Posted on

Trust and hope…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

Lord, You promise that we have nothing to fear because You have called us and redeemed us. We are Yours. Help me to live the truth of these words, even when the world feels like it’s falling apart, even when every plan that I make fails to materialize. Help me to trust You and not be afraid.

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.

Lord, You don’t promise sunshine and roses always. Isaiah 43:2 doesn’t say *if* buy rather *when.* Bad things happen. Difficulties happen. But You promise to be with us always, even in hard times, especially then. Help me to lean into You and trust You, Lord, especially in my trials.

Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

Lord, Isaiah 43:19 gives me such hope: You are making a way, even now, even though I can’t yet perceive it. You are doing a new thing, something You are very excited about. Help me to trust and hope always, even when I can’t yet perceive what You are doing. Help me to trust and hope always in You, Lord. Amen.

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….

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Near to us…. (devo reflection)

Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Lord, Thank You for being near to us. Always. Thank You for the reminder and encouragement to rejoice in You always—not because LIFE is always good but because YOU are always good, and You are always near to us—in our joy, in our sorrow, in our longing. Thank You.

Philippians 4:6a Do not be anxious about anything….

Lord, There are so many anxious thoughts that crowd around us in this life. Help us to block out the noise of the world, to concentrate on Your presence, Your voice. You are with us—in the joy and the fear, in the certainty and in the chaos. You are holding us securely in the palm of Your hand. Thank You.

Philippians 4:6b …but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Lord, Thank You that You are here, that You are hearing me as I try to draw nearer. Thank You that I can bring all my messy humanity and lay it at Your feet. Take my sorrow and my pain, take my sadness and my fear, take all my uncertainties, Lord. I lay them at Your feet. Help me leave them there. Grant me Your peace. Please, Jesus. Amen.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Rock-solid foundation…. (devo reflection)

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.

God does not want us to accept regurgitated faith. Someone else’s beliefs will not help us when we are struggling and in the pits of despair. He wants us to seek, knock, ask so that we can draw closer to Him in faith and trust.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

So how can we ask and not doubt? What I don’t doubt is God. Jesus. The Holy Spirit. Their sovereignty. Their love. Any questions I have are asked while standing on that firm, rock-solid foundation. It is that foundation that allows me to say, “I don’t understand this situation, but I know YOU, help me to trust, even when I am afraid.”

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Lord, Thank You for giving me this strong foundation. Thank You for creating me to be curious and inquisitive. Help me to draw closer to You with every question, every breath. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:20 …Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Seeking, examining, questioning…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 44:24 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself….

The biggest issue I had when reading through the Bible was actually reading the commentary, the certainty of the commentator that his ideas were THE right ideas. In my mind, that’s not God’s infallibility, that’s human pride, something I wrestle with myself.

Isaiah 44:25 …who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense….

And it reminded me of growing up in my little church. I honestly don’t know if I was TOLD that I was not to question God, but that’s certainly what I told myself. But one thing I know is that God wants a relationship with me, He wants me to draw near. And one way I do that is by seeking, examining, questioning.

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Lord, I know that You are love, that You call me to draw near to You, that, for me, that means examining and questioning so that I can better understand. As I figure out where in Your word You are calling me next, help me to seek and question so that I can draw closer to You. Always. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

God is calling me to seek Him always…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Yesterday, when I finished reading Revelation 22, I completed my first entire read-through of the Bible. I read roughly one chapter per day, and it took me three years, three months, and nine days to complete. Each day I read a chapter, I read commentary, I sat with the material, I asked God for guidance.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

I realized during this time that God is calling me to seek Him always. I am not a Bible expert now, but I am definitely stronger in my faith. I don’t have answers to life’s difficult questions, but I absolutely have a stronger biblical base to pull support and encouragement for myself and others.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Lord, As I ponder next steps after reading the Bible through, I absolutely know that I will continue to seek You. Thank You for the myriad ways You continue to show up in my life. Thank You for the reminder that it’s the seeking—seeking You—that is important. Your face, Lord, do I seek. Amen.

Psalm 27:8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

That sense of mystery and wonder…. (devo reflection)

Revelation 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.

To the end commentary is worded as adamant about what Revelation means and what is, of course, an utterly ridiculous interpretation. And I think that certainty does a huge disservice to Jesus and to God’s word.

Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

I think that sense of mystery and wonder is part of the point. We have been told repeatedly throughout the Bible to seek, ask, and knock. Jesus wants us to seek Him, to draw closer to Him. Seeking, questioning, as we read His word allows us to draw closer.

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

Lord, You have made no secret about Your commands: love You, love others. You’ve made no secret that You want an intimate relationship with us, but that we have to seek, ask, and knock. You’ve made no secret about how to draw closer: “Come!” About how to be satisfied: “take the free gift of the water of life.” Thank You, Jesus. Thank You.

Revelation 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Even now…. (devo reflection)

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

After all the terror and confusion of the images in Revelation, this chapter feels like a relief, a breath of fresh air. All that is gone and done. All that has passed away.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

The wording of verse 3 is particularly beautiful: God’s dwelling place is AMONG the people. They are His. He is theirs. What more could a person want?

Revelation 21:4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Lord, help me be mindful daily that You can dwell with me even now, that You are mine and I am Yours even now…not in the same way as it will be on that day, but I can bring a little piece of heaven to earth just by inviting You with me every single day. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Revelation 21:6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Keep trying to be more like Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison….

It’s probably not a good thing, but Revelation 20:10 brings me much joy. The devil will be tormented day and night forever and ever? That sounds like righteous justice to me.

Revelation 20:8 …and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.

However, the devil isn’t always the issue. Sometimes (often?) my pride, my anger, my bitterness, my lack of compassion are the issues. I’m not sure what to do with that glaring truth except to keep reading, keep searching, keep praying, keep trying to be more like Jesus.

Revelation 20:9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

Lord, I want to be more like You and less like this world. Help me. Amen.

Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

Things that hamper my praise…. (devo reflection)

Revelation 19:1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God….

After all the nightmare images in Revelation, I’m thankful that we are back to something I can understand and fully support—praising God. But, as usual, I’ve got a lot to learn, I’ve got pride to set aside so that I can praise Him fully.

Revelation 19:2 …for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Because praising Him is what it’s all about, right? But I get caught up in anger, frustration, fear, bitterness with others. So my praise of Him is deferred while I’m disgruntled with my fellow man. Not cool.

Revelation 19:3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”

Lord, You tell us in Matthew 5 that if we are offering our sacrifice to You and realize there is an issue with a brother or sister, we are to leave our offering, go reconcile with our brother or sister, and then come back to offer our gift to You. Forgive me that I let my issues with others hamper my praise of You. Help me to do better, be better, Jesus. Amen.

Revelation 19:5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”

Have a blessed day.

Posted on

False friends…. (devo reflection)

Revelation 18:2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.

In the beginning of this chapter, God calls His people out of Babylon so they won’t be defiled or destroyed with the city. In the end, merchants—who profited greatly because of corrupt Babylon—stood far off, well out of harm’s way, to lament, but when you look closely, they are lamenting for themselves and all they have lost because of this great city’s fall.

Revelation 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues….

Once again, God is trying to shepherd His people in a more positive direction and false friends are doing what false friends do—being selfish and untrue, lamenting not the loss to others but the loss to themselves.

Revelation 18:5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.

Lord, Thank You for loving us fiercely, for calling us to You, to right, to good, always. Help us to steer clear of false friends. Help us to seek You, always, with open minds and open hearts. Be with us, Lord. Amen.

Revelation 18:15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn….

Have a blessed day.