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Ravens and wildflowers…. (devo reflection)

Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

Today’s chapter brought up a point I had not really considered before. When I read this section of Luke 12, I think: if God takes care of things as small and inconsequential as birds and flowers, or course He’ll take care of me.

Luke 12:27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Enns points out that birds and flowers are incapable of worry, that Jesus is saying we should consider them, regard them, be like them in that our trust in Him makes us incapable of worry. Trust in Jesus—in His love, His goodness, His sovereignty, His mercy—to the point that that trust is such a concrete part of our being that worry is impossible.

Luke 12:29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.

Lord, I’ve got a long way to go to be incapable of worry, but I want my trust in You to be so solid, so complete, so profound that I am incapable of worrying. I’ve made progress over the years, Lord, but I still have a long way to go. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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Forgive my prideful attitude…. (devo reflection)

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding….

The commitment to trust the Lord is, to borrow phrasing from the book I’m reading, an all-in commitment. It means trusting Him always, even when your brain tells you that you can handle a situation. (The brain can lie. Optical illusions are a case-in-point.)

Proverbs 3:6 …in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

I’ve never really examined this verse in light of the need for humility before, but as I read it now, that seems to be at the core: Even when I think I’ve got it—a situation, life figured out, everything under control—I’ve got to depend on Him and not myself, which means I’ve got to be aware enough to realize that pride is creeping in—No, no, God. I’ve got this. I’m good.

Proverbs 3:7a Do not be wise in your own eyes….

Lord, Forgive my prideful attitude, even when it is automatic and unintentional, especially then. Help me to be aware, always, of my deep need for You. Help me to trust You in every situation. Help me not to lean on my own understanding. Amen.

Proverbs 3:35 The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame.

Have a blessed day.

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Belief and trust…. (devo reflection)

Mark 9:21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered.

I’m currently reading Peter Enns’ The Sin of Certainty, still trying to wrestle with my discomfort with the certainty of commentary especially with texts like Revelation. Enns talks about how the word BELIEVE in the Bible is synonymous with TRUST.

Mark 9:22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

Trust is something I have a really hard time with. I don’t know if it’s because of my hyper-developed self-sufficiency gene or what exactly, but I think it’s the root of so much of my anxiety, anger, bitterness, and fear. I believe, but it’s so hard to trust. Ridiculous, and yet utterly true.

Mark 9:23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Lord, I stand before You this morning in humility. I believe You are who You say You are, and yet, I struggle to trust, to be ok with uncertainty and unfairness and unknowing. Forgive me, Lord. Help me to remember 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 let go of my fear and my need to control and to fully trust You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Have a blessed day.

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Trust and hope…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

Lord, You promise that we have nothing to fear because You have called us and redeemed us. We are Yours. Help me to live the truth of these words, even when the world feels like it’s falling apart, even when every plan that I make fails to materialize. Help me to trust You and not be afraid.

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Lord, You don’t promise sunshine and roses always. Isaiah 43:2 doesn’t say *if* buy rather *when.* Bad things happen. Difficulties happen. But You promise to be with us always, even in hard times, especially then. Help me to lean into You and trust You, Lord, especially in my trials.

Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

Lord, Isaiah 43:19 gives me such hope: You are making a way, even now, even though I can’t yet perceive it. You are doing a new thing, something You are very excited about. Help me to trust and hope always, even when I can’t yet perceive what You are doing. Help me to trust and hope always in You, Lord. Amen.

Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness….

Have a blessed day.

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Near to us…. (devo reflection)

Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Lord, Thank You for being near to us. Always. Thank You for the reminder and encouragement to rejoice in You always—not because LIFE is always good but because YOU are always good, and You are always near to us—in our joy, in our sorrow, in our longing. Thank You.

Philippians 4:6a Do not be anxious about anything….

Lord, There are so many anxious thoughts that crowd around us in this life. Help us to block out the noise of the world, to concentrate on Your presence, Your voice. You are with us—in the joy and the fear, in the certainty and in the chaos. You are holding us securely in the palm of Your hand. Thank You.

Philippians 4:6b …but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Lord, Thank You that You are here, that You are hearing me as I try to draw nearer. Thank You that I can bring all my messy humanity and lay it at Your feet. Take my sorrow and my pain, take my sadness and my fear, take all my uncertainties, Lord. I lay them at Your feet. Help me leave them there. Grant me Your peace. Please, Jesus. Amen.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Have a blessed day.

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Rock-solid foundation…. (devo reflection)

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.

God does not want us to accept regurgitated faith. Someone else’s beliefs will not help us when we are struggling and in the pits of despair. He wants us to seek, knock, ask so that we can draw closer to Him in faith and trust.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

So how can we ask and not doubt? What I don’t doubt is God. Jesus. The Holy Spirit. Their sovereignty. Their love. Any questions I have are asked while standing on that firm, rock-solid foundation. It is that foundation that allows me to say, “I don’t understand this situation, but I know YOU, help me to trust, even when I am afraid.”

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Lord, Thank You for giving me this strong foundation. Thank You for creating me to be curious and inquisitive. Help me to draw closer to You with every question, every breath. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:20 …Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Have a blessed day.

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Seeking, examining, questioning…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 44:24 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself….

The biggest issue I had when reading through the Bible was actually reading the commentary, the certainty of the commentator that his ideas were THE right ideas. In my mind, that’s not God’s infallibility, that’s human pride, something I wrestle with myself.

Isaiah 44:25 …who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense….

And it reminded me of growing up in my little church. I honestly don’t know if I was TOLD that I was not to question God, but that’s certainly what I told myself. But one thing I know is that God wants a relationship with me, He wants me to draw near. And one way I do that is by seeking, examining, questioning.

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Lord, I know that You are love, that You call me to draw near to You, that, for me, that means examining and questioning so that I can better understand. As I figure out where in Your word You are calling me next, help me to seek and question so that I can draw closer to You. Always. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Have a blessed day.

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God is calling me to seek Him always…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Yesterday, when I finished reading Revelation 22, I completed my first entire read-through of the Bible. I read roughly one chapter per day, and it took me three years, three months, and nine days to complete. Each day I read a chapter, I read commentary, I sat with the material, I asked God for guidance.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

I realized during this time that God is calling me to seek Him always. I am not a Bible expert now, but I am definitely stronger in my faith. I don’t have answers to life’s difficult questions, but I absolutely have a stronger biblical base to pull support and encouragement for myself and others.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Lord, As I ponder next steps after reading the Bible through, I absolutely know that I will continue to seek You. Thank You for the myriad ways You continue to show up in my life. Thank You for the reminder that it’s the seeking—seeking You—that is important. Your face, Lord, do I seek. Amen.

Psalm 27:8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Have a blessed day.

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That sense of mystery and wonder…. (devo reflection)

Revelation 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.

To the end commentary is worded as adamant about what Revelation means and what is, of course, an utterly ridiculous interpretation. And I think that certainty does a huge disservice to Jesus and to God’s word.

Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

I think that sense of mystery and wonder is part of the point. We have been told repeatedly throughout the Bible to seek, ask, and knock. Jesus wants us to seek Him, to draw closer to Him. Seeking, questioning, as we read His word allows us to draw closer.

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

Lord, You have made no secret about Your commands: love You, love others. You’ve made no secret that You want an intimate relationship with us, but that we have to seek, ask, and knock. You’ve made no secret about how to draw closer: “Come!” About how to be satisfied: “take the free gift of the water of life.” Thank You, Jesus. Thank You.

Revelation 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

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Even now…. (devo reflection)

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

After all the terror and confusion of the images in Revelation, this chapter feels like a relief, a breath of fresh air. All that is gone and done. All that has passed away.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

The wording of verse 3 is particularly beautiful: God’s dwelling place is AMONG the people. They are His. He is theirs. What more could a person want?

Revelation 21:4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Lord, help me be mindful daily that You can dwell with me even now, that You are mine and I am Yours even now…not in the same way as it will be on that day, but I can bring a little piece of heaven to earth just by inviting You with me every single day. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Revelation 21:6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Have a blessed day.