Godās promise
Genesis 8: I’ll never again kill off everything living as I’ve just done.
The flood abates and Noah, his family, and the animals depart the ark. Life on earth gets a fresh start. Godās promise that this will never be repeated is intended to be a source of comfort to us when disasters come our way. God caused the flood with the express purpose of purging the earth. The deaths are his doing, according to his plan. Now, the Giver of Life certainly has the authority to be the Taker of Life, so I have no argument at this point. However, the Almighty knows that unless he assures us otherwise every major disaster will cause people to fearfully look to heaven, wondering if this is the beginning of another purge. After all, itās not as though we donāt deserve whatever God sends our way. In mercy the Lord promises that the Flood is a once-in-history event that will never be repeated. Because of this promise, we understand that other big disasters are simply the result of living in a world where bad things sometimes happen. The Lord doesnāt want human beings fearing that this is āanother end of the worldā in the face of every hurricane or volcano eruption or earthquake. Instead, he wants us to live in fellowship with him, trusting him to be with us even in the disasters of life.
Take away: Donāt treat every unwelcome event with a fresh round of self-doubt.
Tag: trust
Devotional on Genesis
Genesis 21: The matter gave great pain to Abraham.
I was just trying to help.
My dad wasnāt the best teacher in the world. He was one of the hardest working men Iāve ever known and he didnāt have time to teach when there was so much he needed to do. Often heād let me try my hand at something, like loosening a bolt on a motor he was repairing but if I didnāt get it right off, heād tell me to stand back so he could do it. Honestly, I wasnāt very good at that kind of stuff anyway and my āhelpingā could have been better described as āhindering.ā I think the Lord feels that way about the tragic Abraham-Sarah-Hagar situation. The Lord had promised the couple a son and then, following Sarahās suggestion, Abraham tried to āhelpā by taking advantage of defenseless Hagar. The result is, well, things are a mess. Abraham now has competing heirs. When Sarah, a senior-adult-over-protective mother, demands that Abraham send Hagar and his son Ishmael away, it breaks his heart. As he hesitates the Lord speaks to him. In their attempt to help God, Abraham and Sarah have greatly complicated matters. Now, the Lord tells Abraham to stand back and let him handle things. The result wonāt be perfect, but the Lord will deal with the mess Abraham and Sarah have made. However, the solution’s going to bring continued pain to Abrahamās and Isaacās descendants. Think of how different the world would have been had Abraham and Sarah waited on God and not tried to help. Sometimes, I need to just stand still and trust God to act and not try to help so much.
Take away: Sometimes the best way to partner with God in what heās doing in this world is to get out of his way and let him work.
Devotional on Genesis
What God knows
Genesis 22: Now I know…
Jehovah gives Abraham the most difficult task possible. The old man is to follow the example of the pagans of the area and offer his son as a sacrifice. As unbelievable as it is Abraham never doubts that this is Godās command and acts in painful obedience. If the Lord doesnāt stop him when he does, well, we’d probably have another Old Testament resurrection story. Itās at this point that the Almighty says something that gives us an amazing insight into the attributes of God. Three words: āNow I knowā¦.ā Those arenāt big words for me to say about myself ā there are many ānow I knowā moments in my life. But for God to say it ā wow! In these words I get a glimpse of what it means for God to have created human beings with genuinely free will. At the Creation he made us, at the same time, like himself and āotherā than himself. At certain times and at some levels, even our Creator is unsure of what we’ll do. Understand this: God is never at a loss as to what to do in response to what we do. In this case, the Lord has a preferred action for Abraham and he comes through with flying colors. Still (and I know I canāt prove this) Iām convinced that the Lord has already considered what he will do and how he will do it if Abrahamās performance is somewhat less than stellar. In this case we have the very best result possible because Abraham fully cooperates with the Lord God.
Take away: Sometimes the best way to partner with God in what heās doing in this world is to listen carefully to his voice and then act in obedience even if we donāt understand it all.
Devotional on Genesis
Abrahamās servant
Genesis 24: Go to the land of my birth and get a wife for my son Isaac.
Itās not certain, but the servant given the task of getting a wife for Isaac is likely Eliezer, the servant named earlier by Abraham as his possible heir. Itās this good man that Abraham sends on a very important mission. The reason we arenāt absolutely certain that itās Eliezer being spoken of in this passage is that he’s unnamed in the narrative. Even when he introduces himself to Rebekahās family, he identifies himself as āthe servant of Abraham.ā I consider Eliezer to be one of the most admirable little-known people of the Bible. Hereās a man whoās dedicated to Abraham, who knows how to pray, and is entrusted with the most delicate of tasks. He humbly accepts the mission and then believes the Lord will help him accomplish it. I pray that the Lord will see me as a sort of Eliezer in his Kingdom. Iāll gladly let other more capable people have the starring roles in accomplishing the Lordās purposes in this world if heāll use me to quietly go about serving him in ways for which Iām best suited. Once in a while, Iāll feel especially honored if he trusts me to do some especially sensitive task.
Take away: Itās an honor to be used of God to do things that go largely unnoticed.
Devotional on Exodus
Living between the promise and the blessing
Exodus 1: They made them miserable with hard labor.
Centuries earlier the Lord spoke to Abraham and made wonderful promises to him. Abrahamās descendants will number as the stars in the sky and theyāll have a land to call their own. When Jacob follows his son Josephās direction to relocate everyone to Egypt, the Lord promises to go with them and to bring them back to the Promised Land. Now, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph are all dead and while the promise of a multitude of descendants is being fulfilled, the people with the Promise are enslaved in Egypt. Generations are being born into slavery, living and dying having never known freedom. It occurs to me that being on either end of the process is the place to be. Living between the promise and the blessing isnāt nearly as much fun. At the beginning there are thrilling encounters with God; dramatic experiences filled with expectancy. At the end, of course, is the thrill of obtainment; Godās Word being made real. In the middle, though, is uncertainty; hanging in there when the circumstances tell us to surrender. The thing is that much of life is lived between the promise and the blessing. For instance, there have been many generations of Christians since Jesus promised to come back. They’ve lived their lives believing in that which remains unseen. The only prescription for dealing with living between the promise and the blessing is continued trust. Today, Iām reminded that the Lord has made certain promises to me and, even though I donāt yet see the blessing, I chose to trust in him as one who is always faithful. I build my life on that firm foundation here between the promise and the blessing.
Take Away: Most of life is lived between the promise and the blessing; itās no wonder that God places such high value on faith.
Devotional on Exodus
The last word
Exodus 2: Take this baby and nurse him for me. Iāll pay you.
Moses is not only born into slavery, heās also condemned at birth. In a callous effort to stem the booming population growth of the Israelites Pharaoh has ordered the execution of all boys born to the slaves. When his mother can hide him no longer Moses is placed in a small basket that will float and hidden among the reeds along the river. His older sister Miriam is given the task of watching over him from a distance. Apparently, the idea is to hide the baby by day and then retrieve him at night. In a surprising twist that is characteristic of the Lordās work, itās Pharaohās own daughter who discovers the baby. Then, making things even more delightful, quick thinking Miriam offers to find a nanny for the baby. She goes directly to her mother whoās given the job. Instead of seeing her baby murdered, Mosesā mom is paid to raise her own son who’s now under the protection of the house of Pharaoh! I love stuff like this and, apparently, so does God. He loves taking impossible situations and turning them upside down. As I read this story today Iām reminded that God always has the last word even in the darkest of nights. In my life, it wonāt be the writer of my obituary whoāll have the last word ā itāll be him.
Take Away: God has the last word even when everything seems to be going wrong.
Devotional on Exodus
Head āem up ā move āem out.
Exodus 14: Moses spoke to the people…āStand firm and watch God do his workā¦God said to Moses: Order them to get moving.ā
Behind them is the army of Egypt, moving in to destroy them. Before them is the Red Sea, impassable. What are they to do? Moses has great faith, āStand still and seeā¦ā what God will do. That sounds good. They have pretty much stood still through the plagues and God took care of everything. Surely Moses is right and God will do it again. But God has other ideas. Even as the people of Israel had a part in the Passover by following Godās directions, now they have a part in this final victory over Egypt. The Almighty says, āDonāt stand stillā¦move forward.ā As they obey the command to move, God acts and deliverance comes. There are, indeed, times to āstand still.ā To do otherwise is to attempt to be our own deliverers ā something thatās bound to fail. At times like that we simply wait on the Lord. However, there are more often times to āget moving.ā To do so is to act in faith that God is with us and that he has given us a role to play in our own salvation.
Take Away: Donāt be guilty of standing still when God is saying, āMove out.ā
Devotional on Exodus
Simple trust
Exodus 16: Who are we in all this? You havenāt been complaining to us ā youāve been complaining to God!
Itās been two and a half months since the Red Sea parted and they passed through on dry ground. Two and a half months since they saw their enemies drown in the sea and since they celebrated their liberation. Now theyāre out in the wilderness. Itās a difficult adjustment for the Israelites. No more comforts of home as they transition to becoming a nomadic culture. Change comes hard. As they long for the meat and bread they ate in Egypt God graciously responds through Moses and Aaron that he will provide for them. These leaders relay Godās message but they also include a word of warning concerning their complaining. This journey is not in their hands. Abraham has been dead for centuries, but they have yet to learn what he learned: the just shall live by faith. The problem with complaining is that it places us outside the life of faith. The God of the Red Sea is the God of the wilderness. Heās also the God of my everyday life. He expects me to place my faith in him in the days of miraculous victory and in the days of the wilderness as well.
Take Away: Complaining and faith are incompatible.
Devotional on Exodus
Stinking blessings
Exodus 16: It got wormy and smelled bad.
It doesnāt take long for the 600,000 people to go through their food supply. Now, theyāre out in the wilderness and wondering where their next meal will come from. One of the methods used by the Lord to meet this need is the introduction of a unique food source. It appears like the morning dew, tasting like bread and honey. Each morning the people literally āpick upā their breakfast. Thus begins what will be an ongoing provision of the Lord that will continue for four decades. Except for the Sabbath, each morning begins with their going out to receive this blessing of the Lord. Right off some people try to hoard this heavenly bread, but that turns out to be a bad idea as day old manna gets wormy and stinks. This blessing from the Lord canāt be stored up. Instead, it has to be received anew each day. Centuries later Jesus will teach his followers to ask their Father for their ādaily bread.ā This reminds us that, even as it was for the Israelites, the Lord provides but that each day requires a renewed trust from us. Iām not against hearing folks share precious memories from days gone by, but as I watch these Israelites collecting their manna, Iām reminded that if yesterdayās blessingās all Iāve got, well, I havenāt got much.
Take Away: Godās blessings are made new in our lives every day.
Devotional on Exodus
God will go before you
Exodus 23: I wonāt get rid of them all at once lest the land grow up in weeds and the wild animals take over.
The Lord promises his people that heāll not only be with them but will also go before them. Before they ever arrive in Canaan the Lord will already be at work there, preparing the way for them. The inhabitants of that land will be visited by āTerrorā and āDespair.ā Just the thought of the coming Israelites will cause them to withdraw, yielding the land to them without a fight. However, the Lord also tells them that the withdrawal of these heathen people wonāt happen all at once. If all human beings desert the land then the weeds and wild animals will take over and Canaan land wonāt be as wonderful as the Lord wants it to be for his people. While I know it didnāt work out, I canāt help but imagine a very different picture from both the books of Joshua and Judges. As I consider this passage I find myself thinking of Godās work in my life. As one of Godās people I have some precious promises. Heās with me and heāll make a way even when there is no way. However, that doesnāt mean all the battles are already won. Like the people of Israel, Iām to trust in the Lord and to move forward, believing that, by his grace, I can face whatever obstacles might arise. It would be nice if all the signal lights in my life were permanently on green even as I sit in the driveway, but it doesnāt work that way. I have to move out in trust and allow the Lord to help me through the rough areas one step at a time.
Take Away: Godās work in my life is that of unfolding grace, him making the way for me, one day at a time.
Devotional on Numbers
Faith talk
Numbers 14: If God is pleased with us, he will lead us into the landā¦just don’t rebel against God!ā¦Don’t be afraid of them.”
Joshua and Caleb ā I like these guys! While everyone else is talking grasshopper talk they’re talking faith talk! They saw all the same things their fellow explorers saw ā both the good and the bad, yet while the others are convinced of sure failure, these two gents are trying to rally the troops into action. It isn’t that theyāve decided that their army is superior to those of their foes. Instead, they believe God has made certain promises to them, has brought them to this place, and now commands them to action. You see, Joshua and Caleb aren’t especially brave. In fact, theyāre fearful. Theyāre afraid, not of giants, but of rebelling against God. Let’s see: giants over here, God over there. If Iām going displease one or the other, which should it be? Itās easy: I’d rather have God on my side against the giants than have giants on my side against God!
Take Away: If Iām going to be fearful, let me be fearful of failing God.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
When youāve seen one giant youāve seen them all
Deuteronomy 3: God is going to do the same thing to all the kingdoms over there across the river.
Moses reminds his people of the victories theyāve already experienced. By Godās help they defeated the army of Sihon. Then they took on Og of Bashan. Before we ever meet the giant Goliath we meet Og. Heās huge. In fact, after heās defeated his bed is put on display. Itās over thirteen feet long! As they say, āthe bigger they come the harder they fall.ā The Lord supercharges the Israelites and down comes Og and his army. Before long it will be time for this current generation of Israelites to do what their parents refused to do. Theyāre to cross the Jordan and take the land of Canaan as their own. This time, rather than cower in fear theyāre to think of Sihon and his army and how, by the strength of the Lord, that army was crushed. When they see the big guys of Canaan theyāre to picture the fallen Og and his big, iron bed that is on display. The victories of the past are to give them courage and faith to move forward to even greater victories. Thatās how itās supposed to be for me too. God has been good to me. By his grace Iāve come a long way. I donāt know what the future holds, but I wouldnāt be surprised at all if the biggest challenges of life lie ahead. Iām to let the work of God in my life in days gone by be a source of strength in my life in the events yet to come.
Take Away: As we remember what the Lord has done for us in the past weāre encouraged to trust in in current and future situations.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
The waterās fine, come on in
Deuteronomy 20: Donāt waver in resolve. Donāt fear. Donāt hesitate. Donāt panic. God, your God, is right there with you.
A dad is teaching his son to swim and his approach is quite reasonable. Dad doesnāt relax on the lounge chair and tell his son, āIf you need me, Iāll be right here.ā Instead, Dad gets into the pool and then beckons his son, āCome on in, Iām right here and Iāll help you.ā Moses is instructing the spiritual leaders of the people of Israel. Soon these people will cross the Jordan River and engage the armies of the nations of Canaan. Theyāll be outnumbered and will face experienced armies in numerous battles. Moses instructs the spiritual leaders of the land to prepare Godās people for battle by encouraging them to be strong and courageous. The reason for confidence is that God is going into the battle with them. Moses is about to depart but the Lord isnāt going anywhere. Instead, thick or thin, heāll be with them all the way. God is never a sideline spectator to our lives. Of course heās near when things are going well. Heās also near in the darkness of night. As my spirit trembles he reaches out to me, reassuring me that itāll be okay because heās right here and heāll help me through it all.
Take Away: Everything in life changes, but God remains faithful.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Taking care of business
Deuteronomy 29: God will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business.
Moses has been outlining the terms of the “blessing and the curse” for his congregation. He warns them that what happens along that line is up to them. God has already laid out his intentions for them, and itās perfectly possible for them, by God’s grace, to live up to them all. Still, thereās much they don’t know. Once they cross the Jordan River theyāll encounter new obstacles and challenges. Itās here that we find this shining gem of both a promise and a charge. If they do their part, God can be counted on to do his. Without doing too much damage to this statement, I can pull it out of context and be warmed by its promise. If Iām not careful, Iāll spend way too much energy worrying about the “hidden things.” God says, “You pay attention to the things you know are your responsibility and Iāll take care of the rest.” That, my friend, is a very good deal!
Take Away: My accountability ends with the extent of my knowledge, but Iād better remember that that accountability is real and I am responsible before God.
Devotional on Joshua
Trust
Joshua 3: Finally the whole nation was across the Jordan, and not one wet foot.
Here is an encouraging verse of Scripture. Their forbearers left Egypt by passing through the Red Sea. They were fleeing slavery and the Egyptian army that was bent on their destruction. Crossing the Red Sea was a “do or die” event for them. Then, their parents had been on the banks of the Jordan just a generation earlier. Their decision was not based on what was behind them, but on what was before them. They rebelled against God and refused to cross the river. You might want to say that in their eyes it was a “don’t or die” situation. Now, forty years later itās their children and grandchildrenās moment of decision. What a glorious sight: hundreds of thousands of Abrahamās descendants moving forward in faith. The Lord has promised them possession of the land on the other side of the river and they’ve chosen to believe that God keeps his promises. This crossing of the Jordan is a declaration of war on all those who occupy that land. While their grandparents and parents retreated to avoid battle these people are marching, not away from, but in to battle. Why? They trust God. Thatās the whole difference. People who doubt God shrink back and go it alone. People who trust the Lord move forward even if it means facing some giants along the way. As I read this account the word that comes to mind is ātrust.ā
Take Away: Trust advances, doubt retreats.
Devotional on Joshua
This is no way to win a battle, still….
Joshua 6: Shout! — God has given you the city!
“Joshua fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came a-tumblin’ down.” They marched around the city each day for six days. On the seventh they marched around seven times and then with the blast of the trumpets and a shout of victory the walls fell and they charged in to win their first battle in the conquest of Canaan. Who on earth came up with such a battle plan? Well, it didn’t originate on earth at all. This is Godās plan. Actually, speaking from an earthly point of view, itās not much of a plan at all. Yet itās God’s way and that makes it the best way. Have you ever noticed that that the Lord likes doing things in unique ways? He uses shepherd boys to defeat giants, feeds people with bread that falls from heaven, and sets up a kingdom by going to a cross. His ways don’t always make sense to me but Iād better pay close attention to his direction. All my plans and expectations must yield before an Almighty God who enjoys doing things his own way. This is a source of frustration and delight to me. Iām frustrated when the Lord doesnāt act in the way I assume heās going to act. Iām sure the phone is going to ring and the person I expect to call is going to offer me that job Iāve been praying about. The phone never rings, but then someone suggests a different route. When Godās in it, and if Iām not so focused on things happening my way, my lifeās about to take a journey in a whole new, wonderful direction. āBut Lord, those are real walls around that city; let me suggest the best way to get past them.ā āThatās okay, my son, youāre going to love what Iāve got planned…listen to this….ā
Take Away: The Lord loves using unexpected methods yielding spectacular results.
Devotional on Joshua
Stopping the sun
Joshua 10: The sun stopped in its tracks in mid sky; just sat there all day.
Because of the significant military victories of the Israelite army, word of their success has spread like wildfire through the area. These residents of Canaan are cruel, child sacrificing, warring peoples, but some unite in an effort to stop the advance of Joshua and his army. The battle that ensues is a momentous one. In one fight they’ll either gain a decisive advantage or be beaten back. Itās during this battle that Joshua asks for an unbelievable favor from God. He asks that the sun stand still so that they can continue to fight while they have the advantage. God answers and the sun stops in the sky as the battle rages. Of course, the impossibility of that actually happening is clearer to me than it is to Joshua, who doesn’t understand anything at all about the solar system. I’m no scientist, but I know that if the sun stood still that it would mean the earth quit rotating, and if the earth stopped turningā¦well, it would be the end of the world. Needless to say, I would never pray the prayer Joshua prayed — I’m too educated to do that. But here we have poor, ignorant Joshua asking for something that couldn’t possibly happen. What’s that? You say that the Bible says it did happen? Listen, I have no idea of how God could stop the sun in the sky without the entire solar system crashing. Itās such a big miracle that I, even with my limited knowledge, could never pray for it. Joshua doesn’t know that the earth is round and is spinning and is orbiting around the sun. All he knows is that he needs a miracle from God. And that, my friend, is the whole point. Sometimes I need to throw out all the facts and hold on to the only real Fact, God, Himself. I need to be careful that I’m not so “smart” that God can’t do for me what he wants to do. Take Away: God specializes in doing the impossible and he doesnāt need for me to explain to him what he can or canāt do.
Devotional on Joshua
Sometimes God is a stranger to me
Joshua 11: It was God’s idea that they all would stubbornly fight the Israelites so he could put them under the holy curse without mercy.
Itās bloody with lots of death and destruction. Individual tribes and cities and also coalitions of previous enemies resist the onslaught of Joshuaās army. Now victory has come and war is over. I know that the book of Joshua gives a “marching to victory” view of the Canaan Conquest while Judges paints a less pretty picture, but frankly, even the positive view of Joshua makes me cringe. All the slaughter of entire peoples: men, women, and children — even, in some cases, animals. The Scriptures explain that it isn’t that God wants to give Canaan to the Israelites so he helps them exterminate those who live there. Rather, itās that those who live there are so degenerate, so unholy, that God doesn’t want them or anything about them to contaminate the people he’s chosen. Still, I struggle with this because it seems so distant from “God is love.” I confess that sometimes God is a stranger to me. Still, that which is wrong humanly speaking isnāt necessarily wrong for the Creator. The “Giver of Life” has full authority to be the “Taker of Life.” Sometimes devotional lessons are hard to come by in passages like this, but here’s what I get today: there is an “other-ness,” a sobering, even a fear-generating side of the Lord. I love him and I trust his character but I definitely don’t always understand who he is and why he does what he does. I am glad God Almighty doesn’t need me to be his defender.
Take Away: Sometimes we simply have to trust and believe even as we struggle to understand.
Devotional on Joshua
What can an old man do?
Joshua 14: So give me this hill country that God promised me.
With the battles ending, the country is being divided up among the people of Israel. An old friend comes to the leader, Joshua, with an insistent request. Caleb was a mature 40 years old when he was named one of the 12 to scout out the Promised Land. Now of the 12, only he and Joshua are left, with Caleb at 85 years of age. All of his contemporaries are dead and he’s in the twilight of life. But he doesn’t come to Joshua to reminisce about the good old days. A generation ago, when the people were revolting against God this man stood firmly for God. The Lord was pleased with Caleb and promised that a portion of Canaan would be his. Now, Caleb is reminding Joshua of that. For over 40 years Caleb has remembered that land and now he wants it as his inheritance. The thing is this section of Canaan is still unconquered. In fact, thereās a fortress there. What is an 85-year-old man going to do in the face of such opposition? Caleb says, “Just give it to me and see what I am going to do!” You have to like old Caleb! This guy trusts God to keep his word, and not just in some vague theoretical sense. He trusts God in a blood and dirt, “let’s get to it” kind of way. Tell you what, I want to be more like that — more ready to take God at his word and start claiming that which he’s promised me.
Take Away: The Lord can do amazing things through a person who takes him at his word.
Devotional on Joshua
God keeps his promises
Joshua 21: Not one word failed from all the good words God spoke to the house of Israel. Everything came out right.
The battles are over, the land divided, and the special cities designated. Itās a time now for reflection. Soon Joshua will call the people together and preach a “conclusive” sermon of his own, even as Moses did decades earlier. Here’s the thing: God has kept all the promises he made to them. Today, I operate under certain promises: “believe and be saved,” “I am with you to the end of the age,” “I will come back and take you to be with me.” Sometimes just the receiving of God’s promises takes an effort on my part. Beyond that it almost always calls for my patience and trust as I wait to realize it in my life. The great phrase before me today is this: “Everything came out right.” With that in mind I stay the course. God has made promises and everything will, indeed, come out right.
Take Away: Receiving Godās promises almost always takes patience.