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Follow Day 12 Question, Follow, Faith: 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!
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The Questions

1) Why does God say His ways and thoughts are not ours? (verse 8)

2) How can we follow God’s ways when they do not align with our own ideas and wishes?

3) What biblical events can encourage us to have faith in God’s ways?

Isaiah 55:8-11

8  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 9 “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, 11 so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”

Original Intent

1) Why does God say His ways and thoughts are not ours? (verse 8)
We all have a sinful nature (Romans 3:9), meaning we can never please God on our own, but God is divine and perfect. He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10); God intimately knows everything. We, on the other hand, have gone astray like sheep and turned to our own sinful ways. Our continual choice to serve ourselves over God by choosing sin is why Jesus came to earth to bare our iniquities on the cross by His death. (Isaiah 53:6) Therefore, His thoughts and ways are much higher and better than our own. Just like the heavens are higher than the earth (Isaiah 55:9). Only He has ultimate understanding, authority, and complete righteousness!

2) How can we follow God’s ways when they do not align with our own ideas and wishes?
In Moses’ time, the Lord had commanded the Israelites to “love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, keep his commands, be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.” (Joshua 22:5) They were familiar with His laws and ways, yet the people often wandered off His path of wisdom. When Moses stayed too long on Mount Sinai, the people resorted to creating and worshipping a golden calf, a thing strictly forbidden for only God is worthy of worship! (Exodus 32:1) They were released from bondage in Egypt, yet they grumbled they didn’t have water or nice food like in the city. (Exodus 17:3; Exodus 16:2-3) Even His chosen people struggled to come to terms with God’s ways and plans. Wise followers of Jesus know that God’s way alone is perfect. (Psalm 18:30). They understand that His plans are for their well-being, to provide a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Whenever it feels like God is pushing them into a direction opposite where they want to go, the righteous person remembers God’s ways are higher. They remember that, although a way may seem right to a person, its end might lead to death. (Proverbs 14:12)

3) What biblical events can encourage us to have faith in God’s ways?
An excellent biblical account of someone whose plans were different than God’s plans must be Joseph from the Old Testament. (Genesis 37:1 – 47:12) Jacob had 12 sons, of whom Joseph was his favourite. His favoritism was lavished on Joseph in the form of a beautiful coat of many colors, and he even received dreams from God. Then one day, he was sold as a slave by his own jealous brothers! He was taken to Egypt away from his beloved father, not knowing what would happen to him. Perhaps he even felt as if God had abandoned him. Nothing could be further from the truth, however, for God had amazing plans for Joseph that went far beyond anything he could imagine on his own. Joseph eventually became governor, acting as second in command to none but Pharaoh. Eventually, God brought redemption through Joseph to the brothers who had disowned him and used Joseph’s place of influence to provide for his family during a time of immense drought. Not only did God use one man’s story to rescue his immediate family, but through these divinely ordained plans, God planted “His Family” the Hebrews, from Joseph’s family. You might know them from a different name, as Jews. An entire nation was birthed because God’s plans overtook man’s plans!

Everyday Application

1) Why does God say His ways and thoughts are not ours? (verse 8)
Although we’d like to think our ways and thoughts are just as perfect as God’s, they’re simply not. The Bible tells us we’re all sinners, not one of us is righteous. (Romans 3:9) None of us will attain to God’s level of holiness on our own without Jesus. We don’t even know what we should pray for and need the Spirit’s help to pray correctly! (Romans 8:26) In contrast, God is perfect! His Son, who is God’s exact image (Hebrews 1:3), never sinned in His time on earth although He was tempted in every way as we are. (Hebrews 4:15) His divinity was able to withstand the devil. We are not able to do so alone. Our human nature is more willing to surrender to evil than to good (Romans 7:18-19), and it’s only through Christ we have the hope of eternal life with God. In other words, our ways and thoughts are wicked on their own. Only God’s ways and thoughts are perfect, and therefore, they’re not ours.

2) How can we follow God’s ways when they do not align with our own ideas and wishes?
Jesus is very straightforward to us in saying, “If anyone loves me, he will keep My word.” (John 14:23) We already read in Isaiah 55:11 where God said, “So My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do”. In other words, if we love Him, we will be able to keep His Word through the power of His Spirit living within us. His ways and His thoughts are active in us when we submit to following Him. If we trust Him, we will obey and follow the Lord even though we cannot see where He’s leading us. God knows all things and knows exactly how everything will work out. We need to have faith in Him for He is faithful (Hebrews 10:23) and His ways are perfect. And they always accomplish what they were supposed to do. His plans are never in vain. Remembering this can help us abandon our own thoughts and surrender to God.

3) What biblical events can encourage us to have faith in God’s ways?
When we look in the New Testament, we can be inspired and encouraged by all the disciples of Jesus (and obviously Jesus Himself). Each life was flipped upside down from the moment they met Jesus, and even more so after His crucifixion and resurrection. They were imprisoned (Acts 12:3), beaten (2 Corinthians 11:25), and eventually killed (Acts 12:2) for following Christ. Saul was on his way to Damascus to bring an end of the spread of Christianity. Instead, the Lord stopped him on his tracks and blinded him (Acts 9:1-9). Saul, then became Paul, left his old life of persecution behind and influenced the early church, (and our own modern lives!), by his preaching and writing. In fact, the majority of the New Testament consists of Paul’s letters to encourage and strengthen the church! I’m sure his life didn’t really play out the way he had initially planned. Yet, he trusted God every step of the way, whether free or imprisoned, he sang praises to the Lord (Acts 16:25) and continued to follow Christ until death. Reading their stories and experiences as often as we can will encourage us to remain faithful as we pursue Christ in everyday life. Even if God rearranges our plans in different ways than we had hoped or dreamed, surrender to his hand, acknowledging His plans are necessary for our growth in faith and the work for His glory.

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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

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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.

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 :-))

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The GT Weekend! ~ Beloved Week 3

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) When you think of God and sexual intimacy, what are your first responses? Pulling away? Shame? Closeness and delight? Gratitude? How we respond to the idea of God and sex reveals what we believe about our Creator and intimacy with us. As you unpack your beliefs in this area, take the challenge to read through Song of Solomon aloud. Spend some time praying beforehand, asking God to open your heart to understand His desire for oneness and delight in marriage. The world, and our enemy Satan, would have us believe that sex is dirty, embarrassing, and anything but sacred. Whether you are single or married, all of us have room to grow in elevating our view of the holiness of marriage and sexual intimacy. As you finish reading through Song of Solomon, write down the truths that most arrested your attention. Ask the Lord to keep expanding your understanding of these rich truths!

2) We all love the thrilling feelings of soaring excitement when relationships begin or when we finally say, “I do.” It’s the after when the excitement fades, disagreements arise, and suddenly, the glorious feelings we once felt towards the one person we vowed to love are nowhere to be found. Stacy shares of her euphoria at the beginning, only to watch it fade to mundane and lackluster in the after. A million and one distractions tempt us away from growing in love and maturity with our spouse, and if we aren’t on guard, these can quickly fuel entitlement in relationship effectively driving a wedge between two who were once inseparable. If you’re married, some ways your spouse has become distracted and entitled are probably already popping into your mind! But, turn it around and ask the Spirit to show you how you are becoming disengaged and entitled as well. Thank Him for showing you these, then ask for His power to flee the temptation to run towards these and run away instead. Single friends, consider the idols you run towards most often to distract you from hard or messy things. What patterns do you notice about yourself when you are feeling unloved or unaccepted in your relationships? Take these to the Lord and ask Him to show you His rich redemptive work in your life!

3) Give yourself permission to have some space in your day to be still and reflective. Maybe you lock your closet or your bathroom door, or maybe “quiet” needs to look like your kids are loud. Just make the space! Close your eyes, take some deep breaths and consider what it has felt like, or what it might feel like, to have someone sing over you who knows you deeply, wholly, and without condition or judgement. What words would they choose to set to melody? What would their voice sound like? What characteristics would they eagerly highlight about you? What might they say about their own love toward you? What if this was the Lord’s voice over you; how might your heart respond? Pause here and take in these feelings without discounting them or brushing them aside. Beloved, how deeply the Lord loves to love you! Breathe in this truth and let His voice sing over you with bold declaration! Stay here as long you need, then as your time closes, ask the Lord specifically who you can sing over. Whether it’s with true musical melodies or it’s just a spoken word of truth, woven with life-giving love, be willing and ready to extend a song of love over whoever the Lord brings to mind!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Zephaniah 3:17 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

The Lord your God is among you,
a warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will be quiet in his love.
He will delight in you with singing.”

Prayer Journal
Your love truly is matchless, oh Lord, my Savior and my God. Your love is as mighty as an ocean wave at every single moment of my life. When I feel alone in my relationships as friend, daughter, mother, or wife, You “send Your faithful love by day and at night Your song is with me.” (Psalm 42:8) No one else offers steadfast constancy like You. Forgive me, oh Abba, for the many times I choose to hinge my delight on another’s love and care for me instead of yours. Never will Your love change or disappoint; remind me to listen for Your love song regardless of feelings. Make me aware, Holy Spirit, of the countless distractions pulling me away from You, the Only One who loves me perfectly and completely. Empower me to turn my eyes from worthless things, focusing on You as complete satisfier of my every need. As I practice turning and looking in full at You and Your word, teach me how to love others selflessly with the same humility You model towards me. I love You, Lord Jesus, heal my relationships and use me as a conduit of Your love.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Worship VII Day 6 Sweet By And By

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 14:1-7
Revelation 14:1-5
Revelation 21:3-4

Worship VII, Day 6

“There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there.

In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.

We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blessed;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.

To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise
For the glorious gift of His love
And the blessings that hallow our days.”

I adore hymns.
They surround my earliest memories of church and worship. The words and melodies introduced a solemnity to the service and carried a sacred whisper when I sang them.

As a child, I didn’t always understand the hymns, but somewhere along the way, a transition happened. The songs I sang by rote for years have now become sources of strength and help, holding me up in various challenging situations. I find myself singing them often, especially now, when face-to-face church fellowship isn’t possible in the way it once was because of Covid-19.

In the Sweet By and By has a special place in my heart because of the longing it creates for heaven. When did you first learn about heaven? I remember hearing about it as a little child. Though I wasn’t able to process the full scope of heaven at a young age, my vivid imagination envisioned it as THE BEST place a child’s mind could create. To be honest, it probably looked more like a gigantic toy store than the Biblical description of heaven. (Revelation 21:9-27) Regardless of age, as we read the Bible, we begin to understand no matter what picture of heaven our earth-bound minds have imagined, it doesn’t compare to the real thing.

“But, as it is written,
‘What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived–
God has prepared these things for those who love him.’”
(1 Corinthians 2:9)

What makes heaven so special?
There are an infinite number of reasons for an infinite number of believers, but one of my favorites is God preparing a place in heaven specially for us. (John 14:2-3) God loves us so much He designed and built a place for us beyond comparison! (Hebrews 11:10) Heaven is a city of gold with foundations made from precious jewels. (Revelation 21:18-21) I cannot fathom what such magnificence must look like!

Composer Joseph P. Webster was well-known for his performances and patriotic songs in the antebellum (pre-Civil War) and Civil War period. But by the end of the war, he lost his ability to perform and, instead, turned to compositions, mainly ballads and hymns. It was during this time he met Mr. Sanford Bennett, who wrote the lyrics to what would be Mr. Webster’s most popular and widely known hymn, In the Sweet By and By.

After such a dark period in our nation’s history, I can imagine there was a need for hope, a call to place the longing for home in an enduring location. (Hebrews 13:14) The amount of grief, loss, and separation experienced during that time was unparalleled . . . until now. The news echoes the tragedies faced by millions not just in our nation, but also across the globe because of the rampant coronavirus. The second stanza of this hymn reminds us there is a place where sorrows will be extinct.

Revelation 21:4 gives us this promise:
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
Grief, crying, and pain will be no more,
Because the previous things have passed away.”

What hope! We won’t even remember our pain. (Isaiah 65:17)

When we get to Heaven, among many other things, there will be the glorious sound of singing. It will be the song of those who know Who their Savior is and how He has redeemed them. (Revelation 5:9-10) The gift of God’s love is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins so we can return to our heavenly home. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 3:16)

This is the sweet by and by.

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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 Worship VII 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 Worship VII!

Worship VII Day 5 Lower Still

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 53:2-3
Matthew 11:28-30
John 13:12-16
Philippians 2:5-8
Hebrews 2:14-18

Worship VII, Day 5

For years, I stood in church services and wrestled with my conscience.

Am I singing lyrics I sincerely believe?
Are my motives sincere?

Oh, what grace I have discovered as I sought the Lord with these concerns!

In our songs as believers, we address three audiences: ourselves, others, and God.
Sometimes, we are reminding our own souls of Who God is. (Psalm 103:1-2)
Other times, we join in song with, and to, each other as we sing truth. (Ephesians 5:18-21)
Most importantly, we lift our spirits and songs directly to God in awestruck wonder. (Psalm 92:1-4)

Though we may not always “feel” the words, God takes our imperfect praise and uses it to reveal Himself to us.

As I considered the lyrics to Lower Still, my heart could barely contain my angst mixed with glorious praise.

“Look, He’s covered in dirt
The blood of His mother has mixed with the Earth
And she’s just a child who’s throbbing in pain
From the terror of birth by the light of a cave
Now they’ve laid that small baby
Where creatures come eat
Like a meal for the swine who have no clue that He
Is still holding together the world that they see
They don’t know just how low He has to go
Lower still” 

The sight of a young mother laying her newborn child in a feeding trough intended for the animal’ food is likely unimaginable to us. The irony of the humble surroundings of Christ’s birth is much more significant when we understand this baby was God in the flesh.

The child’s mother, Mary, submitted to her God (Luke 1:46-49), despite her limited understanding. Did Mary realize her son’s humble beginning would set the trend of His life? That Jesus would become her Savior?

Just as obediently, the omniscient Son of God, humbled Himself and came to earth in human form (Hebrews 2:14-18), knowingly embracing a sacrificial life on the dusty planet He’d created. How do we comprehend a Father sending His Son to the agonies of earth and leaving the glories of Heaven? For, as we follow Jesus’ story, we learn He would go even lower than a feeding trough.

“Look now He’s kneeling He’s washin’ their feet
Though they’re all filthy fishermen, traitors and thieves
Now He’s pouring His heart out and they’re fallin’ asleep
But He has to go lower still”

Unable to grasp this level of humility, Simon Peter initially refused Jesus’ invitation to wash his feet. (John 13:6-8) He didn’t realize Jesus was demonstrating why He had come.

Although we don’t know much about Jesus’ life between His boyhood and His manhood, the apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi, describing Jesus’ heart. It would be difficult to find a better example of Jesus’ humble depths than Paul’s words in Philippians 2.

God in Jesus “emptied Himself.” That’s low!
He took upon Himself “the likeness of humanity.” That’s lower!
In this human condition, Christ humbled Himself “to the point of death — even death on a cross.” Lower still.

Commentators help us imagine why the apostles would have been gripped by death on a cross, in comparing it to the barbaric way many Jews died during the Nazi regime. Stripped of their belongings, clothing, and dignity, millions were led to gas chambers to die an agonizing death. Crucifixion was THIS kind of death. And Jesus went willingly. Author and pastor, Trevin Wax, explained, “The Creator was slain by His creation. The Shepherd was slain by His sheep. The Creator of life submitted to death.”

Even lower He went.

“There is greater love to show
Hands to the plow
Further down now
Blood must flow

All these steps are personal
All His shame is ransom
Oh do you see, do you see just how low, he has come
Do you see it now?
No one takes from him
What he freely gives away
Beat in his face
Tear the skin off his back
Lower still, lower still
Strip off his clothes
Make him crawl through the streets
Lower still, lower still
Hang him like meat
On a criminal’s tree
Lower still, lower still
Bury his corpse in the Earth
Like a seed, like a seed, like a seed
Lower still, lower still

Lower still, lower still…”

But God! (Romans 5:6-8)
Christ was lowered into a borrowed tomb, then rose out of it
that we may be lowered and raised with Him!
Christ went low so our songs could rise:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

“The Earth explodes
She cannot hold Him!
And all therein is placed beneath Him
And death itself no longer reigns
It cannot keep the ones He gave himself to save
And as the universe shatters the darkness dissolves
He alone will be honored
We will bathe in His splendor
As all heads bow lower still
All heads bow lower still.”

Paul reminds us Christ died and returned to life. And one day every knee will bow lower still to the risen and reigning Christ. (Romans 14:9-11) May we choose now to fall honestly and humbly at the feet of Jesus, to bow our heads and hearts lower still, and discover His glorious grace.

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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 Worship VII Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship VII!

Hallel Day 11 For All Peoples

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 117
Psalm 148
Hebrews 10:11-25
Romans 15:7-12
Revelation 22:12-17

Hallel, Day 11

Judas left the Passover supper suddenly.
Only Jesus knew why, but He didn’t say anything . . . aloud.
In His heart and mind, He cried out,
“Father, I know where I’m going.
In my humanity, I am hurt by the betrayal of one I love.
‘Woe to him for his actions (Mark 14:21), even if they were necessary to extend the offer of redemption to all those We love.”

With the meal ending, Jesus and His disciples began singing before leaving the upper room.

“Praise the LORD, all nations!
Glorify him, all peoples.”
(Psalm 117:1)

As they finished the first verse, the disciples were unaware of Jesus’ pain, and their town expectations filled their minds. These men, who spent three years with Jesus, believed He was the Messiah. They believed He came to overthrow Roman rule and bring Israel’s freedom.

“Surely we should praise Him because He is the Messiah, our long awaited Savior!”

They’d heard the reading of Isaiah 9:6 in the temple and as they thought through the characteristics listed, they saw ample reason to praise the LORD.

“He has indeed been a wonderful counselor! Look at the way He has taught through His many parables. And I remember the counsel He gave Martha.”

“Mighty God definitely applies to Him. He’s performed incredible miracles, from healing to  casting out demons and even resurrecting Lazarus from the dead! Yes, He is mighty and worthy to be praised!”

As Jesus sang, His heart soared with the knowledge His life, sacrificial death, and resurrection would elicit praise for the Father not just from His disciples or even His chosen people, the Jewish nation.

No, the praises would come from all peoples.

Jesus foresaw Paul’s letter to the Roman church, demonstrating how passages from the Tanakh, sacred Jewish scripture, speak of the Gentiles praising Christ (Romans 15:7-12).

As Jesus surveyed His disciples, their heads bowed and voices raised in song, He pondered, “They do not yet realize I am Messiah for all people. They sing words without full understanding. But when revelation comes, they will lead multitudes in praise.”

As the disciples recited promises of the Prince of Peace, on whose shoulders the government would rest, they were filled with expectation.

Yes, they would praise Him as King.
Surely, they believed, such a King would rescue them from Roman rule.
He would take the government on His shoulders and all would bow to Him.

For generations, they’d waited for the Prince of Peace to establish an earthly throne and rule over a glorious Jewish kingdom. Now, they were certain, He was here to accomplish it.

But Jesus came to claim a kingdom much larger than a single nation.
And He came to defeat an enemy much more powerful and deadly than the Romans.

“I have shown my faithful love throughout the ages.
My fulfillment of My Father’s redemptive plan will demonstrate the depth of my love.
My followers think I’m here to rescue them from Rome . . .
But My love runs deeper.
I am here to rescue them from sin and death.
I love them too much to stop at the temporary.”

As they each relished their thoughts, Jesus and the disciples continued on to the second verse of the short, but powerful hymn.

“For His faithful love to us is great; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah!”
(Psalm 117:2)

As those words lifted to heaven, the disciples recalled Jesus’s statement,
“I and the Father are one”. (John 10:30). And their thoughts swirled.

“If He and the Father are One, was Jesus the flaming torch passing between the divided animals to make the covenant with Father Abraham?

Was it Jesus who kept God’s promise to rescue the Israelites from Egypt, and did so by parting the Red Sea? Was it Jesus who brought our ancestors back from exile in Babylon?

If so, His love has been faithful and surely, it will endure forever.
We must offer our praises for His enduring love!”

Jesus, knowing their thoughts, felt both joy and grief.

His joy stemmed from His faithful love and the deep assurance it would never, ever fail. It would indeed endure forever, through the creation of the new heaven and the new earth, and beyond. His faithful love would hold Him to the cross the next day. 

But the thought of the personal cost to Him brought grief. The impendng betrayal by Judas and denial by Peter, and the physical torture were burdens to bear.

Even heavier was the weight of the sin of every single human settling in darkness upon His spirit, and the consequential separation from the Father. This was soul-crushing grief.

“But My love never fails. My faithfulness endures forever.
I will seek the Father, but I know to love this world, I must save it.
This is my great joy, to love this way.”

And for the joy set before Him, Jesus led His disciples to the Garden, yet another part in the greatest love story about the greatest King who is faithful and loving, forever.

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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 Hallel Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Hallel Day 10 Eden’s Promise

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 116:12-19
Matthew 26:17-56
Titus 3:4-7
1 Corinthians 1:20-22
Revelation 19:4-9

Hallel, Day 10

Have you watched a movie using flashbacks to help the audience understand how the past is connected to the current scene?

Or if, like me, you’re a fan of the popular TV show, This Is Us, you get it.

As I prepared for this Journey Study, the idea of a movie struck me. Since we are approaching Easter, the opening scene features Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

We see the disciples asleep under a tree, and the camera pans to a lone figure in the distance.

Jesus.

He falls to the ground, exhausted. Emotionally spent, He weeps, and with sweat so thick it trickles down His brow as drops of blood, He cries out in anguish,
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me;
nevertheless, not as I will but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

As the heaviness of His words hangs in the air, the scene flashes back to another garden.

Here, in the middle of Eden are a man and woman, naked and cowering in fear as they crouch behind a bush, doing their best to hide. We expect lightning to strike, judgment crashing down on them as a result of their blatant disobedience to God.

But in a surprising twist, God curses the serpent.
While Adam and Eve’s sinful choice brings weighty consequences, God surrounds them with gracious compassion. He tenderly clothes Adam and Eve, promising one day their broken relationship with Him will be fully restored.

We realize that as Jesus kneels in Gethsemane, HE is the fulfillment of the promise made long ago in Eden.

The plot is perfect.
It’s Passover week.
The heartbreak of Gethsemane is still to come.
We find Jesus and His disciples eating supper together.

The evening must have been so confusing for the men who’d spent the past three years with Jesus. They heard Him teach, watched Him heal, and witnessed miracle after miracle. Yet, it seemed they still had NO understanding of the events unfolding before them.

The camera zooms in as the men sit around a table, eating the traditional Passover meal.

Sighing, Jesus looks around the room, soaking in the moment with His closest friends.

“How do I tell them, Abba?”, Jesus prayed. “They will be so confused and scared. Even after all this time with Me, they still don’t understand what we are doing.”

Heart heavy, He announces His impending betrayal.

Thaddeus spits his wine in shock. Philip drops the matzah he was passing to Judas.

“BETRAY You?”, Matthew utters in bewilderment.

“Which of us would do THAT?!”, James quickly adds, his eyes darting around the room suspiciously.

“It’s not me, is it?” Andrew whispers in Jesus’ ear, his face pale with worry.

Jesus moves the meal on to the last cup of wine, for with it comes the promise of a new covenant. His very blood would soon be poured out as a sacrifice bringing forgiveness of all mankind’s sins, past, present, and future.
He, Himself, would be the final Passover Lamb. 

After supper, we watch Jesus and the disciples making their way to the Mount of Olives. As they walk, despite the tension amongst them, out of ritual, the men continue singing the traditional Hallel. (Matthew 26:30)

On this night, however, their minds wandered as they sang the verses from memory.

“Pssst, Thomas, what do you think Jesus meant by BETRAY? Surely, it’s just another of His parables, right?”

“I don’t know. And what did He mean by ‘drinking His blood?’ Hey, John, you’re close with Jesus, do you understand what He’s saying?”

“I wish. I don’t understand, either. I want to know when He will overthrow the Romans and set up His kingdom!”

Jesus is singing along, yet His own heart and mind are in extreme turmoil.
“I am here to deliver them.
I came to fulfill promises.
I must die, so they can live.
I must do this.
Father, help Me! Help Me finish what We started so long ago.”

With heaviness, Jesus enters the Garden of Gethsemane followed by His confused disciples.

And we’re back to our opening scene of Jesus crying out in despair.
He knew exactly what the next few hours would bring.

This night was the culmination of thousands of years of promise, a single perfect life, and a propitiatory death.

His coming had a purpose:
to reconcile man to God,
redeeming all who were lost.
He left heaven so we could enter.

As the story continues, He hangs on a cross, paying the penalty for OUR sin.
Just as God extended grace to Adam and Eve in Eden, He now offers salvation freely to us. (Ephesians 2:8-9). NO ONE deserves such grace, yet ANYONE can accept His incredible gift!

When we accept the gift of salvation, we abandon our roles as spectators and become part of the cast! We look forward to being in the final scene, a wedding supper foreshadowed by Jesus’ final Passover with His disciples.

One day, all who have trusted Jesus as their Savior will celebrate with Him at the Feast of all Feasts, the finale of all finales!

Until then, we wait.
Like the disciples on Passover night, we may not understand everything happening in our lives. We may be confused, afraid, overwhelmed, or overcome with grief.

Just as the hymns of Hallel proclaimed what God had ALREADY done, while also anticipating what He WOULD do, we can choose to trust God to keep all of His promises.

We live with both the reminder of Easter and the anticipation of Jesus’ return.

In the middle, we choose worship.
Not because of our circumstances, but because of CHRIST.

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Hallel Day 8 Finding Him Faithful

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 116:1-11
Matthew 26:1-29
Isaiah 53:1-12
Psalm 127:1-14

Hallel, Day 8

“Go into the city to a certain man,” He said, “and tell him,
‘The Teacher says: My time is near; I am celebrating the Passover
at your place with my disciples.’”
(Matthew 26:18)

The disciples took this message and sought out the man.
As they walked, they pondered Jesus’ statement.

“What do you think He meant by ‘My time is near?’”

“Peter, He confirmed to you He is the Son of God.
What does He mean?”

“Guys, a few days ago He said the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified after the Passover. Can that really happen to Jesus?”

The men fell into a contemplative silence as they walked and only the sounds of their sandals on the path filled the air. The questions recently voiced still echoed in their minds and they sorted through what they knew of God to try to answer them.

How could Jesus, the Son of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be crucified?
The Lord had already proven His faithfulness to His people over and over again.
How could He abandon His very son?

The Lord heard Abraham’s cry for an heir in his old age. (Genesis 15:1-6)
He heard Sarah’s laughter and filled her womb. (Genesis 18:9-15)
He changed Israel’s name and made him a mighty nation. (Genesis 32:28)
He brought that nation out of captivity and fed them in the wilderness. (Exodus 16:1-16)

How could the God who demonstrated such compassion to an obstinate group of people allow His own son to be killed? 

Their questions unanswered, the disciples gained access to the upper room and prepared the Passover meal. Jesus soon reclined among them and confirmed their fears when He announced one of them would betray Him.
Death now rose to the forefront of their minds.
Jesus continued, saying what was written about Him would soon come to pass.

Tonight was Passover, every detail rooted in reminding its participants of the faithfulness of God. Every traditional food item had carefully been chosen, filled with symbolism of slavery and freedom found only because of Yahweh, the faithful God who had rescued them long ago.

The bread, the cup, the lamb, the hymns.
Every part was sacred.

“The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
‘Lord, save me!’”
(Hallel Psalm 116:3-4)

How could the Israelites cry out to God to be rescued from the cords of Sheol while Jesus would face those very bindings Himself?

The Son of God, destined to be bound by the cords of death? Unto what purpose?
Could the words of Isaiah 53 be true? By His bloody stripes, would His people be set free?

Could death truly be defeated?

As Jesus broke the bread and gave His disciples the wine, He said,
“For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-27)

A new covenant?
“Behold, I am making all things new”…
Isaiah 43:19

Each disciple held the cup in his hands for a moment and stared into the red depths.
“Poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins,” Jesus said (Matthew 26:28).
For their sins.
Each and every one of their sins,
for the Lord knows the thoughts and intentions of each heart.
A few hands became unsteady as they passed the cup to the next man.

“The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.”
Hallel Psalm 116:5

Blood poured out for them.
The Lord’s rescue from death for them.
Their humanity and helplessness washed over them.
Struck with the sudden awareness Jesus knew all of their sins, they grappled with the perfect Son of God’s promise to pour out His blood to cover those sins.

“I was helpless, and he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.”
Hallel Psalm 116:6-8

Men may say truly living is to experience everything they possibly can under the sun, but in the solemnness of that moment with Christ, the disciples understood so much more existed. No physical entertainment could make them feel as known or valued.

They were staring into the eyes of the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
Because of this man, human flesh enveloping the full deity of God, the faithfulness of the divine Yahweh would be seen
and known
and experienced
by everyone willing to welcome Him.

“I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.”
Hallel Psalm 116:9

A low hum began as one of the disciples began singing the traditional Hallel hymns. Eventually all the men were singing, and a sweet, yet heavy presence, filled the space. They were encountering the Faithful One in a way they never had before as He prepared to give them the fullness of life through His own death.

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Hallel Day 3 In His Presence

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 114
Luke 22:31-39
Exodus 15:1-13

Hallel, Day 3

When Israel came out of Egypt
The house of Jacob from a people
Who spoke a foreign language
Psalm 114:1

Peter: I could feel the gruffness in my voice, as the chilled air lodged in my vocal chords, but still I sang … I sang with my brothers, and with Jesus as we sat together in the Upper Room, the smells from dinner still wrapped around us.

“When Israel came out of Egypt,” I thought, “freedom. Freedom for my ancient fathers who were slaves for four hundred years. Freedom, only from Yahweh.” It’s what we’d been celebrating with our Passover meal, remembering the night our ancestors were freed from bondage.

“Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel, his dominion”…
(Psalm 114:2)

Peter: “Sanctuary.” 

I thought of the ancient tabernacle, and the temple here in Jerusalem where Jesus taught. I remembered witnessing Jesus cleanse the temple shortly after I began following Him. The temple had become a place of business instead of worship, and Jesus drove out the money changers and animals from the dwelling place of God. (John 2:13-17)

Jesus: His Sanctuary, His dominion. Our will from the beginning, Abba, has been to dwell among Our beloved children, so they would not walk alone.

In the Scriptures, specific building instructions were given to Our people for the tabernacle so We could dwell with them.

Then the Father sent Me to live and dwell among Our people, and to fulfill the great rescue plan in motion since sin first entered this world.

Soon, the Spirit will be living and dwelling among and within Our people (John 14:26)…

“The sea looked and fled;
The Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
The hills, like lambs”…
 (Psalm 114:3-4)

Jesus: I’ve often heard my earthly father, Joseph, tell of the days when my Father freed them from slavery in Egypt before they came face to face with the Red Sea, an obstacle they could not cross on their own. They couldn’t be freed from slavery on their own. They couldn’t cross the Red Sea on their own.

And now, our people cannot have access to the Father alone. They need a Savior in order to cross over Jordan into the Promised Land of life eternal.

The commandments given on Mount Sinai were but an example
of rules impossible to follow,
laws impossible to keep,
a Red Sea impossible to cross,
a Jordan impossible to reach …
Old laws for an old covenant, but a new covenant is coming.

Peter: My eyes were fixed on Jesus, who sat with us; His eyes deep and reflective, but lost somewhere else. He was with us, yet He wasn’t. I could almost see the words we were singing penetrating His soul and I wondered what He was thinking.

I thought of the Red Sea my forefathers crossed only because Yahweh parted the waters and made the earth completely dry. As the former slaves walked through the parted sea, they looked back and saw their Egyptian pursuers stopped first by fire, then by water. (Exodus 15:4)

Then I thought of the Jordan River, crossed many years later by the next generation of Israelites as they finally stepped into the land promised to them by Yahweh. They already possessed the Ten Commandments, which they had not kept, and yet the Lord allowed them to cross the Jordan just as they crossed the Red Sea, with water parted before them (Joshua 3:13-17).

Imagining His thoughts matched my own, I continued singing along …

“Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?
Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?”
(Psalm 114:5-6) 

Peter: I’ve sung this song my entire life, but I never fully believed these words could be true. But now, I’ve seen Jesus perform miracles upon miracles. I’ve seen creation obey His voice. (Mark 4:35-41)

“The seas must have fled, the Jordan must have turned back, the mountains must have skipped because creation obeys its Creator,” my scattered thoughts come together as I sing a little more loudly, a declaration mixed into the questions asked in this psalm.

“Why? Because all of creation must bow to the Creator. To Yahweh. To Jesus.” I look back at Him, with a deep stirring in my heart. This man whom I’ve called friend, who has been patient in my bluntness, gentle in my lack of faith, and who changed my name and told me to follow Him.

Even still, He tells me I will deny Him, but how could I? This man to whom creation bows? My Lord?

Jesus: Why? Why did the sea flea? The Jordan turn back? The mountains skip?

Because nothing, nothing will stop My Father from delivering His people. Nothing will stop Him from loving His people, and certainly nothing created will stand in the way of His love. His very creations will declare His goodness and His power and His glory.

“Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
Who turned the rock into a pool,
The flint into a spring.”
(Psalm 114:7-8) 

Peter: As the melodies swirl around me, I began to tremble. I could feel myself joining with the rest of creation, who cannot help but tremble when in the presence of the Lord, and I, I was in the presence of the Lord.

Jesus Christ.
The Messiah.
Here, before me.
Whose voice I can hear rising above my own. My voice fades as I grasp the full enormity of the words I’m singing.

Tremble at the presence of God. He’s here. Before me. With me. Right here, right now.
Tremble.

Jesus: As Abraham struck the rock and water poured out, I can feel the Father speak to me.

I will be struck, and I, the Living Water, will be poured out.
Out of the Rock, the Living Water flows. (Isaiah 28:16, John 4:14)
We will dwell among Our people.

Peter: “Jesus is here. He’s here and He is with us.” As the song ends, we allow a few moments of quiet to lapse before we begin singing the next Hallel . . .

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Hallel Day 1 Lifting Hallelujah

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 113
Colossians 1:15-22
Matthew 26:26-35

Hallel, Day 1

The word “Hallel” is Hebrew for “a joyous praise in song, to boast in God”. The grouping of Psalms 113-118 are considered the “Egyptian Hallel” because they were chanted in the Temple courts during Passover, specifically as the spotless Passover lamb was slain. This was a yearly reminder to all Jews of God’s divine rescue from the Angel of Death in Egypt, which “passed over” a doorpost if it was stained with the blood of a lamb, keeping Death away from those inside. As morning dawned after the Angel of Death had passed through Egypt, God brought deliverance for every Hebrew in all of Egypt who had once been enslaved. Given the Jewish tradition, it was most likely from this grouping of songs Jesus and His disciples sang their hymn (Matthew 26:30) as they moved from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was betrayed and handed over to be flogged and crucified.

—-

It was Passover again.
The yearly celebration of Yahweh’s deliverance of His people, Israel, from the death-grip of Pharaoh and his 400-year enslavement. Jesus had celebrated many of these Passovers; over 30 while on earth. But He has been intricately involved in each one since the beginning, as God the Son.

He was there when Moses defied Pharaoh again and again, proving God’s power in the face of Pharaoh’s arrogance. He saw every Hebrew who died at the hand of a taskmaster. He heard every mother’s anguished cry as another son was murdered for being born a boy. He bottled every tear shed as slaves begged for freedom from oppression decade after decade. Christ, the ever-present God, had watched as innocent lamb’s blood was spilled and painted over doorframes as the Angel of Death passed through Egypt on that final night of slavery. All who were covered by the blood of the lamb would be saved from death. Jesus knew, and His heart leapt thousands of years forward to this night, and this Passover feast.

Jesus sat in the Upper Room with His disciples, a Passover meal spread before them on a low table. The sun sank into the western sky and the all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful God wrapped in the confines of human flesh, prepared to lead His friends in worship.

The meal had been consumed, the story of freedom had been re-told just as it had for hundreds of years before, dirty feet had been washed by the Savior of the world as He demonstrated again the heart of God in human form. But even this act of humble love was nothing like what would come.

The first Passover lamb’s blood had painted doorways and saved hundreds of Hebrew lives. Jesus, the final Passover lamb, would shed His blood in a few hours, and offer atonement for the sin of the whole world across all time.

Death was pressing in on Him, the Giver and Sustainer of Life. (Colossians 1:16-17) Separation from God the Father was imminent, clawing at His heart like sharp talons digging into His human heart.
Agony awaited.
Death snarled.
God’s righteous wrath stood ready to be poured out in full on the Son whom He loved. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

The Lord looked around the table, knowing this would be His final Passover meal shared on earth, knowing all that had gone before, and seeing all that would come. As the full range of human emotions washed over Him, anguish, grief, fear, sadness, and incredible love, He did as He had always done, He worshipped.

Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
(Psalm 113:1)

His disciples were confused. Some were even aloof while others were tense with frustration. But as Jesus’ voice rose, the familiar words rising from His throat, the disciples gathered to praise the timeless Sovereign Name of the Lord God.

Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
(Psalm 113:2-3)

The air was different tonight, and everyone knew it, but the commonality of the familiar lyrics, the call and response between the disciples and Jesus, and the gentle sound of their Shepherd’s voice, brought them together in unity as they worshipped. The disciples shuffled out the door into the night air, following Christ to the garden of Gethsemane with praise on their lips.

The Lord is high above all nations,
and His glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
(Psalm 113:4-6)

Who indeed is like the Lord our God?!
Peter, long convinced that the man walking ahead of Him to the Garden was God Himself, exalted that there was none like this God who, though high and lofty, came low. But still, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Where is the victory? This all feels so strange and unlike anything I imagined. Will Jesus follow through on His promises to free us? What will it look like?”

The music swirled around them, each man adding his voice to the mix, even as their doubts and fears and confusion twisted their insides. Still they worshipped as Christ’s voice carried over the sound of their hushed mumblings. It was like He was pouring His whole heart out.

He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
(Psalm 113:7-8)

Indeed, Christ’s heart was being poured out to the Father as His body would soon be broken for the poor in spirit and the needy sitting in the ashes of their sin without a Savior.
Just as God had freed Israel from their Egyptian captives, Jesus would free humanity from the eternal slavery of sin and death.
Soon.
But for now, in this moment, He would keep singing, “Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 113:9)

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

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