November 21, 2009- Belief

Scripture to read today:

Matthew 8; Matthew 9; Matthew 10

Scripture that spoke to me:
Matthew 9:28-29
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”;

Observation:
Belief is the key to all the gifts of God. Just like these blind men believed and were granted their sight, we have to believe that God is who He says He is (I AM) and He will do what He promises to do.

Application:
This is one of my biggest challenges. I do believe in God- I do believe He can do anything. But sometimes I don’t believe He will. I tend to ask for things, pray for situations, where I ask God to do something if He wants to. I think I’m leaving a way for my spirit to not be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. And I know you can pray for healing and not get it. I know you can pray and have Him answer “no.” But I need to learn to approach prayer not timidly but boldly. Just ask and believe that He will come through. No, not for a million dollars or for unnecessary things, but for love, goodness, forgiveness, and peace.

Prayer:
Lord, grant me love, peace, goodness, and forgiveness. I know You offer these freely to those who believe- and I do believe. Help me not to carry a troubled and weary heart, but a heart that is so full of Your goodness that it spills out onto others and gives them love and peace as well. Amen.

November 1, 2009- Help My Unbelief

Scripture to read today:

Psalm 121; Mark 9; Mark 10

Scripture that spoke to me:
Mark 9:23-24
“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

Observation:
This father has watched his son suffer his entire life. Now he turns to Jesus, who he knows can heal his son, for help. Jesus says that of course he can heal the boy- anything is possible if you believe.

Application:
I believe with my heart but my head says something else. I know that all things are possible with God. I get it. He can do whatever He wants. I also know we don’t always get everything we ask for. So where is the line in there- between believing that God can do anything and knowing that sometimes our prayers are answered with a “no” or a “wait awhile?” I feel a lot like this father- who believes that Jesus can heal his son, but isn’t sure that He will.

Prayer:
Lord, I do believe that all things are possible with You. Help me to have faith. Help my unbelief. Amen.

October 30, 2009- Random Verses

I’ve not felt good this week- and with some time off from work and crazy things going on, I’ve taken a break from this daily routine. It has also begun to feel more like work than pleasure. So, to try to recapture some of my earlier enthusiasm, today I grabbed a Bible, closed my eyes, and opened it and pointed. Here’s what I read:

Matthew 5:44 – Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Hmm…. I struggle with this. Love your enemies? What does that mean. Paul defines love in 1 Corinthians 13 as something that is patient, kind, and DOESN”T KEEP A RECORD OF WRONGS. Yikes! So if you love your enemies, and you’re not keeping a record of wrongs, they’re not really your enemies after all, are they? I think that was Jesus’ idea all along.

So I thought maybe I’d go in search of a “better” verse- can’t I have something that will give me the warm fuzzies today? So, I turned blindly again and pointed to:

John 15: 18- If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.

Thanks a lot! This one just kept the thoughts going. So if I have no enemies (because I’m not keeping score, and I’m loving) that doesn’t mean that others are doing the same for me. So there will be people out there who don’t like me. Who will laugh at me, talk bad about me, and maybe even worse things than that. So here’s Jesus again, reminding me that he was hated, scorned, persecuted, and crucified long before someone made a remark about me. In other words, he totally knows what I’m going through when someone is mean to me. So we have a loving Savior, who understands what it is to love, to love those who don’t treat you well, and is compassionate and knows that it hurts us to do this.

Prayer: Dear Lord, you have so much to teach us about how to treat each other. Help me be the person that you want me to be- one that shows the love you have for us to others. Amen.

October 1, 2009- Ok, You Asked For It

Scripture to read today:

Zechariah 10; Zechariah 11; Zechariah 12; Psalm 126; Luke 14

Scripture that spoke to me:
Zechariah 10:1
Ask the Lord for rain in the spring,
for he makes the storm clouds.
And he will send showers of rain
so every field becomes a lush pasture.

Observation:
The Lord will provide what you need. He will send the rain to quench you. but maybe in the form of storms. He will send the sun to dry you- but perhaps in the form of a heat wave. Ask the Lord for what you want, but don’t complain when you get it!

Application:
I was talking to Scott (revscott) about this very thing earlier tonight. Be careful what you wish for- you just might get it!  That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for things. It does mean that before you ask, you should think it through- or as Jesus points out in today’s reading from Luke, “don’t begin until you count the cost.” (v. 28). There’s a good reason God is omnipotent and sees all- He understands that we really can’t have everything we want- it just isn’t good for us. But as we’re learning this week about asking and receiving, if we’re persistent in our asking, He’ll often grant our wish (with what must be an “ok, you asked for it!” response.)

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for not giving me everything that I ask for. You are a gracious and giving God and I am fortunate to have plenty. Thank You for withholding what I really don’t need. Amen.

September 8, 2009- Waiting on the Answer

Scripture to read today:

Jeremiah 42; Jeremiah 43; Jeremiah 44; Psalm 48; Revelation 13

Scripture that spoke to me:
Jeremiah 42:7
Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

Observation:
Many times throughout the Bible, the Lord speaks to men (prophets)- sometimes initiated by God, other times in response to a request or prayer by the man. This time, Jeremiah has gone to the Lord on behalf of the people, who want to know whether they should stay in Judah or go to Egypt. God answered his question 10 days later. Jeremiah is obviously someone who is used to conversing with God. God speaks to him often. Yet it takes 10 days to get his answer in this case!

Application:
How many times do we ask God something and expect to hear an immediate answer. We may even cock an ear, listen for 2 seconds, and receive nothing. But God doesn’t answer immediately. Here, we see Jeremiah get an answer in 10 days. We get an answer eventually, too. Trouble is, we don’t recognize it or perhaps we have even forgotten what we prayed for. I keep a prayer journal and it is amazing to look back  6 months and see what I prayed for then and how many of those prayers have been answered.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to be patient when I don’t get an answer right away. I know You hear my prayers and will answer them in Your time. Help me receive that answer with knowledge and understanding. Amen.

August 18, 2009- Hello?

Scripture to read today:

Jeremiah 26; Jeremiah 35; Jeremiah 36; John 20

Scripture that spoke to me:
Jeremiah 35:17
“Therefore, this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’ “

Observation:
God is not going to be swayed this time. As far back as Moses, godly men have been able to pray for the people and beg for mercy on their behalf, and the Lord has listened. This time, He is serious. Babylon is coming, life is about to get really tough. Here we see why- God has been speaking to them and they have ignored His call.

Application:
We cry out to God in many ways; in many times, we turn to God and expect an answer. But what happens when He calls to us and we do not answer? (and I expect that happens way more often than we even know.) Why do we expect Him to answer our cries when we do not answer Him? Or if we do, it should be a lot like a husband who does the dishes- he doesn’t think he should have to do them again for a long time! Our relationship with God, at best, should be triangular. Between us, God, and other people. Many have a one-sided relationship- God to them. They wonder why they call to God and He does not answer, when He has called to them and they do not answer.

Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for the times I have not heard Your call or have  not responded to You. Open my ears and let me hear Your voice. Amen.

July 22, 2009- Shielded by God’s Power

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.

July 21, 2009- The Power of Prayer

Scripture to read today:

2 Kings 18, 19; 2 Chronicles 32; James 5

Scripture that spoke to me:

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Observation:
James is encouraging the people to support each other- to pray for each other, to lead people back to Christ. There is strength in numbers, and there is power in prayer.

Application:

It is very tempting to keep my problems to myself. I don’t want to draw attention to myself, and I don’t want people feeling sorry for me. But I do want people to pray for me. I understand the power of prayer and the peace and healing it brings. But in order to have those prayers, I have to humble myself and put my problems out there.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, bless me in my health, bless me in my heart. Thank you for sending strong people to be a part of my life and lift me up when I am down. Amen.

June 5, 2009- Prayers for the Good

Scripture to read today:

Proverbs 30; Proverbs 31; Psalm 33; Ephesians 1

Scripture that spoke to me:
Ephesians 1:16-18
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

Observation:
Paul was truly concerned for all the people where he carried the message of Jesus. Here, he tells the people of Ephesus that he has been praying for them- for them to know Christ better, to understand the hope he brings, and the inheritance that awaits them.

Application:
This struck me today, I believe, because I tend to send prayers out where things are wrong. I pray for those who I know do not know the Lord. I have never thought to pray for people who did, that they know Him better! I marvel at how much Paul knew as a trailblazer. I am certain that his knowledge was Spirit led, because how else could he have known all these things?

Prayer:
Lord, today I pray for everyone who knows You, no matter where they are in their life or on their journey, that each day brings them closer and closer to You and Your inheritance. Amen.

June 3, 2009- Hope, Peace, and Joy

Scripture to read today:

Proverbs 25; Proverbs 26; Proverbs 27; Romans 15

Scripture that spoke to me:
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Observation:
As Paul writes to the Romans, he wishes them hope. Hope comes from the Lord, and brings along with it joy and peace.

Application:
Have you ever longed for peace in the middle of a chaotic day? Sometimes, there is so much going on around here I just want to lock myself in the bathroom for 5 minutes! And I have! That is a good time to center the day back on God. We get too busy and forget about Him- we can’t hear him in the chaos around us. Taking a moment to “check in” and just catch your breath can refresh you- bring you hope and peace in the middle of the storm. And if I have hope and peace, I’m sure to have some joy, too!

Prayer:
Lord of Hope, thank You for being there in the quiet times as well as in the chaos. Help me to remember to turn to You for hope, peace, and joy. Amen.