the Gospel has become shrunken and brittle, gently peel away its cracked and flaking layers. 
Place in our spirits a new wineskin, that as You pour into us fresh revelation, 
we might grow and mature, transforming ever more into the likeness of Your Son,
in whose name and character we pray, amen.

Today’s Collect Components
Address: God of limitless depths,
Doctrine: who both loves us exactly where we are and longs for deeper communion with Your beloved children:
Petition: when our infantile understanding of the Gospel has become shrunken and brittle, gently peel away its cracked and flaking layers. 
Place in our spirits a new wineskin, 
Aspiration: that as You pour into us fresh revelation, 
we might grow and mature, transforming ever more into the likeness of Your Son,
Mediation: in whose name and character we pray, amen.

Meditate & Reflect

1) What aspects of your own faith-journey-landscape have become entangled lately with deceptions, cultural sway, political pull, or even just your own desire to have a "god" in your own image rather than the Almighty of Scriptue?

2) Read today's collect as you contemplate this entangled areas of your faith journey, noting its rhythms and descriptors of the Lord. Which portions resonate with you and beckon you deeper? Spend some time journaling on this.

3) Read Psalm 25 and note which aspects of the psalmist's prayer coordinate with the pattern of a Collect. How is your view of God being strengthened even today through prayer and His Word? What do you not want to forget today?

Worship

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Pause VIII Journey Theme

Pause VII Day 13 Stop And Know

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Pause VII Day 13 Stop And Know

Marietta Taylor

February 7, 2024

Faith,Fear,Know,Overwhelmed,Pain,Pause,Peace

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 46:10

“Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
Read More Of His Words

Stop and know.
That’s what God says in Psalm 46:10.
But it wasn’t the first place He gave this instruction. He also said it to Moses. 

“Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that He will accomplish for you today;
for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.” (Exodus 14:13)

Stop fighting.
Stand firm while the Egyptians are chasing you intent on killing you.
I am sure that was hard to do, but God was clear so Moses chose obedience.  

The “stop” is important for sure.  Stop stressing. Stop worrying. Stop giving power to our problems. Stop trying to figure it out. Stop being scared. 

Stop forgetting who our God is. That is the crucial piece.

Who is He?
The One who brought ninety-year old Sara’s dead womb to life. (Genesis 21:1-7)
The One who “threw Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea.” (Exodus 15:4)
The One who took a young shepherd boy, David, and exalted him as king. (2 Samuel 5:1-4)
The One who saved Daniel from death by lions. (Daniel 6:10-24)
The One who gave the wayward prophet, Jonah, a second chance. (Jonah 2)
The One who saves us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. (1 John 3:16)
The One who is the source of light and life. (Revelation 22:1-5)

Stop.
Stop forgetting who our God is. Stop pausing our awe of Him. He is worthy of our ceasing so we will stand in reverential awe of Him. 

Know. 
After we stop, we know. We give God His rightful place as the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe for whom nothing is impossible. (Luke 1:37) It’s when we stop, standing still in the presence of our wonderful God, we enter into knowing that He is able. 

Catch what God says; He gives His resume in short form.
“…exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” Psalm 46:10 

Exalted because “He made us, and we are His—His people, the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)
Exalted because “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Exalted because “Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:41)
Exalted because He can raise a dead man back to life. (John 11:17-44)

This is just a snippet of what He can do!
Color me awed because there is no one, and no thing, that can, or has, flawlessly and effortlessly accomplished these things besides God.
This is the knowing we should carry with us every day.
This is the knowing that helps us to stop in our tracks and let God be God. 

 “I Am God.” 

This self-giving Name the Lord gave to Himself wraps up everything.
Going back to Exodus, God told Moses,
“I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites:
I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14)

YHWH or Yahweh.
It’s known as the tetragrammaton because it has four letters and is God’s proper name. “The name yhwh specifies an immediacy, a presence. Central to the word is the verb form of “to be, ” which points in the Mosaic context to a ‘being present’” (Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary) 

I am God. I am present. And I will complete it. 

This is His promise to us. We don’t need to “do the thing”, for that’s His job, which He is happy and willing to accomplish. Our job is to stop and know. 
And then God will be God. 

Bless.
Words fail me. Just bless the Lord, O my Soul!

Today's Pause Challenge

1) Be a scribe and copy the precious words of Scripture down word for word. Make space in your journal to write down every word of Psalm 46:8-11 today. As you copy, lookup a cross reference or two as you come to them (they are the small letters next to certain words in your study Bible or online at www.biblia.com). As you write, consider the strength and delight the Lord God holds out to you!

2) Choose one of these options to live boldly with authentic honesty in biblical community. As we grow deeper in God’s Word, the Lord designed us to share and grow with others walking alongside us. 

a) Take a photo of your journal time this week and share it, or share a quote from it.

b) Do a Facebook Live on the GT Community group and share how God has been working in you.

c) Leave a comment here about it.

d) Share something God has been showing you in a comment at the GT Community Group 

e) Plan a coffee or lunch date with a friend and share what you’ve been learning and soaking in as you have hit Pause.

f) Write a note of encouragement to a sister who has been through the nitty-gritty of real life with you. Let her know how deeply she has impacted your walk with Christ.

g) For some of us, having a “2am friend” to build biblical community with is a new concept. If that’s you, this is an exciting, fresh place to be! Connect with our Facebook Community, send us an email, reach out to your local church body, seek out a small group and plug in! 

3) Keep working on memorizing Psalm 46:8-11 as you review Psalm 46:1-7!

Close by reading Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
2 Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
3 though its water roars and foams
and the mountains quake with its turmoil.
Selah

4 There is a river—
its streams delight the city of God,
the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God is within her; she will not be toppled.
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple;
the earth melts when he lifts his voice.
7 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah

8 Come, see the works of the Lord,
who brings devastation on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth.
He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces;
he sets wagons ablaze.
10 “Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
11 The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah

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awe,cease,courage,encourage,know,stillness,study
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Pause VII, Day 12

Let’s slow down long enough to remember Whose words we are reading.

These words, when brought to the life by the very Breath of God, can cut our hearts to the quick, bring us to our knees, or fuel us to do incredible things for Him!

Let’s not miss this!

Father God, we come to Your throne in this moment. We want to know You, to really know You. Help us drop our pretenses, help us recognize and discard the distorted lenses we are wearing, and empower us to understand more about You in the next few minutes than we do right now.

We believe you want this for us and we know You will show us Yourself so, here we are, asking You to do what should be impossible, for human beings to know the Almighty God. Because of Jesus, we ask these things. Blow us away, Lord God, with Your abundance!
Amen!
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Wordless Day 16

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Wordless Welcome Letter & Invitation

Wordless ~ Day Sixteen

His Words

Lamentations 1:20
Lamentations 2:20
Lamentations 3:58-60
Lamentations 4:20
Psalm 119:153-160

Journal
Questions

1) How can I relate with this suffering?
Bring that to the Lord in prayer.

2) What truth do I need to hold onto today?
Write it on a sticky note and put it somewhere you’ll see it, or mark your skin with a note in ink!

3) Name one thing you will praise the Lord for today on repeat. Write it down and set alarms on your phone to remind you to praise Him!

Worship

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Waiting Day 4 Valuable Lessons: 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 Valuable Lessons!

The Questions

1) Why is David lamenting and pleading with God?

2) What key requests did David make of the Lord? (verse 3)

3) Are we allowed to plead with God and speak to Him of our anxieties and anguish over our situation or frustration with Him?

Psalm 13

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?

3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your faithful love;
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he has treated me generously.

Original Intent

1) Why is David lamenting and pleading with God?
The subject of Psalm 13 is almost the same as Psalm 12; go ahead and read them both together for greater insight! David is in deep distress, overwhelmed by a long succession of calamities and multiple afflictions. He pleads with God, “How long, Lord?” (verse 1) David was hated by many primarily as a result from King Saul circulating false reports against him. Saul felt threatened by David’s rightful anointing as the next king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:11-13) David was a hunted man and hid himself and his men in caves for years to escape King Saul’s death threats. David’s sense of oppression overwhelmed him to the point of depression and despondency; the anointed one of God felt God Himself had neglected him. In the face of dire afflictions, a willingness to acknowledge the realities of God’s presence and His constant care run counter to humanity’s despairing and unbelieving nature. David’s clouded, anxious mind couldn’t lay hold of the ray of hope held out by the Unseen God, so he achingly cries out for surely, God no longer remembered nor cared for him. We feel David’s intense pain and ravaging despair as we read “How long, Lord?” four times in this short psalm. Would God’s rescue never free him from his terrible, crushing burdens? Though David had experienced God’s presence and provision many times in his life, now in the heat of lengthy waiting and the threat of his life, David feels cut off from God; his suffering soul wades into deep depression as he feels he is on the “losing side” (verse 4). By David’s timing, the Lord must soon rescue in order to avoid two disasters, David’s death and the boast of his enemy over him. Where were God’s promised blessings of protection, grace, and peace now? (Numbers 6:24-26)

2) What key requests did David make of the Lord? (verse 3)
Despite his desperation and doubt, David demonstrates faith by crying out to God. David hopelessly looks around and sees his life devoured on all sides, yet he still, with faith, calls out to God. His brutally honest cry of faith opens the door for God to bring peace and for His Spirit to remind David of truth; he is secure in the hand of God. If David had no faith, it would be impossible for him to direct his thoughts and prayers to the Almighty God. Verse 3 provides three specific pleadings to the Lord demonstrating David’s faith while he waits for the Lord. Consider. In Hebrew, נָבַט, means to look intently upon with delighted pleasure and care. Because David feels God has hidden His face, he emplores God to look intently upon him. Think of a spouse gazing intently with love on the other, or of a parent lovingly looking upon their adored child. Isaiah prayed a similar request in Isaiah 63:15, as did the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 26:15. Answer. עָנָה is the Hebrew word meaning “respond with speaking or loud declaring (shouting)”. It also denotes answering through singing, which is especially interesting as other places in Scripture mention the Lord singing over His people. (Psalm 42:8, Zephaniah 3:17) Like a love song, God’s answers soothe our anguish, reminding us of truth. Restore. The Hebrew word אוֹר translated in CSB (Christian Standard Bible) as restore is more closely translated as enlighten meaning “to bring light, to make shine, or light up”. Where David’s eyes, and his life, were once bright and full, they now need help to brighten. His light for life needs restored, so David calls out to the Source of Light Himself, God. He knows it’s only by God’s favor that his light will be restored.

3) Are we allowed to plead with God and speak to Him of our anxieties and anguish over our situation or frustration with Him?
As David demonstrated with full transparency, passionately pleading with God is a good thing! Not only did God preserve this specific prayer of despair in His Word, but He also preserved many other psalms of lament that depict hard honest questions. In fact, Scripture reflects this honest wrestling with God in places all throughout the Bible from beginning to end. (check out Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Habakkuk (with a GT Journey Theme!) for a few examples!) God never responds to honest prayer with mockery, shaming, or rejection. He desires truth in the inmost places. (Psalm 51:6) God wants us to pray with all the sincerity and passion inside of us. Psalm 13 is categorized in Scripture as a “song of lament”, meaning it describes deep anguishing cries to the Lord as the writer unburdens his soul to the Lord. Laments are common in Scripture and are given as a tool meant to help God’s people navigate pain, suffering, and heartache when answers seem non-existent. (Mark Vroegop) The lament is a vitally important prayer for God’s people because it provides a model for petitioning the Almighty, gives space to freely express pain, and then, blessedly, offers a pathway towards praise and an invitation to anchor in truth regardless of feelings. The lament is a road of trust between the believer and God in our darkest days. God provided that lament to His people, and preserved it in His Word, because He desires us to know how deeply He cares for us. In the middle of David’s pain was a God who wanted to hear David’s cries and the pain hidden away in the deepest places of his heart. Here in the heartache, God allowed the lament to give way to a space where David could enjoy God and rest in truth.

Everyday Application

1) Why is David lamenting and pleading with God?
We each have, or will, walk through seasons of intense pressing multiple times in life. In today’s language we would say David was depressed, feeling heavy inside from deep, persisting sadness affecting his relationships, his perceptions, and even his routine activities. Severe depression can cause persons to wish for death as means to escape the physical or emotional pain of what feels like an impossible-to-win battle. Mental health is nothing to take lightly. If you, or someone you love is suffering from depression, walk alongside them, pray for and with them, and encourage them to seek professional care. If King David, who God declared to be a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22), struggled so deeply and was not shamed or told “to get over it” or worse, “just pray about it”, we should be encouraged that we are not alone and can love others well through mental illness. Whether you suffer from depression or not, you’ve likely felt, like David, as if you were in a losing battle with no good outcome in sight. It’s easy to succumb to fear and a sense of being overwhelmed in these times, especially if we know our enemy would rejoice over our defeat and take pleasure in our pain. As in all seasons of waiting and struggle, the Lord has good purposes to show us more of Himself if we will call out to Him. (Jeremiah 33:3) We can courageously obey the Lord’s counterintuitive command to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) while we prayerfully commit our ways to the Lord, which brings “healing for your body and strengthening for your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8). There’s more hope for us in the midst of being “pressed down” internally; let’s keep reading to discover God’s heart!

2) What key requests did David make of the Lord? (verse 3)
While most of us don’t have an army hunting us down, we have certainly all experienced seasons of waiting where God seems distant and emptiness overcomes us. Our despair traps us into believing we are foolish to expect God to answer because He has “hidden His face” from us. (verse 2) We pray, but God doesn’t seem to answer. We read Scripture, but God doesn’t seem to speak. We seek Him, but it’s as if He is hiding. We are in good company with the gut-honest psalmist! In this place of darkness, there is a remedy; we can pray specifically to the God who seems far away. Through faith, we can choose to trust what He says is true about Himself. Whether we feel these truths or not is irrelevant, they are true regardless and rehearsing truth quells the lies we consume. Where to discover these life-giving truths? Open God’s Word; every single word of it is true. When we come to it, humbly and honestly in prayer as David did, God will faithfully, slowly and patiently, show us Himself and restore our light of life. Through faith, we cling to unchanging hope, confidently knowing that, as we pour out our deepest groanings to God, He will lessen our anguish. He will replace light with darkness and joy for weeping. (Psalm 125:5-6) When it seems God has turned His face away, we must deliberately fight back against the tide threatening to overtake us with simple, honest prayers of faith. Take back ground from the enemy’s lies one truth at a time. We are loved with unfailing love. (Deuteronomy 33:27) God will never forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) We belong; we are His and He is ours. (Psalm 95:7) His grace and love towards those who trust Him, never changes. (Ephesians 1:3-6) Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness! (1 Peter 1:18-19)

3) Are we allowed to plead with God and speak to Him of our anxieties and anguish over our situation or frustration with Him?
YES, YES, and YES! While God already knows our hearts (Psalm 139:2), He desires a deep relationship with us. Many life issues, especially crisis situations, naturally lead us to plead with God. We beg for mercy, for God to see our pain and act on our behalf. The psalms are full of this! Consider this your invitation to read a psalm every day this week and explore God’s heart! Waiting for the Lord’s perfect timing and learning to trust Him is HARD work mentally, emotionally, and even physically. When we feel overlooked or forgotten, trusting Him and the truths He has given is a struggle! We prefer quick healing and immediate, specific solutions. But, because the Lord cares most about our heart relationship with Him, the Lord often answers our pleadings with “wait”. “I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14) God wants to cultivate a totally devoted faith in Him alone, even if we feel bereft and unseen, and He uses our dark days to accomplish this work. We may or may not receive an immediate answer, but His comfort through His Spirit is guaranteed no matter the circumstance! (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Nothing surpasses the peace and joy that comes from knowing truth. “If God is for us, who could be against us?” (Romans 8:31) Cry out, Sister! Bear your soul to the One who cares for you! (1 Peter 5:7) Follow David’s model of lament and discover the pathway to peace, joy, and comfort in the midst of pain. Remember: 1) God is working all the time. 2) God’s purposes will not be thwarted by pain; He will prevail! 3) There is true joy in the midst of hardship if we lean on truth!

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Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Valuable Lessons!

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!

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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.

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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 :-))

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Follow Day 8 Whole Surrender

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 Samuel 17:20-54
Psalm 69:1-12
Jeremiah 24:4-10
Luke 1:26-33

Follow, Day 8

Rejection. 

The experience of being turned away, excluded, dismissed, or unwanted.

Merely reading the description brings a swell of emotion, doesn’t it? We’ve all felt the sharp wounds of rejection sometime in our lives. We have experienced it at the hands of our peers, friends, and classmates. Worse, we’ve felt it from those we expect to love us best, our parents, siblings, our children, even our spouse. The closer the relationship, the more extensive the damage tends to be.

And it’s a double edged sword, isn’t it? Because when we are rejected, our deepest need to be approved and accepted is brought into sharper relief. The very thing we desire most is withheld from us, which leaves us feeling even smaller and needier, if possible. We waver between hurt that another could make us feel this way, and anger that we allowed ourselves to be so vulnerable. We’re left with an overwhelming urge to run and hide.

I remember it well. The defensive pull to withdraw from relationships and close ourselves off is powerful.   

David, the shepherd boy-turned-king, was well acquainted with rejection. When Samuel came to his father’s home in search of the Lord’s next anointed king, David was literally the last to come to Jesse’s mind. As time went by, God made space for him in King Saul’s court to play his lyre when Saul was troubled, and he became Saul’s armor bearer.

However, when Saul’s army was camped out, hiding from the threats of the Philistine Goliath, David faced rejection again. His oldest brother, Eliab, grew angry at David’s bold words. He mistook the Holy Spirit’s stirring in David for arrogance, and threw his lowly status of shepherd in David’s face. Saul heard about David’s words and summoned him, only to serve yet another helping of rejection by pointing out David’s youth and inexperience.

But David persisted. Goliath fell, and God was glorified.

Those weren’t David’s only experiences with rejection. Repeatedly, he faced rejection from those he loved and led. Saul gave his daughter Michal to David in marriage, following his defeat of Goliath, but later did everything in his power to kill him. David’s men grew tired of running and hiding, and blamed him for the situation. They, too, wanted to kill him. He faced discouragement and isolation. David literally spent time hiding in caves from those who rejected him and wanted to murder him.

But still, he pressed on.

When we think about the rejection we have faced in our lives, it pales by comparison, doesn’t it? Few, if any of us, have experienced such significant rejection.

Yet, when we do face rejection, do we allow God to heal those places and persist in following His call? Or do we turn away from the illuminating light of revelation and attempt to nurse our wounds in the dark?

I know what my answer has been. I’m betting yours has been pretty similar, too.

So, what’s the difference between us and David?
“I’m no hero of the faith!”
We’re all thinking it.

And yet.

Scripture tells us from the time David was anointed, the Spirit of God rested powerfully on him. Throughout David’s life, he wrestled with sin; he was a man, just like anyone else. But he was a wholly surrendered man. His heart posture was positioned to follow God, wherever He might lead. When confronted with his mistakes and sin, David was grieved. He acknowledged his sins against God, and he turned from his ways. Many times, David could have taken the reins and done what he thought was right. There were several opportunities when he could have simply killed Saul and taken the throne. He knew God had anointed him as the next king of Israel. No one would have blamed him; King Saul was murderous and deranged.

But David didn’t expect his God to serve and follow him. He served and followed his God.

Woo. The conviction cuts deep, doesn’t it? Same.

Because regardless of the pretty words we use to talk about our faith, and regardless of anyone else’s perception of us, our response in the face of rejection reveals our heart posture, doesn’t it? If we do not press in to follow our Father in the face of rejection, we are seeking the approval and acceptance of others over our King.
When we try to fill our need with anything other than God, we aren’t following God at all.

Think about it. Think about the time you give to the Lord. Time in prayer, in relationship with Him. I’m not talking about what you “do” for Him. Do you give your time to the Lord? Do you serve and follow your God? Or do you do what makes you happy, and expect Him to fit in somewhere around the edges?

Do we really know what it means to be wholly surrendered, Love? Perhaps the greater question: do we even think it possible in this day and age?

Love, it is! But it’s not something we can manufacture in our own strength or willpower. It is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The truth? It’s not something our human nature even wants. God Himself must instill the desire within us.

In the same way God turned David’s heart toward Himself, He can and will do the same for us, Love!

The real question is . . . do we want Him to?

Heavenly Father, You are my King. I confess that I haven’t lived like it, but I want to change. Lord, change my heart, and give me a desire to live fully surrendered to Your will. I can’t do it on my own, but I know You can and will. Show me how to respond to You, every day. I love and praise You, only. In Jesus’ name, amen.


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Follow Day 1 Trust Through Tears

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Follow Day 1 Trust Through Tears

Erin O'Neal

January 4, 2021

Broken,Character,Faith,Faithfulness,Follow,God,Good,Love,Overwhelmed,Purpose,Pursue,Reveal,Suffering,Trust,Wisdom

Read His Words Before Ours!

Job 1-2
Job 42
John 9:1-7
Romans 8:26-39
Romans 9:14-24

 

Conventional wisdom says following God is easy when life is going well. We can trust Him when our circumstances seem to confirm God is good.

But what happens when life doesn’t go as we expect?
What happens to our faith in God when our circumstances seem to push back on our idea of the “goodness” of God?
Can we still trust Him?
Can we still follow God in the midst of suffering?

Job and his friends wrestled together with these questions (sometimes well, and sometimes poorly) throughout the Biblical book of Job. Job’s experience can be difficult for us to read; I find myself asking uncomfortable questions.

Why did God allow all of these terrible attacks against Job?
Why did Job lose everything after he had lived a blameless and upright life?
Didn’t Job deserve better treatment from God?

Job and his friends asked these same questions. Job maintained he was innocent of any wrongdoing, while his friends insisted he must have sinned to deserve the suffering to which he was subjected.

While I am often too afraid or embarrassed to ask these questions, Job was not. He asked and asked why he was suffering. He asked his friends to help him see his wrongdoing, but they could not.

Finally, Job was so discouraged by his circumstances that he began questioning God directly.
“I will say to God, ‘Do not declare me guilty! Let me know why you prosecute me. Is it good for you to oppress, to reject the work of your hands and favor the plans of the wicked?”
(Job 10:2-3)

Overwhelmed by his suffering despite his innocence, Job began to question God’s character. He was honest before God about his struggles, and sought to find answers. He never denied God, but he did question His plans.

When life beats us down, and we wonder where God is, it can be tempting to think we have done something wrong to deserve this hardship. We might consider suffering as a “sign” we have gotten off-track, just as Job’s friends believed his suffering to be a punishment for secret sin.

But this is not how God has revealed Himself. In fact, centuries later, Jesus and His disciples have a conversation about this very idea! The disciples see a man born blind and assume his condition is a direct result of someone’s sin. Jesus corrects their thinking, explaining, “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3) Jesus reveals the man’s blindness was not a punishment for sin, but a tool God was using to declare His glory.

This is where we can get uncomfortable again.
We ask those troubling questions.

Is God unjust?
Does He inflict pain just because He can?

Of course not! Paul addresses these questions in Romans 9.
“What should we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! For He tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:14-16)

When Job questioned the purposes and wisdom of God, God Himself came down to speak to him. The Lord answered Job, but with more questions. He revealed to Job his own limitations and ignorance.

God asked Job, “Would you really challenge my justice? Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself?” (Job 40:8) He asked Job to explain the whole of the universe, from the stars of the sky, to weather patterns, to the behavior of the animals. God did this, not to be cruel or harsh, but to remind Job of the vastness of His knowledge and power.

We have a limited view of the world. We only see, know, and understand a sliver of His plans, but the Lord knows all. He purposes all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), and we can count on this truth.

So, when life is confusing, and doesn’t seem to be going our way, we have a choice. We can choose to question God and wonder if He cares about us. Or we can choose to follow the Lord, trusting His ways are good, even when we can’t see how.

As wise followers of the Lord, we can maintain our devotion to Him even when life seems unfair. God’s vast wisdom is far superior to our own plans.

In the end of the story, Job repented of his self-righteous questioning. Job did not suffer perfectly, but he continued in his faithful pursuit of God’s character, even in his brokenness and despair. Job knew how to follow, because he knew the character of God.

Finally, God not only forgave Job, but also restored to him his fortunes, wealth, and position in his community. While we are not guaranteed a “happy ending” in this life, if we faithfully serve the Lord, we can trust we will receive our reward of eternal life with the Father.

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Answered,eternal,goodness,His Glory,honest,Job,questions,reward,tears
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Our suffering opens the door for Jesus to do His work, and God’s glory will be the telltale trademark of our redemption stories.

The question we need to ask is, will we surrender to His hand, or will we drag ourselves, and our pain, away in agonizing anger or self-demise, rejecting the Lord of Life and Love.
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Reveal Day 10 Strong Joy

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Reveal Day 10 Strong Joy

Sarah Afan

December 18, 2020

Christ,God,Jesus,Joy,Overwhelmed,Praise,Reveal,Strength

Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 8:9-12
Romans 15:8-13
Luke 2:8-11

 

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people!’” (Luke 2:10)

“(…) Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

These messages of joy, received by different people at different times,
originated from the same source: God Himself.

This joy was revealed to us through His Son, Jesus, who is Christ the Lord, the representation of God the Father. (Hebrews 1:3)
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
He is the great light shining in the darkness. (Matthew 4:16)

Sin separates mankind from God, the source of our joy, throwing humanity into utter darkness. There, we grope in inky blackness, searching for joy through different means without success.

Until suddenly, into humanity’s desperation comes the greatest news ever declared:

“But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’” (Luke 2:10-11)

The shepherds were dirty, lowly, and homeless. Outcasts without reputation, these were the first recipients of this great news.

What unconditional love God has for all mankind!

Matthew 2:1-12 records the wise men from the east who saw Christ’s star and followed it to find little boy Jesus. Like the shepherds, they made haste to go and see the Christ.

Wealthy magistrates and lowly shepherds displayed one shared response upon welcoming the Savior of the world: joy.

“When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.” (Matthew 2:10, emphasis mine)
“The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God.”  (Luke 2:20, emphasis mine)

The joy of God had appeared in flesh to His people!

But not all willingly embraced this exuding joy.

Herod, king of the Jews, rejected this babe who was God Himself, wrapped in flesh come to rescue mankind from their darkness of sin.

Rather than delighting in the great Joy revealed,
Herod chose the cords of dark death,
seeking to kill the Light of the world.

In like manner, the chief priests, with full knowledge of the prophecies surrounding Christ’s birth, treated His coming with indifference and arrogance.

Both Herod and the chief priests were full of themselves.
They rejected the Light of Joy, refusing to allow it to penetrate their hearts.
They missed the great gladness of God.

Like King Herod and the chief priests, not all experience the advent of Joy.

Especially at Christmas. 

Some of us become so busy planning for the event, we forget to acknowledge what Christ’s long-awaited arrival means for our sin-wrecked hearts.

We spend our attention on what will provide immediate pleasure, rather than the real joy of renewed hearts and souls awakened from death to life.

Christmas pleasures come and go, and can leave a wake of frustration or emptiness behind. In his book Peace with God, Billy Graham wrote, “There is a vacuum in the heart of man that only God can fill.” We belong to God, and only in Him can we find lasting joy.

Our sin separates us from Him, but He offered His Son as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins that we might be restored back to Himself and His Joy.

Therefore, rejecting His Son means forfeiting His joy.

The Israelites who returned from captivity during the time of Nehemiah understood the emptiness of life without God. They realized their experience in captivity was a result of their rejection of God. Now, back at home and freed from exile, God’s word was read aloud for the first time in a generation.

As the people realized the devastating extent of their sin, they were heartbroken.

They wept and mourned over their sinful ways.

Nehemiah comforted their rightful grief with these Christmas-like tidings, ‘’Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’’ (Nehemiah 8:10) He told them to celebrate, for the Lord had brought His strong joy near!

What plans are you making this season?
Are you celebrating from the overflow of joy the Savior has revealed?
Or you are focusing on the immediacy of other pleasures?

Israel’s joy washed over them when their hearts repented; centuries later, the shepherds in their lowliness and the wise men in their majesty celebrated the arrival of God’s Joy . . .

. . . For in the city of David, a Savior was born, who is Christ the Lord.
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
If you confess with your mouth that He is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

This Christmas, let’s turn our hearts to repentance and acceptance of His gift of grace as we experience His strengthening, magnificent joy!

Tags :
afraid,celebrate,Christmas,good news,Great Gladness,Light of the word,rejected,Savior,Strong,Unconditional Love
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Many have grown up hearing Bible stories, reading Scripture, and even knowing more of the story than the shepherds did, since we have the benefit of knowing the Jesus part of history.

But, we too are waiting for our long awaited and promised Savior to return! We must care about this news for the same reason the shepherds did.

We need to share it with boundless excitement!
Dig Deeper!

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Reveal Day 6 Filling The Empty

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 1:1-5
Romans 15:8-13
John 1:1-13
Luke 2:8-11

Reveal, Day 6

When I was growing up, Christmas was always my very favorite time of year. It was also my Daddy’s favorite season, and his excitement automatically spilled on us all. Christmas is still magical to me, even at the age of 28. Now, I also experience it through the eyes of my children, witnessing their wonder and curiosity, which increases my own anticipation.

While my love for Christmas hasn’t abated, my childhood naivety has. With my own aging has come the subsequent aging, and then passing, of so many with whom I celebrated Christmas as a child. The loss of these special people creates an undercurrent of grief and sadness when I think on Christmas. Add to this, the reality of being a mother of two and often falling prey to the lie I must be all things to all people in December. Here in the wake of hurry and loss, Christmas joy quickly wanes. What was once so tangible and easy as a child is complex and difficult to grasp as an adult.

Maybe you feel this way, too? Perhaps you’re grieving a loved one this Christmas. Or maybe, like many of your fellow sisters-in-Christ, you feel hurried and harried, busy and overwhelmed by all you feel you must do to make Christmas special.

You’re not alone!
Amazingly, in studying the first Christmas, we find a beautiful mystery experienced by all who welcomed the Savior.
Great joy.

And yet, it’s important to remember that those who welcomed Christ at the first Christmas battled their own churning chaos.

Jewish persecution ran high. Rome increasingly took more and more control of land, of taxes, of daughters as sex slaves, of food, and of morale, as Jews were pressed on all sides to serve the wealthy.

After 400 years of silence from any prophetic voice from Yahweh, the Lord God, it was easy for Jews to look around in fear at the swirl of chaos, wondering if joy had slipped away forever.

And finally, there were those who stood in direct opposition to a Messiah. King Herod certainly was not interested in welcoming a Newborn King, and so for him, there was no joy. Herod was bent on destroying Him so he could continue relying solely on himself, his own capabilities, and his own glory. Herod rejected the Savior, and the result was a complete lack of joy. He found only death, fear, and a reliance on self that never satisfied, but instead destroyed himself and others.

Do you find yourself reflecting Herod’s harried attempt to protect self and somehow attain happiness? Instead, does it feel like stress and hurry persistently steal away any elusive joy that might be found? What if our lack of joy reveals something about the focus of our hearts?

It’s shockingly easy to rely on ourselves to be the savior of the season as we purpose in our hearts to bake all the cookies,
watch all the Christmas movies,
attend all the parties,
complete all the shopping,
do all the crafts,
send out all the Christmas cards,
say “yes” to all the requests,
and decorate our home to the Pinterest max.

The chaos beckons with glitter and lights and peppermint drizzle,
while joy quietly waits to be delighted in.

If Christmas is feeling a bit more chaotic than cheery, is it time to consider that maybe self is the idol we’re trusting? Is it any wonder joy feels out of reach?

Scrolling all the way back to the beginning of time, when God spoke His voice into the mass of nothing, bringing forth all of everything, we find a God who delights in bringing His joyful presence into the chaos of emptiness.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty (…).”
(Genesis 1:1-2)

From nothing, His voice filled the chaos, bringing forth a creation He delightedly declared “Good!”

“Then God said,’Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good (…)”.
(Genesis 1:3-4, emphasis mine)

As darkness drew nigh that first Christmas and one girl’s laboring screams filled the night, followed by the shrill cry of a newborn babe, delight was filling the dark once more.  The very same Word was going forth from the Father once again.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

“I came from the Father and have come into the world.” (John 16:28)

His light was shining in the darkness as He Himself took on human flesh.

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9)
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (…).” (John 1:14)

The Joy of Jesus had come to rescue His people,
drawing them out of eternal night into eternal day. 

If your Christmas season is feeling heavy with sorrow and rising stress, cling to the same Living Hope around Whom angels and shepherds hovered as they welcomed the light of the world, and the Joy whose presence promised unending delight.

Our emptiness, our longings, our stress, and our sadness all point to our need for the fullness of God and our souls’ longing for Immanuel, God with us. As C.S. Lewis once said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Focus your eyes on that other world this Christmas, friend. With eyes of faith, see the One Who came to offer His life for you, His light in exchange for your darkness, and watch your Christmas joy surge and swell!

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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 Reveal Week Two! 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 Reveal!