Category: prayer

Leading Through Hardship

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 18 & 19

Poetry: Proverbs 5

New Testament: Ephesians 3

As President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is uniquely positioned in American history as the only leader of a broken country.  No matter who he chose to serve in his cabinet, how empathetic his staff was to his role, how much they helped to shoulder the load or strengthened his areas of weakness,  no one can truly understand the weight borne by the Commander-in-Chief, whose presidency was the bookends to rebellion. A great example of this can be seen in Vicksburg, a Union siege took out the Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi which was a key route for reinforcement and supplies.   While this battle represented a great public triumph for Lincoln’s side, it also held personal tragedy.  Lincoln received the report that his brother-in-law, a Confederate general, was killed in battle.  It was stated by those surrounding him they never saw the president more moved during the war than when he received this news.

Likewise, David’s emotions in victory are complex. Tens of thousands of men look to their king to champion their victory, no doubt hearing stories of how he famously danced in the streets as the Ark made its way into the city.  Instead, they see the lament of a father’s cry.  Great leaders, more than anything else, are human; however, the weight of leadership will undoubtedly tip the scales in favor of fostering commitment, vision, and hope for followers, rather than abandonment trials and tragedy. Joab’s words seem insensitive, “You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. (2 Sam 19:6) ” but they are actually encouragement to a leader who has made a personal sacrifice to acknowledge that tens of thousands of others had done the same.

The words of Jesus could be thought equally cutting and unfeeling, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:60).” Our ministries do not stop because we face conflict or personal tragedy.  Conversely, I would say this is when our ministry and testimony are spotlighted. By the standards of the world, this conflict provides permission to act selfishly, but when we bear our burdens with the Kingdom of God at the forefront, we lean on God and lead others to the Good News.  Paul makes mention of this in Ephesians 3.  He tells the church at Ephesus not to worry about his suffering, because it is for their sake and to the glory of God.  The same circumstance is both a victory yet a personal hardship. Paul instead lifts those he leads in prayer, asking for the strength of the Holy Spirit to guide those for whom the letter was intended, and likewise, encourage us today.   No matter what scale Paul used, no matter what was placed in the balance, the weight of the Kingdom of God far outweighed any loss. This sentiment is again echoed from his prison cell to the church at Philippi when he states:

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” –  Phil. 3:8,10

While we may not be ready to ask for suffering like Paul, tragic circumstances are the nature of this world. It may be an unfamiliar posture, but our grief, our battle, and our dire circumstance is an opportunity to demonstrate the assurances we have, to revel in the joy and love of God. We must look for opportunities to pray for and encourage others who may be participating in the same battle, asking God to give them the strength to see the victory too.  Yes, we must bear, and even welcome, hardship for the sake of the Kingdom of God because, with the help of God, we can lead within it, bringing others to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you learn about leadership from David? From Paul?
  2. What do you think of the statement: “No matter what scale Paul used, no matter what was placed in the balance, the weight of the Kingdom of God far outweighed any loss.” Do you see this in Paul’s life? Do you see this in your own life?
  3. Who will you pray for strength to see the victory?
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“But can God Love Me?”

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 11 & 12

Poetry: Psalm 67

New Testament: 2 Corinthians 10

If you’re like me, that is, *if you are human*, then you have made mistakes. Some of those mistakes are major; not just a small white lie, but sins that harm others and put us out of sync with God. Sometimes, when we make those big sins, we feel like God could never forgive us, could never love us. The words of Samuel to the Israelites from the end of 1 Samuel 12 should give us hope in those moments.

“Do not fear.” “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31), and we should not excuse the sins we commit. The first command given to the Israelites is to not let fear make them flee from the Lord. Instead, we should listen more closely to God than ever. If we recognize our sin, we also recognize that God’s ways are higher than our own, and  his ways are better than the ways of the world. If we flee from God, we turn toward things that cannot give us hope, cannot give us a future, cannot redeem us. As Samuel says, they cannot profit or deliver. They are futile. 

This all seems very good. “Maybe our sin wasn’t so bad”… we might say, foolishly. God does not ignore your sin because he is ignorant of it, or because he doesn’t care. Instead, “God will not abandon His people *on account of His great name*.” God has chosen a people to be his own possession. In the ancient world, it was Israel, those who were born from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, children of the promise. Today, he has also chosen a people, also those born according to a promise, but now, it is all who have a faith like Abraham’s, who trust God like Isaac, who believe and wrestle with the Lord like Jacob, those who choose to trust in the final and ultimate descendant of the Patriarchs, Jesus Christ. God has made you a part of his people when you trusted in Jesus. Now, the reality is that we are not merely performing the law, but the law of God has been enacted in the life of Jesus, and by connecting with him, we both enact the law and go beyond it to the truth Christ taught! Christ taught us the truth of God, Christ showed us the life that God wants us to live, Christ died so that we might have life. “Consider the great things the Lord has done for you.” It is now more true than ever. Our sin was nailed to the cross with Christ. It was so terrible it cost Christ everything and he willingly paid it all. 

We are called to avoid sin, and we are warned by Christ himself that if we live wicked lives, his words will judge us in the last day. But now, if we do sin, we do not need to fear because we have an advocate who loves us, who gives us a spirit who can change us from the inside out, so we might stop sinning and stop desiring to sin. That is the glory and the power of living in the age of grace, of living in the shadow of the cross. 

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.”

And so, this day and every day, may you be blessed as you “Seek, Grow, Love”. Far be it from me to cease praying for you!

-Jake Ballard

Reflection Questions

  1. Do Not Fear: We are commanded “do not fear” again and again in scripture. We are even told that perfect love drives out fear. But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Moreover, Jesus did not encourage his disciples out of their fear when they were in awe and terrified when the winds and waves obey him. With all those confusing passages in mind, what is the Christian relationship with fear? What should we fear? What should we not fear?
  2. Consider the great things the Lord has done for you: Make a list throughout the day today of all the blessings that God has given you. What are the big, great amazing things, and what are the small, everyday good. Consider them all and see that the Lord is good. 
  3. Far be it from me…: Would you take the next few minutes, and pray earnestly, for those who are reading Seek Grow Love. Pray for the blessings of God to be upon them. Amen. 
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God on Call?

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3-4

Poetry: Psalm 64

New Testament: 2 Corinthians 6

I want to be very clear from the outset: YHWH, the God who created everything, who spoke the universe into existence, who watches the explosions of supernovas and the random dance of  each of the electrons in the subatomic particles, THIS God is *on your side*. YHWH (usually written as LORD in the Bible) is a *someone* who has relationships, not just a power or a force; he loves you and wants to be with you in the Kingdom, the eternal life after death on the Earth made new. To that end, God gave us his son Jesus of Nazareth, to die in our place and for our sins so that we could be forgiven and live eternally. God did not have to do that but he did because he is on our side, even when we haven’t been on his. 

BUT…

God is not “on call”. 

Have you ever wondered why witchcraft was banned in Israel? (Ex. 22:17, Lev. 19:26) Part of it is that God wanted the Israelites to have a clean break with everything that was in the land of Canaan before them. But there was an ancient belief that by practicing witchcraft, humans could control the supernatural. When God revealed that he is the only God, then witchcraft was a presumption that humans can control God, that we can make demands on the Almighty. This was still the assumption of the culture all the way to the time of the early church (see Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9-24).

Read 1 Samuel 4:2-4 again. The Israelites are defeated by the Philistines. At that point, they probably should have prayed to know the will of the Lord. They could have sacrificed and cast the urim and thummim to discern the wise solution. But what they actually did was to try and control God. “Let’s take the Ark, and it will deliver us!” Or, said another way, “God certainly won’t let us lose if we carry his Ark into battle; he’ll have to let us win!” They don’t look to the God who would deliver them; they were looking to the tools that were used to remind them of God. 

We don’t have the Ark today; maybe it was melted down by the Babylonians, or maybe it was taken to Ethiopia, or maybe it’s on Oak Island. No one knows, and it doesn’t really matter. We don’t want to fall into the same trap that the Israelites did. We shouldn’t presume that God will do what we desire, even though he is on our side. 

Today, we don’t march with the ark, but we think of God in wrong ways. Some of the WRONG ways to think about God are:

  • God is a loving grandfather, who dotes upon his grandkids and makes sure to sneak them candy or a crisp $5 bill when mom and dad aren’t looking. The grandkids may not ask, but they do expect. 
  • God is a genie, who will grant our wishes when we believe hard enough and pray long enough. 
  • God is a vending machine; we put in the “belief” and “prayer” coins and God spits out the requested deliverance. At this point, God has lost all personality.  

What happens to those who presume to demand God show up when and how they desire? Death, destruction, pain, and despair. (1 Samuel 4 is a depressing chapter!)

But there is a better word for you. God is on your side, and you approach him as a father that has the best plans for you, even though that may be painful work to make you full and complete. You must approach him as God, believing that he will work all things for good and knowing that the ultimate good of the universe is His glory and our worship, not our happiness or comfort.  You must approach him as God, that hears and responds to the prayers of his people, but not beholden to us to work like a machine at his request. 

May we honor the God who is not controlled by us, but is on our side!

Questions

  1. If you do not know the saving power and love of God, seek that out today. God REALLY is on your side. He loves you deeply, he wants the best for you, and he knows what you need better than even you do. Will you trust in him to bring you to life and salvation?
  2. How have you treated God in ways other than God deserves to be treated? Have you thought of God as your grandfather, or your genie, or your vending machine? Maybe some other way that you make demands of God? If you have, how can you repent, and trust in God without demanding anything of him?
  3. “God’s ultimate goal is his glory, not your happiness.” This is one of the hardest truths to accept when pride and the flesh is still being worked out of us. How can we give God the glory and worship he deserves, and not get hung up on our own desires, preferences, and pleasures?

Jake Ballard

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Hear My Cry

Old Testament: Judges 20 & 21

*Poetry: Psalm 61

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 16

Have you ever been in a situation where you have come to God in desperation, feeling depressed, angry, or scared? In Psalm 61 David is crying out to God in a time of need. Many people believe David wrote this about when his son temporarily pushed him from the throne. Sometimes we view asking God for help as weakness but it is evident in the Bible that it’s not. Throughout the Bible we see people crying out to God. Jesus cried out to God and we read in Hebrews 5:7, 

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”

There are three main takeaways from Psalms 61:


1. We need to cry out to God when we are hurting, which is expressed in the first two verses which reads

“Hear my cry, O God;

    listen to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

2. We need to have confidence and faith that God will answer our cries, which is expressed in verses 5-7 which reads

“For you, God, have heard my vows;

    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Increase the days of the king’s life,
    his years for many generations.

May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
    appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.”

3. We need to have a commitment and loyalty to God which is expressed in verse 8 which reads

“Then I will ever sing in praise of your name

    and fulfill my vows day after day.”

-Brooke Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. When have you cried out to God when you were feeling scared, angry, depressed or in desperation?
  2. What does it mean to you that God is the Rock higher than you? How do you approach Him in prayer?
  3. Do you have confidence in Him? Are you committed to Him?
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My Strength

Old Testament: Judges 16 & 17

Poetry: Psalm 59

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 14

In this devotion I want to delve into a chapter in Psalms. What we see is David sharing a dark time in his life, one of the things that makes it difficult is people turning on him. One of the hardest things in life is having people you trust betray you. Jesus dealt with this same thing when Judas betrayed him.

Have you ever had to deal with a betrayal? What did you do in that instance? Many people unfortunately want to take revenge. Others spin into a depression, but David gives us strong advice on how to handle adversity. He tells us to allow God to protect us and keep us strong. He likens God to a strong tower that we can take refuge in. In Psalm 59 David is in his house surrounded by Saul’s soldiers who were sent to kill him.

The Psalm is both a prayer and a praise for God’s saving help. Psalms 59 is an important chapter because it reminds us of God’s unfailing love. David was hunted by people whose love had turned into jealousy which drove them to try to kill him. David had trusted friends and the king who he considered a mentor who all turned against him.

As humans, relationships are so important and necessary. We all hope and strive for dependable, long-lasting relationships but that’s not always the case. We all have dealt with broken relationships. Maybe it was the loss of a friendship, a break up, a church split, or family estrangement. At some point everyone deals with finding out that someone was not a trustworthy, dependable person like you thought. This is the hard side of human relationships. Humans are far from perfect, people will disappoint you and you will disappoint others. Regardless of the state of your relationships in this world, God’s relationship to you is unchanging and unfailing.

-Brooke Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you ever felt betrayed? What was your response?
  2. When have you turned to God for strength when human relationships disappointed you? What did you find in Him?
  3. What do you appreciate about God’s unchanging and unfailing character? How will you praise Him for this?
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Concrete Love

Old Testament: Judges 4 & 5

Poetry: Psalm 53

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

For the rest of this week, we are going to be looking each day at small sections of one chapter in the Bible- 1 Corinthians 13. When I was a kid I was taught that 1 Corinthians 15 is the Resurrection chapter, Hebrews 11 is the Hope chapter, and 1 Corinthians 13 is the Love chapter.  If you’ve ever been to a wedding ceremony there is a good chance that you’ve heard all or at least a portion of this read as part of the ceremony.  Today we will look at verses 1-3:

            If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

            This is such a timely reading for me to consider.  For the past 3 years, I’ve been working toward receiving my Doctorate of Ministry from Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville.  It’s been a lot of hard work.  For my project I read hundreds of articles and books, conducted interviews, presented ideas to colleagues, tested ideas on various groups, and wrote, edited, re-wrote, and re-edited until I had a project to present to my committee.  Then after my committee read it, we met and I had to defend my project thesis orally.  Finally, on April 9 I passed.  On May 10 I’ll graduate and receive my official title D.Min, Doctor of Ministry in Integrative Mental Health Chaplaincy.  The afternoon I passed my wife Karen said “Hello, Dr. Fletcher.”  I said, “That’s the only time you’re ever going to call me that, right?”  She said, “Absolutely, I hope you enjoyed it.” 

            So, I’ve been feeling relieved, accomplished, grateful, and good about having achieved this milestone in my academic and professional career. 

            But God had a lot more to teach me.  And Brother Paul put his finger on it.  In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Paul is saying a lifetime of accomplishments, being a gifted speaker, full of knowledge, or being spiritually gifted with miraculous powers, in the absence of concrete acts of love, is just a bunch of noise.  You can get all the degrees and accolades and knowledge, but if you don’t put love into practice, it’s a bunch of noise and worthless.

            It reminds me of a story I once heard: There was a child psychologist who was famous and had written many best-selling books on parenting and how to raise children.  Recently, he had spent many hours constructing a new driveway at his home. Just after he smoothed the surface of the freshly poured concrete, his neighbors’ small children chased a ball across the driveway, leaving deep footprints. The man yelled after them with a torrent of angry words. His shocked neighbor heard these words and said to him, “You’re a psychologist who’s supposed to love children.” The fuming man shouted, “I love children in the abstract, not in the concrete!”

            Paul is saying in I Corinthians 13:1-3 that love in the abstract is worthless.

            A few days later, God showed me what love in the concrete looks like. I shared the following story on my Facebook page recently.  It resonated with a lot of people because it’s been shared hundreds of times and I’ve heard more responses to it than anything else I’ve ever posted on social media.  It illustrates to me what Love in the Concrete looks like:

I met Jesus yesterday.  Face to face.

He’s a cashier at a grocery store in Front Royal, Virginia.

I was on my way home from work after a busy Monday visiting sick patients at the hospital, supporting families as their loved ones face the end of life, helping people struggling with addiction and staff cope with the challenges of being full-time caregivers. I’m a chaplain and a pastor, that’s what I do all day. It’s what I’ve trained to do, studied, practiced. 

But then, yesterday, out of the blue, with no warning I met Jesus working the register at a grocery store.

First, I saw him patiently help the customer ahead of me.  The one who only had 3 items in her cart, was very confused trying to figure out how much she could spend because she needed to have enough left over.  He was gentle and patient with her.  He couldn’t be more than his late teens, maybe early 20s, but he was attentive and caring.  No eye rolls or looks of frustration, just caring for this confused and frustrated woman. (I was the one who was frustrated at how long it was taking).

Then it was finally my turn to check out.  He was a thin young man, wearing a cross made of horseshoe nails and wire.  He smiled and asked gently, “May I pray for you?”

That was unexpected and caught me completely off guard.  I said, “Yes, please.”   I was so moved that this young man would take the time to notice me and ask if he could pray for me.  This was more than a transactional relationship for him.  He was there to do more than simply earn his paycheck and go home.  He saw me as more than an object, a thing to help pay his bills, he saw me as a person, a human being made in the image of God, who has a life outside of this 5-minute transaction and has needs that can be helped by God’s intervention.  I was deeply moved. 

But he wasn’t finished.

“What would you like me to pray for?”  What should I say?  How specific should I be?  Should I say, “I’m currently under treatment for 2 types of advanced cancer and trying my best to keep going?”  Should I tell him about my concerns about family members that I love, my desire to help my Church grow, and all the needs of the people I visit and staff I serve in the hospital? 

There wasn’t time to go into all of that, so I simply said “My health.”

He stopped and said, “So you are having health problems.  I’ll pray for that.”

By then the tears were starting to well up in me and I hurriedly helped him bag my groceries so I could get out of there before I started ugly crying in the grocery store check-out line.

But he wasn’t done yet.

“What’s your name?”   That about finished me off.  He wasn’t just making conversation or using spiritual cliches like “I’ll pray for you” as well-intentioned people often do, but sometimes forget to actually do.  I knew that he really meant it.  He was and is praying for me, Jeff, who has health needs.  And based on what I saw, he’s already pretty close to God.  So I have a feeling God will listen attentively to his prayers.

As I sat in my car afterward waiting for the tears to subside, I had the overwhelming sense that I had just spent time with Jesus.

I met Jesus yesterday.

He works as a cashier at a grocery store in Front Royal, Virginia.

Since I shared this on Facebook I’ve had dozens of people who live locally write to me or tell me in the hospital that this same young man has left others equally in tears when he prayed for them and they, too, equally felt touched by Jesus.

This young man probably doesn’t have a doctorate in spiritual care, but you don’t need one of those to show people concrete love in the name of Jesus.  Go and be Jesus wherever you are today.

Pastor Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. Name a time when you were surprised by God’s love revealed to you in unexpected places.
  2. How would you describe the difference between abstract love and concrete love?
  3. The young man showed Jesus’ love while checking people out at the grocery store. Where can you show the love of Jesus today?
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Hyssop

Old Testament: Joshua 13 & 14

Poetry: Psalm 51

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 6

Ahh….Psalm 51. There are few Psalms I can remember off hand what they are about. I usually can recall that Psalm 119 is the really long one kinda smack dab in the middle of the Bible that talks about the word of God. Psalm 100 is my Mom’s favorite that she still has memorized and can recite on turbo speed which is an uplifting one full of gratitude. And then there is Psalm 51. It isn’t super long and it isn’t super cheerful, but it is authentic, transparent, and full of repentance. A psalm of confession at a time in David’s life that is so significant even our Bibles tell us what David had just been caught doing before writing this.

I don’t know about you, but I know I wouldn’t particularly want people thousands of years from now reading about my sins or finding prayers I wrote on my darkest days. But, I am so grateful that God allowed that from the man after God’s own heart, a beautiful poet and gifted communicator whose contrite and sincere words are available for us today to encourage, convict, and restore.

 In Psalm 51 verse 7, hyssop caught my eye because right now I have it growing in my yard again, transitioning back to a vibrant green after the long winter of blah. For my purposes today, I like that it is a perennial with pretty foliage and purple flowers that also have some herbal benefits. But, in the Bible it is referenced as a cleansing and purifying plant, one used for cleansing lepers, ceremonial cleansings, and what the Israelites were instructed to use as a paintbrush of sorts for smearing the sacrificed lamb’s blood on the doorposts in Exodus 12.  How beautiful a psalm and image to read on the first day of Passover. How wonderful to know that since David’s time, through his line, we received a Messiah through whom we can be cleansed and made right to God.  It is encouraging to know that God always knew we needed this Messiah, and that Jesus was part of God’s plan from the beginning. The relationship with God we have through Jesus and the hope of the gospel he preached in the coming kingdom, a time of no more mistakes and tears, provides a source of joy today.

                Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

 Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities

Someone else must think Psalm 51 is a noteworthy one we can relate to because like it or not. . . here we come. . . .6 days in a row!

-Jennifer Hall

Questions:

1. What do you like about Psalms and the books of poetry in scripture?

2. How do you relate to the words in Psalm 51?

3. Consider what you need to ask God to cleanse you of today, and rejoice in the mercy and great compassion David reminds us are abounding in Him when we turn to him in repentance.

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Astronomical Measures

Old Testament: Joshua 9-10

Poetry: Psalm 49

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 4

My inner science nerd was more excited than a kid in a free candy store last week as I donned my (un)fashionable cardboard glasses in preparation for a once-in-a-lifetime event: for the first time in over 200 years, my Midwest residence would be within the path of totality for a total solar eclipse – an alignment promised to not reoccur in this area for three quarters of a century. Seven years ago, we watched a partial eclipse (around 90% totality) from our home, which was very… underwhelming. However, after learning that there is a vast difference between even 99 and 100% totality, I bought into the hype and prepared for amazement. We hosted a watch party on our church property and our friends even flew in from Alaska to experience it with us! The weather was abnormally lovely for April. As the coverage increased, we detected a cool wind breaking through the warm air, and then street lights began to light up. Then, the millisecond that it reached total coverage, a wave of deep twilight blanketed the field and an evening chill washed over us; I could instantly sense the distinct change in my peripheral vision from behind the safety of my glasses. For about 3 minutes, we eschewed our disposable spectacles as we stared into the void of the sun, soaking in the uniqueness of a mid-afternoon that felt like a near-midnight. We were awed by the surreal experience and applauded the workmanship of our Creator! And then, as suddenly as it had been hidden, the sun again commenced its glorious shine, changing the temporary night back into day. 

Our reading in Joshua today tells of another rare astronomical event – “the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day” while Joshua fought the Amorites. There are many theories about what actually went down on the day the sun didn’t, from an annular eclipse (which even secular scientists agree did occur in Canaan around that time) to a variation in rotation speed and everything in between (you can start your rabbit hole dive here), but what is most important is that God did something very miraculous to help Joshua win the battle. God was on Joshua’s side, and he took “astronomical” measures to help Joshua do what God had called him to do. Joshua and his men put forth the effort as wise and persistent soldiers, but they called on God for a miracle to help them win the battle – and He did, in an awesome display of His power. “There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!” (Joshua 10:14, NIV)

God fought for His people, and God fights for us. God is on our side, and He loves to show up in mighty ways. BUT… God usually expects us to be actively involved as well. Joshua had to go out and fight the battle – many of them, actually – and God showed up, often miraculously. This is a good reminder for our own lives. God has given us gifts and abilities, and He wants us to be engaged and active in this life. (For example, we don’t really have a legitimate reason to complain about not having a job if we’ve never submitted any applications, right?) Sometimes the best and only thing we can do is pray and let God work, but often, we will pray while we fight right there on the battlefield, trusting in God’s supernatural provision. He still performs miracles! 

In whatever battles you will face, remember that God is with you and still works in miraculous ways. Keep your eyes open to see His handwork in your life! 

-Rachel Cain

Reflection: 

– Watch for God moments in your day and thank him for them. It might be something as small as a daffodil field to bring a smile to your face as you drive to work, or as large as seeing God’s might during a solar eclipse. Either way, praise Him in all those moments! 

– How can you depend on God more to fight your battles? How might God be calling you to be more engaged in the battles yourself?

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Bring Your Friends to Jesus

Old Testament: Numbers 19 & 20

Poetry: Job 16

New Testament: Mark 2

In Mark 2, we find the story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man.  Jesus was becoming more well known, and more popular.  He was inside a house, and some men brought their friend to Jesus so Jesus could heal him.  But because such a big crowd had gathered, there wasn’t room to bring him to Jesus, not even outside the door.  So the friends took the man onto the roof, dug through the roof, and let him down in front of Jesus.

I have to admire these friends.  They were very concerned about their friend, and wanted to see him healed.  They believed Jesus could and would heal him, if they could just get him to Jesus.  They didn’t just “pray about it”, they stepped out on faith and did something about it.  They dug through the roof, and let their friend get close to Jesus – and Jesus rewarded their efforts.

Mark 2:5 tells us, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  Jesus obviously saw that the man was crippled, but Jesus saw what wouldn’t have been nearly as obvious to us.  The man’s biggest problem was his sin – so Jesus healed him of that first.  This is the greatest miracle Jesus performed (and still performs).  

The teachers of the law said that Jesus was blaspheming, believing only God can forgive sin.  I’m guessing they were thinking, “it’s easy to tell someone their sins are forgiven, since you can’t prove they are really forgiven.”  Jesus then told them, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…”  He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take up your mat, and go home.”  So the man got up, took his mat, and walked out.

I love this story, not only because I love reading about all of Jesus’ miracles, but specifically because this is the only story I can think of where someone is healed because of the faith of his friends.  We’re not told, maybe the paralyzed man asked to be taken to Jesus.  But any way about it, Jesus saw the faith of the friends, forgave the man’s sins, and ultimately healed him.

This story puts me to shame.  I invite you to ask yourself some questions…

Am I this concerned about my friends?  

Am I willing to be uncomfortable – maybe even make a scene – to bring someone to Jesus?  

Am I willing to not just “pray for” someone, but actually “do something” for someone?  

Would Jesus see my faith and forgive and even heal someone I care deeply about?

Finally, do I need Jesus’ ultimate miracle for myself – to have him forgive me of my sins?  This miracle meets the greatest need.  It costs the most.  It brings the greatest blessing.  It has the longest lasting results.  And Jesus is still doing it daily.

–Steve Mattison

(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on October 6, 2020)

Questions – See Above

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Handling Hardship

Numbers 11:23 NIV for SGL

Old Testament: Numbers 11

Poetry: Job 10

New Testament: Acts 24

Ok, we know that things are not going to go well when we read, Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, … (Numbers 11:1)

Why would they do that? The Israelites grumbled, argued and complained, but this never works out for them. Honestly, if we look at our own lives, are we guilty of this too?  Do we show God that we are thankful for our life and the provisions that He gives us?  If I may quote Madame Blueberry: “A thankful heart is a happy heart.”  But, the Israelites are not thankful, and they are not happy.  In Numbers 11, they complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

So, surely they adopted a new way of doing things, a new way to react to the situations that arose. Nope.

“The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat!  We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (verses 4-6)

Wow. Yep that slavery, that was the good life. Sure, they lived lives of servitude, but they had cucumbers.

Unfortunately, this complaining spread until Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The LORD became angry and Moses was troubled. This is where I think we can learn from the way Moses responds.  He asked the LORD.  He is troubled because he is in a situation that is impossible for him to handle alone.  He just has an honest conversation with the LORD. We see him react in the same way that he did in chapter 9 when he is asked a question about the Passover feast.  He told the people to wait until he found out what the LORD commanded concerning them. I think that is how all of us should handle hardships.  We should talk with God about what ever is troubling us. If we are in a continual conversation with the LORD, we bring him our praises and requests continually too.

Moses told Him that he could not carry all those people by himself; the burden was too heavy. The LORD had a solution for him. The LORD would take some of the power of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on seventy of Israel’s elders.  They shared the burden of the people so Moses did not have to carry it alone. As far as the request for meat, the quail arrived when the LORD said it would.  Even Moses did not know how God could do it, but again he talks with God about it. I wonder how things would have gone for the Israelites if they had humbly thanked God for their manna and asked for meat.  The LORD could even have thrown in cucumbers if He wanted to.  From today’s reading lets be encouraged to pray continually sharing our hardships and praises with God.

-Rebecca Dauksas

(first posted for SeekGrowLove on September 3, 2016)

Reflection Questions

  1. When hardships hit do you spend more time complaining or praying?
  2. If you were a pastor/youth leader or spiritual counselor for the Israelites what issues or problems would you address with them? Which of these problems do you have as well? What could they – and what can you – do to work towards fixing these problems?
  3. What do you learn about the Lord God in Numbers 11?
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