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As I weather life’s storms…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 3:3 But You, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

Commentary on this chapter says, “The events are recorded in 2 Samuel 15-18, but the heart of David at that difficult time is recorded in this psalm.” I love that distinction between the events and the heart, as they are quite different. The events are clinical, newspaper-factual accounts. The heart is the emotions, the feelings involved.

Psalm 3:4 I call out to the LORD, and He answers me from His holy mountain.

I would do well to remember as I weather life’s storms that the events and the heart are distinctly separate. I may not be able to do anything about the events, but I can give my heart totally to God, no matter what. He is big enough and loving enough to handle my pain, my anger, my fear, my doubt, all of it. He is the shield around me.

Psalm 3:5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that no matter what events transpire, You know my heart. I can be real, open, and honest with You. You are my shield, Lord. You are my glory. You lift my head high, no matter my circumstances. Draw me closer. Amen.

Psalm 3:6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

Have a blessed day.

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Strong relationships…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 2:4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them. 

I’m not a fan of a view of God that includes praising Him out of fear for how He will respond if I don’t. Strong relationships are not built on fear; they are built on trust, on love, on knowing each other and sharing and drawing closer. They are built on communication and respect and time spent together.

Psalm 2:5 He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying….

Commentary says of verse 12, “The Psalmist leaves the choice with everyone: Broken or blessed?” That’s not much of a choice. That sounds dangerously close to, “Either you do things my way or I WILL make you pay.” I don’t believe in a God who wants to strong arm me into a relationship. That’s not how my God works. He wants a relationship with me. He absolutely could force my reverence, but He wants me to do the choosing.

Psalm 2:6 …”I have installed My king on Zion, My holy mountain.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the faith that You are a God of relationship, a God of love. I want to draw closer to You with every breath. Thank You that fear is not my motivation. Thank You for the foundation of love and respect that I have for You. Draw me closer. Always. Amen. 

Psalm 2:12b …Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

Have a blessed day.

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Delighting in and meditating on the Psalms (devo reflection)

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers….

I have been exposed to the book of Psalms for most of my life. It feels very familiar, and at 150 poems, it’s the second longest book in the Bible. My instinct is to double or triple up on what I read each day and move on through this one.

Psalm 1:2 …but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night.

But Psalm one seems to encourage me to linger, to sink my roots deeper, to allow my understanding of this book to grow and mature so that the fruits of my faith can be fully ripened. I am encouraged to delight in and meditate on these poems, to take my time as I read.

Psalm 1:3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for allowing me to linger in Your word, drawing closer to You. Help me, as I read through the Psalms, to grow and mature in my faith. Help me to shine Your light and praise Your name. Amen.

Psalm 1:6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Have a blessed day.

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Restoration…. (devo reflection)

Job 42:1-2 Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that You can do all things; no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”

Several things strike me in this last chapter of Job. 1. Job did not get his answers, but he is more than ok with the comfort of God’s presence. 2. Job gains some wisdom on just how limited his perspective is and how unequipped he is to judge God’s actions. 3. God forgives Job for his arrogance and restores to him more than he lost originally, but the restoration doesn’t happen until after Job’s friends have repented and Job has prayed for them.  

Job 42:3 “You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

If I had to sum up the lessons from this book, I would say: 1. Humility is important. 2. Perspective is important. 3. Right or restored relationships are important. 4. We won’t always have the answers we seek, but God is with us. Always. Even when we don’t understand. 

Job 42:5-6 “My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the surety that You are with us, even when we can’t feel Your presence. After chapters and chapters of discord among the friends, thank You for the restoration of that relationship as well. Thank You for the lessons and observations of this chapter. Thank You for drawing me closer. Amen.

Job 42:7-8 After the LORD had said these things to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken with the truth about me as my servant Job has…..My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly….”

Have a blessed day.

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Deeply personal…. (devo reflection)

Job 41:1 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope?”

Again I am left wondering why this line of argument drones on so long. Didn’t God prove His All Powerful point in the last chapter? What have we to learn here? I am also unhappy with commentary’s handling of this chapter, which basically explains every reference and then concludes that God can’t be explained. (Do they see the irony there?)

Job 41:10 “No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against Me?”

I’m also not happy with commentary’s insistence that it is important that God did not explain the reason for Job’s suffering, saying that if He had, Job could not serve as “continuing comfort and inspiration and example to those who suffer without explanation.” Frankly, I don’t think Job cares about serving as inspiration, and I don’t think God’s purpose has anything to do with the greater good. This is a suffering man, trying to make peace with a God who allows his suffering for seemingly no reason. This is Job’s “do I trust that He is sovereign and loving and present, even when life stinks” moment. This is deeply personal.

Job 41:11 “Who has a claim against Me that I must pay? Everything under Heaven belongs to Me.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the sense to know that I don’t know what I don’t know. Thank You for the ability to look for deeper meaning when I don’t understand. Thank You for caring on a deeply personal level. Draw us closer. Amen.

Job 41:12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, its strength and its graceful form.”

Have a blessed day.

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Humility, not humiliation…. (devo reflection)

Job 40:1-2 The LORD said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who accuses God answer Him!”

This chapter doesn’t feel good at all. It doesn’t feel loving or holy or redemptive. The argument-averse part of me is retreating to a corner to cower as God lambasts Job for his arrogance. However, that narrative does not fit what I know of my Maker. God delights in our humility, not our humiliation. 

Job 40:3-5 Then Job answered the LORD: “I am unworthy—how can I reply to You? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.”

God, in this chapter, is establishing His sovereignty. He is reminding Job of who He, God, is and who he, Job, is in relation. Unfortunately for my WHY-driven mind, there are no answers. “God is God,” and Job is not God. Making peace with that fact seems key.

Job 40:6-7 “Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that we don’t always get answers but that we do get Your presence, Your sovereignty, Your love. Teach me to make peace with the fact that You are God and I am not and there are things that I will never understand. Draw me closer. Amen.

Job 40:8 “Would you discredit My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?”

Have a blessed day.

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Justification…. (devo reflection)

Job 39:1 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?”

In previous readings of this chapter, I have always envisioned an angry God, interrogating Job, the phrase “Well, do ya, punk?” implied after every question. This reading, however, is different. I don’t feel God’s wrath at Job. I feel a desire for Job to understand that there are things he just cannot understand.

Job 39:9 “Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will it stay by your manger at night?”

Yesterday’s sermon was on the ways we justify ourselves and our actions, which has me pondering whether I am justifying a loving, compassionate God because that is the type of God I want. But I don’t think so. If “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen….” (Heb 11:1), then I have total faith in a Savior who loves me despite my fears, doubts, and questions.

Job 39:19 “Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the faith that I have in Your love and sovereignty, Your compassion and grace. Draw me closer with every breath. Amen.

Job 39:26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?”

Have a blessed day.

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God is present…. (devo reflection)

Job 38:1 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm….

The first thing I glean from this verse is that God is present. Job has felt separated from Him since everything went wrong in the early chapters. Commentary seems to indicate that God came in the storm. But I’ve maintained throughout that God is with us always—even when things go horribly wrong, even when we can’t feel Him, even when nothing makes sense. God speaks here in verse one because He is with Job and has been through it all.

Job 38:2 “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?”

The English Standard Version translates this verse as “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?” Modern sensibilities regard ignorant as an insult, though here it simply means someone who does not know. Commentary suggests that God is being almost playful in His chastisement. I don’t quite see that, but, given all I know about how God feels about Job from the early chapters, I don’t think God is lambasting him here with the intent of humiliation. He wants Job to understand that he, Job, doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.

Job 38:3 “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your loving patience with us when we are in pain, fear, or doubt. We don’t understand Your ways, Lord. Thank You for Your fierce love and compassion, even through our questioning. Draw us closer. Amen.

Job 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.”

Have a blessed day.

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But if not…. (devo reflection)

Job 37:14 “Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders.”

I find myself wondering that this book is still going. Why? Job sat in utter misery for chapters and chapters. His friends comforted him, counseled him, and lectured him for chapters and chapters. Now this young upstart, Elihu, has been going for chapters and chapters. God hasn’t appeared. Nothing has changed. Why?

Job 37:15 “Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightening flash?”

My other scripture reading this morning took me to Daniel 3. The verses that struck me as particularly relevant were Daniel 3:17-18: “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not….” 

Job 37:23 “The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in His justice and great righteousness, He does not oppress.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You can and will deliver us, but if not…. if not…. even if we don’t understand, even if we can’t comprehend, even then, You are still sovereign, still loving, still compassionate and merciful. Even then. Draw us closer. Amen.

Job 37:24 “Therefore, people revere Him, for does He not have regard for all the wise in heart?”

Have a blessed day.

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On God’s behalf…. (devo reflection)

Job 36:1-2 Elihu continued: “Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.”

Today’s chapter, Elihu’s words and actions, brings Proverbs 26:12 to mind: “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” This verse seems the epitome of the man described here. He feels like he accurately understands Job’s misfortune, and he thinks he is just the right man to defend God’s integrity, honor, and sovereignty.

Job 36:4 “Be assured that my words are not false; one who has perfect knowledge is with you.”

When I think about my role in God’s kingdom work, defending His honor, integrity, and sovereignty don’t factor in. I don’t see that as the work He places before me. Instead of defending His honor, He calls me to show His love. Instead of insisting on His integrity, He calls me to show His compassion. Instead of justifying His sovereignty, He calls me to show His mercy. He will leave the 99 to save the 1. He’s not interested in justification.

Job 36:5 “God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty, and firm in His purpose.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that our job here is not to defend You but to remind people of Your fierce and unconditional love, no matter what. Help me never to forget what You call me to do. Draw me closer. Amen. 

Job 36:11-12 “If they obey and serve Him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge.”

Have a blessed day.