April 2024 – Page 2 – A Work in Progress….

April 20, 2024

Calling out to Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 31:3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Verse 5a has my attention this morning. Jesus uttered a version of verse 5a right before he died, which is why, when I read 5a, I read “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” When I looked up various translations of this verse, most say “You have redeemed me,” the NLT translation says “rescue me,” the Good News Translation says, “You will save me,” while NIV says, simply, “deliver me.”

Psalm 31:4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.

Remember that we are talking about refuge, and yesterday I said that if refuge is right there and *I* don’t take advantage, it is of no use to me, even though it is there. Today, we learn that simply calling out to Jesus IS engaging that refuge. Calling out to Him, praising Him for redeeming, pleading for Him to save and deliver, that IS using the refuge available to us.

Psalm 31:5a Into your hands I commit my spirit;

Precious Savior, There is still so much to learn about You and about Your love for me. Thank You that You love me fiercely, even though I fall short again and again. Thank You that You are my refuge, even though I am sometimes slow to call on You. Help me to keep You as my center. Always. Amen.

Psalm 31:5b …deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

Have a blessed day.

April 19, 2024

Refuge…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 31:1a In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;

A quick Google search defines refuge as: “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” However, a refuge that is not utilized is not useful. If I am standing in the pouring rain, with thunder and lightning all around, and a refuge is inches from me but I’m not in it, that refuge is useless to me.

Psalm 31:1b …let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.

I am a worrier. I’ve admitted that before. I stress and I stew and I fret over situations. I often, figuratively, stand in the middle of the storm being lashed with rain and beaten by wind with refuge literally RIGHT THERE, yet I do not take advantage. I continue to stress and stew and fret. Jesus, Help me.

Psalm 31:2a Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue;

Precious Savior, You know I have been trying to reign in my worry habit for a long time. Thank You for loving me anyway. Thank You for helping me to see that my continuing to worry and fret is me not taking advantage of the refuge You lovingly provide for me. Forgive me. Help me. Thank You for always loving me. Amen.

Psalm 31:2b …be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.

Have a blessed day.

April 18, 2024

Grace and graciousness…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Again I am captivated by Joseph’s words in verse 20: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good….” Verse 21 says that he reassures them and speaks to them kindly. The thought that radiates through me is that I want to be like Joseph. I want to have that kind of grace and graciousness for others.

Genesis 50:22-23 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.

I know that if you are consumed with bitterness, life will not go well for you. Just feeling the bitterness for Joseph’s brothers as I type makes me feel….icky. And yet, when I am hurt, my first reaction is to defend, to strike back. That is not grace and graciousness. That just drags me down to a level where I do not want to be.

Genesis 50:24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Precious Savior, Forgive me when my human side is at war with my eternal side, when bitterness makes me think about getting even. The emotion feels terrible inside of my skin. Help me, instead, to strive for grace and graciousness–not because they deserve it, but because You deserve it. Help me to be so focused on You that I don’t have time for that nonsense. Amen.

Genesis 50:25-26 And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Have a blessed day.

April 17, 2024

“God intended it for good….” (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

I tend to hold onto Genesis 50:20 with both hands: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good….” I truly feel that this is the case with so much in life. Even in these verses, Joseph’s brothers intend…maybe not harm but definitely deceit. Their message is a lie. Yet God uses the situation for good.

Genesis 50:18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

I do think we need to keep Isaiah 55:8 in mind, too, though: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” God’s mind doesn’t work like ours. When we think good, we think reward, prize, positive. God’s good is eternal. He thinks the saving of many lives.

Genesis 50:19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

Precious Savior, Thank You that You can and will and do use all things for our good and Your glory. Thank You that Your definition of good is eternal and far beyond what we can imagine. Help us to trust that You are using all things for our good and Your glory, that anything intended to harm, You intend and use for good. Help us to trust. Amen.

Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Have a blessed day.

April 16, 2024

Forgive me…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite.

To say that Joseph’s brothers had been less than kind to him would be an understatement. Now that their father is gone, the brothers are worried that Joseph will hold a grudge and seek retribution for the wrongs they have done to him.

Genesis 50:14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.

Commentary says what they are really worried about is judgment. They did wrong. That is not in question. What they are hoping is to escape the judgment for that wrong. They want to skip the consequences of their actions.

Genesis 50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”

Precious Savior, Like Joseph’s brothers, I know I have done wrong in my life. Forgive me. Replace my heart of stone with a pure heart, steeped in Your Spirit. Thank You for washing me clean. Help me to live a life worthy of Your sacrifice. Help me to show others the grace that You so freely lavish on me. Amen.

Genesis 50:16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died:

Have a blessed day.

April 15, 2024

At our center…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.

Father, There are so many of us struggling with so many things at present. Thank You for knowing each of us personally, for understanding our struggles, for leading and guiding us as we grieve.

Genesis 50:10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father.

Lord, Help us to keep ourselves centered on You–Your love, Your grace, Your guidance. Help us to keep You at our core, to grieve the people, things, and opportunities we love, but to not get mired in eternal grief.

Genesis 50:11 When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.

Precious Savior, Thank You for being present with us, for guiding us, for grieving with us even while leading us forward. Help us to keep You at our center. Always. Amen.

Genesis 50:12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them:

Have a blessed day.

April 14, 2024

For a purpose…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:5 ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ”

Funerals are hard. Grieving is hard. I’m going to be honest…I sort of regret my decision to come to Genesis 50 because I feel I have no wisdom to give. But God directed me here for a purpose. If there is any wisdom I could share, it would be: Don’t leave things left unsaid.

Genesis 50:6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”

I’m a pretty awkward person by nature, and I’ve learned to lean into that, to give the compliment, to ask if everything is ok, to say how much I appreciate a person. I don’t do it as often or as well as I should, but I’m much better at it now than I used to be. And I’ll keep striving to get a little better still.

Genesis 50:7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt—

Precious Savior, Death is hard. Grieving is hard. I figure You have me in this chapter because You know I have work to do here. Help me to learn and grow. Help me to shine Your light. Help me to draw closer to You. That’s what this life is all about. Amen.

Genesis 50:8 besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen.

Have a blessed day.

April 13, 2024

When the days of mourning had passed…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 50:1 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him.

I decided to go to Genesis 50 today because of a verse that is coming up in the text. But when I began today’s reflection and saw where this chapter begins, with a death, a loss, I wondered if maybe God had other ideas in sending me here. You see, spring is a tough time for me. I lost a lot of people I love in the springtime, and every spring, that grief, that loss wraps itself around me, dragging my heart down.

Genesis 50:2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,

What strikes me as I read this morning, though, is verse 4, “When the days of mourning had passed….” I don’t think grief is a switch that you can flip and move on, but I am reminded by this verse that Jesus is my center and that no matter how deep my grief, I cannot get stuck in this place of mourning, permanently moored here. If Jesus is my center, then I need to keep following Him, even as I grieve, even as I move slowly, painfully forward.

Genesis 50:3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

Precious Savior, Thank You for knowing me and loving me. Thank You for understanding my grief and my mourning. Thank You for reminding me not to get mired in my grief but to keep You at my center. Help me to cling to You, even in my struggle. Amen.

Genesis 50:4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him…

Have a blessed day.

April 12, 2024

Faithfulness…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 61:5 For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

In verse 1 of Psalm 61, David says, “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.” In verse 5, we see that God has listened, is listening and David knows that and will honor his vow to God just as God honors His promise to David (to hear, to listen, to be present).

Psalm 61:6 Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations.

I hope I am as faithful with both my pleas to God AND my praise of Him. I hope I both call to Him AND praise His name. I’m better at it now than I used to be, but I absolutely know that there is room for improvement. It’s an area where I definitely want to do better.

Psalm 61:7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

Precious Savior, Thank You for hearing my cries of distress. Thank You for listening to my prayers–the mundane and the extraordinary. Forgive me when I neglect to praise You as You deserve. Help me to do better. Always. Amen.

Psalm 61:8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

Have a blessed day.

April 11, 2024

Refuge…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 61:3a For you have been my refuge,

Google defines refuge as a noun, meaning “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” If God is my refuge, that means that He is my safe place, my shelter, where I can go to not be pursued by danger or trouble. Even just reading that definition, I feel my soul take a breath of relief.

Psalm 61:3b …a strong tower against the foe.

If He is with me always, and I truly believe that He is, then that shelter, that refuge is always available to me. Always. So on those days where I feel beleaguered or overwhelmed or pursued by danger or trouble, that means I am not utilizing the most amazing resource I have in my daily defense arsonal–the refuge of my Savior.

Psalm 61:4a I long to dwell in your tent forever…

Precious Savior, Thank You for being with me always, for providing me with refuge always. Thank You that I can count on You, that I can trust You, no matter what I encounter in each day. Help me not to forget that You ARE my refuge. Help me to seek refuge in You when life overwhelms. Amen.

Psalm 61:4b …and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Have a blessed day.