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1 Kings 19:13a When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave…

As I was rereading 1 Kings 19 this morning, I noticed that the words of verse 10 and verse 14 are identical. The only difference is that after verse 10, Elijah was in the presence of the Lord. It strikes me that this entire chapter is about Elijah gaining perspective about how mighty, how present, how sovereign His God is and how his problems don’t stand a chance against Him.

1 Kings 19:13b …Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Back in verse 4, Elijah sat under the broom bush and prayed to die. He’d had enough. Yet with rest, food, the Lord’s gentle whisper, he is now confidently laying his fears before God. Essentially, this chapter seems to be the epitome of “Don’t tell God how big your problems are. Tell your problems how big your God is.” That’s perspective.

1 Kings 19:14a He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword…. 

Lord, I know I am guilty of losing perspective, of allowing my fears to grow enormous while my faith shrinks and quakes. Help me, like Elijah, not to freak out, not to give in to stress. Help me to rest in You, to renew myself in You, so that I can confidently bring my fears to You and lay them at Your feet, leaving them there. Amen.

1 Kings 19:14b …I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

Have a blessed day.

John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

This world is all about hierarchies and power dichotomies. Who’s in charge? Who has power? Who are the underlings? But Jesus strives for another way. Not only does He want us to have His joy, for His joy to be complete in us, but He calls us friends, not servants. He is all about changing the narrative of power structure.

John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

He could absolutely have kept the title of “Big Boss,” but He calls us friends, He invites us in. I think He does this originally with the disciples because He knew He would not be able to stay with them and He wanted them to be as passionate about the Kingdom cause as He was. He wants the same for us. He wants His kingdom to be our kingdom, His mission to be our mission.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 

Lord, Thank You for choosing me and appointing me so that I could bear fruit. Thank You for calling me friend, for treating me as co-heir to God’s kingdom. Thank You for the trust implied by those actions. Help me to live up to that trust. Amen.

John 15:17 This is my command: Love each other.

Have a blessed day.

Acts 2:8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 

A quote about fear and destruction came to mind as I read today’s verses, but I am unable to find exactly the one I remember. It was something along the lines of “What we don’t understand, we fear. What we fear, we destroy.”

Acts 2:9-11 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

A quick look at verse 13 shows the truth of this semi-remembered thought. The speakers in verse 13 didn’t understand how everyone could understand in their native tongue, regardless of what language was being spoken. They were afraid because they didn’t understand. They tore down–”They must be drunk!”–what they feared. No discussion. No attempt at understanding. No examination for the miraculous. Just harsh, dismissive words.

Acts 2:12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

Lord, In this world it is far too easy, far too common, to fear what we don’t understand. When faced with fear, many seek the route of ridicule and dismissal instead of trying to understand. But Your thoughts are not our thoughts. Your ways are far beyond anything we can ever imagine. Help us to open our minds and hearts. Help us to seek to understand and to share Your love, compassion, and mercy. Always. Amen.

Acts 2:13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 4:22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

Lord, Forgive me for being just as fickle as those in Your hometown, marveling at Your graciousness one minute and threatening violence the next.

Luke 4:28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.

Lord, Even when I question and doubt, especially then, thank You for not turning Your back on me. Help me to love others with Your graciousness.

Luke 4:29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.

Lord, Help me not to miss the miraculous in the ordinary. You surround me with it daily, and I am so thankful. Help me to have a heart that seeks You always. Amen.

Luke 4:30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

Job 5:3 “I myself have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.”

Eliphaz’s observations and advice come from deep personal conviction that he understands the ways of God and, therefore, understands why Job is being afflicted as he is. But he’s wrong. His well-meaning advice wounds Job further. According to commentary, “Eliphaz preaches a God who can be figured out.” As much as I love understanding the why of a situation, I know that that is not how God operates. He’s not concerned with being sure we understand the why. His objective is so much bigger.

Job 5:6 “For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor trouble sprout from the ground.”

I have been pondering putting the following on my board at school: We don’t know what we don’t know. Embrace an attitude of “What if…” What if I’m wrong? What if I don’t have all the information? What if there is another side to the story of which I’m unaware? What if this situation isn’t what I think it is? This idea, to me, is at heart of the lesson in this chapter: God is God. His ways are not our ways. I may never understand the why, but that’s ok because I know that God loves me deeply. I can trust Him, even when I don’t understand.

Job 5:8 “But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him.”

Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that I can trust You even when I don’t understand. And even though Your ways are beyond my comprehension, help me as I study Your word to know You just a little bit better each day. Draw me closer. Amen.

Job 5:27 “We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.”

Have a blessed day

Luke 18:1 And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought to always pray and not lose heart.
One of my daily devotionals this morning asked this pointed question: “Is it possible to fool yourself into believing that because you ask God for help, you have faith in His ability to meet your needs?” Ouch! Pardon me while I nurse my sore toes that were just stepped on. I do have faith in God’s ability to meet my needs, and yet the state of fear and anxiety in which I operate so often definitely indicates otherwise. This disconnect bothers me greatly. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!
Eph 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up.
I’ve read this verse many times before, but today, the last sentence really struck me. When I pray, I must “always be ready.” Ready for what? God’s answer? To send up more prayers? Both? I’m not quite sure how to interpret that one. I must also “never give up.” I’m pretty sure I get that one. I must never give up that He WILL answer, though maybe not in the way that I had hoped or imagined. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!
Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for calling me out about my worry and anxiety. You know how deeply I love You, how desperately I want to follow Your will for my life. Help me to lay my worries and anxieties at Your feet and to leave them there. Help me to pray without ceasing and to trust You WILL answer because I know that You will. I KNOW that You will. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief! Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and earth.
Have a blessed day.

Eph 5:15-16 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity….
I don’t do waiting well. It feels terribly unproductive, though I know valuable things can come from a period of waiting. And I feel like God has currently called me and my family into a period of waiting. But I’m not really sure what I’m waiting for or on, and I’m not sure how I’ll know when the waiting is over. Jesus, Help me!
Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord‘s will is.
I’ve joked for years that if God wants me to understand His will for me, He needs to send me flashing neon signs. I don’t do subtle well. And I want so much to follow His plan for my life, for my family to follow His will for our lives. Jesus, Help us!
Eph 5:20 …always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your love and provision. Help me to learn to be thankful for this period of waiting and to lean into You more deeply as I wait. Please help us as a family and as individuals to discern and follow Your will for us. Draw us closer. Amen.
Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen!
Have a blessed day.

John 14:27a Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you….
Jesus knew what we would have to endure in this world. He knew all the heartache, all the false friends, all the mistakes and missteps we would make. He wanted us not to lose ourselves, not to lose Him, in the midst of all the turmoil. So He gave us His peace, a peace that surpasses all human understanding. Thank You, Jesus.
John 14:27b …I do not give to you as the world gives….
But this gift of peace, of grace, of mercy, is so very different than anything we’ve experienced before. It is like nothing this world can or will offer. And I’m afraid that we often don’t quite know what to do with it. At least I know I’ve had that problem. But the older I get, the more I live, the more I study and listen and reflect, the more I feel the Holy Spirit nudging me towards God’s peace. It is not our human default. Help me, Jesus.
John 14:27c …Do not let your hearts be troubled….
Lord, Thank You for this day and for the gift of Your peace. Thank You that You do not give as the world gives. Help me to understand, accept, and blanket myself in Your gift of peace, of grace, of mercy. Help me to remember this is not my home. Help me to shine Your light so that others can know you. Draw me closer. Amen.
John 14:27d …and do not be afraid.
Have a blessed day.

Psalm 8:4 …what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?
I did not win any Mother of the Year awards yesterday, no Wife of the Century or Woman of the Decade awards. My vicious inner critic, who is always ready to spout vitriol when it comes to assessing my performance, has been poised and ready to strike as soon as I give her license. She would gleefully point out all of my missteps yesterday if given the chance. 
Psalm 139:14 I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
But my precious Savior is whispering to my heart, even now, “You are My deeply loved child. That is where Your value and worth reside—not in WHO you are but in WHOSE you are. You are mine, and I love you.” Thank You, Jesus.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for Your fierce and unconditional love, for these verses that remind me Whose I am. Thank You that I am not who I was, even if I’m not yet who I want to be. Thank You for a new day, a fresh start, and the chance to try again, to try to do better, be better. Draw me closer. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Have a blessed day.