waiting

The GT Weekend! ~ Wilderness 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) At times, I’ve thought Joseph deserved some of the treatment he received. His behavior towards his brothers seemed to ask for pushback. I’m guessing that Joseph’s time in the deep pit and Egyptian prison brought him to his senses and closer to Jehovah. I love seeing the favor God continually showered on Joseph, even in “undeserved” hardships. From the pit to being sold, then falsely accused and locked in prison, still God rescued him and gave him the position of second in command in Egypt. Scripture doesn’t answer all the “why’s” of Joseph’s life, but in every situation, no matter how unjust or difficult, we see God teaching Joseph to emphatically trust Jehovah. How do you handle favor? Promotion? Do you let it go to your head or are you humble, choosing to bless the Lord? How do you handle adversity? Hardships? Do you lash out? Blame others? Or do you humbly choose to bless the Lord? In both scenarios we must constantly be on guard regarding our heart attitude. The Lord guards our steps, the Lord pursues our hearts, the Lord will faithfully grow our faith. Trust Him!

2) I can’t imagine how Naomi must have felt. We all have endured loss of one kind or another, or perhaps many losses, but I don’t personally know anyone who has endured such significant, sequential losses as Naomi. Is it any wonder she became bitter after losing her homeland, both sons, and her husband? When devastation hits it’s easy to allow bitterness to swallow you whole. Grief and sadness can blind us to anything positive. Naomi was so consumed by grief that despite the presence of her daughter-in-law, Ruth, it seemed she wasn’t enough. Bereft of husband, sons, and seemingly even Jehovah, Naomi believed she was alone. In truth, God hadn’t left her. When have you felt completely alone? Perhaps your suffering and losses have crowded out the truths you once claimed about God. Perhaps you, like Naomi, believe the Lord is against you. I’ve been here (more than once), fighting against the urge to surrender to the overwhelming feelings of rejection and bitterness. The felt need to tighten down and push our hurt under the rug is powerful, believing lies in the process. Still, truth calls out. Like Naomi, we can trust God has not forsaken us. We can “hold onto hope”.

3) When life feels easy and sweetly good, it’s easy to trust what we already know to be true, about God’s character. It’s easy to pursue Christ through prayer, worship, and service. What happens when we are hit with the unexpected? Consider your heart-response to everyday side steps like a flat tire, running late, or unmet expectations. Do you shirk the choice to worship, or do you submit the difficulty to the Lord? Consider your past or current challenges that are more significant. In what ways have you found yourself losing focus, forgetting truths about God, and walking away from worship? When we begin to disbelieve the truths we once clung to, it’s easy to allow our spiritual disciplines to slip. We skip prayer, disengage from worship, and pull back from serving others. The temptation is to stop focusing on truth and hone in on the source of our pain, but this distraction is exactly what the enemy wants! We must remember Jesus’ promise to remain present with us, then fight the enemy with tried and true weapons of prayer, worship, and service.

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 Matthew 8:6-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony.”
7 He said to him, “Am I to come and heal him?”
8 “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
10 Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith.

Prayer Journal
Lord, what examples of faith we see in the Scripture that You have preserved! Lord, I confess outright that, while I do believe, how great an increase of faith I desire. Lord, help my unbelief! It seems, Lord, these wilderness seasons in life highlight my disbelief. Teach me to see these as opportunities to learn from You, the gentle, loving Savior.

I am not at all like the leper who runs to You first in order to be healed. (Matthew 8:1-2) I work so hard to fix myself and my own problems before “bothering” You. Lord, I confess my arrogance here!

Neither do I see myself as the faith-filled centurion. (Matthew 8:5-6) Teach me to put what I know to be true into practice in real, everyday life as I pray to you in faith. Help me to declare the truths You’ve taught me in Your word, believe them for myself, and live them out with greater faith.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

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Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Wilderness Day 8 The Empty Undoing

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 17:15-21
Genesis 18:9-15
Genesis 21:1-7
Hebrews 11:11-16

Wilderness, Day 8

Longing. Waiting. Aching. Barren.

These are not words we think of when we begin following Jesus. We hear about new life, joy, and abundant life, and we are eager to experience them! Yet, in times of wilderness suffering God meets us, reminding us He is faithful and He keeps His promises. 

Imagine you lived in the time of Abraham. You are a wife and expected by everyone in society to take care of your home, bearing and raising children. You wait, year after year, but your womb remains empty. How would you feel?

This is the condition in which we find Sarai in Genesis 11:30. In her culture, a woman who was unable to conceive was subject to shame and disgrace. Children were considered a blessing from God, as well as heirs to their father’s possessions.

In addition, God promised Abram his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. (Genesis 15:5) For Abram, with no street lights to dull the brightness of all the stars, this visual of God’s promise must have been stunning!

. . . And confounding.
How was this possible for a couple who were beyond child-bearing age?

Faced with this apparent impossibility, Sarai attempted to “help” God fulfill His promise by offering her slave girl, Hagar, to Abram, in order to build a family through her, which was a common practice at the time. (Genesis 16) However, Sarai’s plan only created more pain.

But God’s promise was still in place! He met again with Abram, reminding him that He would multiply his offspring through Sarai. As symbols of His promise, He changed their names to Abraham and Sarah. (Genesis 17:15-21) God promised He would bless her!

Overhearing God’s words, Sarah laughed. (Genesis 18:9-15) I imagine her muttering, “Yeah, like that’ll happen.” Yet, just as He promised, she conceived and gave birth to Isaac, who became the father of Jacob, later named Israel, who would become the father of a great nation. (Genesis 21:1-7)

Can you relate to Sarai’s story?
I’m sure we all can, as we experience difficult, wilderness seasons.
Maybe like Sarah, we long for a child.
Perhaps we’re in a situation where we thought God was giving a direction, but it sure isn’t working out like we planned.

I don’t know what you may be experiencing, but through my own wilderness wanderings, I have learned God is faithful and He keeps His promises.

After giving birth to our first daughter, I knew I wanted more children. I was sure I was made for motherhood, and enjoyed most moments (just being real here, moms!). But I had no idea how difficult it would be to conceive again.

After two years, and multiple negative pregnancy tests, I became discouraged. What was wrong with me? I thought I was a good mom with a happy child, and didn’t the Bible say children are a blessing? I prayed and prayed. I saw the doctor, and tried some medication, praying and hoping it would work.

It did not. The despair I felt was unlike any I’ve felt before, but in my wilderness, God met me. He reminded me that while it seemed He was far away, He was present with me in my excruciating pain. I did not get pregnant in the years following. But that moment of wilderness meeting will always stand out to me.

It would be several years before I would experience motherhood again with the adoption of our youngest daughter. We happily welcomed her into our family, and yet, I’ve also had some pretty sad moments, wishing we could grow our family more. I know the ache. But I also know the joy! In the midst of the struggle, God is so good to comfort and to show me how He has loved me through the years.

In my longing for a baby, I felt barren. Forgotten. However, the Holy Spirit reminded me I am not barren! In fact, God has given us an amazing legacy. Recently, my husband completed nearly 20 years of ministry in our church, and we spent some time in reflection. The Lord brought to mind the faces and names of so many students we have had the honor of knowing over the years.

I have had the privilege of walking through some really hard times with students, parents, and even leaders.
I have had the honor of listening to stories, both of pain and of celebration!

God is good! He knows our hearts and will accomplish His purposes. He is with us in wilderness seasons of sadness and doubt, walking beside us in comfort. Even if life doesn’t look exactly as I imagined, God has blessed me with an abundant life. He can be trusted to bring good out of suffering.

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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 Wilderness 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 Wilderness!

The GT Weekend! ~ Waiting Week 1

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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) Psalm 13 begins, “How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” Certainly we have all experienced the discomfort of waiting in some form or another. Joseph knew God had selected him for a specific mission and purpose, but it may have seemed to Joseph that God was taking the scenic route to get him there. We do not see Joseph questioning God or crying out in despair. In fact, at the end of his life, Joseph was able to look back on all the waiting and trials and confirm how God had used every season of his life to bring him to God’s intended result. What are you waiting for? If you’re anything like me, you don’t have the same clear vision Joseph had for where your life is going, but you do have dreams and desires. Consider two or three things you are waiting on today. Pray that God would sustain you in your waiting, and remember the final verses of Psalm 13, “But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.”  How will you practically choose to sing?!

2) Wednesday’s Journey Study closed with this thought, “Maybe this is the key to waiting well. We can trust God’s character even when we can’t understand our circumstances, holding onto the sure hope He is still working even when we struggle to see how. Ultimately, we can trust that, in His own perfect timing, His purposes will prevail.” In a world of fast food and free next-day delivery, many of us are accustomed to near-instant gratification. But Romans 5:4 tells us our afflictions produce endurance, which leads to character, which leads to hope, which will not disappoint. It’s easy for us to ask, “Why is this happening to me?” It is harder to consider our circumstances are being used to grow our endurance, character, and hope. David waited many years for the fulfilment of God’s promise. David was honest with the Lord about his doubts, but God’s character never waivered. Where are you struggling to trust in God’s character? Can you imagine some ways He may be using these things to grow you? Write down the four words: affliction, endurance, character, and hope. When you are tempted to despair in your trials, remember these words and the God who actively works in you. Commit your way to Him and ask Him for help to endure well and hold tightly to the Hope He gives.

3) Disappointment comes from unmet expectations. Sometimes, disappointment is minor like a schedule change in your busy day or missing an engagement you were wanting to attend. Other times, the disappointment hits much deeper with life-long impact. Loss of a loved one. A marriage that ended or not finding “the one” to marry. Miscarriage or unable to conceive. Career opportunities. The list is endless, and regardless of our specific disappointment, whether big or small, each one leaves us with a large vacuum of desire utterly unfulfilled. Because we’ve all shared this common experience, we can connect with Hosea’s story in very deep ways. Hosea had waited for a bride, and when the Lord showed him who to take for his wife, his expectations didn’t align with reality. Yet, through this union, God would show Hosea, and Israel, the deep, passionate, and extremely radical love God has for His own Beloved. Hosea’s love story was entirely unexpected, but instead of becoming angry or indignant with the Lord’s response to his faithful waiting, Hosea’s single love story told the greatest love story of God for His people. Just suppose, the Sovereign God of all, who wastes nothing, loves endlessly, and carries our sorrows as His own, wanted to redeem our disappointment for His glory?! What would you surrender to Him?

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 Psalm 13:3-6 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your faithful love;
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
I will sing to the Lord
because he has treated me generously.

Prayer Journal
How long, oh Lord? Will You forget me forever? Will You allow this season of waiting and uncertainty to drag on and pull me under? We cry out to You in desperation. We seek Your face in the midst of our trouble. Do You hear us? Are You listening? But God, You are rich in mercy. You heard the voice of Joseph in his jail cell, of David in his hiding place, of Hosea in his troubled marriage, and You rescued them. Time and again, You have shown Yourself to be a faithful God. I believe You will rescue Your people from their afflictions; Lord, help my unbelief. As we wait for You, may our afflictions produce endurance, leading to character, resulting in a sure hope. While the days feel long and the nights are dark, I choose to sing a song of praise to the God who hears. I believe I will again rejoice in the goodness of our God. You answer our prayers, You rescue Your people, You have treated us generously. Thank you, oh Lord, for Your steadfast love and daily grace.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

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Worship Through Music

Waiting Day 5 Surrendered Love Story

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Hosea 1:1-2
Isaiah 30:18-26
Hosea 2
Psalm 18:4-19

Waiting, Day 5

When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him:
“Go and marry a woman of promiscuity,
and have children of promiscuity […]”
(Hosea 1:2)

Hosea, like any other man of his culture, had waited for a bride, working hard to prepare a home and livelihood for them and their future children. Hosea’s father would choose a bride, then they would choose to stay married, have children, and build a life together to perpetuate a new generation who would honor Yahweh.

Hosea’s plans radically shifted when he heard the voice of the Lord instructing him which bride to take. As bizarre as this was, the kind of wife the Lord had selected for Hosea was the most outlandish.

Unmarried she was.
Virgin she most definitely was not.
Gomer, daughter of Diblaim, was well-known for blatant prostitution.

As Hosea entered the school of waiting on the Lord,
lesson 101 focused on tearing down his expectations.

Hosea always had a choice.
Either he could surrender to the calling of the Lord, and humbly let go of his plans in exchange for the Lord’s, or he could walk away and say no.

And so it is with us.

Only through our surrender can God’s love story be told through us.

Either we are the author, or we give up rights to our pen.
As my friend, Sara, likes to say, “The Lord writes the best stories.”
Most often, His stories involve purposed waiting built into the storyline, as the Lord, with deep love, wrecks our plans to show us true love.

The most direct route to our total surrender is waiting.

Hosea’s waiting is inextricable from his journey with Yahweh, the One True God, as is ours. Wherever we see waiting in the timeline of our tale, we can be assured the Lord is rewriting our narrative to emblazon His love story across the pages of our days.

We generally don’t consider the Lord waiting for us, but He does.
Within our chronological timeline, He waits for us to embrace Him.
He waits for us to reject all the lesser loves of our lives.
He waits for us to seek Him, call on Him, trust Him, and love Him most and best.

“I will depart and return to My place
until they recognize their guilt and seek My face[…]”
(Hosea 5:15, emphasis mine)

“What am I going to do with you, Ephraim?
What am I going to do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist
and like the early dew that vanishes. […]
For I desire faithful love[…]”
(Hosea 6:4, 6, emphasis mine)

Waiting is the means, surrender is the goal, an unimaginable love story is the reward.

“I will take you to be my wife forever.
I will take you to be my wife in righteousness,
justice, love, and compassion.”
(Hosea 2:19)

While our waiting often seems meaningless, the sharp edges of our hearts continuously cutting us with grief and pain as we sit in the messy unknown, God’s command to Hosea came with a clear reason behind it.

“[…] for the land [the people of Israel] is committing blatant acts of promiscuity
by abandoning the Lord.” (Hosea 1:2)

Anti-surrender. Self-love. Gross promiscuity.
These were the pursuits of the people God had purposed to set His love upon.

Death, judgement, and separation would be their just reward unless Love intervened and drew hearts into total surrender. (Hosea 6:5)

God, who waits with compassion, lovingly called aside one ordinary man who would live out the love story of God for His people in brilliant colors that could not be ignored.

“[Hosea], go again; show love to a woman who is […] an adulteress,
just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods.”
(Hosea 3:1, emphasis mine) 

Gomer fled Hosea many times, refusing to surrender her promiscuity for the ravishing love of one faithful husband. In the same way, Israel rejected Yahweh on repeat. Spurning His priceless love and forgiveness, instead choosing to whore themselves after false gods and selfish lusts of their sin-wrecked hearts.

My sister, I’m leaning in to tell you a secret I’ve often kept from myself.
I am Gomer.

I, like she, have rejected the God who perfectly planned my rescue, devising a way to uncurl my fists around my lusting desires of self-love, pride, and arrogance by living out His love in brilliant colors, then dying for me, and rising again to prove His victory.

With His blood, He paid the bride-price for my soul, adopted me as His own, and gave me His robe of righteousness which I could never dare hope to earn for my filthy sin is much too weighty. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

The same God who called Hosea to live out radical love for a bride who would leave him,
parted the Heavens, emptied Himself of His rights as God of all,
to surrender Himself as payment for my sin and yours,
that our storylines might be forever re-written with the ink of radical love.

His pen does indeed write the best stories.
His waiting beckons our surrender.

“Therefore, I am going to persuade her,
lead her to the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her. […]
In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
you will call me, “My husband,””
(Hosea 2:14, 16)

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

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

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

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

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!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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!

Digging Deeper Community

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

Our Current Study Theme!

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

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

Waiting Day 3 Valuable Lessons

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 Samuel 24:1-22
Psalm 13
Romans 5:3-5

Waiting, Day 3

As David hid in the darkness at the back of the cave, it must have seemed like the perfect opportunity. His enemy was alone and unarmed.

With the whispers of his men urging him forward, David crept behind the unsuspecting Saul. For years, Saul’s jealousy drove him to relentlessly pursue David, seeking to kill him.

Surely, this was the moment to finally put a stop to it.

What’s more, the prophet Samuel had anointed David as king, and yet, years later, Saul remained on the throne.
Surely, this was the ideal opportunity for David to claim his destiny.

But, to the surprise of his men, while David cut a piece from Saul’s robe, he chose not to harm the man himself. He knew this was not God’s way.

This was not how waiting was supposed to end.

David had plenty of practice at waiting. From the day he was unexpectedly marked out as the future king, he waited approximately fifteen years until he was finally crowned.

We may question why.
Why did God make him wait so long?
Was there any purpose behind the delay?

It’s common to ask similar questions in our own times of waiting. It can feel as if God has forgotten us, and we wonder why He is making us wait.

David’s story encourages us to see there are valuable lessons to be learned during times of waiting. Delay is not merely something to endure, but a time God can use.

Often God has to first work in us, building our character, so He can later work through us. We certainly see this truth reflected in David’s story.

David’s anointing was not something he had sought or expected. He was not of royal birth, and he was the most unlikely choice as the youngest of eight brothers. Though often disregarded by his brothers, God looked at his heart, knew his potential, and chose David.

Straight after his anointing, we see David learn humility and service. While he knew he would one day be king, he was first called into service of the current king, Saul, working for him as musician, armour bearer, and later, an army commander. He showed great loyalty and respect to Saul, even as Saul’s behaviour became increasingly unreasonable and angry.

We see David learn to trust in God and His power. He had already learned this as a shepherd boy when God helped him fight off bears and lions attacking his flock. This gave him the confidence to tackle the giant Goliath, and that remarkable victory must have boosted his faith even more.

This faith was surely tested as Saul’s jealousy grew, leading him to attempt to kill David on multiple occasions. David must have wondered why waiting on the Lord was so hard. But we also see a remarkable trust that God was still sovereign and, in the midst of the seeming chaos, He had a plan.

This is shown in David’s words to the king of Moab as he asks if his parents can find refuge there, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” (1 Samuel 22:3)

He didn’t yet know what God would do, but he trusted God would do something, and that God was still for him.

We also see David grow in integrity, continuing to strive to behave well towards Saul and respect his position as king instead of retaliating in anger, as shown by the choice he made in the cave.

In his refusal to take matters into his own hands, we see his trust in God’s timing. He knew God’s plan would prevail, and becoming king was not something he had to make happen by himself.

“As the Lord lives, the Lord will certainly strike him [Saul] down: either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. However, as the Lord, is my witness, I will never lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 26:10-11)

Finally, the obvious lesson to learn in a time of waiting is patience, and David certainly had plenty of opportunity to develop this.

It may be encouraging in our times of waiting to know that while David waited well and learned a lot along the way, he didn’t always find waiting easy.

The specific situation Psalm 13 references is unclear, but it is a helpful example for us of a prayer in a time of waiting. Four times David asks, “How long?” as he wrestles with the wait, but the Psalm ends on a mark of hope as he chooses to trust God’s goodness.

Maybe this is the key to waiting well.
We can trust God’s character even when we can’t understand our circumstances, holding onto the sure hope He is still working even when we struggle to see how. Ultimately, we can trust that, in His own perfect timing, His purposes will prevail.

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

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

Waiting Day 2 Not Abandoned: 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 Not Abandoned!

The Questions

1) How did Joseph respond to the events he endured and what does this teach us about enduring hardship?

2) What ways does God use waiting?

3) What heart-attitude glorifies God in seasons of waiting?

Genesis 45:1-8

Joseph could no longer keep his composure in front of all his attendants, so he called out, “Send everyone away from me!” No one was with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers. 2 But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh’s household heard it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt. 5 And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7 God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Original Intent

1) How did Joseph respond to the events he endured and what does this teach us about enduring hardship?
Joseph’s story is one of the longest and most detailed in the whole biblical account spanning a full nineteen chapters from Genesis 37-50. His story gives us the history of God’s chosen people, the Israelites. At age 17, Joseph’s half-brothers sold him into slavery. Fueled by jealousy over their father’s favoritism, they intended to kill Joseph, but Reuben, the firstborn of the family talked them into selling him into slavery instead. As a slave, Joseph served Potiphar and was favored until Potiphar’s wife came on to him sexually and set him up to look like he had seduced her. At that point, Joseph went to prison. We don’t know his exact age at this time, but it is guessed he was around 27 or 28 years old. He had been in Egypt for over ten years. Then he spent two years in prison, all but forgotten. When he was thirty, he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and was promoted to the second highest position in power in Egypt. When his brothers arrive requesting grain during the famine (which came after seven plentiful years as predicted by Pharaoh’s dream), Joseph is 39 years old. He reveals his identity as their brother and responds by saying, “Don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here…” He could have easily been resentful and attempted to retaliate or make them earn his trust. Instead, Joseph had a God-given perspective, “God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” Joseph is able to extend understanding and a reconciling forgiveness because He saw God’s greater purpose in the suffering he endured. 

2) What ways does God use waiting?
Joseph waited 22 years to see his brothers and even longer to see his father. In the course of time, he never saw his mother again. How the pain of estrangement must have burdened him for those 2+ decades! The pain of injustice also plagued him as he spent two years in jail when he had done nothing wrong. His suffering wasn’t due to his own poor choices or his sin. And yet, he endured misunderstanding, mistreatment, and what seemed like being completely forgotten to rot in prison. But, God never wastes suffering and He used the painful periods of waiting to deepen Joseph’s dependence on God and show him His trustworthy character. In Psalm 105, when it speaks of Joseph’s time in slavery, it says, “The Word of the Lord tested him (Joseph).” This phrasing means that God’s Torah, His law and His commands refined Joseph. God used this critical period of waiting to lay out His plans to not only birth the nation of Israel, but also to preserve a remnant of His chosen people so they might be strengthened, increase in number, and made to be greater than their foes. (Psalm 105:24) While God had in mind the larger national picture of His people and His eventual rescue for them through Jesus, He also was mindful of Joseph’s individual life. The Lord masterfully crafted Joseph’s sufferable waiting to be used for His holy purposes of refining Joseph’s heart and faith.

3) What heart-attitude glorifies God in seasons of waiting?
Joseph remained connected to God despite the pain and uncertainty of his circumstances. Genesis 39:2 records, “The Lord was with Joseph, and He became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.”  Joseph refused to allow temptation to draw him into sin and away from God. In Genesis 39:8-9 Joseph tells Potiphar’s wife, “My master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority. No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?” He refused to betray God and the favor he’d been given. Joseph continued to give God credit and glory whenever he interpreted dreams, instead of praising himself, “Don’t interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8) Joseph emphasized to Pharaoh, “God will give Pharaoh the answer…” (Genesis 41:16) Over time, Joseph leaned more and more on God’s sovereignty and goodness. Towards the end of our time with Joseph, he proves his surrender by declaring to his brothers, “Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.” (Genesis 50:19-20) He knew God was far greater and His purposes ran far deeper than his own. Joseph saw his life in the context of God’s plan for His people and endured hardship in the waiting seasons because he trusted God.

Everyday Application

1) How did Joseph respond to the events he endured and what does this teach us about enduring hardship?
Joseph’s response to his long years of hardship, rejection, imprisonment, and unfair treatment, including being forgotten and left to waste away in prison was to forgive those who harmed him. He chose to see their actions in light of God’s greater plan and goodness. He humbly allowed God to shape his perspective and he viewed his life through the lens of a greater picture. In each of our lives, we also will endure hardship. Some of us will endure broken relationships, misunderstandings, being overlooked, or persecuted and rejected. All of these injuries are similar to what Joseph endured. As we live through the excruciating pain of these trials, we can remember Joseph’s example of humble trust and ask God to reshape our own perspective. We can seek to see the bigger picture and remember that regardless of what we endure, God is with us and He will use every circumstance for ultimate good. Romans 8:28 reiterates the fact that God uses all things for our good and His glory. In James 1:2-4, we are reminded that God allows trials to accomplish His good work in us, making us mature, complete, and lacking nothing. Colossians 3:1-2 reminds us to lift our eyes above the things of this world and place them where our real life is hidden with Jesus. When we gain an eternal perspective, we can see our troubles and difficulty with the same patience and faith Joseph demonstrated. 

2) What ways does God use waiting?
As He did with Joseph’s life, God uses waiting seasons in our own storylines to deepen our dependence on Him. With our desire to control, we often want to ask God for a map and compass so we can set off on our own (thank you very much). He is not the God of the map; He IS the map. I heard the story of a man lost in a jungle. Eventually, he ran into a native living in the jungle. He asked the man to show him the way out of the jungle. The man replied, “There is no way out. I am the way. Follow me.” That is what Jesus says to us. He IS the way. (John 14:6) We would rather He give us vague guidelines and leave us to our own devices, avoiding surrender. Thankfully, God loves us too much for that; He is the God of relationships and He saved us that He might restore us to relationship with Him. He uses waiting seasons to teach us to lean on Him instead of ourselves, this is God’s wonderful refinement of our souls. James writes, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) If we choose to let the Lord have His way with us, surrendering to the “full effect” of His work in our sufferable waiting, He will faithfully use us for the good benefit of others who suffer, just as He did with Joseph in restoring relationship and physically providing food for his family. (2 Corinthians 1:4-7) We never know what God is doing for both our good and the good of others while we wait in surrender to His ways. Let’s choose to surrender our will to His while we wait!

3) What heart-attitude glorifies God in seasons of waiting?
Not only does God promise to use our suffering for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28), He provides instruction on how to wait. He calls us to be “patient in affliction” (Romans 12:12), to “rejoice in the Lord always”, and “don’t worry about anything” instead choosing “prayer…with thanksgiving”. (Philippians 4:4-6) In the midst of our waiting, we are to “be strong, let your heart be courageous”. (Psalm 27:14) As we wait, He promises to renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31) and bless us (Isaiah 30:18). I associate the word “waiting” with waiters in a restaurant. What are they doing while they are waiting? Serving! As we wait on the Lord, we can serve Him with our everyday surrender. Seasons of waiting provide us with opportunities to “Trust in the Lord and do what is good.” (Psalm 37:3) If we humble ourselves before the Lord (1 Peter 5:6), He will strengthen our trust in Him, proving He will neither abandon nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) Like Joseph, we can remain connected to God despite the pain and uncertainty of our circumstances. We can resist temptation to sin and choose to give God glory for His work in our lives while trusting his sovereignty and goodness. God is far greater, and His purposes go far deeper than we perceive. We won’t always do these things perfectly in our waiting seasons. Our faith will falter. We will be tempted, and sometimes we will fall into sin. We may forget God’s goodness and even question His presence. These things happen, but we don’t need to stay here. We can acknowledge our doubt and bring it honestly to God, allowing it to be a bridge between us instead of a wall. Like the psalmist, we can tell God we are weary of waiting. (Psalm 6:6, Psalm 69:3) God is with us in our waiting!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Not Abandoned!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

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

Digging Deeper Community

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

Our Current Study Theme!

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

Why Dig Deeper?

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

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

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

Study Tools

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

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

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

Memorize It!

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

Waiting Day 1 Not Abandoned

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 45:4-8
Psalm 13:1-6
Psalm 23
Philippians 1:3-6

Waiting, Day 1

Waiting is hard.
Especially when there’s no end in sight.
Especially when circumstances become painful, or confound our expectations.

In such moments, we begin to ask questions.
Questions such as the ones King David asked in Psalm 13:1-2.

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

On another occasion, David cried out, “Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?” (Psalm 73:13)

Generations before David penned his anguished words, Joseph found himself in a similar situation, seemingly lost in a wait without end. The more he waited, the darker his world grew.

After being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, Joseph found himself in Egypt, serving a man named Potiphar. (Genesis 37:3-28, 36) Joseph served his master so faithfully that Potiphar put his entire household under Joseph’s care, and the Lord blessed everything under Joseph’s authority. (Genesis 39:1-5)

Sounds like a happy ending, right?

Not quite.

Potiphar’s wife, seeing Joseph was “well-built and handsome,” tried repeatedly to force him to lay with her. Finally, he had to literally run away as she tore at his clothing. (Genesis 39:6-12)

What should be Joseph’s reward for resisting sin and honoring Potiphar’s trust in him? Promotion, right?

No.

Enraged by Joseph’s rejection, Potiphar’s wife told her husband Joseph tried to rape her. Without any fair hearing, his master put him in prison. (Genesis 39:13-20)

Perhaps, as a slave, Joseph might have expected unfair treatment by his master, but shouldn’t God defend him? He was in this mess because he refused to sin against God! Yet, God seemed silent, and Joseph was left to face his fate.

Despite Joseph’s situation, God had not abandoned him; even in prison, He was with Joseph. He gave Joseph favor with the prison keeper, and once again, Joseph was placed in authority. (Genesis 39:21-23)

In the process of time, two prisoners, both Pharaoh’s officers, had troubling dreams. (Genesis 40) With God’s help, Joseph interpreted their dreams and his interpretations came to pass. Joseph asked one of the officers, who was restored to his position of cupbearer in Pharaoh’s court, to remember Joseph before Pharaoh. But when the man resumed his office, he forgot about Joseph. Oh, what a hopeless situation it appeared, but Joseph did not despair.

Finally, God set in motion the vehicle for the culmination of His plan in Joseph’s life. (Genesis 41) Pharaoh himself had two similar dreams, and none of the Egyptian magicians could interpret them. Then, Pharaoh’s cupbearer remembered Joseph, and urged Pharaoh to consult him. With God’s help, Joseph gave the right interpretation. Egypt would experience seven years of abundant grain, followed by seven years of severe famine. With this foreknowledge, Egypt could stockpile food during the plentiful years, and use it to survive the famine. Impressed by Joseph’s discernment, the king realized God was with him, and he made Joseph second in command of all of Egypt. Hallelujah! From prison to palace in one inspired moment.

God’s plan for Joseph continued to unfold. (Genesis 42-44) As the famine set in, Joseph’s family back home was affected and the only option for survival was traveling to Egypt for food. Joseph was in charge of the grains, so his brothers were forced to encounter the brother they’d betrayed face to face.

While they thought they had ended his destiny when they sold him, they found themselves prostrating before him in Egypt.

Joseph’s dream became a reality.

When God makes a promise, it must come to pass, because His word cannot return to Him empty.

At last, Joseph welcomed his father and the rest of the family to settle in Egypt. (Genesis 45-46) Approximately 22 years of waiting passed between Joseph’s boyhood dream in his father’s tent and its fulfillment in the palaces of Egypt.

But why did God allow Joseph to wait so long amidst those trials?

I see God using every trial to draw Joseph closer to Him. As he communed with God moment by moment, day after day, he learned about God’s unfailing love, and entrusted himself to Him.

Like David, Joseph might have concluded by saying,

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need [. . .] He leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff–they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:1, 3b-4)

With his faith firmly established in God, the place of power could not corrupt Joseph. He remained focused and firm in his walk with God. As a result, he forgave all the evil his brothers did against him. He said to his brothers, “And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5)

The purpose of God was, and always will be, fulfilled.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

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

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

Enough Day 8 Perfect Prophet

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 53:3-12
Luke 24:13-27
Matthew 5:17-20
Revelation 22:1-5

Enough, Day 8

Of the four seasons we experience in the Midwest, I like spring the best. My birthday is in the spring, the weather is just right, and mostly importantly as a homeschool momma, summer is on the horizon.

Honestly though, it’s the flowers. Several years ago, we lived in a house with a yard. Planting flowers and tending them was my greatest joy. I loved choosing which plant needed which location in the sun pattern, ensuring something blooming in every season. I was thrilled by morning surveys to see which daffodil, tulip, or lily was on the verge of popping open.

I only planted perennials, flowers that re-bloomed every year. As a lover of flowers, I would not keep any plants in the same location that didn’t thrive. If a plant didn’t bloom well, I either transplanted it to a new home in the garden or pitched it out.

Anticipation.
Knowing previously-blooming flowers were trustworthy and would bloom again.
Waiting for each individual petal’s final beauty to be revealed.

This is how we wait for Jesus’ return!
We wait in anticipation for His glorious restoration of the earth, and His beauty to fully be revealed. We long for the time when every tear will be wiped away, when all pain and suffering is restored, and the curse of sin will forever be broken.

But how can we know this will really happen?
God’s Word promises it will.

How can we trust this is not some “pie in the sky church talk,”
but real, solid truth upon which we can build our lives?

Just as with my flowers, we can look back.

Scholars calculate there are over 300 prophecies regarding Jesus in the Old Testament. For example, the prophet Isaiah foretells detail after detail of Jesus’ coming, ministry, death, and resurrection hundreds of years before Jesus is even born. When we read of Jesus’ life in the New Testament, we find at least 20 prophecies in Isaiah alone that Jesus already fulfilled.

The same holds true for the expansive list of prophecies recorded from other Old Testament prophets: Jesus fulfilled each one, proving Himself faithful over and over again. That truth, combined with our understanding of the infallibility of Scripture, solidifies in our hearts Jesus is who He says He is, and His own prophetic words will be fulfilled in His return! 

Jesus was brutally killed, overcame death and the grave, and was miraculously resurrected. In Luke 24, Jesus is talking with several disciples on the road. Though they had known Him during His ministry, they didn’t recognize Him. Having heard His tomb was empty, they were upset.

Jesus pauses to share His true identity.

“He said to them, ‘How foolish and slow you are to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into His glory?’

Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:25-27)

Not only did Jesus fulfill prophecies, but He was, Himself, the perfect prophet. 

Fully God, there was no stain of sin on His nature to corrupt the messages He communicated from the Father.
“For I have not spoken on my own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a command to say everything I have said. I know that His command is eternal life. So the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” (John 12:49-50)

Fully man, He redeemed the ministry of the Old Testament role of prophet, choosing at every turn obedience to His Father’s words and plans over satisfaction of self.
“Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things.’” (John 5:19)

Jesus himself says He was the prophet of all prophets;
all of Scripture weaves together His story.

We cannot read the Old Testament without finding the foreshadowing of His
coming.
We are immersed in His life through the Gospels.
We see teachings on how His church will grow all across the New Testament.
The conclusion of His Book floods with the magnificent promise of Jesus’ final return to bring His people home.

Christ is the beginning and the end; we can trust in Him, the One who came to redeem us!

Father, You have proved Yourself time and time again. Let us lean into Your faithfulness and trust in Your infallibility. Jesus, You so freely gave of Yourself so we might have new life in You. Thank you. 

Lord Jesus, we anticipate Your return! Lord, as we cling to you, let us rest in the promises of Your second coming. Use that promise to spur us on to share You with those around us. Stir our hearts, Lord, that many more would come to know You before You return. 

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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 Enough 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 Enough!