Dec 18 Rejoice…always!

Father, Habakkuk sees the injustice of the wicked prospering and succeeding in their treachery.  He prays: “Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord.  Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known…”

I echo his words, Father.  How I long for You to make such a display of Your power that none can deny You.  That everyone in the world would see what I see in You!  Then all would worship You as You deserve.

The prophet Habakkuk reminds me of Job in the final assessment of his condition.  Job said “Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him.”  Amazing! 

Habakkuk was just as steadfast in his statement of faith.  He painted a dire picture of possible conditions, then restated that he would still “rejoice in the Lord” and “be joyful in God my Savior.”

Habakkuk proposed “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails  and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls…”  This would have been a dire circumstance in deed.

As I learned before, a fig tree takes longer to mature and produce fruit than most fruit trees.  So no buds means no figs!  This would mean that years of effort and care had come to nothing.

Also, as they are the last fruit to appear at the end of the summer, they would have been the last hope of food to get them through winter.  Figs can be eaten fresh, or dried and pressed into cakes to store for later use.  No figs would mean no food stores to last till the next year’s crops came in.

And grapes. With no grapes on the vine, there would be no wine!  Wine and bread were the staples of the diet.  And wine was also instrumental in celebrations.  So no celebrations!  Drying the grapes produced raisins that, again, could be eaten or pressed into cakes and stored.

Olives were a crop that had many uses.  Besides eating olives, the oil was pressed and used in soaps, cosmetics, cooking and medicines.  It was also used for fuel in their lamps.  So no olives meant literally, dark times indeed.

In Habakkuk’s time people depended on the crops they planted to provide food for their tables.  Without these crops, there would be none.  The only meat in their diet was from the sheep and cattle in the stalls.  Without them, famine and starvation were in their future.

This picture Habakkuk paints is one of complete failure of his basic needs for life.  Yet he is willing to accept it all and still rejoice in You!

Father, give me a steadfastness of faith like Habakkuk had.  Help me in all circumstances to “rejoice in the Lord!” 

Father, with the state of the world right now, THIS would be the perfect time for You to show Yourself and Your mighty deeds – in this day and age.  Let us see Your splendor and power.  I wait for the day of Your return.  Help me, when there seems no hope by earthly standards, to “be joyful in God my Savior.”  I praise You Father, and I stand in awe!  Amen

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Dec 12 A Famine of the Word

Father, You showed Amos two punishments, judgments for Israel and then said “This will not happen.”  You relented, yielded, turned away from those judgments in favor of another.

What a heart You have for Your people that You withheld the punishment they deserved out of Your love.  You knew they would not be able to bear up under it or survive.

How often have You spared me from the punishment my words and actions, my sins deserve?  No doubt, daily.  Were You not my Sovereign Lord, I would not survive.  Thank You for Your mercy.

You told Amos “The days are coming when I will send a famine thorough the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord.”  

This was certainly fulfilled in the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments, when no further prophetic word was given.  But it can also be true of our world today.

Right now, I can enjoy the freedom to worship You, to study Your Word, to attend church.  But even now, the reading and public speaking of Your Word is being called “Hate Speech.”

Father, give the leaders of my country godly wisdom to know where to set the limits of public broadcasting so that people are protected, but religious freedoms are not restricted.

There may come a time in my country, when believers have to go underground, smuggle Your Word, and study it in secret.   Father, help me hide Your Word in my heart so I have a storehouse of scripture for times of famine.  Help me share what I know of Your Word with others so they can be fed on Your Word and not hunger or thirst, and turn to other gods.

While I can, let me feast on all that You show me in Your Word.  Let me never go hungry.

Thank You for Your Word.  Thank You for the freedom I have to enjoy it and worship You.  Thank You that I can trust my future to You.  I “put my hope in You both now and forevermore.”  Amen

Amos 7:1-6; 8:11-12; Psalm 131:3

Nov 6 The One True God

What a reminder Lord, that You are in control.

You cause and relieve famines.  The lives of every person in the world are in Your hands.  You control the beasts, whether they are calm and docile, or whether they attack and kill.   You control armies, the leaders who deploy them, and the outcome of the battles – who lives, and who dies.  And You control disease, outbreaks, plagues; and who lives or dies by them.

All these are things You used against the Israelites.  And it is the same today.  

All these things are still in Your hands. 

“Who can proclaim the mighty acts of The Lord or fully declare his praise?”  There is no one.  The full extent and measure of Your power is beyond my ability to comprehend.

I have seen great storms of such powerful strength that houses and trees are uprooted.  You are more powerful.

I have watched rushing waters tear up highways and destroy homes and shopping centers.  Your strength is greater.

I have seen the limits people will go to, to forgive a wrong that has harmed them greatly.  Yet Your forgiveness goes farther. 

I have seen the deep love of a mother for her new child, willing to sacrifice all for that child.  Yet Your love is deeper and greater in every way.

I cannot measure the breadth of Your mercy.  And I cannot fathom the depths of Your wrath. This is both reassuring and terrifying.

I am reassured that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is beyond Your control.  Which means I have nothing to fear.

I am blessed by Your love, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your provision.  Even when I mess up, You have provided that, I can be reconciled to You.   And my salvation is assured.

But the depths of Your wrath will be released one day.  Because You are just, You must judge.  And the very security I have, that all things are in Your control, will be the terror of those who have rejected You.

I “give thanks to you, Lord, for You are good; Your love endures forever”.  Amen

Ezekiel 14:12-23; Psalm 106:1

June 17 Send Your Fire!

For three years, Lord, You withheld rain and dew from the land bringing severe drought.  Crops eventually dried up. Grain was harder and harder to find to make bread.  Olive groves stopped producing so oil was hard to get too.  Soon even the streams and brooks began to dry up.

The famine was so severe that even grass for the livestock vanished; to the point that King Ahab was going to have to kill livestock for lack of food.

All this happened because the people had turned away from You, abandoning what they knew to be right and true.  Without keeping Your commands they had followed and worshipped other gods.

In my times Father, You are not honored or obeyed.  Like then, people have been led away from You to worship many things: self, money, possessions, status, environment, political ideologies, man’s philosophies.   The people live by ungodly values.

And there is a drought.  The life-giving water of Your Word has not been acknowledged in a long time.

But rain is coming!  The stage is set, and Elijah is sent to call the people back.

I Kings 18 tells of the showdown.

Since Baal was worshipped as the god of rain, thunder, fertility of the land, and agriculture; he should have been able to provide for the crops during those 3 years.  He did not.

He was also supposed to be the god of fire, so it should have been an easy thing for his power to burn up the offering his priests set up for him.   But although the priests called and danced and cut themselves, Baal did not answer.

At the end of the day, Elijah called the people together to prove Your supremacy.   He soaked the wood and offering three times to make it even harder for a natural fire to be lit.

Then Elijah prayed – that You would make Yourself seen and known to the people who were watching.  That they would recognize and remember that You, the Lord, are God, and there is no other.

And that with this sign, this miracle, You would turn the people’s hearts back to You.

You showed up!   The “fire of the Lord” fell and burned it all up!   And the people fell on their faces and cried “The Lord – He is God!  The Lord – He is God!”

Father, would You send an Elijah to call the people back to You now.   Open peoples’ ears to hear the call.  Let them see Your miracle when it happens.

Give them understanding to acknowledge Your hand in it.  And let their faith be rekindled, renewed, as You turn their hearts back to You.  So that from here on, people will trust that You, the Lord, are God; and there is no other. 

The stage is set.  The time for so many people is now.

Father, send Your fire!  Amen

I Kings 18:1-40

Dec 18 Rejoice…always!

Father, Habakkuk sees the injustice of the wicked prospering and succeeding in their treachery.  He prays: “Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord.  Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known…”

I echo his words, Father.  How I long for You to make such a display of Your power that none can deny You.  That everyone in the world would see what I see in You!  Then all would worship You as You deserve.

The prophet Habakkuk reminds me of Job in the final assessment of his condition.  Job said “Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him.”  Amazing! 

Habakkuk was just as steadfast in his statement of faith.  He painted a dire picture of possible conditions, then restated that he would still “rejoice in the Lord” and “be joyful in God my Savior.”

Habakkuk proposed “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails  and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls.”  This would have been a dire circumstance in deed.

As I learned before, a fig tree takes longer to mature and produce fruit than most fruit trees.  So no buds means no figs!  This would mean that years of effort and care had come to nothing.

Also, as they are the last fruit to appear at the end of the summer, they would have been the last hope of food to get them through winter.  Figs can be eaten fresh, or dried and pressed into cakes to store for later use.  No figs would mean no food stores to last till the next year’s crops came in.

And grapes. With no grapes on the vine, there would be no wine!  Wine and bread were the staples of the diet.  And wine was also instrumental in celebrations.  So no celebrations!  Drying the grapes produced raisins that, again, could be eaten or pressed into cakes and stored.

Olives were a crop that had many uses.  Besides eating olives, the oil was pressed and used in soaps, cosmetics, cooking and medicines.  It was also used for fuel in their lamps.  So no olives meant literally, dark times indeed.

In Habakkuk’s time people depended on the crops they planted to provide food for their tables.  Without these crops, there would be none.  The only meat in their diet was from the sheep and cattle in the stalls.  Without them, famine and starvation were in their future.

This picture Habakkuk paints is one of complete failure of his basic needs for life.  Yet he is willing to accept it all and still rejoice in You!

Father, give me a steadfastness of faith like Habakkuk had.  Help me in all circumstances to “rejoice in the Lord!”

Father, with the state of the world right now, THIS would be the perfect time for You to show Yourself and Your mighty deeds – in this day and age.  Let us see Your splendor and power.  I wait for the day of Your return. Help me, when there seems no hope by earthly standards, to “be joyful in God my Savior.”  I praise You Father, and I stand in awe!  Amen

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Dec 12 A Famine of The Word

Father, You showed Amos two punishments, judgments for Israel and then said “This will not happen.”  You relented, yielded, turned away from those judgments in favor of another.

What a heart You have for Your people that You withheld the punishment they deserved out of Your love.  You knew they would not be able to bear up under it or survive.

How often have You spared me from the punishment my words and actions, my sins deserve?  No doubt, daily.  Were You not my Sovereign Lord, I would not survive.  Thank You for Your mercy.

You told Amos “The days are coming when I will send a famine thorough the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord.”  

This was certainly fulfilled in the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments, when no further prophetic word was given.  But it can also be true of our world today.

Right now, I can enjoy the freedom to worship You, to study Your Word, to attend church.  But even now, the reading and public speaking of Your Word is being called “Hate Speech.”

Father, give the leaders of my country godly wisdom to know where to set the limits of public broadcasting so that people are protected from real hate speech but religious freedoms are not restricted.

There may come a time in my country, when believers have to go underground, smuggle Your Word, and study it in secret.   Father, help me hide Your Word in my heart so I have a storehouse of scripture for times of famine.  Help me share what I know of Your Word with others so they can be fed on Your Word and not hunger or thirst, and turn to other gods.

While I can, let me feast on all that You show me in Your Word.  Let me never go hungry. 

Thank You for Your Word.  Thank You for the freedom I have to enjoy it and worship You.  Thank You that I can trust my future to You.  I “put my hope in You both now and forevermore.”  Amen

Amos 7:1-6; 8:11-12; Psalm 131:3

Nov 6 The One True God

What a reminder Lord, that You are in control.

You cause and relieve famines.  The lives of every person in the world are in Your hands.  You control the beasts, whether they are calm and docile, or whether they attack and kill.   You control armies, the leaders who deploy them, and the outcome of the battles – who lives, and who dies.  And You control disease, outbreaks, plagues; and who lives or dies by them.

All these are things You used against the Israelites.  And it is the same today. 

All these things are still in Your hands. 

 “Who can proclaim the mighty acts of The Lord or fully declare his praise?”  There is no one.  The full extent and measure of Your power is beyond my ability to comprehend. 

I have seen great storms of such powerful strength that houses and trees are uprooted.  You are more powerful. 

I have watched rushing waters tear up highways and destroy homes and shopping centers.  Your strength is greater. 

I have seen the limits people will go to, to forgive a wrong that has harmed them greatly.  Yet Your forgiveness goes farther. 

I have seen the deep love of a mother for her new child, willing to sacrifice all for that child.  Yet Your love is deeper and greater in every way.

I cannot measure the breadth of Your mercy.  And I cannot fathom the depths of Your wrath. This is both reassuring and terrifying. 

I am reassured that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is beyond Your control.  Which means I have nothing to fear. 

I am blessed by Your love, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your provision.  Even when I mess up, You have provided that, I can be reconciled to You.   And my salvation is assured.

But the depths of Your wrath will be released one day.  Because You are just, You must judge.  And the very security I have, that all things are in Your control, will be the terror of those who have rejected You. 

I “give thanks to you, Lord, for You are good; Your love endures forever”.  Amen

Ezekiel 14:12-23; Psalm 106:1

June 17 Send Your Fire!

For three years, Lord, You withheld rain and dew from the land bringing severe drought.  Crops eventually dried up. Grain was harder and harder to find to make bread.  Olive groves stopped producing so oil was hard to get too.  Soon even the streams and brooks began to dry up.

The famine was so severe that even grass for the livestock vanished; to the point that King Ahab was going to have to kill livestock for lack of food.

All this happened because the people had turned away from You, abandoning what they knew to be right and true.  Without keeping Your commands they had followed and worshipped other gods.

In my times Father, You are not honored or obeyed.  Like then, people have been led away from You to worship many things: self, money, possessions, status, environment, political ideologies, man’s philosophies.   The people live by ungodly values.

And there is a drought.  The life-giving water of Your Word has not been acknowledged in a long time.

But rain is coming!  The stage is set, and Elijah is sent to call the people back.

I Kings 18 tells of the showdown.

Since Baal was worshipped as the god of rain, thunder, fertility of the land, and agriculture; he should have been able to provide for the crops during those 3 years.  He did not.

He was also supposed to be the god of fire, so it should have been an easy thing for his power to burn up the offering his priests set up for him.   But although the priests called and danced and cut themselves, Baal did not answer.

At the end of the day, Elijah called the people together to prove Your supremacy.   He soaked the wood and offering three times to make it even harder for a natural fire to be lit.

Then Elijah prayed – that You would make Yourself seen and known to the people who were watching.  That they would recognize and remember that You, the Lord, are God, and there is no other.

And that with this sign, this miracle, You would turn the people’s hearts back to You.

You showed up!   The “fire of the Lord” fell and burned it all up!   And the people fell on their faces and cried “The Lord – He is God!  The Lord – He is God!”

Father, would You send an Elijah to call the people back to You now.   Open peoples’ ears to hear the call.  Let them see Your miracle when it happens.

Give them understanding to acknowledge Your hand in it.  And let their faith be rekindled, renewed, as You turn their hearts back to You.  So that from here on, people will trust that You, the Lord, are God; and there is no other.

The stage is set.  The time for so many people is now.

Father, send Your fire!  Amen

I Kings 18:1-40

Dec 18 Rejoice…always!

Father, Habakkuk sees the injustice of the wicked prospering and succeeding in their treachery.  He prays: “Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord.  Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known…”

I echo his words, Father.  How I long for You to make such a display of Your power that none can deny You.  That everyone in the world would see what I see in You!  Then all would worship You as You deserve.

The prophet Habakkuk reminds me of Job in the final assessment of his condition.  Job said “Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him.”  Amazing! 

Habakkuk was just as steadfast in his statement of faith.  He painted a dire picture of possible conditions, then restated that he would still “rejoice in the Lord” and “be joyful in God my Savior.”

Habakkuk proposed “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails  and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls.”  This would have been a dire circumstance in deed.

 As I learned before, a fig tree takes longer to mature and produce fruit than most fruit trees.  So no buds means no figs!  This would mean that years of effort and care had come to nothing.

Also, as they are the last fruit to appear at the end of the summer, they would have been the last hope of food to get them through winter.  Figs can be eaten fresh, or dried and pressed into cakes to store for later use.  No figs would mean no food stores to last till the next year’s crops came in.

And grapes. With no grapes on the vine, there would be no wine!  Wine and bread were the staples of the diet.  And wine was also instrumental in celebrations.  So no celebrations!  Drying the grapes produced raisins that, again, could be eaten or pressed into cakes and stored.

Olives were a crop that had many uses.  Besides eating olives, the oil was pressed and used in soaps, cosmetics, cooking and medicines.  It was also used for fuel in their lamps.  So no olives meant literally, dark times indeed.

In Habakkuk’s time people depended on the crops they planted to provide food for their tables.  Without these crops, there would be none.  The only meat in their diet was from the sheep and cattle in the stalls.  Without them, famine and starvation were in their future.

This picture Habakkuk paints is one of complete failure of his basic needs for life.  Yet he is willing to accept it all and still rejoice in You!

Father, give me a steadfastness of faith like Habakkuk had.  Help me in all circumstances to “rejoice in the Lord!” 

Father, with the state of the world right now, THIS would be the perfect time for You to show Yourself and Your mighty deeds – in this day and age.  Let us see Your splendor and power.  I wait for the day of Your return.  Help me, when there seems no hope by earthly standards, to “be joyful in God my Savior.”  I praise You Father, and I stand in awe!  Amen

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Nov 6 You are in Control

What a reminder Lord, that You are in control.

You cause and relieve famines.  The lives of every person in the world are in Your hands.  You control the beasts, whether they are calm and docile, or whether they attack and kill.   You control armies, the leaders who deploy them, and the outcome of the battles – who lives, and who dies.  And You control disease, outbreaks, plagues; and who lives or dies by them.

All these are things You used against the Israelites.  And it is the same today.

All these things are still in Your hands. 

“Who can proclaim the mighty acts of The Lord or fully declare his praise?”  There is no one.  The full extent and measure of Your power is beyond my ability to comprehend.

I have seen great storms of such powerful strength that houses and trees are uprooted.  You are more powerful.

I have watched rushing waters tear up highways and destroy homes and shopping centers.  Your strength is greater.

I have seen the limits people will go to, to forgive a wrong that has harmed them greatly.  Yet Your forgiveness goes farther. 

I have seen the deep love of a mother for her new child, willing to sacrifice all for that child.  Yet Your love is deeper and greater in every way.

I cannot measure the breadth of Your mercy.  And I cannot fathom the depths of Your wrath. This is both reassuring and terrifying.

I am reassured that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is beyond Your control.  Which means I have nothing to fear.

I am blessed by Your love, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your provision.  Even when I mess up, You have provided that, I can be reconciled to You.   And my salvation is assured.

But the depths of Your wrath will be released one day.  Because You are just, You must judge.  And the very security I have, that all things are in Your control, will be the terror of those who have rejected You.

I “give thanks to you, Lord, for You are good; Your love endures forever”.  Amen

Ezekiel 14:12-23; Psalm 106:1

June 17 Send Your Fire!

For three years, Lord, You withheld rain and dew from the land bringing severe drought.  Crops eventually dried up. Grain was harder and harder to find to make bread.  Olive groves stopped producing so oil was hard to get too.  Soon even the streams and brooks began to dry up.

The famine was so severe that even grass for the livestock vanished; to the point that King Ahab was going to have to kill livestock for lack of food.

All this happened because the people had turned away from You, abandoning what they knew to be right and true.  Without keeping Your commands they had followed and worshipped other gods.

In my times Father, You are not honored or obeyed.  Like then, people have been led away from You to worship many things: self, money, possessions, status, environment, political ideologies, man’s philosophies.   The people live by ungodly values.

And there is a drought.  The life-giving water of Your Word has not been acknowledged in a long time.

But rain is coming!  The stage is set, and Elijah is sent to call the people back.

I Kings 18 tells of the showdown.

Since Baal was worshipped as the god of rain, thunder, fertility of the land, and agriculture; he should have been able to provide for the crops during those 3 years.  He did not.

He was also supposed to be the god of fire, so it should have been an easy thing for his power to burn up the offering his priests set up for him.   But although the priests called and danced and cut themselves, Baal did not answer.

At the end of the day, Elijah called the people together to prove Your supremacy.   He soaked the wood and offering three times to make it even harder for a natural fire to be lit.

Then Elijah prayed – that You would make Yourself seen and known to the people who were watching.  That they would recognize and remember that You, the Lord, are God, and there is no other.

And that with this sign, this miracle, You would turn the people’s hearts back to You.

You showed up!   The “fire of the Lord” fell and burned it all up!   And the people fell on their faces and cried “The Lord – He is God!  The Lord – He is God!”

Father, would You send an Elijah to call the people back to You now.   Open peoples’ ears to hear the call.  Let them see Your miracle when it happens.

Give them understanding to acknowledge Your hand in it.  And let their faith be rekindled, renewed, as You turn their hearts back to You.  So that from here on, people will trust that You, the Lord, are God; and there is no other.

The stage is set.  The time for so many people is now.

Father, send Your fire!  Amen

I Kings 18:1-40

Dec 18 Rejoice…always

 

Father, Habakkuk sees the injustice of the wicked prospering and succeeding in their treachery.  He prays: “Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord.  Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known…”

I echo his words, Father.  How I long for You to make such a display of Your power that none can deny You.  That everyone in the world would see what I see in You!  Then all would worship You as You deserve.

The prophet Habakkuk reminds me of Job in the final assessment of his condition.  Job said “Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him.”  Amazing! 

Habakkuk was just as steadfast in his statement of faith.  He painted a dire picture of possible conditions, then restated that he would still “rejoice in the Lord” and “be joyful in God my Savior.”

Habakkuk proposed “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails  and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls.”  This would have been a dire circumstance in deed.

As I learned before, a fig tree takes longer to mature and produce fruit than most fruit trees.  So no buds means no figs!  This would mean that years of effort and care had come to nothing.

Also, as they are the last fruit to appear at the end of the summer, they would have been the last hope of food to get them through winter.  Figs can be eaten fresh, or dried and pressed into cakes to store for later use.  No figs would mean no food stores to last till the next year’s crops came in.

And grapes. With no grapes on the vine, there would be no wine!  Wine and bread were the staples of the diet.  And wine was also instrumental in celebrations.  So no celebrations!  Drying the grapes produced raisins that, again, could be eaten or pressed into cakes and stored.

Olives were a crop that had many uses.  Besides eating olives, the oil was pressed and used in soaps, cosmetics, cooking and medicines.  It was also used for fuel in their lamps.  So no olives meant literally, dark times indeed.

In Habakkuk’s time people depended on the crops they planted to provide food for their tables.  Without these crops, there would be none.  The only meat in their diet was from the sheep and cattle in the stalls.  Without them, famine and starvation were in their future.

This picture Habakkuk paints is one of complete failure of his basic needs for life.  Yet he is willing to accept it all and still rejoice in You!

Father, give me a steadfastness of faith like Habakkuk had.  Help me in all circumstances to “rejoice in the Lord!” 

Help me, when there seems no hope by earthly standards, to “be joyful in God my Savior.”  I praise You Father, and I stand in awe!  Amen

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Dec 12 A Famine of the Word

Father, You showed Amos two punishments, judgments for Israel and then said “This will not happen.”  You relented, yielded, turned away from those judgments in favor of another.

What a heart You have for Your people that You withheld the punishment they deserved out of Your love.  You knew they would not be able to bear up under it or survive.

How often have You spared me from the punishment my words and actions, my sins deserve?  No doubt, daily.  Were You not my Sovereign Lord, I would not survive.  Thank You for Your mercy.

You told Amos “The days are coming when I will send a famine thorough the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord.”

This was certainly fulfilled in the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments, when no further prophetic word was given.  But it can also be true of our world today.

Right now, I can enjoy the freedom to worship You, to study Your Word, to attend church.  But even now, the reading and public speaking of Your Word is being called ‘Hate Speech.’

Hate Speech is said to offend, threaten, or insult groups based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits.  Many universities, for years the havens of “free speech” have now adopted codes prohibiting speech that offends any group based on the traits listed above.

While the intent is good, to protect people groups from racial slurs, intimidation, and threats, it is becoming more popular to also outlaw scripture and categorize it as “hate speech.”

Already Christian speakers on radio have been told to watch what they say about topics that are considered politically incorrect, lest they lose their funding and rights to broadcast.

Father, give the leaders of my country godly wisdom to know where to set the limits of public broadcasting so that people are protected, but religious freedoms are not restricted.  Don’t let us throw out the baby with the bath water.

There may come a time in my country, when believers have to go underground, smuggle Your Word, and study it in secret.   Father, help me hide Your Word in my heart so I have a storehouse of scripture for times of famine.  Help me share what I know of Your Word with others so they can be fed on Your Word and not hunger or thirst, and turn to other gods.

While I can, let me feast on all that You show me in Your Word.  Let me never go hungry.

Thank You for Your Word.  Thank You for the freedom I have to enjoy it and worship You.  Thank You that I can trust my future to You.  I “put my hope in You both now and forevermore.”  Amen

Amos 7:1-6; 8:11-12; Psalm 131:3

Nov 6 The One True God

What a reminder Lord, that You are in control.

You cause and relieve famines.  The lives of every person in the world are in Your hands.  You control the beasts, whether they are calm and docile, or whether they attack and kill.   You control armies, the leaders who deploy them, and the outcome of the battles – who lives, and who dies.  And You control disease, outbreaks, plagues; and who lives or dies by them.

All these are things You used against the Israelites.  And it is the same today.  All these things are still in Your hands.   

“Who can proclaim the mighty acts of The Lord or fully declare his praise?”  There is no one.  The full extent and measure of Your power is beyond my ability to comprehend.

I have seen great storms of such powerful strength that houses and trees are uprooted.  You are more powerful.

I have watched rushing waters tear up highways and destroy homes and shopping centers.  Your strength is greater.

I have seen the limits people will go to, to forgive a wrong that has harmed them greatly.  Yet Your forgiveness goes farther.

I have seen the deep love of a mother for her new child, willing to sacrifice all for that child.  Yet Your love is deeper and greater in every way.

I cannot measure the breadth of Your mercy.  And I cannot fathom the depths of Your wrath. This is both reassuring and terrifying.  I am reassured that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is beyond Your control.  Which means I have nothing to fear.

I am blessed by Your love, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your provision.  Even when I mess up, You have provided that, I can be reconciled to You.   And my salvation is assured.

But the depths of Your wrath will be released one day.  Because You are just, You must judge.  And the very security I have, that all things are in Your control, will be the terror of those who have rejected You.

I “give thanks to you, Lord, for You are good; Your love endures forever”.  Amen

Ezekiel 14:12-23; Psalm 106:1-12

Jan 20 Indescribable Uncontainable

I continue to be amazed, Lord God, at the magnitude of the height of Your glory. You made the sun and stars, everything in the heavens.

As humans, we are just beginning to understand the depth of the workings of the cosmos.

All we know about our universe could fit on the head of a pin compared to what You were able to imagine and bring into being.

Even beyond our meager understanding, You had the ability, the power to create what You imagined. And by Your hand it is all kept in balance and in motion.

Yet, with the incredible greatness and the boundless vastness of Your power and sovereignty, You still know each one of us, each of Your creations, by name. I marvel at the love You have for us, and the care You take with us.

You can see the past and the future. You are outside of time. You knew when a famine was coming in Egypt, and cared to let them know in advance. You spoke revelation through dreams and gave the interpretation to Joseph. And because of that, people were saved from the famine, and Your promise was preserved; Your covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was upheld.

As great as You are, You still communicate with us in ways we can understand; as an example: parables. We can understand a crop with weeds sewn into it, and how harvest time works. We can see when a tiny seed grows into a large tree, or the action of yeast causing bread dough to rise. We know the draw and value of treasure and pearls.

Thank You for caring to communicate with us; to show us the way to have relationship with You: the Almighty God of the Universe.

And as we can only voice our faith and trust in You through the words we understand, we join with the Psalmist David in saying; “You are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. You are my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to You, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” 

“I love You, O Lord, my strength.” Amen

Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-3

Dec 12 a famine of the Word

Father, You showed Amos two punishments, judgments for Israel and then said “This will not happen.”  You relented, yielded, turned away from those judgments in favor of another.

What a heart You have for Your people that You withheld the punishment they deserved out of Your love.  You knew they would not be able to bear up under it or survive.

How often have You spared me from the punishment my words and actions, my sins deserve?  No doubt, daily.  Were You not my Sovereign Lord, I would not survive.  Thank You for Your mercy.

You told Amos “The days are coming when I will send a famine thorough the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord.”

This was certainly fulfilled in the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments, when no further prophetic word was given.  But it can also be true of our world today.  Right now, I can enjoy the freedom to worship You, to study Your Word, to attend church.  But even now, the reading and public speaking of Your Word is being called ‘Hate Speech.’

Hate Speech is said to offend, threaten, or insult groups based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits.  Many universities, for years the havens of “free speech” have adopted codes prohibiting speech that offends any group based on the traits listed above.

While the intent is good, to protect people groups from racial slurs, intimidation, and threats, it is becoming more popular to also outlaw scripture and categorize it as “hate speech.”  Already Christian speakers on radio have been told to watch what they say about topics that are considered politically incorrect, lest they lose their funding and rights to broadcast.

Father, give the leaders of my country godly wisdom to know where to set the limits of public broadcasting, so that people are protected, but religious freedoms are not restricted.  Don’t let us throw out the baby with the bath water.

There may come a time in my country, where believers have to go underground, smuggle Your Word, and study it in secret.   Father, help me hide Your Word in my heart so I have a storehouse of scripture for times of famine.  Help me share what I know of Your Word with others so they can be fed on Your Word and not hunger or thirst, and turn to other gods.  While I can, let me feast on all that You show me in Your Word.  Let me never go hungry.

Thank You for Your Word.  Thank You for the freedom I have to enjoy it and worship You.  Thank You that I can trust my future to You.  I “put my hope in You both now and forevermore.”  Amen

Amos 7:1-6; 8:11-12; Psalm 131

 

Nov 6 The One True God

What a reminder Lord, that You are in control.

You cause and relieve famines.  The lives of every person in the world, and every animal, are in Your hands.  You also control the beasts, whether they are calm and docile, or whether they attack and kill.   You control armies, the leaders who deploy them, and the outcome of the battles – who lives, and who dies.  And You control disease, outbreaks, plagues; and who lives or dies by them.

All these things You used against the Israelites.  And it is the same today.  All these things are still in Your hands. 

 “Who can proclaim the mighty acts of The Lord or fully declare his praise?”  There is no one.  The full extent and measure of Your power is beyond my ability to comprehend.

I have seen great storms of such powerful strength that houses and trees are uprooted.  You are more powerful.

I have watched rushing waters tear up highways and destroy homes and shopping centers.  Your strength is greater.

I have seen the limits people will go to, to forgive a wrong that has harmed them greatly.  Yet Your forgiveness goes farther.

I have seen the deep love of a mother for her new child, willing to sacrifice all for that child.  Yet Your love is deeper and greater in every way.

I cannot measure the breadth of Your mercy.  And I cannot fathom the depths of Your wrath.    This is both reassuring and terrifying.  I am reassured that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is beyond Your control.  That means I have nothing to fear.

I am blessed by Your love, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your provision.  Even when I mess up, You have provided for that, and I can be reconciled to You.   And I am assured of my salvation.

But the depths of Your wrath will be released one day.  Because You are just, You must judge.  And the very security I have, that all things are in Your control, will be the terror of those who have rejected You.

I “give thanks to you, Lord, for You are good; Your love endures forever”.  Amen

Ezekiel 14:12-23; Psalm 106:1-12

 

June 25 Miracle Worker!

Lord God, You never cease to amaze me! You are involved so intimately in the lives of Your people. You genuinely care for them. It gives me such hope!

 

You warned the man and woman who made a room for Elisha to leave the country to spare them from a seven-year famine. And when they returned to beg for their house and land, You orchestrated that the king who could grant their plea, had just then heard about the miracle of Elisha raising their son from the dead! The timing couldn’t have been better! They received back what they had given up to obey You, and more!

When the ruler-ship had gotten so bad; leading Your people into idolatry and doing only evil in Your eyes, You took action. You had a just and godly ruler anointed over Israel. Under Jehu, the line of Ahab was removed. The people were able to return to worshiping You.

When Your servants Paul and Silas were imprisoned, beaten, and put under special guard, You orchestrated an earthquake to free them! Even more, You allowed them to work in the lives of their enemy, sharing the Gospel with their jailer, and bringing salvation to him and his family!

How can I doubt that You, who have done all this on behalf of Your people, will do the same for me? How can I think that my problems are beyond Your help? You, who control earthquakes and famines, kings and jailers!

I am Your servant, Lord. So I cry to You for mercy. I rely on Your character of faithfulness and righteousness to defeat the enemy that pursues me and crushes me to the ground.

Even when circumstances discourage me, and cause my spirit to grow faint and my heart to be dismayed, I remember these and other works of deliverance. I meditate on all You have done and consider the power in Your hands.

And I know, without a doubt, that You will preserve me in Your righteousness. And that I am Yours forever. Amen

2 Kings 8:1-6; 9:1-13; Acts 16:16-34; Psalm 143:1-12

June 17 Send Your Fire!

For three years, Lord, You withheld rain and dew from the land. The people had to deal with severe drought. Not only did no rain mean the crops were scanty, and eventually dried up altogether; but the streams and brooks began to dry up too. Grain was harder and harder to find to make bread. Olive groves were not producing fruit so oil was hard to get too.

The drought had caused a famine so severe that not only crops, but grass for the livestock had vanished as well: to the point that King Ahab was going to have to kill livestock for lack of food.

All this happened because the people had turned away from You. They had abandoned what they knew to be right and true. They had not kept Your commands, but had followed and worshipped other gods.

Even in my times Father, You are not honored, not obeyed. Like then, people have been led away from You to worship many things: self, fame, money, possessions, status, environment, political ideologies, man’s philosophies.   The values people live their lives by are not godly ones. And there is a drought. The life-giving water of Your Word has not been acknowledged in a long time.

But rain is coming! The stage is set, and Elijah is sent to call the people back.

I Kings 18 tells of the showdown Elijah set up to prove Your supremacy. Since Baal was worshipped as a god of many things – rain, thunder, fertility of the land, agriculture; he should have been able to provide for the crops during those 3 years. He did not. He was also supposed to be the god of fire, so it should have been an easy thing for his power to burn up the offering his priests set up for him.   But although the priests called and danced and cut themselves, Baal did not answer.

At the end of the day, Elijah called the people and said, “Come to me”.   They did.   He soaked the wood and offering three times to make it even harder for a natural fire to be lit.

Then Elijah prayed. He prayed that the You would make Yourself seen and known to the people who were watching. That they would recognize and remember that You, the Lord, are God, and there is no other.

And that with this sign, this miracle, You would turn the people’s hearts back to You. You showed up!   The “fire of the Lord” fell and burned it all up!   And the people fell on their faces and cried “The Lord – He is God! The Lord – He is God!”

Father, would You send an Elijah to call the people back to You now.   Open the peoples’ ears to hear the call. Let them see Your miracle when it happens.

Give them understanding to acknowledge Your hand in it. And let their faith be rekindled, renewed, as You turn people’s hearts back to You. So that from here on, people will trust that You, the Lord, are God; and there is no other.

The stage is set. The time for so many people is now.

Father, send Your fire! Amen

I Kings 18:1-46

Jan 20 Indescribable Uncontainable

I continue to be amazed, Lord God, at the magnitude of the height of Your glory. You made the sun and stars, everything in the heavens.

As humans, we are just beginning to understand the depth of the workings of the cosmos. All we know about our universe could fit on the head of a pin compared to what You were able to imagine and bring into being. Even beyond our meager understanding, You had the ability, the power to create what You imagined. And by Your hand it is all kept in balance and in motion.

Yet, with the incredible greatness and the boundless vastness of Your power and sovereignty, You still know each one of us, each of Your creations, by name. I marvel at the love You have for us, and the care You take with us.

You can see the past and the future. You are outside of time. You knew when a famine was coming in Egypt, and cared to let them know in advance. You spoke revelation through dreams and gave the interpretation to Joseph. And because of that, people were saved from the famine, and Your promise was preserved; Your covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was upheld.

As great as You are, You still communicate with us in ways we can understand; as an example: parables. We can understand a crop with weeds sewn into it, and how harvest time works. We can see when a tiny seed grows into a large tree, or the action of yeast causing bread dough to rise. We know the draw and value of treasure and pearls.

Thank You for caring to communicate with us; to show us the way to have relationship with You: the Almighty God of the Universe. And as we can only voice our faith and trust in You through the words we understand, we join with the Psalmist David in saying; “You are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. You are my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to You, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”

“I love You, O Lord, my strength.” Amen

Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-3

Dec 12 A Famine of the Word

Father, You showed Amos two punishments, judgments for Israel and then said “This will not happen”. You relented, yielded, turned away from those judgments in favor of another. What a heart You have for Your people that You withheld the punishment they deserved out of Your love. You knew they would not be able to bear up under it or survive. How often have You spared me from the punishment my words and actions, my sins deserve? No doubt, daily. Were You not my Sovereign Lord, I would not survive. Thank You for Your mercy.

 

You told Amos “The days are coming when I will send a famine thorough the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord.”

This was certainly fulfilled in the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments, when no further prophetic word was given. But it can also be true of our world today. Right now, I can enjoy the freedom to worship You, to study Your Word, to attend church. But even now, the reading and public speaking of Your Word is being called ‘Hate Speech’.

Hate Speech is said to offend, threaten, or insult groups based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits. Many universities, for years the havens of “free speech”, have adopted codes prohibiting speech that offends any group based on the traits listed above.

While the intent is good, to protect people groups from racial slurs, intimidation, and threats, it is becoming more popular to also outlaw scripture and categorize it as “hate speech”. Already Christian speakers on radio have been told to watch what they say about topics that are considered politically incorrect, lest they lose their funding and rights to broadcast.

Father, give the leaders of my country godly wisdom to know where to set the limits of public broadcasting, so that people are protected, but religious freedoms are not restricted. Don’t let us throw out the baby with the bath water.

There may come a time in my country, where believers have to go underground, smuggle Your Word, and study it in secret.   Father, help me hide Your Word in my heart so I have a storehouse of scripture for times of famine. Help me share what I know of Your Word with others so they can be fed on Your Word and not hunger or thirst, and turn to other gods. While I can, let me feast on all that You show me in Your Word. Let me never go hungry.

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the freedom I have to enjoy it and worship You. Thank You that I can trust my future to You. I “put my hope in You both now and forevermore”. Amen

Amos 7:1-8:14; Psalm 131

Nov 6 The One True God

What a reminder Lord, that You are in control of food supplies. You cause and can relieve famines. The lives of every person in the world, and every animal, are in Your hands. You also control the beasts, whether they are calm and docile, or whether they attack and kill.   You control armies, the leaders who deploy them, and the outcome of the battles – who lives, and who dies. And You control disease, outbreaks, plagues; and who lives or dies by them.

All these things You used against the Israelites. And it is the same today. All these things are still in Your hands. “Who can proclaim the mighty acts of The Lord or fully declare his praise?” There is no one. Because no one can fully understand the extent or measure of Your power. It is beyond my ability to comprehend.

I have seen great storms of such powerful strength that houses and trees are uprooted. You are more powerful. I have watched as rushing waters tore up highways and destroyed homes and shopping centers. Your strength is greater. I have seen the limits people will go to, to forgive a wrong that has harmed them greatly. Yet Your forgiveness goes farther. I have seen the deep love of a mother for her new child, willing to sacrifice all for that child. Yet Your love is deeper and greater in every way.

I cannot measure the breadth of Your mercy. And I cannot fathom the depths of Your wrath.   This is both reassuring and terrifying. I am reassured that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is beyond Your control. That means I have nothing to fear. I am blessed by Your love, Your mercy, Your forgiveness, Your provision. Even when I mess up, You have provided for that, and I can be reconciled to You.   And I am assured of my salvation.

But the depths of Your wrath will be released one day. Because You are just, You must judge. And the very security I have, that all things are in Your control, will be the terror of those who have rejected You.

I “give thanks to you, Lord, for You are good; Your love endures forever”.

Thank You that I can count on You. Thank You that the Savior I lean on, is the One and Only True God, who has power over everything. I believe in Your promises. And I sing Your praise. Amen

Ezekiel 14:12-23; Psalm 106:1-12

Jan 20 Indescribable Uncontainable

I continue to be amazed, Lord God, at the magnitude of the height of Your glory. You made the sun and stars, everything in the heavens. As humans, we are just beginning to understand the depth of the workings of the cosmos. All we know about our universe could fit on the head of a pin compared to what You were able to imagine and bring into being. Even beyond our meager understanding, You had the ability, the power to create what You imagined. And by Your hand it is all kept in balance and in motion.

Yet, with the incredible greatness and the boundless vastness of Your power and sovereignty, You still know each one of us, each of Your creations, by name. I marvel at the love You have for us, and the care You take with us.

You can see the past and the future. You are outside of time. You knew when a famine was coming in Egypt, and cared to let them know in advance. You spoke revelation through dreams and gave the interpretation to Joseph. And because of that, people were saved from the famine, and Your promise was preserved; Your covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was upheld.

As great as You are, You still communicate with us in ways we can understand; as an example: parables. We can understand a crop with weeds sewn into it, and how harvest time works. We can see when a tiny seed grows into a large tree, or the action of yeast causing bread dough to rise. We know the draw and value of treasure and pearls.

Thank You for caring to communicate with us; to show us the way to have relationship with You: the Almighty God of the Universe. And as we can only voice our faith and trust in You through the words we understand, we join with the Psalmist David in saying; “You are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. You are my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to You, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” 

“I love You, O Lord, my strength.” Amen

Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-3

Dec 12 A Famine of the Word

 

Father, You showed Amos two punishments, judgments for Israel.  Then told him “This will not happen”.  You relented, or yielded, turned away from those judgments in favor of another.  What a heart You have for Your people, that You withheld the punishment they deserved, out of Your love.  You knew they would not be able to bear up under it, or survive.  How often have You spared me from the punishment my words and actions, my sins deserve?  No doubt, daily.  Were You not my Sovereign Lord, I would not survive.  Thank You for Your mercy.

You told Amos “The days are coming when I will send a famine thorough the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord.”  This was certainly fulfilled in the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments, when no further prophetic word was given.  But it can also be true of our world today.  Right now, I can enjoy the freedom to worship You, to study Your Word, to attend church.  But even now, the reading and public speaking of Your Word is being called ‘Hate Speech’.

Hate Speech is speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits.  Many universities, for years the havens of ‘free speech’ have adopted codes prohibiting speech that offends any group based on the traits listed above.  While the intent is good, to protect people groups from racial slurs, intimidation and threats, it is becoming more popular to also outlaw scripture and categorize it as ‘hate speech’.  Already Christian speakers on radio have been told to watch what they say about topics that are considered politically incorrect, lest they lose their funding and rights to broadcast.

Father, give the leaders of my country godly wisdom to know where to set the limits of public broadcasting, so that people are protected, but religious freedoms are not restricted.  Don’t let us throw out the baby with the bath water.

There may come a time in my country, where believers have to go underground, smuggle Your Word, and study it in secret.   Father, help me hide Your Word in my heart so that I have a storehouse of scripture for times of famine.  Help me share what I know of Your Word with others so they can be fed on Your Word and not hunger or thirst, and turn to other gods.  While I can, let me feast on all that You show me in Your Word.  Let me never go hungry.

Thank You for Your Word.  Thank You for the freedom I have to enjoy it and worship You.  Thank You that I can trust my future to You.  I “put my hope in You both now and forevermore”.  Amen

Amos 7:1-9:15; Psalm 131