Gen 21:20 And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness….
Our family returned last night from a three day hiking and camping trip on the Appalachian Trail. I considered writing two reflections before leaving and putting them up on the website (bethduncan.net), but as I tried to read the next chapter of 2 Samuel Sunday evening, I found I couldn’t feel God’s Spirit with me in the words, so I decided to take a two day break from writing reflections and focus on reconnecting with God in a completely different way by being fully present in our trip and looking for Him along the way.
Deut 4:29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Our God is so faithful, and I found Him everywhere I looked. From the vibrant wildlife (a bright orange Red Eft) and plant life (verdant green ferns, gorgeous wildflowers in reds, purples, yellows, and whites) to a small youth group from Ohio the same age as our boys to the encouragement we were able to give each other along the way to the weather (clouds mean less searing heat and less sunburn), God was with us every step of the way.
Matt 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you.”
Lord, Thank You for this day. Thank You for Your presence and steadfastness, for being with us if we will only look to see You. Thank You for the ability to connect with You in a different, very powerful way. Help me not to be afraid to step out of routine connections and seek You and find You off the beaten path. You are with me always. Draw me closer. Amen.
Luke 11:9 “So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Have a blessed day.
Another way…. (devo reflection)
Joshua 19:49-50 When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, as the LORD had commanded….
The words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:23) echo in this chapter for me. The Israelites have finally claimed their inheritance (though they failed to fully drive out all of the original inhabitants). Joshua has ensured the tribes have claimed their lands.
Joshua 19:50b …They gave him the town he asked for…in the hill country of Ephraim….
From the beginning, Joshua has been faithful. He doesn’t claim his own inheritance until everyone else has theirs, yet he still gets “the town he asked for…in the hill country of Ephraim.” So often on this life we feel we have to strike first and fast to get what we want, but Joshua shows us another way.
Joshua 19:50c …And he built up a town and settled there.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Joshua’s example. When I meet You face-to-face, I want You to be able to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:23). Help me to live a life that makes it possible. Draw me closer. Amen.
Joshua 19:51 …And so they finished dividing the land.
Have a blessed day.
Perfect love…. (devo reflection)
Deut 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
I am a deeply, fiercely, unconditionally loved child of God. He loves me as much on my worse day as He does on my best day. His love, His presence, His mercy and grace are limitless and without condition. I am unwaveringly thankful.
Deut 4:29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
He asks that same deep, fierce, unconditional love of me for Him. He wants me to love Him, to seek Him, with all that I am and all that I have. He wants me to be as steadfast in my devotion to Him in my trials as I am in my praise of Him in my triumphs. Some days I do pretty well at unwavering love. Some days I have to give myself plenty of grace, remind myself of His unconditional love, and try again to love Him without limits, without whining, without fear.
Matt 22:37 Jesus declared, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your clear example of perfect love. Thank You that You understand my flawed humanity, that You show me such undeserved grace and mercy as I fumble through this life. Thank You for loving me as completely on my worse day as You do on my best day. Thank You for understanding my deep love for You, even when I am bitter or afraid. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.
Mark 12:30 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Have a blessed day.
Firmly rooted…. (devo reflection)
Numbers 31:22-23a Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean….
There is so much I do not know, do not understand, about this chapter, but as I was praying over what to write today, I felt God very clearly direct me to 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.”
Numbers 31:23b …But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water.
This is certainly a time of testing. With fear and uncertainty so pervasive, I am daily, hourly, being tested so far as where I put my trust, my faith. With changes happening so quickly, it is easy to feel like I am balanced precariously on shifting sand, but the truth is that my feet are firmly planted on the Solid Rock, and I would do well not to forget that.
Matt 7:24 “Everyone then who heard these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that we are firmly rooted in You, and that, because of that, even though the howling winds and lashing rain may assault us, You are our Shelter, our Rock, our Foundation, and our Hope. We will be ok in the end because we are Yours. Help us never to forget that, Lord. Help us to remind each other, shining Your light, sharing Your hope. Draw us closer. Amen.
Matt 7:25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
Have a blessed day
Echoes…. (devo reflection)
Numbers 12:1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses….
I clearly see a parallel in Numbers 12 between Moses and Jesus. I was surprised when commentary didn’t mention the similarities. First, like Jesus, Moses does not spring to his own defense when he is falsely accused. He knows who he is and trusts God to know his heart. Jesus’s response, found in all four gospels, to Pilate’s question about whether He is king of the Jews is simply, “You say that I am….” Moses simply doesn’t answer his accusers at all.
Numbers 12:7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
The first words Moses speaks are in Numbers 12:13, where he prays for the healing of Miriam’s leprosy, a condition brought on her as punishment for her false accusation, reminding me of Jesus, as He was dying, praying for the soldiers casting lots for His clothes. “Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Numbers 12:13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “Please, God, heal her!”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the echo of Jesus’s example that I see in Moses’s behavior. Thank You for the reminder to trust that You know who I am, even when I am maligned by others. Thank You for the love and hope that comes from praying for others, even those who persecute me (Matt 5:44). Help me to shine Your light, spread Your peace, love, and hope through my actions and reactions. Help me never to lose sight of the fact that You know my heart and You will fight for me (Exodus 14:14). Draw me closer. Amen.
Numbers 12:15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
Have a blessed day.
Speak life…. (devo reflection)
Leviticus 14:7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean….
In reading commentary about today’s scripture, I was reminded that the priest “looses as well as binds.” It was his duty as priest to declare the leper unclean and his duty to declare him healed. This binding and loosing put me in mind of Matt 16:19 and the message from church this past week that Jesus gives us the power to bind and loose as well.
Leviticus 14:11 The priest who pronounces them clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the LORD….
These thoughts led me to the singer TobyMac and his thoughts on speaking life to each other. When we speak life to one another, we uplift, encourage, edify. We break the chains that weigh others down, chains formed by life, the enemy, ourselves. We have the power to bind and to loose as we interact with each other. May we always use that power wisely.
Leviticus 14:48 “But if the priest comes to examine it and the mold has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder to speak life to one another, to lift each other up, encourage each other, and break the chains that hold us captive. Help up remember that we are perfectly imperfect and fiercely loved exactly as we are in this moment. Help us to always speak life to each other. Draw us closer. Amen.
Matt 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Have a blessed day.
Seeking…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 26:34 Put the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law in the Most Holy Place.
When I read chapter 26 this morning, I had a very difficult time trying to figure out how to apply it to my life, my walk. In fact, without the insights gained through the commentary, I’m not sure I’d have anything of value to say. Perhaps that is the first lesson of this chapter—It’s ok to not know, to not understand, to not get it on your own. Matt 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find….”
Exodus 26:35 Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lamp stand opposite it on the south side.
The commentary about verses 34 and 35 really struck me. The commentator said: “The furniture in the holy place spoke of the three great obligations of walking with God….” The atonement cover in the most holy place represents the need for prayer. The table holding the showbread represents the need for fellowship. The lampstand represents the need for God’s illumination and enlightenment in our lives. While I would never have perceived that without the commentary, I totally see the correlation.
Exodus 26:36 For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that we don’t have to figure it all out alone, that we need conversation with You and communion with others to help us make sense of this life. Draw me closer as I seek to know You more. Amen.
Exodus 26:37 Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold….
Have a blessed day.
The heart of God’s commands (devo reflection)
Exodus 20:18 When people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance….
Rules are important. Especially when a group is going from 400 years of slavery to freedom, rules can be crucial. But they can also be deeply abused, knowingly or otherwise. The commentary I’ve been reading through Genesis and Exodus thus far has been incredibly enlightening, especially historical background and details that I am ignorant about. But in the span of this one chapter, that commentary has treated derisively—by name—two religions and a recording artist, and that seems so grossly opposed to what God was trying to accomplish in Exodus 20.
Exodus 20:19 …and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we shall die.”
My personal paraphrase of all God’s commands is “Love God. Love others.” I have no clue where I first heard this. It’s certainly not original to me, but it helps me keep myself on track in my walk. God wants a personal relationship with each of us, and He doesn’t employ guilt or shame to bring that deep, loving, intimate relationship about. Relationships based on guilt and shame don’t typically lead to deep, loving intimacy. God knows that. So do we.
Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, even for this commentary, which doesn’t fulfill Your mandate to love You and love others. Rules, laws, and commandments are important, Lord, but we are human and fallible, and we often use them to wound each other instead of to draw closer to You. Help us to love, respect, and cherish You and Your people, Lord. Help us to remove the plank from our own eye before we try to remove the speck from our brother’s (Matt 7:5). Help us to keep the heart of Your commands instead of using them as weapons. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 20:21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Have a blessed day.
More faithful still tomorrow…. (devo reflection)
Gen 26:5 …because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.
Genesis 26 fills me with great hope. God found Abraham, who didn’t always obey fully or immediately, who didn’t always tell the truth, who didn’t always put God first, to be faithful because God grew him as a man of faith. He took that human, fallible being and gave him time, love, and opportunity to obey. Abraham was never perfect, but he came to a place of trust and obedience that allowed him to proceed confidently toward the sacrifice of his chosen son, knowing that God was calling him to it and would be faithful to His promises, even if Abraham couldn’t fathom how it would happen. The story of how God grows Abraham into a man of faith is a beautiful illustration of Psalm 103:12 He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west.
Gen 26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” ….
Isaac’s behavior in this chapter illustrates Matt 26:41: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Isaac makes many of the exact same mistakes as his father. But God is patient. He remembers the strength of Abraham’s eventual faith and trust. He sets out to build the same faith in Isaac one experience at a time.
Gen 26:15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You know exactly how human and fallible we are. Thank You that You ask for and look for progress in our faithfulness, not for perfection. Help me to be more faithful today than yesterday and more faithful still tomorrow. Help me to quit battling with my deeply fallible humanity and focus instead on my progress in faith. Draw me closer to You. Amen.
Gen 26:24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you….”
Have a blessed day.
Flashing neon signs from God…. (devo reflection)
Acts 9:6 … “Lord, what do You want me to do?”…
I’m a big fan of flashing neon signs from God: “Beth—THIS is what I want you to do.” As you can probably imagine, those don’t usually happen. More often, I pray and fret and wait, and agonize over whether I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, and pray and fret and wait.
Isaiah 30:21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it….”
And then there are the times when the only way to go is glaringly obvious—forward, through the pain, through the fear, through the chaos and confusion. Those are the times when I struggle—Why, Lord? Why this? Why us? Why now?—but they are also the times when I cling most closely to His promise in Matt 28:20: “…And I will be with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, Your guidance and direction. Thank You for understanding how difficult life can be and for giving us strength, wisdom, and discernment to understand Your will for us. Thank You for Your willingness and ability to use everything, even our missteps, for our good and Your glory. Draw us closer. Amen.
Proverbs 3:6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Have a blessed day.