Scripture to read today:
Zechariah 7; Zechariah 8; Zechariah 9; Luke 13
Scripture that spoke to me:
Zechariah 8:6
“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Observation:
God can do anything! He created it all, so He has control over all of it! He can do anything that seems impossible.
Application:
My problem is, I know God can do anything He wishes- I just am not sure that He wants to do some of the things that I want Him to! Jesus says that if we just had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could command a mountain to move! But really? Wouldn’t that hurt a lot of people if we were to move a mountain? I know nothing is impossible with God, but I wonder sometimes if God will allow things to be possible.
Prayer:
Lord, I know Your ways are not my ways. Help me to have that mustard seed faith, where anything is possible. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Daniel 7; Daniel 8; Psalm 137; Luke 4
Scripture that spoke to me:
Luke 4:41
Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.
Observation:
Earlier in this chapter, Satan is tempting Jesus by using scripture. Here, the demons are shouting “You are the Son of God!” Even the evil spirits know that Jesus is the Messiah. They obey his command.
Application:
If the devil and the demons know who Jesus is, why do so many on earth not know Him? And for those of us that do, what makes us better than the demons? To know Him isn’t enough- to be able to quote scripture isn’t enough- we have to invite him into our hearts, to be with us every day.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Make me ever mindful that You are with me in everything. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Ezekiel 45; Ezekiel 46; Luke 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
Luke 1:18, 34, 37
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
Observation:
I’ve always thought it was bad that Zechariah was punished for asking “how” but Mary wasn’t. It is true that both were visited by the angel Gabriel and told and extraordinary thing- one that just didn’t happen in the circumstances they were in. But Gabriel reminds them both that God can do anything!
Application:
I forget that. I don’t know why- maybe I know it and don’t believe it somehow? God can do anything! Even go against the forces of nature. I find myself looking at something seemingly impossible and think “I can’t” – but I forget that God can! Actually, most of the time I know God can, it is more that I think He won’t. I need more confidence, more assurance, more faith. I know He can. I don’t need to know how, but I do need to know that He will.
Prayer:
Lord, help my unbelief. Let me know that as I run into a task that is seemingly impossible, if You are there, nothing is impossible. Let me have enough faith to see it through and learn to more fully rely on You. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 36, 37; Psalm 76; 1 Peter 1
Scripture that spoke to me:
1 Peter 1:4b-7
(an inheritance,) kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though reined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Observation:
We serve a mighty God! He protects us from certain death, although sometimes we may not feel protected from grief. Bad things happen so that we will know our faith is genuine and not, like Satan declared of Job, just because we’re having a happy life.
Application:
I want a happy life. I’ve had a really good life. Most times I have been happy. Looking back, there are many sad times and events, but the only times I remember as being bad were times that I wasn’t close to God. Lately, things are just going smoothly and happily. Sure, there are still bad things that happen, but somehow they seem ok with Jesus here with me.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for shielding me with Your power, through faith, that makes the bad things seem not so horrible. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 25; Isaiah 26; Isaiah 27; Isaiah 28; Hebrews 13
Scripture that spoke to me:
Isaiah 25:9
In that day the people will proclaim,
“This is our God!
We trusted in him, and he saved us!
This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.
Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”
Observation:
Put your trust and hope in God. He is the one who offers salvation to all who come to him with an open heart. He is the Savior, and He will save.
Application:
I was reading Susan’s blog this morning and she asked the question ” Doesn’t ANYONE realize that the government DOES NOT help you?” So many people are looking toward our government for answers- for relief- for health care- and money- and support. This verse stuck out at me today because they’re looking in the wrong place! You can’t place your hope in men (good or bad), your hope belongs with the Lord! He is the only one who can make things better!
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for being a refuge, a rock, and my Savior. Thank you for always being there as a hope in times of trouble, as a Redeemer, and as all we need. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 22; Isaiah 23; Isaiah 24; Hebrews 12
Scripture that spoke to me:
Hebrews 12:22-24
No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
Observation:
We don’t worship a god of signs- a god of idols. We don’t have to pray only at an altar, or stand in awe of a burning bush, we have the living Jesus with us always, to be with us wherever we are. We don’t have to rid ourselves of our enemies, or ride into battle; instead, we only need to lean on Jesus for our troubles to be eased.
Application:
So, leaning on Jesus sounds like an easy thing to do, but how do you do it? For me, it just means to speak to him at times throughout the day. Keep him present in my life. Then, I have a friend I can tell everything to- someone to listen and to be there whether things are good or things are bad. And all that most of us want is just to know that we’re not alone in this world- and we aren’t if we have Jesus by our side.
Prayer:
Thank you dear Jesus for being with me throughout my day- no matter what may come up, I know you are a faithful friend. I love you. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 19; Isaiah 20; Isaiah 21; Hebrews 11
Scripture that spoke to me:
Hebrews 11:1, 39
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.
Observation:
This chapter defines faith, then gives many Biblical examples of faith- Noah building the boat, Abraham leaving his country, Jacob, Joseph, Gideon… and then verse 39 is neat- none of these people received everything that God promised (or everything they wanted.) Faith isn’t about getting things. Faith is about believing in God and knowing that what you have is enough.
Application:
I like things- I like to shop and buy pretty things. Too bad I never have any money, because I could do that very well! But I know that this life isn’t about what we have- it is about what we do, who we love, how we worship. Looking at the lives of all these great men of God, even they did not get everything they wanted. And neither should I.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for blessing me with everything I have. Help me to be satisfied with all the good things around me. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
Isaiah 15; Isaiah 16; Isaiah 17; Isaiah 18; Hebrews 10
Scripture that spoke to me:
Isaiah 17: 9-10a
Their largest cities will be like a deserted forest,
like the land the Hivites and Amorites abandoned
when the Israelites came here so long ago.
It will be utterly desolate.
Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you.
You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you.
Observation:
Isaiah is prophesying destruction in Israel, because the people have turned away from the Lord and are worshiping idols. They have forgotten the One who has brought them through so many calamities.
Application:
It is easy to turn to God in a calamity. He is the first I go running to when something is wrong. But in times of ease, it is easy to sit back and forget to thank Him, to worship Him, for all that is good. When it goes wrong again, I’m right back with Him. I’m trying to do, and think I am doing, much better at being with God in both the good and the bad times. I don’t want to forget “the Rock who can hide you.”
Prayer:
Lord, thanks for being my Rock. For always being there- strong and able to withstand anything. When I am with You, I feel able to stand against anything, too. Help me remember that, even when there is nothing to stand against. Amen.
Scripture to read today:
2 Kings 4; 2 Kings 5; Psalm 83; 1 Timothy 2
Scripture that spoke to me:
2 Kings 5:10-12
Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
Observation:
Naaman has been sent to Elisha to find a cure for his leprosy. But the remedy that Elisha has for him is not what he expected. He wanted fireworks- a big show- instead of being sent to the nastiest river around to wash. Luckily for Naaman, he ends up listening to Elisha and is cured.
Application:
Oh boy, can I be like Naaman sometimes! I want some big, showy thing from God. I expect him to tell me to go to Zimbabwe and be a speaker at a large gathering when instead, he wants me to talk to one overlooked person right here. Or I expect him to bless me with a huge miracle when in fact, he has already blessed me with several hundred small ones. We all have an easier time seeing God in the big things- when He is most often found in the smaller, less desirable things.
Prayer:
Lord, help me remember that this life isn’t what it is all about- that Your kingdom cannot be judged by the ways of man. Help me to see you in the everyday, ordinary things in life. Amen.
***it occurred to me later that Naaman’s other issue was that he was called to be active in his own healing. We often want to do nothing and receive God’s gift- when in fact we are called to be an active participant in our own blessings.
Scripture to read today:
Ecclesiastes 10; Ecclesiastes 11; Ecclesiastes 12; Psalm 94; Ephesians 5
Scripture that spoke to me:
Ecclesiastes 11:5
As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
Observation:
Scientists work hard to understand how God made things and how they work. Solomon points out that there are some things we just cannot understand. We are not our own Creator, and we do not have the knowledge of all He knows.
Application:
I try to remember this when something happens that I don’t like. God has a plan- He is in control. And I don’t have the big picture. I have to trust that what He has set about will be good in the end. Some of you know our cat died this week (I closed it in the garage door- freak accident.) My heartbroken but wise daughter said “Mom, I wonder what good is going to come from this? Whenever something bad happens, something good usually happens, too.” How smart she is!
Prayer:
Lord, let me always be able to see the good, even looking back on it, that comes from everything around me. Amen.
