To praise You…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 9:4 “‘…For today the LORD will appear to you.’”
Lord, This is the day that You have made. Help me to rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24) Help me to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and to run with perseverance the race marked out for me. (Hebrews 12:1)
Leviticus 9:23 … and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.
Lord, Your love is better than life. Help me never to lose sight of that fact. Let my lips glorify Your name always. (Psalm 63:3) I want to praise Your name as long as I live, to lift up Your name in praise. (Psalm 63:4) I cling to You because I know Your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:8)
Leviticus 9:24a Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the alter…
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this opportunity to spend time with You, to praise You. Thank You for loving me so deeply, for writing my name in the palm of Your hand (Isaiah 49:16), for making a way in my wilderness, even when I cannot yet perceive it (Isaiah 43:19). Thank You, Lord, for Your love, Your grace, Your mercy, Your hope. Draw me closer. Amen.
Leviticus 9:24b … And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
Have a great day.

A precious baby who would save the world…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you….”
Commentary on this verse “…reminds us that God may provide from resources we never knew existed. Sometimes He provides from familiar resources, sometimes from unexpected resources.” This idea puts me in mind of Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way….” 
Exodus 16:14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.
How often do I try to limit God to resources I know, solutions I understand? Thankfully, His thoughts are nothing like my thoughts, and His ways are far beyond anything I could imagine (Isaiah 55:8), like when He sent His son as a newborn baby in order to save the world. So I try to cling to Isaiah 43:19 and trust His promise and provision, even when I don’t understand, even when I cannot see a way forward. He’s making a way, in His time, with His resources.
Exodus 16:15a When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are in control and You are making a way. Thank You for not limiting Yourself to solutions and resources that I understand. Thank You for the birth of Your Son, a precious baby who would save the world. Draw us all closer. Amen.
Exodus 16:15b …Then Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.”
Have a blessed day.

The great I Am…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 16:11-12a Then the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites….”
When I read these verses, all I can think is “Praise God for His love and patience.” As a fallible human, I can say that the Israelites are plucking my last nerve. They are whiny and ungrateful. I would be sorely tempted to smite them just to teach them a lesson. Maybe then they would be more grateful.
Exodus 16:12b “…Tell them ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God’.”
Thankfully, God does not react that way. His goal is not to teach them not to question or mess with Him. He wants them to understand who He is, the great I Am. He wants them to learn that He fulfills His promises, even though it may look nothing like they hoped or planned. He wants them to understand that He is sovereign and loving, making a way, even if they cannot yet perceive it.
Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the fact that Your thoughts are not our thoughts and Your ways are beyond anything we can imagine (Isaiah 55:8). Thank You for responding to the Israelites from a place of love and not retribution. Thank You for loving us so fiercely and so deeply, even when we fight Your loving provision. Break down our defenses. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 16:20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell….
Have a blessed day.

Making a way…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 14:13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today….”
One of my favorite verses is 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….” I cling to this verse especially when, like the Israelites in Exodus 14, I cannot conceive of a way forward.
Exodus 14:14 “The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still.” (NIV)
As strong as my faith is, I still struggle in so many areas, but I am learning to trust God to make a way where I see no possible way. I am learning to trust that even as I realize I cannot make way own way forward, He is already at work, even if I cannot yet perceive it. This belief is a gift, and I cling to it, especially during difficult times.
Exodus 14:14 “The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (NLT)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for making a way, even when I can’t yet perceive it. Thank You for the hope that comes from my faith. It is beyond frightening when we come to a “stuck place,” no seeming way forward or back. Help us to remember that in those times as always, You are right beside us, fighting for us, making a way. All You need in those moments is for us to be still and know that You are God (Psalm 46:10). Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 14:31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in Him….
Have a blessed day.

The way things “should” be…. (devo reflection)

Gen 48:18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
I am the world’s worst for thinking about the way things “should” be. The older I get, the more I see how I have lived my life using the expectations of the world. “But this isn’t the way it SHOULD be!” has often been a refrain in my head if not on my lips. 
Gen 48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know….his younger brother will be greater than he….”
But we see God subverting this attitude again and again in scripture, including throughout Genesis. Abraham should be too old to father children. Sarah should be barren at her age. Isaac should take the sacrifice with him when he goes up the mountain with Abraham. Jacob, as second born, should not receive the blessing of the covenant. He also should not be considered a godly figure. He’s rather devious. Joseph, as a slave, should not be second in power only to Pharaoh. Again and again and again, God shows us that we can’t bank on what the world thinks should (or should not) happened. God doesn’t think, act, or work according to the world.
1 Sam 16:7 …“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that Your thoughts and ways are beyond anything we can imagine. Thank You for being bigger, stronger, wiser, and more sovereign than the ways of this world. Help me not to worry about what “should be” according to anyone but You. Help me to fix my eyes on You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
Have a blessed day. 

Look to their character…. (devo reflection)

Gen 44:1 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house….
It feels very much like Joseph is playing cat and mouse with his brothers, torturing them to exact retribution for all that he endured because of their treatment of him. That thought has certainly been rolling around in the back of my head for the past several chapters. But today’s commentary urges me to remember the character of Joseph—Joseph, who knows that God is in control. Joseph, who has humbly served God throughout his time in Egypt, despite false accusations, unfair imprisonments, and forgotten promises. Joseph has been humble and faithful from the beginning. Why would he turn to revenge now?
Gen 44:2 “Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack….”
Lord, Your ways are not our ways, and Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). Forgive us when we apply faulty human logic to things we don’t understand. When we see people acting in ways that don’t make sense, help us to remember to look to their character and to lean on You for wisdom and guidance.
Gen 44:4 …”Go after those men at once… say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?’”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that things are not always as they appear. Help us to remember that “The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them, people judge by outward appearances, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). Help us to trust You. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 44:14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in….
Have a blessed day.

Antsier in the waiting…. (devo reflection)

Gen 41:1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream….
I’m not a tremendously patient person. And once I’ve hatched a good plan and attached a timeline to it, I get even antsier in the waiting. So Joseph’s story is a concrete reminder for me to trust God’s timing, even when I don’t understand it, even when I don’t like it, even when it doesn’t fit neatly into my plan.
Gen 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.”
Genesis 41 takes place two full years after Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s dream and asked in return only to be remembered so that he could get out of prison. For two years the cupbearer thought nothing of Joseph. By earthly standards, Joseph would have been well within his rights to be eaten up with anger and rage because of that oversight. But God in His infinite mercy was continuing to make a way, to line everything up just so, to refine Joseph’s character so that Joseph was ready when God’s timing was right.
Gen 41:12 “Now a young Hebrew was there with us….We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder to trust in Your timing, even when it is so very different from our own. There are many situations that I thought would be resolved by now, many times when I thought You would finally make a way, many times where I have chosen to respond with earthly frustration. But I know and Joseph reminds me that “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And My ways are far beyond anything you can imagine” (Isaiah 55:8). Help me to persevere, Lord, knowing with confidence that You continue to make a way, even though I cannot yet perceive it. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 41:14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon….
Have a blessed day. 

You are with us always…. (devo reflection)

Gen 39:1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of the Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites….
The story of Joseph seems to be a story of faithfulness—both Joseph’s and God’s. Joseph has been wrongfully sold into slavery by his brothers, wrongfully accused of sexual advances by his master’s wife, wrongfully imprisoned because of those false charges. By human standards, he has every right to be angry because what keeps happening to him is not fair. But he remains faithful and finds a way to serve God, even in his unpleasant circumstances.
Gen 40:2-3 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody…in the same prison where Joseph was confined.
In Genesis 40, I am reminded again and again of Isaiah 43:19 (…Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness…) and Romans 8:28 (…in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him….). Potiphar, the master whose wife falsely accused Joseph, is the captain of the guard in the prison where he is housed. He shows Joseph kindness and favor while he is imprisoned, showing that he did not believe his wife’s charges against him. And with the addition of the chief cupbearer and chief baker, God is continuing to put things in place to move Joseph where He, God, can powerfully use him.
Gen 40:4a The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You are with us always, even when our circumstances are unpleasant, unfair, or unbearable, even when we feel alone. Thank You that You can use all things for our good and Your glory and  for continuing to make a way in our circumstances. Help us to trust and obey. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 40:4b-5 After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men…had a dream the same night.
Have a blessed day. 

Seeing God’s potential in each other…. (devo reflection)

Gen 29:35 Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the LORD!” ….
The contrast between Judah’s birth in Gen 29 and his actions in Gen 37 is a sharp one. Leah and Rachel were having a bitter battle with offspring as their pawns. Finally, with the birth of Judah, Leah seems at peace—she’s not vying for position with her husband, she’s not trying to outdo her sister. She seems content, to the point she names Judah to commemorate the fact that she is celebrating what God gave her. This is an occasion for much hope and it contrasts sharply with the Judah we see is Gen 37.
Gen 37:26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?”
The Judah of Gen 37 seems cold and calculating. He says, essentially, “If we are going to do away with our brother anyway, why don’t we just sell him? Then at least we’ll gain something from the situation.” The words, the thoughts, the actions, seem unforgivable. How could anyone be so callous and heartless? How could there be any redeeming such a soul? But God, in His infinite mercy, is able to do so much more than we can humanly conceive (Eph 3:20). This calculating, treacherous schemer is a direct ancestor to our Savior. Even in this seemingly impossible situation, God is making a way. Thank You, Jesus.
Gen 37:27a “Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” …
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the richness of Your word, of Your love, and of Your mercy. Thank You that You can redeem even the most hopeless situation. Thank You that You don’t see only what we’ve done but also what we can do for You. Help us to see Your potential in each other, Lord. Help us to remember that You are making a way, even if we can’t yet perceive it (Isaiah 43:19). Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 37:27b …His brothers agreed.
Have a blessed day.

Remaining faithful…. (devo reflection)

Gen 8:1 But God remembered Noah….
In times of trial, it is easy to feel abandoned. Where is God? Why aren’t things getting better? According to commentary, Noah and his family (and all those animals) left the ark almost a full year after entering. Can you imagine? Yet even though Noah couldn’t see great and speedy progress, he knew God had promised and God would be faithful, so Noah remained faithful.
Gen 8:6 After forty days Noah opened a window he made in the ark….
As I read Gen 8, I am reminded of 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 and streams in the wasteland. I cling to Isaiah 43:19, especially in difficult times. I often have to remind myself that just because I can’t SEE what God is doing, how God is working in my circumstances, doesn’t mean He’s not all over it. My faith tells me He can use ALL things, and I believe it, even when I can’t yet perceive it. So I will remain faithful. Thank You, Jesus.
Gen 8:14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your presence and power in my life, even when I can’t yet perceive how You are working through my circumstances. Thank You for remembering me, for working all things for my good and Your glory. Thank You for Noah’s faithful example and for being present for him and for us, even if we couldn’t perceive it. Draw me closer as I shine Your light. Amen.
Gen 8:20 Then Noah built an alter to the LORD….
Have a blessed day.