PRAISE IS A CHOICE - Part 2 - Psalm 10

Today my daughter and I went to the hospital to visit our elderly neighbor.  Back in February her husband was found dead on the floor of their garage, struck down by a massive heart attack.  Seeing her broke our hearts.  She missed her husband, she was having difficulty breathing, she looked so frail, and she was distressed that now she was also in ill health.  It was all just too overwhelming.

Yesterday I shared from Psalm 9 that praising the Lord is a choice.  Today, seeing our neighbor reminded me again that sometimes it's really hard to praise.

The psalmist who wrote Psalm 10 knew that.  (Many manuscripts combine psalms 9 & 10 and attribute both to David).  He begins:


"Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"

Some of you may be feeling exactly like our neighbor, and the psalmist, because you are up to your neck in trouble, and the Lord seems distant and deaf.

It was the wicked who troubled the psalmist.  He says, "In his pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.  He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble." 



For you, it may be a sick or wayward child.  It may be working full time, having to raise your children alone, and always being short of money.  It may be a divorce or the loss of a spouse.  It might be the loss of a job and the resultant financial strain.  It may be a bad marriage, or a host of other things. 


You might also be thinking, "Where ARE you God?  Are you hiding?  Don't you see?  Don't you care?  I'm your child, why don't you DO something?"

One of the things I notice about the psalms is that they often begin with lamenting.

Like Psalm 4 which begins:  "Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.  Give me relief from my distress."


Or Psalm 6: "O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath."


Or Psalm 12: "Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men."


There are plenty more like that.  Lamenting over troubles, wondering where God is, hurting, feeling alone, fearful - desperate words for desperate times.


But the psalmists rarely stay there.  Is that because God "shows up" and things get suddenly better?  Not always, many times we cry out to God but the circumstances do not change. 

Yet, do you know where the psalms almost always end?  With praise.  The psalmist CHOOSES praise, he CHOOSES to turn His eyes from the circumstances to the God who IS faithful, even when he can't see it yet.  
Psalm 11 includes these verses at its end:

v. 14 "But you, O God, DO see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand."


v. 16-17  "The LORD is King for ever and ever. . . You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and hear their cry."

That is what walking by faith looks like, the New Testament book of Hebrews says this in chapter 11, verse 1:   "Now faith is being SURE of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see."

You may feel like our elderly friend, or be plagued by some other trouble that threatens to overwhelm you.  Share it with the Lord.  You won't be the first, or the last.

Then choose to praise the God who SEES trouble and grief and who knows how to "take it in hand".  Praise the One who is the eternal King, who hears the desires of the afflicted.  Let Him encourage you - with His presence, with His Word, with His faithfulness. 

In the midst of trouble, choose praise.

PRAISE IS A CHOICE - Psalm 9:1-2

Psalm 9:1-2 A Psalm of David:  "I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."

I was struck this morning when I read this psalm at how each of these 4 phrases begins with the words, "I will". When I get up in the morning, I'm usually thinking, "I will go to the supermarket.  I will make an appointment to get my hair cut.  I will go on line to find a Vacation Bible School project.  I will spend time with my daughter.  I will. . . . . . . "  My "I wills" don't always include praising God.

The fact is, I don't always feel like praising God.  Sometimes I'm just too busy.  Sometimes my mind wanders and I can't concentrate on praise.  Sometimes I'm just plain lazy. Sometimes I fall asleep right in the middle of praise. But these verses remind me, "praise is a choice".   Why is it a choice worth making?  Read on. . .

"I will praise you LORD with all my heart"
Praise keeps my life's "stuff" in perspective.  Praise isn't about me, it's about God.  It reminds me of who He is.  He is Jehovah, the LORD, the covenant making and covenant keeping God of Israel.  I'm to worship Him with ALL my heart.  The Hebrew translation of the word heart encompasses so much more than what we think of when we read that word.

In the Hebrew, the heart isn't only the seat of our emotions, it includes our will, and our intellect.  All of these are involved in worship.  My mind needs to focus on who God is, my emotions need to be God centered, my will needs to be directed to harmony with God's will for me.  I can't allow myself to get so busy that I cannot give God's praise my all.

"I will tell of all your wonders"
God is a wonder worker.  From the story of creation, to the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, to the coming of Messiah Jesus, to Pentecost, and on and on, God's Word testifies to His power and mercy and grace and strength, and wisdom.  But God's wonders aren't only obvious when we look back or when our hope is focused on future wonders.  God continues to work wonders now. 

I was speaking to a lady yesterday who shared with me the story of how the Lord had worked in so many obvious and wonderful ways to bring her to this part of the country that she KNEW this was exactly where He wanted her.  Every testimony of how God worked to bring someone to Himself through His Son Jesus is a wonder!  Telling others about the wonders the Lord has wrought, in His Word and in my life, is also worship.

God has done so many wonders in my own life.  Have I told YOU?  Ask me!  Have you told ME?  Tell me!


"I will be glad and rejoice in you."
We Christians have a great God.  Belonging to Him gives us such good reason to be glad and rejoice - not necessarily in our circumstances - but certainly in our God. And our joy and gladness should reach our faces.  What difference would it make in our lives if we would choose to be glad and rejoice and worship THE LORD, even when our circumstances are hard?  Praise is a choice, even when I don't feel like praising.


"I will sing praise to your name O Most High"
 Probably one of our favorite forms of worship and praise to God involves singing.  Singing is just singing unless it is focused on the greatness of God - then it becomes praise.  David speaks specifically of praising God's name.  God's name involves His honor and a recognition of His authority AS God.  God's name encompasses every aspect of His multi-faceted character - because He is the Most High - the lofty One, the Supreme One True and Living God, our praise is for His renown.


When I first got engaged, like every other young woman, I spent hours looking at my ring.  I could be in the middle of a teacher's meeting in a crowded classroom, but my eyes and mind were focused on the way the light caught on the diamond facets when I moved my hand.  It was enthralling.

God's character reminds me of diamonds, multi-faceted, brilliant, revealing first one aspect and then another depending on how we look at Him.  How could we not choose to praise the One who is perfect in holiness, purity, love, faithfulness, justice, peace, mercy, long suffering, sovereignty, might, power, etc., etc.?


I can always choose NOT to praise.  I do it a lot, and when I do I always, always get caught up in ME and my "stuff".  Why do I do that when there is a God who is worthy of praise, who has redeemed me at the cost of His Son from a life that is only and always about me. 


Tomorrow I'm going to get up and be faced with the same choice I face every day.  Am I going to rush through my day because I'm busy?  Am I going to choose to read a book instead of worship?  Am I going to choose a human friendship over a worshipful relationship with God?  Or will I choose to stop and employ all of my heart - my emotions, my will, my intellect, my words, my singing voice - to praise the One who is worthy?

REPEAT, AND REPEAT, AND REPEAT - God's way of communicating!

It never ceases to amaze me how when the Lord wants to get a message across to me, He tends to repeat Himself.

I mentioned before that the only devotional book I use consistently is Oswald Chamber's, "My Utmost for His Highest".  On April 23 there was a devotional entitled, "Do you worship the work?", in which he says:  "Beware of any work FOR God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him.  A great number of Christian workers worship their work.  The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God.

A worker who lacks this serious controlling emphasis of concentration on God is apt to become overly burdened by his work.  He is a slave to his own limits. 

But the opposite case is equally true - once our concentration is on God, all the limits of our life are free and under the control and mastery of God alone.  There is no longer any responsibility on you for the work.  The only responsibility you have is to stay in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your cooperation with Him.  Be careful to remember that you have been freed for only one thing - to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker".

I find myself asking the question:  "Is the work I do FOR God more important than God Himself?", and I have to say, sometimes it is.  Sometimes it's so important that I have no time for RELATIONSHIP with Jesus because I'm so busy doing the "work" of ministry!


 I also spent the weekend re-reading the introduction and first chapter of Richard Foster's book, "Celebration of Discipline", a book that had a considerable impact on my spiritual life when I read it some years ago and found God repeating Himself.

Foster says that the primary requirement of the spiritual disciplines is "a longing after God".  He says, "the life that is pleasing to God is not a series of religious duties (or ministry duties)". . . . but "a life of relationship and intimacy with God". 

"The disciplines (of prayer, solitude, meditation, fasting, study, solitude, submission, etc. Foster mentions in his book) are a way of sowing to the Spirit.  They are God's way of getting us into the ground; they put us where He can work within us and transform us.  They are God's means of grace."

He says, "In the midst of an exceedingly busy ministry Jesus made a habit of withdrawing to "a lonely place apart" (Matt. 14:13).   He did this not just to get away from people (ministry), but so He could be with His Heavenly Father."

Those of us who serve the Lord in ministry must be careful that the ministry doesn't become bigger than our relationship with Jesus.  If we're neglecting Jesus in order to serve Him, then we have it backwards, and like Chambers says, "We will become burned out and defeated", or worse, I think:  We will find ourselves serving in our OWN strength and not under the control of God's Spirit.  God forbid.

Plenty of things vie for a spot on the throne of my life:  my family, TV, ministry, other relationships, good books - all good things in their place.  But that place has to be God's alone and my relationship with Him has to take priority over all those other perfectly good things.

Thanks Lord for repeating the messages I'm so slow to hear - but need to hear.  I'm looking forward to bringing balance back into my life by drawing closer to You in the days ahead.

FROM SADNESS TO JOY - Lessons from the Emmaus Disciples

I got up early this morning when I couldn't sleep, so along with my coffee I read all the different gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus.  One of my all time favorites is from Luke 24:11-35, the account of the disciples on the way to Emmaus and their meeting with Jesus.

It was the day of Jesus' resurrection when two of His followers were on their way to the town of Emmaus, about 7 miles outside Jerusalem.  While they were talking together about the events of the previous few days, a man met them on the road.  The man was Jesus, but in a way not described, Luke says, "they were kept from recognizing Him". 

They couldn't hide their sadness and downcast faces.  So, Jesus asked them what it was they were discussing and they were surprised that He could not have heard of the recent events in Jerusalem.  They went on to explain that they were speaking of Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God, and all the people, and how He had been handed over to be sentenced to death, and then crucified.

Can you hear the great sadness in their voices as they shared their dashed hopes: "We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel".  

Sadness was eclipsed by puzzlement as they continued: "And what is more, it is the third say since all this took place.  In addition, some of our women amazed us.  They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body.  They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.  Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

Can you hear the confusion, the skepticism over the impossibility of the accounts they've heard?  Knowing the end of the story, we want to ease their pain and incite their joy.  We want to cry out, "No, no!  It's true!  Everything they've told you is true!"

What did they think when Jesus rebuked them with these words:  "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"  Obviously, they didn't "get it".  So, beginning with Moses and all the (Old Testament) prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.

Not wanting to end their time with Him, when they arrived at Emmaus, they invited Jesus in to speak with them further.  And it was finally, in the breaking of the bread, that "their eyes were opened and they recognized Him", and then He disappeared from their sight.

Then they spoke the words that get me every time!  "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"  That's what I want to happen to me every single time I hear or read the Bible.  I never want it to be just a ho-hum, another item to check off my "to do list" thing.  I want my heart to burn with the TRUTH of it!  I want my heart to burn with love for the Lord who inspired it by His Spirit!  I want my heart to burn with the passion to live out what I hear!  Oh Lord, that I might more consistently be in your Word so that I too can say, "How my heart burns within me when the Lord speaks to me through His Word!"

The Emmaus disciples were so changed by what they heard and saw that they immediately got up, turned around, and walked back the 7 miles to Jerusalem so they could tell the other disciples that they had indeed seen the risen Lord!

When they arrived in Jerusalem and were in the middle of explaining that they had seen Jesus, Jesus appeared in the midst of them Himself, and said: "This is what I told you while I was still with you:  Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms."   And it WAS, and it HAS, and it WILL BE!

There are so many things that I love about this passage.  I love the transformation from sadness and grief to unbelievable joy when the Emmaus disciples realized that the stranger with whom they'd been speaking was Jesus!

I love that even though Jesus rebuked them for being so slow to "get it" and believe, He didn't give up on them and move on.  He immediately went on to patiently explain from Moses and the Prophets all the Scriptures concerning Himself.  I know what it's like to be slow to "get" something Jesus is trying to tell me.  I've been there!  I'm SO grateful that Jesus is just as patient with my doubts and spiritual density and faith as He was with theirs.

I'm struck again as well by the fact that Jesus is quintessentially Jewish.  He celebrated the Passover.  He knew His Old Testament.  He used it to rebuke Satan during His 40 days and nights in the wilderness at the start of His ministry, and He used it now to explain how the Old Testament spoke of Him.  And these Jewish believers didn't question Him!  They knew their OT Scriptures too and when He unveiled the inspired plan of God for the redemption of mankind woven through the Bible from Moses through the Prophets and how they pointed to Himself - they "got it"!

As a matter of fact they SO "got it" that their hearts burned within them when He spoke of God's plan and purpose regarding Messiah, fulfilled through Him.  They so "got it", they turned around and walked the 7 miles to Jerusalem all over again to report, no longer with sadness and downcast faces, but with joyful faith: "IT IS TRUE!  The Lord has risen!"

Luke 24:45 "Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He told them, 'This is what is written:  The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

Do you "get it"?  Jesus is the Messiah.

The writings of Moses and the Old Testament prophets pointed to Him, many of the disciples would eventually lose their lives for that testimony, and all those who today trust in Him will know true joy because, "IT IS TRUE!  HE IS RISEN"! 

Is your face sad and downcast because you are so slow to believe?  Or so slow to walk by what you believe?  Jesus might rebuke you, but then He will patiently teach you all about Himself, if you will spend time listening to Him through the pages of His Word.

How familiar are you with the weaving of God's plan for your redemption through the Old Testament, where it all begins?  If you're not very familiar, you don't know what you're missing!  Your heart will burn within you if you will explore its truth. 

For the last several years a group of women has met at my house to study the Old Testament and how it points to Jesus in a 5 books series by Nancy Guthrie.  You might consider doing the study yourself.  It will blow you away!

If you "get it", how far are you willing to go to take the truth that Jesus IS risen to others?

THE SILENCE THAT DRAWS US CLOSER

 Back in 2007, my mom, who lived in Florida, had a stroke.   Knowing that her time with us would be short, I left the ministry of Bible Study Fellowship to stay in Florida and take care of her.  After her death, I returned home and wondered what in the world I would do without the ministry of BSF in my life.

At that time, the Lord encouraged me with Psalm 27:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."   So for the better part of a year I concentrated on praying and delighting myself in the Lord.  As I did, the Lord began to place things on my heart.  I prayed for our church as we looked for a new pastor.   I prayed for direction for the ministry the Lord might have for me in this new stage of life.

I'm an introvert, so spending time alone has never bothered me, in fact it refreshes and renews me after time spent with people.   So that year, spent so often with the Lord, just the two of us, was one of the highlights of my spiritual life.  

Since then a few things have changed.  The Lord opened the door to a bunch of different ministries - all of them good.  But busyness is crowding out solitude and I am feeling the effects.   Then, about a year and a half ago, our daughter Becky, son in law Nathan, and granddaughter Emma moved in with us, and now Jim is working from home full time.  I LOVE IT - but it doesn't make for a lot of solitude.   I'm missing it.  Getting it needs to be a priority for me if my relationship with Jesus is going to be close and personal.

Years ago I was teaching on the early life of David as a shepherd, as well as his years of fleeing from Saul - both times that undoubtedly provided lots of solitude.  David's psalms reflect His intimacy with the Lord forged through those times.  And in looking through old documents, I found the one I've included below, which I gave out at that time to encourage women to challenge themselves to make room for solitude in their lives.  Thankfully, it doesn't just say "do it", it gives some really practical ideas for doing so even when our lives our busy and we don't have a lot of alone time.


Since I am the spiritually driest I've been in a long time, I'm going to challenge myself to make more time for solitude.  I'm giving you permission to hold me to it.   I need the accountability!

SOLITUDE CHALLENGE

Whatever your stage of life, at least one of the suggestions below, from Richard Foster’s book, “Celebration of Discipline” would be helpful in encouraging a habit of solitude to enhance your intimacy with the Lord.  Challenge yourself to implement one in the coming weeks.

Richard Foster:

·         Inner solitude and inner silence are inseparable.

·         Inward solitude has outward manifestations.  There is the freedom to be alone, not in order to be away from people, but in order to hear God better.

·         The seeking out of solitary places was a regular practice of Jesus.

·         Without silence there is no solitude.  Though silence sometimes involves the absence of speech, it always involves the act of listening.

STEPS INTO SOLITUDE

·         Take advantage of the little solitudes that fill your day.  Often the little moments are lost to us.

o   Early morning moments before anyone else is up

o   Sitting in traffic

o   Waiting for children, doctor, dentist appointments

o   Moments of rest and refreshment when we enjoy nature

o   Silent prayer before meals.

o   A walk alone outdoors

o   Step outside just before bed

o   Taking a bath or shower

·         Find or develop a quiet place designed for silence and solitude.

o   Carve out a little corner of your bedroom or a closet.

o   Select a special chair you sit in when you need some moments of solitude.

o   Find a spot outdoors in your yard or a local park

o   Find an open church

·         Several times a year withdraw for 3-4 hours to reorient your life goals.  God delights in showing us exciting new alternatives for the future.

o   Think and seek God regarding your goals.

o   Think about where you might like to be one year from now.

·         During your moments of solitude, try the following:  Meditate on a verse, such as Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Break the verse down, focusing on a different phrase each day while listening to God speak through it.  For example:

o   “BE STILL and know that I am God.”  Ask God what He means by that. Ask Him to reveal areas of your life where busyness is keeping you from hearing His voice.  Be willing to make changes.

o   “Be still AND KNOW that I am God.”  Ask God what it is He wants you to know about Him and your relationship to Him.

• “Be still and know that I am God.”  Ask God to reveal areas in your life where you are on the throne of your life and not Him.  Be willing to give those areas over.
•   “Be still and know that I am GOD.”  Meditate on what it means to be in a relationship with the God of the universe.  Spend time in worship.

·         If you’re able, keep a journal of what God is teaching you. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF SITTING AT JESUS' FEET

I don't usually use devotional books during my quiet times with the Lord.  I like to pick a book of the Bible and work my way through it looking for reasons to love and worship the Lord and for lessons He'd like to teach me.  But the one consistent exception is that along with my personal Bible reading, I like to read, "My Utmost for His Highest", a classic devotional by Oswald Chambers.

The Scripture for yesterday, April 15, was from 2 Chronicles 15:17, "The high places were not removed from Israel.  Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days."  Asa was one of the good kings of Israel during the days of the divided kingdom.   Although Asa was a good king, the "high places" were not removed from Israel during his reign.  These high places on mountains and hillsides were places where people performed rites of idolatry, worshiping foreign gods, and not the True and Living God. 

The reading for the day is entitled, "Failure to Pay Close Attention".  In reference to Asa, while he did promote the worship of the God of Israel, he also failed to eliminate the idolatry going on at the same time.

Chambers asks: "Are there some things regarding your physical or intellectual life to which you have been paying no attention at all?"

He goes on to say: "If so, you may think you are all correct in the important areas, but you are careless - you are failing to concentrate or to focus properly.  You no more need a day off from spiritual concentration on matters in your life than your heart needs a day off from beating.  As you cannot take a day off morally and remain moral, neither can you take a day off spiritually and remain spiritual.  God wants you to be entirely His, and it requires paying close attention to keep yourself fit.  It also takes a tremendous amount of time.  Yet some of us expect to rise above all of our problems, going from one mountaintop experience to another, with only a few minutes effort."

This exhortation resonates with me.  I was only yesterday speaking with a friend about the imbalance in my life recently.  I've been very busy with ministry related things - all good - but have been neglecting - "failing to pay close attention", as Chambers says - to my relationship with the Lord!  I've been taking a succession of days off spiritually, so how can I expect to remain spiritual? 

I have sometimes asked myself:  "What if everything you DO was taken away - maybe by illness or accident - and you were confined to a bed and couldn't do ANYTHING to physically serve the Lord - would simply taking joy in Jesus be enough?"  It's an important question because in my heart of hearts I really don't want anything to be more important than the Lord.  I don't want to be worshiping on the "high places" of ministry while neglecting that most important of life giving relationships - my relationship with Jesus.

I think it's no accident that I have had the opportunity to twice this year teach women from the book, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World", by Joanna Weaver.  The chapters are based on the gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 38-42.  Like Martha, I've been busy, busy, busy - with a lot of good things - but I'm beginning to notice the poverty of soul that comes with neglecting to sit at Jesus' feet and just enjoy Him and listen. 

Lord, help me to worship at YOUR feet and not at any high places that keep me from you.  And thank you for the encouragement it is to hear you say of Asa, who, like me, wasn't always paying attention, "nevertheless, the heart of Asa was loyal (to You) all his days." 

TO PANIC OR NOT TO PANIC - MORE WISDOM FROM ISAIAH

Isaiah, chpt. 36 - Isaiah returns to a historical narrative.  I LOVE these, SOOO practical!  In this case, Isaiah recounts events in the life of the relatively good king Hezekiah of Judah.  Two things that I love from these accounts: 

First, Judah has been attacked by Assyria and now their field commander has been sent to taunt the citizens of Jerusalem, mocking them for trusting in God.  After all, he says, all those other countries they'd conquered trusted in their gods too, to no avail.  He continues to try and undermine King Hezekiah's leadership by telling the people not to listen to him when he says the Lord will deliver them, and reminding them of the havoc the Assyrians have wrought on all the other surrounding nations.

So what do you and I do when the enemy speaks to our minds that we are fools to believe that the Lord knows we're overwhelmed and will come to our aid?   Panic?  Run to friends for help the way Judah had turned to Egypt?  Worry ourselves into ulcers, sleepless nights?  Doubt the faithfulness of the Lord because of the fierceness of the enemy?  I would have to say D - all of the above!

Not Hezekiah.  37:1, "He tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord."   He saw the words of the field commander, not as a personal attack against him, but as "ridicule (of) the living God", and he sought out Isaiah to ask for prayer.  When was the last time I clearly recognized that someone's words were "ridicule (of) the living God" and that I HAD to say or do something?

Hezekiah received God's assurance through Isaiah that he did not need to be afraid because God Himself would take care of the King of Assyria.  He would cause the king of Assyria to return to his own country and there be killed.  God doesn't always give us this kind of assurance in answer to prayer - but then we wouldn't be encouraged to walk by FAITH, would we?

Great assurance for Hezekiah, but that didn't end Assyria's efforts to stir up fear among the people of Jerusalem and doubt about Hezekiah's leadership and God's intervention.  They sent a letter with additional ridicule.

Would you and I be spiritually aware and discerning enough to recognize the difference between an attack against us personally and an attack that is really directed at our God - the way Hezekiah is here, and David was when he heard Goliath's taunts?  Am I as quick to defend God's honor as I am to defend my own?  Recently I did work myself into a frenzy when someone criticized ME unjustly - but I truthfully cannot remember the last time I jumped to God's defense.

I LOVE what Hezekiah did in 37:14, "Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it.  Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord and Hezekiah prayed to the Lord." 

After worshiping God, and drawing God's attention to what the letter said and what the Assyrians had done to other nations, Hezekiah prayed:  "Now, O Lord, our God, deliver us from his hand, SO THAT all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God."!  There was only ONE thing Hezekiah cared about here - he wanted God's deliverance for Judah but he wanted it SO THAT God might be glorified and known by all as the Only True God.  

And God answered Hezekiah's prayers.  He promised the destruction of Assyria and the restoration of Judah - v. 32 "The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. . . . v. 35 "I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!"   And God did by sending an angel against the Assyrian army. 

God keeps His promises and honors His covenant.  He promised David that a descendant of his would rule on his throne FOREVER - so He spared Judah and Jerusalem - despite her own lack of faithfulness to follow Him.  God's promise to David didn't rely on David's faithfulness nor the faithfulness of His people - it relied on God's faithfulness.

When God looks at my life I KNOW He sees lots of reasons why I don't deserve the faithful keeping of His promises to me - I'm VERY thankful that His promises depend on His faithfulness and NOT mine, or He would be perfectly justified in writing me off.

God gave me an unusual verse for this year.   It's Isaiah 52:12, "You shall not go out in haste. . . for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard."   My MO is often, panic first, but I'd like to be more like Hezekiah - not going out in haste - but laying my circumstances before Him and waiting for Him to show me the next move.

MEDICAL TESTS AS FAITH OPPORTUNITIES

2 Corinthians 10:5b "We take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ."

I had a medical test yesterday.  It involved inserting a needle and draining a cyst.  This was the third or fourth time I've had it done.  I'm one of those people who do better the first time when they don't know what's coming, but then when they do, no matter how quick and painless it is, it preys on my mind and makes me anxious.  It's always a battle of what will win out, fear or faith.

Last time, I confess, fear won out.  I could not focus my mind on Jesus, so my mind just went wild.  Like a gerbil on a wheel, round and round it went, focusing on the anxiety of what lay ahead.  

Having already had a faith meltdown last week, I did not want to go that route again.  This time, while I was doing all that waiting for the doctor to come in to do the less than 5 minute procedure, I forced myself to direct my mind on the greatness of the Lord.  Beginning at A and eventually working my way through M (which took me to the end of the procedure), I began praising Him for His attributes.  What a difference it made to keep my mind on the greatness of Jesus! 

I confess, I hate medical tests of any sort, but they are opportunities to "take captive every thought" and deliberately fix my mind on that which makes for peace - Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

WHICH IS YOUR LIFE'S MOTTO: SEEING IS BELIEVING, OR BELIEVING IS SEEING? MORE GEMS FROM THE PROPHET ISAIAH

More gems from the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 28:29 says this of the Lord: " the Lord Almighty (is), wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom!"   

Here's something to meditate on:  

What does it mean that the Lord Almighty is wonderful in counsel?  If HE is wonderful in counsel, why am I running to other PEOPLE for counsel first?  

And what does being "magnificent in wisdom" look like?  God's wisdom should blow us away it's so far beyond any other wisdom we can imagine.  So where in my life do I need WONDERFUL counsel and MAGNIFICENT wisdom?  

How do I tap into it?  Spend time in God's Word, and then do what it says! 


Isaiah 30:15   "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it."  How often does God say this of ME?  How often have I chosen unrest and worry and weakness because I have refused repentance and forfeited the rest Jesus promised in Matt. 11:28-30?

Isaiah 30:18  "YET, the Lord LONGS to be gracious to you; He RISES to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him!"

Where is it that I am doubting the Lord's desire to "show up" in my situations?   When Isaiah uses words like, He LONGS to be gracious; He RISES to show compassion, He means it!   Despite how things LOOK to my physical eyes, the reality of God's Word and God's character is that He actively WANTS to be gracious, to make my paths straight and level - the question is:  Will I believe Him and walk by faith?

WISDOM FROM THE PROPHET ISAIAH

Isaiah 26:7-8 "The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.  Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."

I have no righteousness in myself - but I am counted righteous because Jesus' righteousness was imputed to me when He took my sin upon Himself (He truly IS the "Upright One").  SO, if the path of the righteous is LEVEL - then from God's perspective, it would seem that whether my path is an uphill climb, or a downward spiral - (unless it's incline or decline is caused by sin) it is LEVEL - going up and down just exactly as He has planned it for me.  

When I submit to His will for me, will the pathway not be smooth (if not necessarily easy)? 

For the second part of that verse:  Can we be walking and waiting at the same time?  I think the answer is YES.   That's what faithfulness and faith is all about - continuing to follow Jesus and do what is right before Him while we wait for Him to act. 

The third part of that verse is REALLY convicting to me, especially in light of some struggles I've had this past week.  

Is GOD'S NAME and GOD'S renown REALLY the desire of MY heart - or is my own name and renown?  When I'm insisting on walking in MY ways and waiting for the Lord to accomplish MY will, then who's renown do I really care about? 

And the other question I ask myself is this: Why DO I do what I do?  Is it so that others will think well of me?  Or is it so that others will think well of Jesus?   

26:12 answers the question:  "Lord, you establish peace for us; ALL that we have accomplished, you have done for us."

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, TRY FAITH

After all these years of walking with the Lord you'd think I'd have learned a lesson or two that doesn't have to be repeated.  Not so.

The Lord has a way of giving me some practice tests on the subjects I teach before or after I actually teach them.

Last week I was teaching from Matt. 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

I was so enamored with the original Hebrew meanings of the word "rest", mentioned in v. 28 and again in v. 30.  In verse 28 it means: "refreshment" but in v. 30, it means, "a rest FROM something - an intermission".  Wow, I was blown away! 

Jesus wants us to come to Him when we're weary and burdened so he can give us REFRESHMENT - like a cold shower on a hot day, or a drink of water when we're thirsty.  And He also wants us to take His yoke on ourselves and learn from Him how to carry it so we can experience a "SOUL INTERMISSION" from the things that burden us because He's helping us carry it.

I finished delivering those profound thoughts (not mine, but God's) in the late morning and by early afternoon God must have thought, "Let me see if Dot really learned that for herself".  A situation arose where I had the perfect opportunity to experience REST in both forms - but I chose NOT to take it.  I completely forgot about what I'd taught and just gave in to the upset.  Duh!

I wish I could say that it didn't last long.  No.  I just kept on keeping on long into Wednesday, complaining to all and sundry (except the Lord, of course), and they were very kind and did not just let me have it. 

On Wednesday afternoon I got a response to an e mail that had dealt indirectly with my original issue -  it was God's awesome and amazing answer to a prayer I'd been praying for a year!   It took me a while to see it, but if I had only waited one day, all that upsetment I'd been feeling would never have happened because the answer to my prayer was the resolution of the issue!  I was ashamed before the Lord that I wasted a day fretting and didn't just trust that He had things well in hand.

And guess what?  The entire situation reminded me exactly of the lesson I'm teaching THIS Tuesday.  It's from 1 Kings 19.  The prophet Elijah had just seen God perform the amazing miracle of making a fool of the prophets of the false god Baal by sending down fire on His altar (with no help from Elijah) and burning up everything in sight - proving that He indeed WAS God and Baal was decidedly NOT.

So, what does Elijah do?  Run out and celebrate, worship and praise the Lord???  No.  He hears that Jezebel is out to get him and forgetting completely about the power of the God He worships, he becomes afraid, takes off, and throws himself a pity party (this begins to sound VERY familiar to me).  He prays that he might die and then he says, "I have had enough, LORD, take my life."

He complains to God that he's been very zealous for Him but all to no avail.  The Israelites have rejected God's covenant, broken down His altars, and put His prophets to death with the sword and if that isn't enough, Elijah is the only one left and they're out to kill him.

What does God do?  A number of things.  I have always loved this part, because while Elijah is complaining from his very narrow view of things - God has all along been sovereignly active behind the scenes.  Working miracles and carrying out His own view of things.  If only Elijah had had the faith to believe that (ditto for me).

First God reveals HIMSELF to Elijah - not in a big, flashy way - but with His still small voice.  How I wish I'd listened to God's still small voice when He was trying to say: "Let it go, Dot, I've got it covered."  If only I'd believed that BEFORE my meltdown.

Then, after giving Elijah another opportunity to give in to self pity, the Lord gently gives him several reasons to be encouraged:

#1  God was at work fulfilling His plan and it would be Elijah's job to anoint those who would carry it out.

#2  And, what must have been the sweetest encouragement to his worn out prophet - he wasn't alone.  God had 7000 others who remained true to the worship of the true God of Israel.

I don't like failing God's faith tests, but I'm thankful for those pop quizzes because they humble me.  And I tend to be a little quicker to auto correct (under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit!) then I was when I first believed.  Credit to the God who saved me!

I'm teaching again on Tuesday!  Whatever the pop quiz will be, this week I want to respond with FAITH!  That will be the BEST encouragement!