Is This Guy Leaning?

S ~ “I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭130:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O ~ Oh to long for the Lord, more than anything - including more than those on guard duty waiting for morning to come - that they would have made it safely through another night.

A ~ May my longing for the presence of the Lord increase, and may I always be looking, longing and leaning towards the Lord.

P ~ Lord, I don’t want to be distant from You, or satisfied with my relationship with You. I want to be growing, and eagerly expecting Your presence. I do long for You.

Plans Revealed

S ~ “Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭3:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O ~ God knows. God tells. God always knows. God always tells.

A ~ A shepherd turned prophet, Amos lets us in on how God ‘operates’. He doesn’t do anything alone - He lets the prophets know. So.... I’m thinking I should be paying attention to those with prophetic insight.

P ~ Lord, please help me hear from those who are hearing from you, and help me know the difference between them and those who are only wishing they heard from you. It’s easy to determine the kooks- but help me know the difference between a ‘good word’ and a ‘God word’.

It’s Time

S ~ “That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” ‭‭Joel‬ ‭2:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O ~ While there is time... which would mean there will be a point when ‘time is up’.

A ~ Pastor John Hutchinson taught us in bible school...’When you sin, don’t just repent. Repent quick.’
Don’t let time pass. Get things right quickly. While there is time means don’t delay, for you don’t know what tomorrow may hold. Turn (from sin) and Come (close) to God.

P ~ Lord, may the entire posture of my life be turning from sin, and coming close to You.

Moses' Body

S ~ 'But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) ' Jude 1:9

O ~ What was the argument about? It's such an interesting moment. Moses was dead, and God had personally buried his body. So what was the argument about?

A ~ It doesn't matter what the argument was about, although I would think it must have had do to with 'ownership'. What encourages me is that even when we are dead, God still watches over what was ours - including in this case, the body of Moses. 

P ~ Lord, thank You for You care - and for how you protect us from the enemy of our souls - in life and in death - when we can't protect ourselves.

Press On With Joy

S ~ 'Oh, that we might know the Lord ! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”' Hosea 6:3

O ~ Press on, press in, press... to know the Lord. There are things that resist us knowing the Lord, but press through - for He is surely faithful to respond.

A ~ Pressing on has to do with effort - exerted effort. Energy expended. Time. Being intentional. A work out. And... there is great reward for this effort - knowing Him!

P ~ Lord, I choose to press on to know You, never to be satisfied with a lukewarm relationship. Thank You for the dawn that arrives, the spring rains, and Your faithful response.

I Can’t Get No

S ~ “If a wise person takes a fool to court, there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O ~ A rational approach does not work with an irrational person.

A ~ You can get resolution, without satisfaction. A court could decide in your favour, but they can’t enforce satisfaction. There are some things that just need to be left with the Lord - for He will one day make all things right.

P ~ Lord, please help me to not be foolish - ranting when I need to be humble. And please help me to know when to confront people... and when to leave things in Your capable hands.

Keep Away.

 

S ~ “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O ~ It’s just that simple. 

Keep away. 

From anything. 

That might.

A ~ It’s not that God would be ‘kicked out’ of your heart, but that He would be ‘out of place.’  Out of His rightful place - sitting on the throne. First Love. 

P ~ Lord, please help me see things that would threaten to take Your place in my life. Help me keep away from them.

The Slightest

S ~ “We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭123:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O ~ The signal can be slight - a look, a movement, a nod. 

A ~ When Val would play piano when I was leading worship, all it took was a look and she knew where I was going. Or one word, or the dynamic of my singing or playing. A good waiter will know when to come to the table, just from the slightest indication from the patrons. So much more, may my eyes be on the Lord, looking for the slightest signal for me to respond to.

P ~ Lord, I need to be close to You, to know You, to really be able to follow You well.  Following well will come from knowing You well.

Show Compassion

S ~ “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O ~ This verse does not say ‘has compassion’, it says ‘shows compassion’. It means to compassionately spend money to meet someone else’s need.

A ~ Certainly there are a great many needs in this world, and even Jesus said that the poor would be with us always. However, this talks of a brother or a sister in need. There are circles of ‘brothers and sisters’ in need. There are those who are brothers and sisters because they are part of the family of God - very very very extended family, and there are those who live in such close relationship, and there are those everywhere in between.  

P ~ Lord, please help me to SEE the brother or sister you want me to show compassion to this Christmas.

Undeserved Mercy

S ~ '“O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.'   Daniel 9:18

O ~ Such a great perspective... not because we deserve help, but because of Your mercy. Daniel not only acknowledged the sin of the nation, but he was grieved over it, repenting and praying and crying. Yet in the midst of repentance, he asked for mercy because He had a knowledge of Who God is.

A ~ So many things in our world, our country, and our city are deserving of punishment. We live in a place where so many leaders have rejected God. Our legal system is not just, our conscience has been seared with a hot iron, and we are more concerned about our rights that what is right. And yet, there is a God in heaven, who still hears the humble plea of his children.

P ~ Lord, not because our nation deserves it, but because of your mercy, have mercy on us.

Like one of the oldest prayers... "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."

God is a Truther

S ~ “The army of heaven was restrained from responding to this rebellion. So the daily sacrifice was halted, and truth was overthrown. The horn succeeded in everything it did.” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

O ~ The army was held back from responding. For reasons only God knows, He allowed truth to be overthrown. NKJV records “...he cast truth down to the ground”

A ~ It’s not that God could not respond - He did not respond. He alone is wise, and there is a deep trust we must have in Him and His wisdom and sovereignty when we see the enemy ‘win’ and truth overthrown.

It won’t be forever, but He does allow it for a time.

P ~ Lord, I’m discovering how important truth is in temporal things, like covid and politics - how much more truth is important in eternal things. Please lead me in truth.