Dec 14 I am so Jonah!

Father, what wonderful lessons I’ve learned from Jonah!  And about Jonah and about You.  He is so human…  And You are so God…

You spoke to Jonah, giving him a view of Your plan for him and specific directions using the gifts and talents You placed in him.   And You speak to Your people today.  You have given each of us gifts and talents to use in accordance with Your plan.

Help me hear Your voice clearly when You speak. 

Give me direction and a view of Your purpose for my gifts.

Jonah thought he could get away with being disobedient.  He thought he could hide from You.  Silly man.  And silly me!  There have been times when I did not follow Your direction.  I never ended up in the belly of a great fish, but I did miss out on some wonderful opportunities.

Remind me of that when I consider disobedience in the future.

You have everything under Your control!  Not only did You see where Jonah went, meaning there in no place to hide from You; but You were in control of everything around him.  The weather?  You brought the storm!  And calmed it.  A large fish?  You brought it to swallow Jonah, and it obeyed Your command to vomit him onto dry land.  The same thing is true of the events and circumstances, relationships and opportunities in my life.

Remind me that You see me wherever I am. 

And that there is nowhere I can go away from You. 

And nothing beyond Your power.

Jonah called out to You, “In [his] distress…”  Even when he thought his life was over, and knowing he had been disobedient, he prayed to You.  There is no circumstance where I cannot call on You.

It is never too late, I can never be too bad, I am never too far-gone.

You answered!  Even in the bowels of death and disobedience, You heard and answered Jonah’s prayer and rescued him.

You are a God of second chances!  And third and fourth…  You want Your people to be obedient.  You coach them to win, giving them every opportunity to do so.  And I am one of Your people.

Thank You for giving me second chances and more. 

Thank You for always hearing my prayer and answering me.

Jonah obeyed eventually.  What I take from this is:  obey the first time – it will save me a lot of grief!

Thank You for this view into Jonah’s life.  It is a view into my own.  And into Your greatness.  Because You are so God…  And I am so human…  Amen

Jonah 1:1-3:3

Sept 11 Seek God’s wisdom and blessing

O Father, help me.  Strengthen me in my spirit so I will not make the same mistakes Your people in Israel made so long ago.

First they “rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah.”  These were the softly running streams of Northern Israel that brought water to provide abundant harvests of grain, but represented the provision You afforded them as a blessing.   Yet the people were not satisfied with what You supplied.

They sought other gods.  So You brought against them “mighty floodwaters of the River – the king of Assyria with all his pomp…to overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep onto Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.”

The Assyrian Empire was centered on the Tigris and Euphrates, two of the largest and mightiest rivers.  The Assyrians would spill over into Israel and flood up to their necks.  Not the kind of water that was useful for life, but a devastating, destructive flood.

Father, help me be satisfied with what You have given me, what You have blessed me with.  Do not let me look to others, or compare myself to them, desiring what they have.  But let me rest in Your abundant provision, content in Your care, trusting that You know, and will provide, whatever is best for me.

Next, Your people ignored the signs and prophecies You gave them, and instead, sought the wisdom and guidance of mediums and spiritualists.

In my world, there are so many places people can go to discern a direction for their lives.  Palm readers, mediums, and spiritualists still exist.  Tarot cards and daily horoscopes have become a guide for actions people take in their relationships, their finances, their business and social lives.  “…Should not a people inquire of their God?”

Lord, I will seek wisdom from You.  In Your Word and in prayer, Father, speak to me, direct me.  Show me the way to go when I have decisions to make.  Do not let me be drawn to the darkness of the occult.

Also, when judgment began to fall on the people, their response was not humility and repentance.  Instead, “they say with pride and arrogance of heart, the bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” 

In their arrogance, they missed the message You had for them to come back to You, to worship You.  Instead they responded only to the destruction, seeing it only as a construction problem; saying they would rebuild with stronger, more resilient materials.

God help us – these are the very same words spoken by American government officials after the destruction of 9-11, September 11^th.  Rather than heed the warning to return to You, the spiritual problem in this country was seen as a construction issue.  With a response to “rebuild” with stronger materials.

Father, if and when You send me a message like this, tenderize my heart to see to the real problem.  Do not let me ignore the spiritual issues in my life.  Prompt me to respond to those with humility and repentance.  If all is right between us, the rest will take care of itself.

It is not by might I will endure, but by Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, compassion and provision.  And it is the same for my country.  Tenderize our leaders’ hearts to see the real problem, to seek You, worship You, and turn to You for guidance.  Thank You for these lessons.  Help me remember them.  Amen

Isaiah 8:5-8; 19-22; 9:8-12

July 15 Lessons from David

Lord, David, who was known as a “man after God’s own heart” ordered a census to be taken of the Israelites.  The implication here is that he wanted to know how many fighting men he had available.  It seems like a reasonable thing to do to the logical mind.  But what the scripture says is that “satan incited David to take a census of Israel.”

So if he was a “man after God’s own heart,” how did this happen?

One observation is that “In the Spring, at the time when kings go off to war…David remained in Jerusalem.”  So it’s possible that if he had been present with the troops, where he should have been, he would have seen first-hand how many men he had.

Or could it be that his faith in Your ability to continue to give him military victories was waning and he wanted to bolster his confidence by seeing the numbers? 

What he should have done when this idea came to him, was hold it up to what he knew of You.  And seek Your counsel on whether or not to go ahead with it.  Even his commander Joab knew this was a bad thing.   His response to David was “Why does my lord want to do this?  Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

So Father, help me learn from this mistake David made.

1 – If there is a place I am supposed to be, help me get there! Not make excuses to be somewhere else.

Help me take my responsibilities seriously and not be swayed by fear, or laziness, or arguments to the contrary.  If I am in the center of Your will, I am less vulnerable to the suggestions and oppression of satan.

2 –  Take thoughts captive to examine them with Your truth from Scripture.

When I hear the whisperings of satan telling me to question myself or Your love and faithfulness to me, let me come against those lies with the truth of scripture. So –

If satan tells me “What do you think you’re doing?  You can’t do that?”  Let me respond with “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13

If he taunts me with “You’re not good enough/smart enough” let me respond with Your truth that “I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do the work which He has prepared in advance for me.”  Ephesians 2:10.

If I hear a voice saying ‘”You’ve made so many mistakes, you’re worthless,” I can boldly respond with “I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved.” Colossians 3:12

3 – Father, let me be consistent to always lay my plans before you, asking if it is Your will.  Then listen to and be obedient to Your response to me.

Regardless of how illogical it may seem, or how much sense it may make to others, I desire to follow Your voice: the voice of my Shepherd.

4 – If You place people in my life to speak the truth to me, like Joab did for David, do not allow me to be too stubborn or bull-headed to listen to them.

David and his people paid a terrible price for his disobedience.  Let me learn from his mistake, and be led by You.  Amen

I Chronicles 21:1-17; 1 Chronicles 20:1

Dec 14 I am so Jonah!

Father, what wonderful lessons I’ve learned from Jonah!  And about Jonah and about You.  He is so human…  And You are so God…

You spoke to Jonah, giving him a view of Your plan for him and specific directions using the gifts and talents You placed in him.   And You speak to Your people today.  You have given each of us gifts and talents to use in accordance with Your plan.

Help me hear Your voice clearly when You speak. 

Give me direction and a view of Your purpose for my gifts.

Jonah thought he could get away with being disobedient.  He thought he could hide from You.  Silly man.  And silly me!  There have been times when I did not follow Your direction.  I never ended up in the belly of a great fish, but I did miss out on some wonderful opportunities.

Remind me of that when I consider disobedience in the future.

You have everything under Your control!  Not only did You see where Jonah went, meaning there in no place to hide from You; but You were in control of everything around him.  The weather?  You brought the storm!  And calmed it.  A large fish?  You brought it to swallow Jonah, and it obeyed Your command to vomit him onto dry land.  The same thing is true of the events and circumstances, relationships and opportunities in my life.

Remind me that You see me wherever I am.  And that there is nowhere I can go away from You. 

And nothing beyond Your power.

Jonah called out to You, “In [his] distress…”  Even when he thought his life was over, and knowing he had been disobedient, he prayed to You.  There is no circumstance where I cannot call on You.

It is never too late, I can never be too bad, I am never too far-gone.

You answered!  Even in the bowels of death and disobedience, You heard and answered Jonah’s prayer and rescued him.

You are a God of second chances!  And third and fourth…  You want Your people to be obedient.  You coach them to win, giving them every opportunity to do so.  And I am one of Your people.

Thank You for giving me second chances and more. 

Thank You for always hearing my prayer and answering me.

Jonah obeyed eventually.  What I take from this is:  obey the first time – it will save me a lot of grief!

Thank You for this view into Jonah’s life.  It is a view into my own.  And into Your greatness.  Because You are so God…  And I am so human…  Amen

Jonah 1:1-3:3

Sept 11 Seek God’s wisdom and blessing

O Father, help me.  Strengthen me in my spirit so I will not make the same mistakes Your people in Israel made so long ago.

First they “rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah.”  These were the softly running streams of Northern Israel that brought water to provide abundant harvests of grain, but represented the provision You afforded them as a blessing.   Yet the people were not satisfied with what You supplied.

They sought other gods.  So You brought against them “mighty floodwaters of the River – the king of Assyria with all his pomp…to overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep onto Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.”  The Assyrian Empire was centered on the Tigris and Euphrates, two of the largest and mightiest rivers.  The Assyrians would spill over into Israel and flood up to their necks.  Not the kind of water that was useful for life, but a devastating, destructive flood.

Father, help me be satisfied with what You have given me, what You have blessed me with.  Do not let me look to others, or compare myself to them, desiring what they have.  But let me rest in Your abundant provision, content in Your care, trusting that You know, and will provide, whatever is best for me.

Next, Your people ignored the signs and prophecies You gave them, and instead, sought the wisdom and guidance of mediums and spiritualists.

In my world, there are so many places people can go to discern a direction for their lives.  Palm readers, mediums, and spiritualists still exist.  Tarot cards and daily horoscopes have become a guide for actions people take in their relationships, their finances, their business and social lives.  “…Should not a people inquire of their God?”  Lord, I will seek wisdom from You.  In Your Word and in prayer, Father, speak to me, direct me.  Show me the way to go when I have decisions to make.  Do not let me be drawn to the darkness of the occult.

Also, when judgment began to fall on the people, their response was not humility and repentance.  Instead, “they say with pride and arrogance of heart, the bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”  In their arrogance, they missed the message You had for them to come back to You, to worship You.  Instead they responded only to the destruction, seeing it only as a construction problem; saying they would rebuild with stronger, more resilient materials.

God help us – these are the very same words spoken by American government officials after the destruction of 9-11, September 11^th.  Rather than heed the warning to return to You, the spiritual problem in this country was seen as a construction issue.  With a response to “rebuild” with stronger materials.

Father, if and when You send me a message like this, tenderize my heart to see to the real problem.  Do not let me ignore the spiritual issues in my life.  Prompt me to respond to those with humility and repentance.  If all is right between us, the rest will take care of itself.

It is not by might I will endure, but by Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, compassion and provision.  And it is the same for my country.  Tenderize our leaders’ hearts to see the real problem, to seek You, worship You, and turn to You for guidance.  Thank You for these lessons.  Help me remember them.  Amen

Isaiah 8:5-8; 19-22; 9:8-12

July 15 Lessons from David

Lord, David, who was known as a “man after God’s own heart” ordered that a census be taken of the Israelites.  The implication here is that he wanted to know how many fighting men he had available.  It seems like a reasonable thing to do to the logical mind.  But what the scripture says is that “satan incited David to take a census of Israel.”

So the question becomes: how or why did this happen?

One observation is that “In the Spring, at the time when kings go off to war…David remained in Jerusalem.”  So it’s possible that if he had been present with the troops, where he should have been, he would have seen first-hand how many men he had.

Or could it be that his faith in Your ability to continue to give him military victories was waning and he wanted to bolster his confidence by seeing the numbers? 

What he should have done when this idea came to him, was hold it up to what he knew of You.  And seek Your counsel on whether or not to go ahead with it.  Even his commander Joab knew this was a bad thing.   His response to David was “Why does my lord want to do this?  Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

So Father, help me learn from this mistake David made.

1 – If there is a place I am supposed to be, do not let me make excuses to avoid being there.

Help me take my responsibilities seriously and not be swayed by fear, or laziness, or arguments to the contrary.  If I am in the center of Your will, I am less vulnerable to the suggestions and oppression of satan.

2 –  Take thoughts captive to examine them with Your truth from Scripture.

When I hear the whisperings of satan telling me to question myself or Your love and faithfulness to me, let me come against those lies with the truth of scripture. So –

If satan tells me “What do you think you’re doing?  You can’t do that?”  Let me respond with “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13

If he taunts me with “You’re not good enough/smart enough” let me respond with Your truth that “I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do the work which He has prepared in advance for me.”  Ephesians 2:10.

If I hear a voice saying ‘”You’ve made so many mistakes, you’re worthless,” I can boldly respond with “I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved.” Colossians 3:12

3 – Father, let me be consistent to always lay my plans before you, asking if it is Your will.  Then listen to and be obedient to Your response to me.

Regardless of how illogical it may seem, or how much sense it may make to others, I desire to follow Your voice: the voice of my Shepherd.

4 – If You place people in my life to speak the truth to me, like Joab did for David, do not allow me to be too stubborn or bull-headed to listen to them.

David and his people paid a terrible price for his disobedience.  Let me learn from his mistake, and be led by You.  Amen

I Chronicles 21:1-17; 1 Chronicles 20:1

Sept 11 Seek God’s Wisdom and Blessing

O Father, help me.  Strengthen me in my spirit so I will not make the same mistakes Your people in Israel made so long ago.

First they “rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah.”  These were the softly running streams of Northern Israel that brought water to provide abundant harvests of grain, but represented the provision You afforded them as a blessing.   Yet the people were not satisfied with what You supplied.

They sought other gods.  So You brought against them “mighty floodwaters of the River – the king of Assyria with all his pomp…to overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep onto Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.”  The Assyrian Empire was centered on the Tigris and Euphrates, two of the largest and mightiest rivers.  The Assyrians would spill over into Israel and flood up to their necks.  Not the kind of water that was useful for life, but a devastating, destructive flood.

Father, help me be satisfied with what You have given me, what You have blessed me with.  Do not let me look to others, or compare myself to them, desiring what they have.  But let me rest in Your abundant provision, content in Your care, trusting that You know, and will provide, whatever is best for me.

Next, Your people ignored the signs and prophecies You gave them, and instead, sought the wisdom and guidance of mediums and spiritualists.

In my world, there are so many places people can go to discern a direction for their lives.  Palm readers, mediums, and spiritualists still exist.  Tarot cards and daily horoscopes have become a guide for actions people take in their relationships, their finances, their business and social lives.  “…Should not a people inquire of their God?”  Lord, I will seek wisdom from You.  In Your Word and in prayer, Father, speak to me, direct me.  Show me the way to go when I have decisions to make.  Do not let me be drawn to the darkness of the occult.

Also, when judgment began to fall on the people, their response was not humility and repentance.  Instead, “they say with pride and arrogance of heart, the bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”  In their arrogance, they missed the message You had for them to come back to You, to worship You.  Instead they responded only to the destruction, seeing it only as a construction problem; saying they would rebuild with stronger, more resilient materials.

God help us – these are the very same words spoken by American government officials after the destruction of 9-11, September 11^th.  Rather than heed the warning to return to You, the spiritual problem in this country was seen as a construction issue.  With a response to “rebuild” with stronger materials.

Father, if and when You send me a message like this, tenderize my heart to see to the real problem.  Do not let me ignore the spiritual issues in my life.  Prompt me to respond to those with humility and repentance.  If all is right between us, the rest will take care of itself.

It is not by might I will endure, but by Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, compassion and provision.  And it is the same for my country.  Tenderize our leaders’ hearts to see the real problem, to seek You, worship You, and turn to You for guidance.  Thank You for these lessons.  Help me remember them.  Amen

Isaiah 8:5-8; 19-22; 9:8-12

July 15 Lessons from David

Lord, David, who was known as a “man after God’s own heart” ordered that a census be taken of the Israelites.  The implication here is that he wanted to know how many fighting men he had available.  It seems like a reasonable thing to do to the logical mind.  But what the scripture says is that “satan incited David to take a census of Israel.”

So the question becomes: how or why did this happen?

One observation is that “In the Spring, at the time when kings go off to war…David remained in Jerusalem.”  So it’s possible that if he had been present with the troops, where he should have been, he would have seen first-hand how many men he had.

Or could it be that his faith in Your ability to continue to give him military victories was waning and he wanted to bolster his confidence by seeing the numbers?

What he should have done when this idea came to him, was hold it up to what he knew of You.  And seek Your counsel on whether or not to go ahead with it.  Even his commander Joab knew this was a bad thing.   His response to David was “Why does my lord want to do this?  Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

So Father, help me learn from this mistake David made.

1 – If there is a place I am supposed to be, do not let me make excuses to avoid being there.

Help me take my responsibilities seriously and not be swayed by fear, or laziness, or arguments to the contrary.  If I am in the center of Your will, I am less vulnerable to the suggestions and oppression of satan.

2 –  Bolster my faith with Your truth from Scripture so it doesn’t fail me.

When I hear the whisperings of satan telling me to question myself or Your love and faithfulness to me, let me take those wrong thoughts captive and come against those lies with the truth of scripture.  So –

If satan tells me “What do you think you’re doing?  You can’t do that?”  Let me respond with “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13

If he taunts me with “You’re not good enough/smart enough” let me respond with Your truth that “I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do the work which He has prepared in advance for me.”  Ephesians 2:10.

If I hear a voice saying ‘”You’ve made so many mistakes, you’re worthless,” I can boldly respond with “I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved.” Colossians 3:12

3 – If You place people in my life to speak the truth to me, like Joab did for David, do not allow me to be too stubborn or bull-headed to listen to them.

4 – Mostly, Father, let me be consistent to always lay my plans before you, asking if it is Your will.  Then listen to and be obedient to Your response to me.

Regardless of how illogical it may seem, or how much sense it may make to others, I desire to follow Your voice: the voice of my Shepherd.

David and his people paid a terrible price for his disobedience.  Let me learn from his mistake, and be led by You.  Amen

I Chronicles 21:1-17; 1 Chronicles 20:1

 

Sept 11 Seek God’s wisdom and blessing

O Father, help me.  Strengthen me in my spirit so I will not make the same mistakes Your people in Israel made so long ago.

First they “rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah.”  These were the softly running streams of Northern Israel that brought water to provide abundant harvests of grain, but represented the provision You afforded them as a blessing.   Yet the people were not satisfied with what You supplied.

They sought other gods.  So You brought against them “mighty floodwaters of the River – the king of Assyria with all his pomp…to overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep onto Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.”  The Assyrian Empire was centered on the Tigris and Euphrates, two of the largest and mightiest rivers.  The Assyrians would spill over into Israel and flood up to their necks.  Not the kind of water that was useful for life, but a devastating, destructive flood.

Father, help me to be satisfied with what You have given me, what You have blessed me with.  Do not let me look to others, or compare myself to them, desiring what they have.  But let me rest in Your abundant provision, content in Your care, trusting that You know, and will provide, whatever is best for me.

Next, Your people ignored the signs and prophecies You gave them, and instead, sought the wisdom and guidance of mediums and spiritualists.

In my world, there are so many places people can go to discern a direction for their lives.  Palm readers, mediums, and spiritualists still exist.  Tarot cards and daily horoscopes have become a guide for actions people take in their relationships, their finances, their business and social lives.  “…Should not a people inquire of their God?”  Lord, I will seek wisdom from You.  In Your Word and in prayer, Father, speak to me, direct me.  Show me the way to go when I have decisions to make.  Do not let me be drawn to the darkness of the occult.

Also, when judgment began to fall on the people, their response was not humility and repentance.  Instead, “they say with pride and arrogance of heart, the bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”  In their arrogance, they missed the message You had for them to come back to You, to worship You.  Instead they responded only to the destruction, seeing it only as a construction problem; saying they would rebuild with stronger, more resilient materials.

God help us – these are the very same words spoken by American government officials after the destruction of 9-11, September 11^th.  Rather than heed the warning to return to You, the spiritual problem in this country was seen as a construction issue.  With a response to “rebuild” with stronger materials.

Father, if and when You send me a message like this, tenderize my heart to see to the real problem.  Do not let me ignore the spiritual issues in my life.  Prompt me to respond to those with humility and repentance.

If all is right between us, the rest will take care of itself.  It is not by might I will endure, but by Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, compassion and provision.  And it is the same for my country.  Tenderize our leaders’ hearts to see the real problem, to seek You, worship You, and turn to You for guidance.  Thank You for these lessons.  Help me remember them.  Amen

Isaiah 8:5-9:21

Jan 13 I am Your child

Lord God, thank You that You are my heavenly Father.

Thank You that You love me as Your child. And thank You it is with love that You make godly correction to my path when I stray from You.

I have such a negative impression of discipline because it has come to be identified with punishment or abuse of power. On earth this is often true.

But when You, my heavenly Father discipline me, it is to lift me up to correct, teach, encourage me to be on the path of becoming more like You – Your “disciple.”

It doesn’t mean the lessons are easy to learn, or that I enjoy them, or even that I catch on right away. Often a child doesn’t understand a parent insisting on behavior that provides for safety, like running out into the street.  So I may not see the benefit of Your instruction right away.

Sometimes Your discipline feels like a step backward, or a delay in what I perceive to be the right way. Help me stop and ask for Your perspective when I don’t understand something. Help me see from Your viewpoint, what is happening, and how I should respond.

I do desire to be seen as a disciple of Almighty God, Jesus Christ, the Holy One. And I’m the first to admit that my life does not look like that now. So I welcome Your instruction, Your course corrections, Your rebuke, and Your discipline.

Help me learn quickly when You have something to tell me or teach me. Help me be willing to change direction when I am going the wrong way.

I know that You delight in me and love me. And that You discipline those You love. Help me embrace that love. Amen

Proverbs 3:11-12

Dec 14 I am so Jonah!

Father, what wonderful lessons I’ve learned from Jonah!  And about Jonah and about You.  He is so human…  And You are so God…

You spoke to Jonah, giving him a view of Your plan for him and specific directions using the gifts and talents You placed in him.   And You speak to Your people today.  You have given each of us gifts and talents to use in accordance with Your plan.

Help me hear Your voice clearly when You speak.  Give me direction and a view of Your purpose for my gifts.

Jonah thought he could get away with being disobedient.  He thought he could hide from You.  Silly man.  And silly me!  There have been times when I did not follow Your direction.  I never ended up in the belly of a great fish, but I did miss out on some wonderful opportunities.

Remind me of that when I consider disobedience in the future.

You have everything under Your control!  Not only did You see where Jonah went, meaning there in no place to hide from You; but You were in control of everything around him.  The weather?  You brought the storm!  And calmed it.  A large fish?  You brought it to swallow Jonah, and it obeyed Your command to vomit him onto dry land.  The same thing is true of the events and circumstances, relationships and opportunities in my life.

Remind me that You see me wherever I am.  And that there is nowhere I can go away from You.  And nothing beyond Your power.

Jonah called out to You, “In [his] distress…”  Even when he thought his life was over, and knowing he had been disobedient, he prayed to You.  There is no circumstance where I cannot call on You.
It is never too late, I can never be too bad, I am never too far-gone.

You answered!  Even in the bowels of death and disobedience, You heard and answered Jonah’s prayer and rescued him.

You are a God of second chances!  And third and fourth…  You want Your people to be obedient.  You coach them to win, giving them every opportunity to do so.  And I am one of Your people.

Thank You for giving me second chances and more.  Thank You for always hearing my prayer and answering me.

Jonah obeyed eventually.  What I take from this is:  obey the first time – it will save me a lot of grief!

Thank You for this view into Jonah’s life.  It is a view into my own.  And into Your greatness.  Because You are so God…  And I am so human…  Amen

Jonah 1:1-3:3

Nov 26 Teach me

Father, thank You for Peter’s reminder that as the end approaches, believers must be earnest in prayer, share Your deep love with others, and use our Spiritual gifts.

Some of these sound so easy.  None of them are.  I can’t do any of them without Your help.  What I can do is come to You in prayer.  You help me in so many ways.  I love my conversations with You!

Sometimes I feel closer to You when I walk around the lake, or through the trees, or can see the mountains.  When I am surrounded by Your amazing creation, You often give me a word of instruction or encouragement.

You have taught me things by watching geese flying above, or ducks feeding in the pond, or sunlight shining through dark clouds.  You have shown me how to be humble through the faces of blossoms that track the sunlight across the sky, or sunflowers that have heads so heavy with seed that they bend low.

It is so easy to praise You in the presence of the beauty of Your creation, and when things are going well.  But rejoicing in suffering is harder to do.  Sometimes, my side of the conversation is sobbing and tears.  It is anxious pleading with pain.

You reach out to me then too.  There is nothing You cannot handle.  There is nothing too big or too small to bring to You.  Thank You for this life-saving and life-giving privilege of prayer.

Father, teach me how to show Your great love to others.  It feels easy to do with strangers.  Kindness to a stranger is short-lived.  Help me to be loving and forgiving and hospitable to those I know.

Show me how to be humble, and not grumble.   And especially to those I know well, give me perseverance to act and speak in love for the long haul.

Lord, lead me in seeking out ways to join You where You are already at work, in ways that will use my Spiritual gifts.  Give me the energy and stamina to serve.   Show me how to serve humbly so You get the credit.  And let me recognize when to step back so another can use their gifts.

In all these things, let me also be aware of “[my] enemy the devil” who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  Help me see through his lies and deceptions.  Help me avoid his traps and temptations.   Strengthen me to resist him in all his cunning ways.   Make me strong, firm and steadfast.

Yours is the power forever.  I know You will never fail me.  Thank You.  Amen

I Peter 4:7-5:14

Sept 11 Seek God’s Wisdom and Blessing

O Father, help me. Strengthen me in my spirit so I will not make the same mistakes Your people in Israel made so long ago.

First they “rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah.”  These were the softly running streams of Northern Israel that brought water to provide abundant harvests of grain, and represented the provision You afforded them as a blessing.

Yet the people were not satisfied with what You supplied. They sought other gods. So You brought against them “mighty floodwaters of the River – the king of Assyria with all his pomp…to overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep onto Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.”

Father, help me be satisfied with what You have given me, what You have blessed me with. Do not let me look to others, or compare myself to them, desiring what they have. But let me rest in Your abundant provision, content in Your care, trusting that You know, and will provide, whatever is best for me.

Next, Your people ignored the signs and prophecies You gave them, and instead, sought the wisdom and guidance of mediums and spiritualists.

In my world, there are so many places people can go to discern a direction for their lives. Palm readers, mediums, and spiritualists still exist. Tarot cards and daily horoscopes have become a guide for actions people take in their relationships, their finances, their business and social lives. “…Should not a people inquire of their God?”

Lord, I will seek wisdom from You, in Your Word and in prayer, Father, speak to me, direct me. Show me the way to go when I have decisions to make. Do not let me be drawn to the darkness of the occult.

Lastly, when judgment began to fall on the people, their response was not humility and repentance. Instead, “they say with pride and arrogance of heart, the bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” 

In their arrogance, they missed the message to come back to worship You. They responded seeing only a construction problem; saying they would rebuild with stronger, more resilient materials.

God help us – these are the very same words spoken by American government officials after the destruction of 9-11, September 11^th. Rather than heed the warning to return to You, the spiritual problem in this country was seen as a construction issue. Our response: to rebuild with stronger materials.

Father, if and when You send me a message like this, tenderize my heart to see to the real problem. Do not let me ignore the spiritual issues in my life. Prompt me to respond with humility and repentance.

It is not by might I will endure, but by Your grace, Your mercy, Your love, compassion and provision. And it is the same for my country. Tenderize our leaders’ hearts to see the real problem, to seek You, worship You, and turn to You for guidance.

Thank You for these lessons. Help me remember them. Amen

Isaiah 8:1-9:21

Dec 14 I am so Jonah!

Father, what wonderful lessons I’ve learned from Jonah! And about Jonah and about You. He is so human… And You are so God…

You spoke to Jonah, giving him a view of Your plan for him and specific directions using the gifts and talents You placed in him.  And You speak to Your people today. You have given each of us gifts and talents to use in accordance with Your plan.  Help me hear Your voice clearly when You speak. Give me direction and a view of Your purpose for my gifts.

Jonah thought he could get away with being disobedient. He thought he could hide from You. Silly man. And silly me! There have been times when I did not follow Your direction. I never ended up in the belly of a great fish, but I did miss out on some wonderful opportunities. Remind me of that when I consider disobedience in the future.

You have everything under Your control! Not only did You see where Jonah went, meaning there in no place to hide from You; but You were in control of everything around him. The weather? You brought the storm! And calmed it. A large fish? You brought it to swallow Jonah, and it obeyed Your command to vomit him onto dry land. The same thing is true of the events and circumstances, relationships and opportunities in my life. Remind me that You see me wherever I am. And that there is nowhere I can go away from You. And nothing beyond Your power.

Jonah called out to You, “In [his] distress…”. Even when he thought his life was over, and knowing he had been disobedient, he prayed to You. There is no circumstance where I cannot call on You. It is never too late, I can never be too bad, I am never too far-gone.

You answered! Even in the bowels of death and disobedience, You heard and answered Jonah’s prayer and rescued him. You are a God of second chances! And third and fourth… You want Your people to be obedient. You coach them to win, giving them every opportunity to do so. And I am one of Your people. Thank You for giving me second chances and more. Thank You for always hearing my prayer and answering me.

Jonah obeyed eventually. What I take from this is: obey the first time – it will save me a lot of grief!

Thank You for this view into Jonah’s life. It is a view into my own. And into Your greatness. Because You are so God… And I am so human… Amen

Jonah 1:1-3:3