The Cutting Room Floor

Prayer Focus: Spain

Bible Reading: John 14-17

Scripture:

6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:1-8)

Observation:

It seems to me that no matter if you are producing fruit or not, God will bring out the shears.  The true question is whether you will be cut back or cut off.  There is no escaping the gardener.  Jesus had just said in the chapter before in verse 6, "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me."  The  metaphor here in this section is his word picture to describe this truth.

We are all big fans of the famous John 3:16 verse "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life"  And that verse talks of the sacrifice that both the Father and the Son made on our behalf.  Where Jesus sacrifices himself for us.  But part of the "remain in me as I also remain in you" part is that we sit still for this pruning process, willingly sacrificing the parts of ourselves that are not in line with the purpose and will of the Father.

When it's done to a healthy plant (in keeping with the metaphor) the sap that carries the nutrients is then diverted to make the plant more productive.  The wounds seal and the vines thicken, making a sturdier structure, more able to support the weight of fruit.  The total shape of the plant reflects the intent of it's purpose.

Application:

This observation of course begs the question, "What does the cutting room floor of my life look like?"  What shape has my life taken?  Have I spent time looking at the choices I've made?  Have I submitted to the gardener and allowed my life to reflect a life that cultivates the fruit of His Spirit?  Galatians 5:22-23 list what those fruits are.  That's the litmus test isn't it?  Do I call myself a Christian?  If I do, am I producing the kind of fruit that pleases God and other's can see?

Prayer:

Father God, I declare you as my gardener.  I submit to you and the weeding and pruning you must do to make me fruitful.  Sometimes it hurts.  Sometimes I really don't understand why you do what you do, or allow things in my life that shape me.  I only know that I trust you.  Help me have the courage to sit still when you pull out the shears.  Help me agree with you on what sin is, and not spin it as something that's not that bad.  Expose the things in my life infected with sin and need cleaning out.  Amen!

The Plan

Prayer Focus: Slovakia

Bible Reading: Matthew 20, Mark 10:32-52, Luke 18:31-43, Luke 19:1-27

Scripture:

31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him;33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” 34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. 35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41“What do you want me to do for you?”“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (Luke 18:1-43)

Observation:

I've always seen this passage metaphorically as the huddle before the last play.  Jesus calls his disciples over and quietly gives them a heads up on what's going to happen next.  He doesn't want them caught unaware.  Even so, even after explaining it by the numbers, they didn't get it.  The bible says that "the meaning was hidden from them" but when the events of the week unfold and they went over the order of events this moment returned to them (and thus are available for us).

I wonder if this frustrated him, that they didn't get it.  Lots of other scripture in other places give us glimpses into Jesus's frustration with their lack of understanding in general, though it's not specifically mentioned in this passage.  Instead, Jesus keeps his thoughts (disappointment?) to himself and continues his walk toward Jerusalem.

As he passes by Jericho, on the roadside is a beggar, forced to those circumstances by blindness.  He hears the others  talking.  He knows this man called Jesus!  He knows not only who he is by reputation, but also what his destiny is!  He knows what scripture  and prophesy has to say about "The Son of David",  and in the crowd, he calls out "Jesus!  Son of David!"  They try to shush him, but he just yells louder!  He's excited!  Here is the man he has wanted to see with his own eyes,  the man who can heal him.  Change him.

Just as Jesus is passing by and wondering if he's had enough time to impart wisdom and truth to his disciples, he hears this voice in the crowd.  Just as he's wondering  "would they ever get it?" there is a man who blindly sees what his disciples have missed.  Jesus stops in his tracks and locks on to this poor begging man and asks "What would you have me do?"

Application:

I can't help but wonder how often Jesus feels this way about me.  I so often don't get it.  I forget what his big plan really is, cause I get caught up in my own little dramas.  I'm distracted by the by plays that happen on the sidelines or in the bleachers.

I'm grateful that he still does miracles, heals people in front of me.  He reminds me that he has a plan, that even death doesn't stop Him from it.

Prayer:

Lord, may I not be like the ones on the side of the road, squelching and shushing others from coming to you.  Thank you for striving with me, being patent with me while I learn and grow.  And Lord, I especially pray for those who come to you for healing.  Nothing is impossible for you!  Amen!

If You Can?

Prayer Focus: Saudi Arabia

Bible Reading: Matthew 17-18, Mark 9:2-50, Luke 9:28-56

Scripture:

^{14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.16"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."19"You unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."20  So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?""From childhood," he answered.22"It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."23"'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead."27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."  (Mark 9: 17-29)}

Observation:

Jesus has just come from the transfiguration, where he glows physically from the glory of the meeting with Elijah and Moses.  God audibly declares Jesus as his son and that he is pleased with him.  Then commands all who could hear to listen to what Jesus says.   Talk about a heavenly endorsement.  No clever metaphors, no riddles, the voice of God speaking.  This should clinch it, right?  This surely should be all the evidence that they need for belief, right?

Then when he comes down off the mountain, still glowing from the experience, he hears a fight breaking out.  The scene painted is that of a desperate father who has heard that there is a man who heals people, and he's come to get help.  The impression I have - though it's not stated this way - is that his desire for healing is what has brought him to the camp,  not because he's a believer.  When the disciples could not heal his son, he demands to see Jesus.  (I think this is where things got heated), and Jesus steps into the scene asking what's wrong.   But when approached, Jesus keys into the wording of the request, this is what clues him in to what's going on in this father's heart.  "If you can?" He repeats back to the boy's father.  He makes the link between his own faith, and the miracle he's asking Jesus to do.  "Everything is possible for one who believes."  And he heals him.  Later, the disciples come and ask why they couldn't throw out the demon, and Jesus tells them that this kind only comes out by prayer.

Application:

I struggled with this scripture, up to the last moments before hitting the "publish" button.  You see, I have a child who was diagnosed with epilepsy just this year.  I wrestle with why she would have this affliction, and like the parent in the scriptures, I pray for healing too.  The epilepsy hasn't gone away.  The worry and fear chases each other in my mind.

While chewing this out loud for you I can hear the Holy Spirit keying in on the specific words I am using in describing my situation, in much the same way that Jesus did for the distraught father: I "struggle" instead of rest in Him.  I "wrestle" with "worry and fear".  I know I shouldn't.  I know better, but I do it any way.

So I read verse 29 over and over to myself and gain comfort.  "This kind comes out only by prayer."  And that's where I want to leave you, dear friend, in prayer.  When we are praying, we are in conversation with the one who gives us the fruits of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and they are very things that pull us away from worry and fear.  Sometimes God has reasons that we don't know for not healing, but in all times and places, God has called us to approach Him in faith,  asking and believing.

We leave the answers with Him.

Prayer:

Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief.

Fill My Cup

Prayer Focus: Russia

Bible Reading: Matthew 12:22-50, Mark 3:22-35, Luke 8:19-21, Luke 11:14-54

Scripture:

33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:33-37)

Observation:

First off, let me remind you that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  (Rom. 3:23) We are none of us perfect or able to always get it right.  (Rom. 3:10)  What IS right, is the atoning power of Christ who through his gift of grace, became the price for our sin, thereby making a way for us to come to Him.  (Eph. 2:8-9)

Once saved, He adopted us into His family.  As his children, we still screw it up.  (Eph. 1:5)  Being saved doesn't mean we are perfect, suddenly able to always say, do or even think the right things.  It only means that we are forgiven, if we confess and repent so that we don't have to carry the load around with us any more.  (1 John 1:9)

Now, with that said, I'd like to point you to something in this passage that gets me excited.  It's the idea of "storing up".   When the Holy Spirit resides inside of us, it rooms with our own spirit, that tends toward selfishness.  Which side is bigger?

The one we feed.

How can you know?  The bible is pretty clear about the care and feeding of Christians:

Do you give yourself permission to think of yourself and your own wants first? (Mat. 6:33)  Do you harbor and nurse secret sins?  (Prov. 28:13) Do you wallow in self-pity? That is the side that will grow.

Do you discipline yourself by holding every thought captive?  (2 Cor. 10:5) Do you practice  patience, kindness, goodness and self-control?  (Gal. 5:22-23) Do you conform to the world or are you transformed by the renewing of your mind? (Rom. 12:2)

We live in a culture that encourages us to "do what we feel is right", to "be happy", "Have it our way", "Obey our thirst", because "We deserve it".  If we feed the part of us that tends toward selfishness and justification, then the larger part of what will feel right will come out of that.

But if we have stored up on good... well, you get the picture.

Application:

A dear friend of mine gave me a word picture that I think about often.  She said, "Imagine that your life is like a full cup that gets spilled every time you get bumped.  I want my life to be so full of Christ, that when bumped by the world, His grace, His kindness, His mercy is what spills out."

How do you care for the people who are under your authority?  How about the pets that are at your mercy?  Are you the same person with the anonymity of the internet, in the privacy of your car, or over the threshold of your home as you are at church, or in front of people you want to impress?

If the answer to any of those questions makes you squirm, then I'd spend time examining what you are "storing up" inside your heart.

Prayer:

Father God, as I meditate on your word, I pray that my house would stand undivided.  Amen

A New Light

Prayer Focus: Phillipines

Bible Reading: Mt. 4:1-22, Mt.  13:54-58, Mk. 1:12-20, Mk. 6:1-6, Lk. 4:-30, Lk 5:1-11, Jn 1;35-51, Jn 2:-12

Scripture:  

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. 12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:15"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."17From that time on Jesus began to preach, (Matthew 4:11-17)

Observation:

Jesus had just finished 40 days in the desert, fasting, While Satan tempted him.  The bible is full of wry understatements, it says earlier in this passage: “he was hungry.”  While you can only survive three days without water, you can only go 40 days without food.  This means that he was very near death before Satan left him and the angels came to tend to him.  We don’t know if the angels instantaneously healed him or nursed him slowly back to health.  We do know that they stayed with him long enough to give him the news that John was in prison.

This is significant, because it ushers in the beginning of his ministry.

The inaugural speech for this time in history was written generations ago, by Isaiah.  "The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned."  In this verse, Isaiah quotes a psalm  written by King David, generations before HIS time.  Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Application:

We all live in the valley of the shadow of death.  We all know darkness.  But some of you reading today may be so overshadowed, that you can't tell which side is up.  You may feel like you can't navigate through your situation, that the darkness is too debilitating to function.

In John 16:33  Jesus says that "in this life you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!"  Isaiah, in the reference we read today says "a new light has dawned"

I beg you to take your crisis to the Lord.  Let Him turn on the lights in your path.

When you stumble in the dark for too long, you stop looking up.  It's hard to hope, plan, vision, and imagine when you are so defeated that you can't take your eyes off yourself.

Prayer:

Father, I am so grateful that you have overcome the world.  I pray you increase the hope of those who are reading today, that you would use the rod and staff of your word to guide an goad them into the light.  Amen.

Conviction

Prayer Focus: Pakistan

Bible Reading: Nehemiah 8-10

Scripture:

1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.  2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.  3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there.  8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it cleart and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.  9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.  (Nehemiah 8:1-3,7-9)

Observation:

After years of rebellion and then exile, the people gathered once again within the walls of a newly built Jerusalem.  Ezra read the book of the law in front of them for all to hear.  Then they explained what they read to the people so that all could understand.  The Bible says that they listened attentively to the book of the law.

Upon hearing it, they wept.

I’m sure there are as many reasons for the tears as there were people.  I can speculate on some of the things that moved them.  This was the end of a seventy-year exile.  The return to their homeland reunited some families with the very few who stayed behind as the remnant.  Families would now have land to work, an income and an inheritance to leave behind for their own children.  All of these things are powerful motivations to weep.

However, I would also think that hearing the law read to them awakened something in their spirits: conviction. I think they realized how far astray they’d gone for hundreds of years, and desired to be in a right relationship with their creator. This was more than a dry list of rules.  Crouched in the instructions for worship and daily living, the personality of God, showed through.  His word, kindled them.

Application:

I take courage from this story.  It doesn’t matter how far I think I’ve gone from God, he always provides a way for me to come back to Him.  His word convicts us.  Not convict as in pronouncement of judgment.  But rather, as an internal understanding of right and wrong, because his word is living in us, convincing us.

Prayer:

Father I pray that you convict me of sin, and give me the courage to deal with the consequences of it.  Help me become wise through your word and place in me a longing to understand you.

Such a Time as This

PrPrayer Focus: Nigeria

Bible Reading: Esther 1-5

Scripture:

12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai,13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions. (Esther 4:12-17)

Observation:

Every time I read this scripture, I have to pause and check my heart.  What place has God brought me to?  What thing has God put in my path that requires His help to carry out?  Do I step away, letting God raise up another?  Do I step out in faith and let the results rest with God?

Most of us will never have to petition a powerful man to avert genocide.  But each of us live lives  touched by violence.  Each of us have everyday choices that will either invite us to participate  in it, or stand against it.

Application:

When faced with those tough things in our life, the proper response is prayer and fasting.

Contemporary Christianity doesn’t seem to practice fasting any more.  I wonder what we’ve lost in terms of power in our prayer life because of it.  I urge you to see what God has to say about fasting and prayer.  Discover their links, find out why He calls us to this spiritual discipline.  Search for those answers in the Word, then put it into practice for yourself and see if there is a difference in your prayer life.

I don't know what you are going through.  But I do know that violence touches all of us.  I paraphrase Mordecai "Who knows but that you have come to this place for such a time as this?"

Prayer:

Father God, I pray for those reading this journal entry; that you would draw them to you through whatever circumstance they are in.  Life is messy, and confusing and we have so many voices trying to lead us astray.  I pray you honor those who practice spiritual fasting in the coming days and weeks.  Meet them where they are, give them direction and courage and deepen their faith as they seek you first.  Amen.

Warriors

Prayer Focus: Netherlands, Neth Antilles

Scripture Bible Reading: Daniel 10-12

12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."  (Daniel 10:12-14)

Observation

Cyrus, King of Persia had given the Jews permission to leave and return to their homeland.  Daniel stayed.  He was in a place where he could intercede for those who stayed behind.  He was near the hub of what was happening for the people and in a unique position to petition God for them.

When chapter 10 opens it describes Daniel praying and fasting for the people.  God heard his voice in heaven and dispatches an angel to tell him “what will happen to your people in the future”.

I won’t pretend to understand the visions and portents that the angel gives Daniel, and he records.  I don’t have the wisdom to interpret those things.  They make for a fascinating study, and I encourage you to read them for yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you about it.  But here is what I see as very plain: Daniel was a prayer warrior.  In response to the turmoil of the time and the shifting power bases that threatened his people, God dispatches a warrior angel who fights spiritual battles on their behalf and willingly shares with Daniel not only a peek into the future but also speaks plainly about the battles waged behind the temporal curtain on their behalf!

Application

It’s so easy for us to sit on the sidelines of events and bemoan that we are only one person, that we can’t change the world and we are insignificant.  The temptation is to take a fatalistic attitude and let apathy win.

When righteous people pray, God hears.  (Pr.15:29, 1^st Peter 3:12, Ps. 34:17, James 5:16)

When He hears us, he DOES something about it.

Suddenly, our prayer life takes on new meaning.  We become active players on a battlefield; deploying angels to battle, defending the people from harm or from the spiritual battle that hides behind the physical one.

Whatever the situation you are in, you have the opportunity to turn from selfish ways, and humbly seek God’s wisdom and power.  When you do, this makes you a Prayer Warrior.

Prayer

I come to you, Lord, humbly asking for you to reveal yourself to those who seek you.  Help them cast off the sinful desires and temptations that lead to apathy of the soul.  Empower them to see the spiritual battle that wages for their time, attention, and allegiances.  Help them see the part they have in your story.  Give them courage to seek you and join the battle.  Amen!

Hope

Prayer Focus: Mozambique

Scripture:Bible Reading: Ezekiel 37-40

11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.'" (Ezekiel 37:11-14)

18 "When your people ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?'19 say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim's hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.'20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on21 and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 37:18-23)

Observation:

God allowed his people to be in exile for the purpose of reconciling.  (Ezekiel 37:18-23)  But what triggers the timing of prophesy to bring them back together and restore them to their land?  Why did God use the valley of dry bones to illustrate this promise?

To be honest, in all the years I’ve read this passage I’ve never asked myself those questions until today.  I always got caught up in the imagery of the illustration.

I believe that God wanted to keep the hope of the people alive.  They were feeling abandoned by God and some had even lost hope.  Verse 11 says “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off”.

Hope.

When I let my heart rest here on this concept, the Holy Spirit unfolded verse after verse from my memory.   I have decided to get out of the way and let scripture spell out why God felt it so important to restore the hope of his people.  The scriptures are active links, so you can read them in context.

Psalm 130:7 (NIV)

Israel, put your hope in the lord, for with the lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

Jeremiah 31:17 (NIV)

So there is hope for your descendants," declares the lord. "Your children will return to their own land.

Those are a few that pertain to the Israelites for their time and their situation, prophesy that was spoken to increase their hope.

Application:

“So what has this got to do with me and the circumstances I live in today?” 

Romans 15:12 (NIV)

And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope."

Romans 15:4 (NIV)

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

“Why is hope so important?” 

My study of hope tells me that it is tied together with our faith:

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NIV)

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

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.

“What can we do when we have hope?”

Colossians 1:21-23 (NIV)

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Mark 9:23 (NIV)

“‘if you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."

Romans 12:12 (

The last word

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Prayer:

Father God, I echo Paul when I pray for those who read to day:

"Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions." 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 (MSG)

An Everlasting Covenant

Prayer Focus: Mexico

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 13-16

Scripture

"'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.'"  (Ezekiel 16:59-63)

Observation

Today’s reading has four chapters long of God telling the people the shape and form of his wrath.  What he will do, when he will do it, and how many will survive.  At the end of it, in Chapter Sixteen, God says:

“Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.”

So much promise packed into this one sentence.  I wish that he’d unpacked it better for them, especially on the heels of all doom he was pronouncing.  In fact, it’s pretty easy to skim over it, while you are still emotionally throbbing from the terrible things coming.

But I don’t want you to miss it.  Let’s slow it down.

Application

The application for us is contained in that second part of the verse, “and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.”  There are many places we can go in scripture to explain this covenant.  One of my favorite is here in Ephesians 2:22.  “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”  I couldn’t possibly say it any clearer.

Prayer

Father God, you worked through time and circumstances to reveal your nature to us.  You labored over a faithless nation, and remained faithful in order to show us who you are, and how much you love us.

Rock Bottom

Prayer Focus: Mali

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 51, Psalm 137

Scripture:

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.  (Psalm 137:1)

Observation:

The Israelites were captives of Babylon.  Exiled, some served in chains, some in forced labor, some in poverty at the edges.  God was not some tame idol they could carve from wood and and sit on a shelf.  He was a living being, who loved, got angry, fought protectively for them, was jealous.  He demanded that they follow HIM, not use him to serve themselves.  There was a bond, vows between them that neither party could dissolve.

Now that they'd hit their Rock Bottom, the people turned to one another in a unity of heritage.  After so long of a split, they had a common foe.  And they turned to God.

In this verse above the Babylonians commanded that the musicians, conscripted to service, play their harps and sing songs about Zion.  They contemptuously rubbed their noses in their captivity and worked at breaking their spirits.

This served only to unite them even more.  It caused them to remember their vows.  It reawakened in them the hope of a deliverer.

Application:

I know what it's like to have all the supports knocked out from under you.  I know what it's like to feel alone and treated with contempt.  Though my experience is nothing compared to what the Isrealites went through, I am aware of the rock-bottom feeling when you realize all the things you'd counted on fall away.

And maybe that's the point.

God pulled them down to that rock bottom place to prove to them that they were chasing the wrong things.  The New Testament has a parable about a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and how it didn't survive the storms.  As a nation, the people needed to build their house on the rock.  In the thing that can't be knocked out from under them.

Most of us don't realize what kind of ground we've built our foundations on.  Maybe it's a faith built from what our parents gave us or from what was handy or near by.  The storms come (and they always do) and they reveal what we cling to.

I don't often look directly into the audience of those who read this blog.  It feels safer to point the lens at myself, and work at a transparent growth.  But today I am asking you directly what you cling to.  What is your foundation built on?  If you find yourself at rock bottom, my heart aches for your circumstances.  It's not a comfortable place to be.  But like the people of long ago in our reading, they found that when they were at rock bottom, they could be assured  that that ground would not shift and turn on them.  They remembered, the verse says.

Prayer:

Lord, I ask you to stand watch here at this blog, to speak directly to the people who stumble in and read.  You know their circumstances, what they cling to, and where their foundations are built.  For those who are at their rock bottom, Lord I ask that you show them that there is deliverance.  I pray that you increase their hope, and draw them unto yourself, like a mother does her child.  Rock bottom is the best place to meet you.  It's the best place to start over.  Amen.

Then They Will Know

Prayer Focus:Latvia

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 13-16

Scripture:

Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!"

"Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name is the Lord.

(Jeremiah 16:20-21)

Observation:

A prophet’s calling was to speak words of the Lord.  Among them, Jeremiah is referred to as the weeping prophet, because God was mourning over his people.  The Israelites had turned their back on Him.  They worshiped hand-crafted idols and, through the influence of their king Manasseh, performed despicable acts in the temple – yes, that’s right – IN THE TEMPLE.  God’s anger burned because of what his people were doing.  He had held his wrath a time or two for an upright king like Josiah or Hezekiah.  Finally, the time had come.

Sometimes we wonder, “What does God hope to accomplish by unleashing His wrath?”  In today’s passage, we get a glimmer of understanding.  His anger doesn’t flare as an uncontrolled tantrum.  Instead, it burns with a Holy purpose.  Although the effects of His wrath were awful, it served to draw them back to Himself.  He needed to break them and their bondage to sin, so they could again be followers of the one living God.

Application:

The Israel nation didn’t fall into idol worship over night.  How did they arrive at this awful place?  Did they slip by degrees, like the proverbial “frog in a kettle?”  Is it possible they took offense at anyone telling them what to do or how to live?  Did they claim those who were holding to a standard were intolerant?

How can we, as a people of God, learn from their mistakes?

Prayer:

Lord, help me have my eyes open.  Help me see the places where I let myself compromise to the world.  Amen.

NoteBored Lives Again!

I don't have time to write a real post here today, because I'm working on a revision and shouldn't even be here now... but I just wanted to say it out loud and with much excitement...

NoteBored Lives Again!

I"m so excited about it I had to come and do a happy dance where I wasn't pestering anyone else.

We are now located at www.notebored.proboards.com

We have a workshop to peer review works of fiction (including novels).  We also have a challenge section to generate new ideas and stories.  We have polls set up to vote, reward pips to brag and track your strengths, and feedback on your story to know if you have something you can refine into a novel or short story or if you need to pare it down into a flash.

That's what I am doing today: the first challenge generated a short story that I've found a market I want to submit for.  The deadline is August 15th.  So I'm working on polishing that story to submit it in time.

Meanwhile the second "Timed Challenge" trigger and due date is posted.

Notebored lives and I am thrilled to be writing again!

Purging Idols

Prayer Focus: Kenya, Kiribati

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chron. 34-35

Scripture:

Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curset and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. (2 Kings 22:18-19)

Observation:

The OT story we just read shows the uncovering of the book of the law from the temple that the previous king, Manasseh, desecrated.  At this time Josiah ruled, a king of whom the bible says  "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left." His response to finding the law was to gather all the people together to hear the law of the Lord read aloud.

After hearing how far off they were from what God's law commanded, he wept and tore his clothes in distress.  Further, he went on to clean out all traces of idol worship in their temple, their land, and their homes.   He also reinstated the observance of Passover; something that no king had done since the time of Samuel.  Even though the wrath of God was coming, he spared Josiah from having to see it in his lifetime.

Today, the temple (the place where God dwells) is in our own hearts.  Like Josiah of his time, God desires to show mercy to us when we turn from evil and follow Him.

Application:

I challenge you to look in your life for areas where the world has encroached and you've let the idols of this age have more of your time, energy or talent than you should.  If you find that you have; purge them from your life, and get back into the Word (his law) where the truth is found!

Prayer:

LORD, search me and know me.  Speak into my life and show me what has become as an idol to me.  I want my heart, clean.  I want you at home with me so that I can obey with gladness.  Give me the courage to look where you point, purge where I should, and embrace what you have for me!

Survivors of God's Wrath

Prayer Focus: Israel

Bible Reading: Isaiah 36-37; 2 Kings 18:9-19:37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23; Psalm 76

Scripture

Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. (Psalm 76:10)

Observation

My paraphrase version of our reading today:

The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, sent a party to Jerusalem to negotiate a surrender. They'd previously taken the Northern Kingdom of Israelites by laying siege to their city for years, and then finally carrying them off to captivity. Now they had their sights set on Judah.

He issued a challenge, mocking God by saying "Where were all the other nation's god's when I destroyed them? You won't stand against me either." God answered Sennachrib's challenge by killing 180,000 of his men in their sleep, forcing him to withdraw from the field!

Soon after this event, God spoke to Hezekiah through Isaiah, telling him to get his affairs in order, he was going to die soon. Hezekiah prayed and wept bitterly for himself and for the fate of the nation. God answered his prayer by telling him that He would grant him another 15 years. The sign for his belief was that he would move heaven and earth, literally. He caused the shadow of the sun to move backwards by 10 steps on the staircase.

The result of these miracles?  It witnessed powerfully to the surrounding nations. Tiny Judah, who has a God who fights their battles for them, saves them from disaster, turns back time, and gives their King a longer life is not to be trifled with! Asaph, Hezekiah's recorder, wrote a song, likely sung far and wide in that time, and the scripture I've pulled for today is from that song, Psalm 76. "Surely your wrath against man brings you praise and the survivors of your wrath are restrained. Make vows to the Lord and fulfill them; let all neighboring lands bring gifts to the one to be feared."

And so the neighboring lands, did.

Word got to Babylon about these gifts, and they sent envoys to survey. Hezekiah took them on the royal tour, holding back nothing from their sight. Isaiah scolded him for this, prophesying that Babylon would come and take it all.

Hezekiah's response was "Good. There will be peace in my lifetime." We could speculate all sorts of reasons why Hezekiah would say that. Was he being short-sighted? Didn't he believe Isaiah? Was he simply tired of conflict? Maybe he just wanted to finish well, for the records to say that as far as was up to him he lead in righteousness and there was peace. I don't know. I do know however, that at the height of a recent victory, before any conflict with Babylon had happened yet, Isaiah was prophesying disaster. The rise of a good king forestalled the consequences of  the rebelling of Israel, and God’s plan for uniting them. 

Application

The lesson I draw from today's reading is what Asaph declared in verse 76:10 "Surely your wrath against men brings praise, and the survivors of your wrath are restrained." If you take that verse out of context it sounds like God gets glory from violence, but when you place it back in the time and place it was written, you see that the wrath was not against his children, but against their oppressors, the ones who were trying to take their land and would make them slaves. God's wrath rescued the people in an event that echoed the angel of death during the Passover before they left Egypt. The whole purpose was to remind his people and the world that he was a God not made by man and crafted of wood or stone, but a living, breathing, fully-engaged God who fights his own battles, and protects his children. He doesn't abandon us to ourselves.

Prayer

Lord, look on me and cleans me from all my rebellious ways. I am so grateful to you, mighty God, for not leaving me alone in my sin. You conquered sin and death and rescued me, and I am a survivor. Your wrath teaches me restraint. Amen

Mantle

Mantle


Prayer Focus: India
Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1-4

Scripture
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not."
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
13 Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. (2 Kings 2:9-13)


Observation
Elisha asked for a double portion of the gift - and got it.  He went on to do many miracles, proving that he indeed had Elijah's mantle.  The Holy Spirit transfers twice the power and effectiveness from Elijah to Elisha after Elijah is taken by the Lord. The bible goes on to record twice as many miracles for Elisha. 

Application
 When I let my imagination sit here in this place and time I wonder what sorts of things went through Elisha's mind that provoked his request.  We don't have a peek into his thoughts, only what he did with the power once granted.  I encourage you to go to today's reading and see what that was.
The take-away that I have with today's reading is simple: What has the Holy Spirit gifted us as Jesus was taken up into heaven?  To find the answer to that, go to mark 16:15 where Jesus tells his disciples "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

Prayer
Lord, give me the courage to be bold, to proclaim your word as I ought.  Your word promises gifts of your Spirit to enable me to do this.  Help me reach for them, help me reach for you!

Judgement

Prayer Focus: Haiti

Bible Reading: Isaiah 13-17

Scripture:

Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty is mustering
an army for war. (Isaiah 13:4)

Observation:

The scripture reading for today details the judgement against Babylon, Moab and Damascus.

There is a movement among us as believers that wants to see only the friendly side of God. The tolerant side, the one that doesn't judge and is ever patient with us. Even now, when searching for what to say to you here, I want to find the rainbow, the happy place to take you and boost you in his love before you go on your way. But this is a side to God we must look at.

I urge you to spend time with a reference book or a google engine researching what these nations were like. Put God's wrath in the context of the people who lived there and the sins they were committing in that time. I've typed and erased several attempts to explain why God's intervention in this way was necessary, but it always goes outside of the scope of this short devotional. I will say though, that God's judgment to Israel and to the surrounding Nations was a rescue. The result was the prophesy of the Messiah, comfort that God would redeem his people. He would not abandon them! The judgements and exile would, in the end, restore their faith as a nation, and prove to the Gentiles that He was the Lord God.

Application:

My take-away from this is to look more closely at my life. What sins have I allowed in my life thinking that they weren't so bad? Where do I justify my actions to suit my needs? Where am I compromising? Do I live my life today as though there will be an accounting of my choices?

I have lots of questions that I am going to take with me into my prayer closet.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to fear you as I ought, help me turn my eyes to you. There is a verse in chapter 17 of our reading, verse 7, I will end my devotion with your words breathed as a prayer "In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.. "