Author: Beth Duncan

Deut 33:12a …”Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him all day long….”
Lord, This is such an uncertain time. Thank You for Your steadfast presence. You are here with us. You already know how this will end. We are more than victorious because we are Yours. Thank You.
Deut 33:12b “…the one the LORD loves rests between His shoulders.”
Lord, You knew we could never do life in our own strength. You designed us that way. Thank You that Your strength is made perfect in our weakness. Thank You for being our Rock and our Shelter even now.
Deut 33:27a “The eternal God is your refuge….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your fierce love. Thank You that we can lean on Your “everlasting arms, safe and secure from all alarms.” Thank You for the peace that can only come from You. Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 33:27b “…underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Have a blessed day.

Deut 32:15a “But Israel soon became fat and unruly….”
It is easy to cling to God when life is falling apart. When all my jumbled brain can pray is “Please, Jesus. Please, Jesus. Please, Jesus,” my need for Him is never in question. But when life is going well, when everything seems right and abundant, when my desperate need for His presence gives way to the opportunity to actually get to know Him more, that’s when it sometimes gets tricky.
Deut 32:15b “…the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed!”
I’d like to think I’ve gotten better as I’ve gotten older. I’d like to think that because of the times that I’ve needed Him so desperately, I’ve gotten better at praising Him and sitting at His feet, soaking up His presence, learning Him more, even when life is going well. I definitely know that there is always room for improvement in my relationship with Christ. I’m thankful for the opportunity.
Deut 32:15c “…Then they abandoned the God who had made them….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for being my Rock and my Salvation always. Thank You for holding me together when the world is falling apart and for sitting with me quietly when life is sailing along. Thank You for allowing it to be well with my soul because You are at my center. Draw me closer. Help me always to seek You. Amen.
Deut 32:15d “…they made light of the Rock of their salvation.”
Have a blessed day.

Deut 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This morning has started out rough. I woke up late, which meant that instead of having an hour or more of quite time with my Savior, I was immediately sucked into things for work, along with the frustrations, anxieties, and uncertainties that are constant companions of this COVID-19 pandemic. I knew the answer was to step away and spend time with my Savior, laying my worries at His feet and breathing in His peace. And when I seek Him, He always shows me that He is with me.
Deut 31:7…”Be strong and courageous….”
Just like Joshua, I am afraid of all that is before me. I am uncertain of what will be asked and expected of me. I am saddened by the changes that are taking place.  There are many others feeling similarly, I’m sure. But just like Joshua, I am not expected to do this alone nor in my own strength (which is good because I can’t). I can be strong and courageous because God is with me, He goes before me, and He will never leave me. Thank You, Jesus.
Deut 31:8 The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your encouragement. Thank You for the reminder that I am not asked to do any of this in my own strength, for the reminder that You are with me always. Help me, when I am overwhelmed by anxiety, to lay it at Your feet and to wrap myself in Your truth—You are with me, You go before me, You will never leave me. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.
Deut 31:23 The LORD gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for…I myself will be with you.”
Have a blessed day.

Deut 30:19a This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses….
Every day I have a choice about how I respond to my circumstances. I can choose to see the blessings in my life, despite the hardships, or I can choose to gripe and grumble and dwell in the negative.
Deut 30:19b …Now choose life, so that you and your children may live….
Unfortunately, and far more often than I’d like, I make the wrong choice, I allow fear, anger, disappointment, bitterness, other people’s mess to influence my choice. Thankfully, the choice is always in my hands, and the moment I realize I am making the wrong choice, I have the power to choose differently.
Deut 30:20a …and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the ability to choose my attitude. Help me to be so full of love and gratitude for You that no matter what I encounter today, I can honestly say, “The LORD has been so very good to me” and mean it with every fiber of my being. Draw me closer to You. Amen.
Deut 30:20b …For the LORD your God is your life….
Have a blessed day.

Deut 29:2 …Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land.
“The LORD has been so very good to me.” What a beautiful way to live life, praising our Savior for His many blessings. If I were to count them all, big and small, I would be counting for a very long time because He is that good, that kind, that loving, that steadfast—to me, to you, to all His children, even now.
Deut 29:3 With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those signs and great wonders.
More than once in the midst of our current madness I have had to remind myself that God is still sovereign, that He is still on His throne. I do not believe He unleashed this virus, but I have no doubt that He knew it was coming. I have no doubt He can use all of this, every single bit, for His glory and our good if we allow.
Deut 29:4 But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your sovereignty. Thank You for the realization that You ARE so very good to me, even now. Thank You for the understanding that You have not given me a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear all that You are doing. Help me to make peace with Your mystery while I cling to Your truth. Draw me closer. Amen.
Deut 29:5 Yet the LORD says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.”
Have a blessed day.

Deut 27:1 Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today.”
Moses was as close as he would get to the Promised Land. Because of his disobedience while they were in the wilderness, he would not be allowed to enter. I wonder if he was feeling the weight of that as he was reviewing all the commands for the Israelites as they stood poised to enter their Promised Land. Was there a sense of urgency? A sense of “I must remember to tell them….”? Was there peace? Confidence? That he had done his part and they would be ok?
Deut 27:2 “When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the LORD your God is giving you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster.”
I often feel this way at the end of the semester, especially with my seniors. I try to teach them skills that can be applied to any situation, not just English—good work ethic, getting along with people you may not like, looking at all sides of a situation, listening to people you disagree with. Always towards the end I wonder if I’ve taught them everything I could have, should have. Did I do enough to help them toward the next steps? I wonder if Moses struggled with similar feelings?
Deut 27:3 “Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the work that I do. Thank You for the ability to work with these young people before they leave the shelter of high school. Be with me as I try to prepare them. Be with them as they cross out of high school and into this new phase of life. Draw us all closer to You. Amen.
Deut 27:4 “And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster.”
Have a blessed day.

Deut 26:16 The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Since Deuteronomy chapter 4, Moses has been reminding the Israelites of the LORD’s commands. Now he reminds them why he was reminding them—so that they can carefully observe those commands with all their heart and with all their soul. 
Deut 26:17 You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in obedience to Him, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to Him.
God created us to praise Him, to obey Him, to glorify Him. And He wants to bless us richly for our obedience and praise. But He will never force us. He wants a rich, intimate relationship with us, and that cannot grow from force. 
Deut 26:18 And the LORD has declared this day that you are His people, His treasured possession as He promised, and that you are to keep all His commands.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the ability to choose You. Thank You for considering us Your people, Your treasured possession. Thank You for allowing us the freedom to grow and mature in our relationship with You. Draw us closer. Amen.
Deut 26:19 He has declared that He will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations He had made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as He promised.
Have a blessed day.

Deut 25:1 When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty.
I find myself really struggling in these last few chapters of Deuteronomy. I would say I’m having a hard time seeing God, but He’s here, providing rules for His chosen ones so that they understand what is expected of them.
Deut 25:4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
Rules are important. But so is compassion, love, and mercy, and I guess that’s what I’m struggling with. We have all the rules in Deut., but we don’t see any compassion, really. Well, we see God’s compassion of not wiping out a disobedient people, but we don’t see compassion within the rules.
Deut 25:5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your presence. Thank You, even when I struggle, that You are here with me. Help me to draw closer to You always, Lord. Help me to shine Your light, even when I am confused or unsettled. Amen.
Deut 25:13 Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light.
Have a blessed day.