You are precious
(NKJV) Isaiah 43: 1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Oh, how I love the book of Isaiah! God identifies Himself as the Creator and then almost immediately says He redeemed Israel. As a child, I used to help my mother glue green stamps into a book. The stamps were considered a “premium” for shopping at a certain grocery store. There was a redemption center where we exchanged stamps for merchandise, and that was one of the first times I was introduced to the idea of redemption.
I was raised in church, but seeing my mother exchange a book of stamps for a new tablecloth was something I could see and touch. When God says He is the Redeemer, He is saying “It is I Who bought you back…”. Oh, I understand it now, but as a child the only thing I really understood was,” Jesus loves me this I know…”
But to me, one of the best things in this scripture is, “I have called you by name.” The God of the Universe knows each one of us by name. In a world where it is easy to feel practically invisible, we have the assurance that we belong, we have a place with God! Isn’t that comforting?
God does not say “if” you go through the waters and through the fire, but instead, “when” you go through trials. In this world we will have problems, we will have illnesses—we will be hurt by people and sometimes we will hurt people—but God is still on the throne.
May we keep our eyes upon our Redeemer, our Creator, the lover of our souls, and may we act as though we are precious is His sight, because we are.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Bible Tells me So
(NKJV) Is 40:28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
How many times in my life have I sought out this scripture for solace and assurance? And how many times has God comforted me with the knowledge that the God Who was, and is and shall be is my refuge, my strength, my ever-present help in the time of need? How do I know this? Because the Bible tells me so.
I have lived a long time and I know one thing is true: the Bible is the living Word of God. How do I know this? Because the Holy Spirit shines His light upon the Word and reveals hidden truths that somehow I was unable to discern before. And I have talked to others who experienced the same thing!
It is for this reason that I know the Word lives.
So when I see the promise that he that waits upon the Lord will renew his strength, I know that promise is for me.
May we seek out His truth and be fulfilled today.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Take Heart
(NIV) A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1 LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him. ”
3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
7 Arise, LORD!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the LORD comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Today’s scripture, written when David was running from his own son, is one of hope and faith. At this point David had fought many enemies, but now his son, Absalom, has brought an army against him. How disheartening to have to wage war against your own son. But David knew from experience where to turn.
I recently found a journal I kept back in the ‘90’s. It always amazes me when I read one of the accounts of prayers prayed and prayers answered. And I thank God for the scriptures that have been light and life to me and for God Who has sustained me.
Today some of us face challenges that we fear will defeat us but take courage. The God who delivered David is the same God we serve today. So we join in prayer and say, “Rise up, oh Lord. Deliver me from my illness and make me whole so I can help others who have kingdom hearts and kingdom understanding.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Learning from Job
(NIV) Job 1:4 His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.
(NIV) Job:1:18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you! ”20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Of all of the Sunday School lessons I’ve taught, and all of the sermons I’ve preached, and the many devotionals I’ve written, I don’t think I’ve ever tackled Job. Truthfully, Job has always intimidated me. What can I possibly bring to the story of a godly man who lost everything due to no fault of his own?
In Job we see that he was a man of great wealth and many possessions. God Himself said Job was blameless and upright. But Satan suggested Job was a godly man solely because of what God gave him. When tragedy came, Job responds with the well-known phrase, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.”
Most of us can not imagine such an attitude in the midst of losing everything. Yet we saw repeatedly the victims of Hurricane Helene responding in much the same way. One mother whose young son was ripped from her arms said she heard him calling out to Jesus as the floods swept him away. Still, the mother was able to say she was thankful that her son was with Jesus.
Suffering did not begin with Job, and it will not end until Jesus returns and establishes His Millennial Kingdom. The root of our suffering lies with the original sin that entered the world through Adam and Eve. It was their disobedience that brought sickness and death. For those who have been afflicted with chronic pain, or what seems to be an onslaught of sickness and other tragedies, remember Job and his response to suffering.
And, learn to pray the Psalms. You will find comfort in the songs of David, who went through everything we have. And just as we love to hear our children speak our words back to us (they were listening after all) I believe our Heavenly Father loves to hear His words spoken back to Him.
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
May we make a habit of praising God in good times and bad, so that if suffering comes our way our immediate response will be to glorify God. And if you are too ill to do anything else, just say Jesus
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Boas, the Kinsman Redeemer
(NIV) Ruth 4:9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses! ”
11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel.”
Well, this is odd. I began my devotional early this morning, as always, but became distracted by one of my senior dogs. When I returned, I could not find my devotional. After searching I decided to start again.
Today’s writing deals with God’s faithfulness to Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi. You remember the story. Naomi, her husband and their two sons left Bethlehem during a famine and moved to Moab, an enemy country. Her sons married Moabite women, and after some time her husband and both sons died.
Naomi, completely bereft, instructed her daughters-in-law to return to their mothers. While Orpah conceded, Ruth clung to Naomi. In one of the most beautiful declarations of love I have ever seen, we read, “(NIV)Ruth 1- 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
So Boaz, a distant relative of Naomi, acted as the Kinsman Redeemer by marrying Ruth, carrying forward the lineage of Elimilek. This was such a sacrificial act on his part, and it was clearly God working on behalf of the faithfulness of Ruth whose son by Boaz became the grandfather of David.
May we be faithful even when we cannot see a way to make it through.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 