Judges 6; Acts 10; Jeremiah 19; Mark 5

The Israelites were hungry.

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. ² The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. ³ Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, ⁴ camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. (Judges 6:1-4, NLT, emphasis added)

The Israelites were hungry, and this makes an impression upon me. How many times have I read Gideon’s story (it’s really a favorite!)? But this time, I notice the mention of food, and its scarcity.

¹¹ Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. (Judges 6:11, NLT, emphasis added)

The Lord has a task for Gideon, and I love that part. But today, I notice Gideon’s response to the Lord.

¹⁸ Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.”

He answered, “I will stay here until you return.”

¹⁹ Gideon hurried home. He cooked a young goat, and with a basket of flour he baked some bread without yeast. Then, carrying the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out and presented them to the angel, who was under the great tree.

²⁰ The angel of God said to him, “Place the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock, and pour the broth over it.” And Gideon did as he was told. ²¹ Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and bread with the tip of the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. (Judges 6:18-21, NLT, emphasis added)

Gideon was from a small clan, and proclaimed himself the least within it. As I read on, even his family members were far from the Lord, and Gideon was afraid of them and other people in the town:

²⁵ That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. ²⁶ Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”

²⁷ So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town. (Judges 6:25-27, NLT, emphasis added)

I love how Gideon saw himself, and yet he acted in obedience and courage, even though he was afraid. I love how the Lord viewed Gideon as a “mighty hero” and gave him encouragement and signs. But what stands out to me today is Gideon’s enthusiasm and urgency–“Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.” And Gideon hurried home to get it. His offering was not from his abundance–food was scarce. His offering took effort–meat and bread. His offering was generous–not leftovers and not excuses. And this leaves a mighty impression upon me.

Lord, thank you for your generosity toward me. You encourage me and speak to my heart in your word. I value generosity, and I know you do too as you give so abundantly.

Courtney (66books365)

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Deuteronomy 23-26; Mark 1

I’m reading through Deuteronomy and seeing what the Lord values, his warnings, and his reasons why. Twice, I’m caught by the word “remember.”

¹⁷ “True justice must be given to foreigners living among you and to orphans, and you must never accept a widow’s garment as security for her debt. ¹⁸ Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from your slavery. That is why I have given you this command.

¹⁹ “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. ²⁰ When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. ²¹ When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. ²² Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command (Deuteronomy 24:17-22, NLT, emphasis added).

Here, calls to justice, mercy, compassion. These are things the Lord values. He reminds the people to remember where they came from–for they were all once slaves who received justice, mercy, and compassion from the Lord. And more: they received what they needed, perhaps in abundance, so that there was leftover to spare. They didn’t need to hold tightly. The Lord provides.

New Testament readings, and my heart swells at this:

¹⁰ As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

¹² The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, ¹³ where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.

¹⁴ Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. ¹⁵ “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News! (Mark 1:10-15, emphasis added)”

In Mark, Jesus, Son of God, who brings the Father great joy–even the angels take care of him. This is the God I love and who loves me too (Father, provider, protector, teacher–and so much more). I read of the healing that takes place as Jesus moves from place to place. Demons released, health restored, lives changed. He teaches with authority and shows the way.

³⁵ Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. ³⁶ Later Simon and the others went out to find him. ³⁷ When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

³⁸ But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came (Mark 1:35-38, NLT, emphasis added).”

Self: do not live deceived by comfort. I was saved by grace. I know where I came from, and I know who I should have become in a lineage void of Jesus. I can trust him to show mercy, justice, compassion, generosity. He calls me to do the same–to remember where I came from and how he saved me. Lord Jesus, everyone is looking for you, to fill a void and soothe a cry, to show the way to freedom. I am so grateful I know you.

Courtney (66books365)

2 Samuel 17; 2 Corinthians 10; Ezekiel 24; Psalm 72

For the Lord had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom! (2 Samuel 17:14b, NLT)

A message to deliver, men taking cover in a well. (2 Samuel 17)

Symbols and signs–a scorched pot, a wife’s death, a silent example. (Ezekiel 24)

A war waged with mighty weapons that break down strongholds. Thoughts captured. (2 Corinthians 10)

A psalm of hope and peace. Abundance. His glory. (Psalm 72)

¹⁸ Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel,
    who alone does such wonderful things.
¹⁹ Praise his glorious name forever!
    Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen! (Psalm 72:18-19, NLT)

He is in control.

¹¹ All kings will bow before him,
    and all nations will serve him.

¹² He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
    he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
¹³ He feels pity for the weak and the needy,
    and he will rescue them.
¹⁴ He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
    for their lives are precious to him. (Psalm 72:11-14, NLT)

I remind myself today, that his ways don’t often come packaged the way I imagine or expect, but he is always at work, always in control.

Courtney (66books365)

2 Kings 4; 1 Timothy 1; Daniel 8; Psalm 116

2 Kings 4—a widow is in financial trouble and risks losing her sons to slavery if she can’t pay. Elisha asks, “What do you have?”

“Nothing but a flask of olive oil,” she replies.

God performs a miracle. The widow gathers as many jars as she can, and God fills them with this single flask so that she is able to sell the oil to pay off her debt. (There is even enough money left over for her and her family to live off of.)

God provides.

I serve on a team that feeds 20 people at church. There have been weeks when I shopped for my family and the 20 other adults I’m feeding at that time, and I’ve come in below my average household budget (even when I expected I’d be well above it).

God provides.

My husband and I have talked about it, whether it’s money, time or resources—God provides in ways that leave us scratching our heads in wonder.

He is able to do a lot with a little.

Whenever I’m tempted to think: I don’t have the time. I don’t have the skill. I don’t have the energy.

I hope to remember: if he brings me to it, he’ll bring me through it. (Ack, cliche.)

Sometimes overflowing, and sometimes just enough.

Lord, I face today fueled by You. With a schedule that left me feeling I didn’t have time or energy, You came through when I put my faith in You (and not myself). I feel joy, and not for circumstance, but because of how amazing You are. Thank you!

Courtney (66books365)

Deuteronomy 8; Psalms 91; Isaiah 36; Revelation 6

The Lord says, “Whoever loves me, I will save.

I will protect those who know me.

They will call to me, and I will answer them.

I will be with them in trouble;

I will rescue them and honor them.

I will give them a long, full life,

and they will see how I can save.” Psalms 91:14-16 (NCV)

On Friday evening, I got three pieces of bad news regarding our upcoming return to the mission field, two of them about finances. No one deals well with bad news, myself included, and I felt like I had been punched repeatedly in the gut.

I have been living by faith for a number of years now, and for the most part I fully trust – body, mind, and spirit – in God’s provision. And then, out of the blue, I need a significant amount of money to pay more for something I wasn’t expecting. A hiccup in my faith. A glitch in my matrix.

It’s scary. My heart knows that my Heavenly Father is Jehovah Jireh, my Provider; but I’ll be completely honest in saying that my head, in that moment, chose to hear the taunting of the enemy.

[The commander of the Assyrian army said,] “Don’t listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, ‘Make peace with me, and come out of the city to me. Then everyone will be free to eat the fruit from his own grapevine and fig tree and to drink water from his own well. After that I will come and take you to a land like your own—a land with grain and new wine, bread and vineyards’…[But,] the people were silent. They didn’t answer the commander at all, because King Hezekiah had ordered, “Don’t answer him.” Isaiah 36:16-17; 21 (NCV)

In the midst of my turmoil, my dad came into the kitchen to inform me he was taking the family out to dinner, but that the deal was I had to ignore the enemy and get my joy back. That, and a Bleu Ribbon Burger with bottomless fries, helped me relax and gain perspective. And then, praying over the phone with my husband later in the night helped me get my focus back on God rather than my circumstances.

You might say to yourself, “I am rich because of my own power and strength,” but remember the Lord your God! It is he who gives you the power to become rich, keeping the agreement he promised to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NCV)

Fast forward to Sunday…

First Sunday of the month is community Sunday at our home church in Maryland. It is a time of fellowship over pot luck breakfast, extra time for worship, and a special time for testimonies and prayer.

A friend who lost her job a few months ago gave a testimony of how God has been providing for her in the most amazing ways. She was asked to stand with the ministry team and pray for anyone who needs provision.

Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. She and another dear friend prayed over me and the various situations that need provision in my life right now. They prayed abundance and speed in that provision. They prayed that God would provide in ways that were unmistakably Him.

While getting ready to go home, I took out my phone and saw a message: “{A friend} sent you $ through PayPal-20 minutes ago.” God provided for my needs 10 minutes before these friends prayed that ‘provision was already on the way.’ He answered their prayers and the prayers of many other family and friends.

I was floored.

I know that God provides. He has provided for me in little ways and in big ways as I have been walking in faith for provision, and of course, even before I really had faith in Him at all. Recently, I have felt so disconnected because of the craziness of life that demands attention so much that special time with God is made up of little tiny hugs and kisses rather than long, quality ‘date nights’. I have been feeling very discouraged.

A simple act of obedience and of care, reminded me once again how much our Heavenly Father loves me no matter what with an everlasting, unshakeable, immovable love.

I will say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety and protection.

You are my God and I trust you.” Psalm 91:2 (NCV)

Blessings of Abundant Provision! – Julie, Vadipatti, India (written in the U.S.A.)

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.