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The vine and fig tree…. (devo reflection)

Habakkuk 3:17a Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines….

Micah and 1 Kings both mention the vine and fig tree. They seem to be symbols of safety, prosperity, and peace. I think Habakkuk is using them to say that even when life isn’t safe, prosperous, and peaceful, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,” he will still praise God because God is his strength.

Habakkuk 3:17b …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….

I have been at that point in life before, where every single thing is going wrong, when you’ve lost so much and you live in fear of the next blow. It is a terrible place to be, but there is great freedom in being able to say, “I don’t understand what’s going on, Lord, and I absolutely hate it, but I know You love me, and I know You are in control, and I know You can somehow bring beauty from these ashes. I trust You.”

Habakkuk 3:18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Lord, It is hard to rejoice when life feels like it’s falling apart. Help us to remember that we aren’t rejoicing in life, we are rejoicing in You. You are our strength and our shield; our hearts trust in You, and You help us (Psalm 28:7). Thank You. Amen.

Habakkuk 3:19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

Have a blessed day.

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Living by faith…. (devo reflection)

Habakkuk 2:4 “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness….

I’m struck again by the insidious, destructive power of pride. Faith involves the belief in something, someone greater than ourselves, God. Pride shifts the focus solely to us. “*I* did that. That was pretty cool. Look at me and what I can do.”

Habakkuk 2:18 “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.

It’s a slippery slope for sure, and humans aren’t well equipped to navigate it safely. We slip from faith to self-reliance without even realizing we’ve tipped over the edge. But our pride leads to nothing. Only our faith in God leads to eternity.

Habakkuk 2:19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”

Lord, We are a proud people. We put far too much faith in ourselves and our own abilities. Forgive us. Help us to root ourselves firmly in You alone. Help us to live by faith in You alone. Amen.

Habakkuk 2:20 The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

Have a blessed day.

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Be utterly amazed…. (devo reflection)

Habakkuk 1:2 How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Lord, I am so tired, and it seems the more exhausted I am, the more I try to “get all up in Your business,” trying to be sure You see, You know, You understand all that is going on in this world. Forgive me for my arrogance.

Habakkuk 1:3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Lord, I don’t often understand what You are doing. Help me cling to Isaiah 55:8: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Help me to trust You always, even when I am exhausted.

Habakkuk 1:5 “Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

Lord, I pray the words of Psalm 25 to You: 1 O LORD, I give my life to you. 2 I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced…. 4 Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Hear my prayer, Lord. Amen.

Habakkuk 1:6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.

Have a blessed day.

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This proud trap…. (devo reflection)

Nahum 3:1 Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!

From a literary standpoint, verses 1-3 with their rich sensory descriptions, really strike me. We are placed into the scene with the flashing swords, glittering spears, crack of the whips, clatter of the wheels, blood and broken bodies everywhere.

Nahum 3:2 The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots!

Not only that, but there is a pervading sense of hopelessness and defeat in this scene: Not only can no one and nothing save them, but all who hear of their defeat will celebrate.

Nahum 3:3 Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses….

Lord, Thank You that this fate is not the end for those who trust in You, for those who repent and return. While this chapter is rich with detail from a literary standpoint, from a personal standpoint, I do not wish to ever suffer this fate. Thank You that You not only show me the way out of this proud trap, but also that You keep after my heart, showing me what is keeping me from You and how to fully return. I don’t deserve anything You give me, Lord, but I am so grateful. Amen.

Nahum 3:19 Nothing can heal you; your wound is fatal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?

Have a blessed day.

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Only God…. (devo reflection)

Nahum 2:1 An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength!

It is said that God brings beauty from ashes. This verse seems to show almost the reverse. Because Nineveh refuses to submit, the Lord is turning this once rich, formidable place into a wasteland.

Nahum 2:2 The Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines.

In verse 13, the Lord says “I am against you.” The verse brings to mind Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Even with everything Nineveh had going for it, even with all the destruction Jacob had suffered, the battle belongs to the Lord, not to man. Might, wealth, power, ruin and waste, none of it matters. Only God.

Nahum 2:10 She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale.

Lord, We have such definite, human ideas about might and mercy, about victors and victims. But none of that matters in Your eyes. Help me always remember that You are my strength and my refuge, that the battle is not mine but Yours alone. Help me not to put trust in human measures but only in You. Amen.

Nahum 2:13 “I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”

Have a blessed day.

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A sobering thought…. (devo reflection)

Nahum 1:3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.…

Many times I have talked about the mercy, love, and compassion of the Lord as seen through His word, the fact that He gives opportunity after opportunity for return and repentance. This chapter seems to show that God’s mercy, love, and compassion aren’t infinite, that He will call those to task who steadfastly refuse to repent and return.

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him….

However, for those who trust in Him, verse 7 reminds us, He is a trustworthy refuge. The violent imagery in verse 13 (embodied by words like break and tear) show that that repentance and return aren’t always easy, especially when there is much hesitation, a sobering thought.

Nahum 1:13 Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away.”

Lord, I struggle with images of You that aren’t loving, merciful, and compassionate, perhaps because mercy and compassion are what I so need. Thank You for an honest look at what happens when we repeatedly fail to repent and return to You. Help me to never have to experience that side of You first-hand. Soften my heart. Help me to stay centered on You always. Amen.

Nahum 1:15 Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace!

Have a blessed day.

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I watch in hope for the Lord…. (devo reflection)

Micah 7:7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Micah 7:7 brings to mind Psalm 71:14: “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more,” a philosophy I fully believe in. Hope is a beautiful, necessary, fragile thing, and to me, this chapter is all about the rightness of our hope placed in God, in His mercy, compassion, and love.

Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.

Human beings are fickle and fallible. Putting our faith in humans doesn’t end well. We disappoint. We get angry for no good reason. We refuse to forgive or take our own sweet time about it. We use a different measuring stick with fellow humans than we want God to use with us. Jesus, Help us.

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your love, mercy, and compassion. Help me to be more like You in my ability to show these things to my fellow humans. Thank You that I can always place my hope in You and that hope in You is never misplaced. Amen.

Micah 7:19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Have a blessed day.

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What does God want from me?…. (devo reflection)

Micah 6:6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

What does God want from me? That seems to be the question asked in these verses. What’s going to make God happy? It’s as if they don’t have any real concept of what God wants from them.

Micah 6:7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

But God doesn’t want stuff, things. (Which seriously causes me to want to re-examine all the stuff in my own life, by the way.) Verse 8 spells it out specifically: God wants us “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with….God.” Justice. Mercy. Humility. At once both so much easier and so much harder than stuff.

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Lord, You have no desire to trick us or keep us in the dark about Your desire for us. Thank You. You spell out for us, clearly, what will make You happy with us: Justice. Mercy. Humility. Thank You for Your clarity. Lord, we seem to insist on making difficult something which should be so easy. Forgive us. Draw us closer. Amen.

Micah 6:9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city— and to fear your name is wisdom— “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.

Have a blessed day.

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And he will be our peace…. (devo reflection)

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Micah 5 heralds the coming of the Savior: “…out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” I’m not sure I ever made that connection before.

Micah 5:3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.

Not only that, but Micah 5:5 heralds the fact that Christ “…will be our peace….” This is definitely something I’m still trying to master, allowing Christ alone to be my peace. Bless my heart….

Micah 5:4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

Lord of all Creation, Thank You for Your word, for Your birth, death, and resurrection, for Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Help me to root myself in Your peace alone. Draw me closer. Amen.

Micah 5:5 And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders….

Have a blessed day.

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My center…. (devo reflection)

Micah 3:9-10 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness.

For years I have had a FitBit. It’s a watch, an alarm, a fitness tracker, a sleep tracker. I use it in all these capacities. Yesterday, the band broke, rendering it useless until I can get a new band. It made me angry, anxious, agitated. How am I going to tell the time, track my sleep or steps, set my alarm when school starts back? I worked myself onto a metaphorical ledge because of the value I placed on a FitBit. Jesus, Help me.

Micah 3:11a Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money.

What does any of this have to do with Micah 3? I put all that faith in a watch. They put their faith in the priests and prophets. Micah’s point here is that those priests and prophets are no longer relying on God, they are self-motivated, and it is going to lead them, all of them, to destruction if they don’t make a change, if they don’t wake up and see that they have placed their faith in man and not God.

Micah 3:11b Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.”

Lord, Thank You that You allow me to see how the mess in my own life is similar to the mess that people slog through in the Bible. Thank You for reminding me that You are my center, that nothing and no one else can or should take that place. Draw me closer to You always. Amen.

Micah 3:12 Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

Have a blessed day.