Isaiah 60-63; 2 Corinthians 1

Paul’s words reach through the ages.

³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

To comfort.

⁵ For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. ⁶ Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. (2 Corinthians 1:5-6, NLT, emphasis added.)

To focus.

We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. ⁹ In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. ¹¹ And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. (2 Corinthians 1:8b-11, NLT, emphasis added)

To embolden.

²¹ It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, ²² and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us … ²⁴ But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 24, NLT, emphasis added)

Father God, I need your word every day. I am thankful for a brother in Paul to speak a strong word from the past to the present. You enable me to stand firm for Christ, and it is through my own faith. I write the words down where I can see them: It is by your own faith that you stand firm. Your word is living and active, and I am grateful.

Courtney (66books365)

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1 Chronicles 14-16; Acts 24

There are so many examples in the Bible of David’s reliance on God. David’s got big decisions to make, and in simple, direct ways, he asks, “Should I? Will you?” He doesn’t use flourishing formality.

⁸ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he marched out to meet them. ⁹ The Philistines arrived and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ So David asked God, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord replied, “Yes, go ahead. I will hand them over to you.” (1 Chronicles 14:8-10, NLT)

And he gives God the glory.

⁸ Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
    Let the whole world know what he has done.
⁹ Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
    Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
¹⁰ Exult in his holy name;
    rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
¹¹ Search for the Lord and for his strength;
    continually seek him.
¹² Remember the wonders he has performed,
    his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
¹³ you children of his servant Israel,
    you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

²³ Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
    Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
²⁴ Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
    Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
²⁵ Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!

²⁸ O nations of the world, recognize the Lord,
    recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
²⁹ Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
    Bring your offering and come into his presence.
Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. (1 Chronicles 15:8-13, 23-25, 28-29, NLT)

Certainly one result of cutting back on social media is that I am freed to more quiet thoughts and contemplation. I spend more time laughing with my family, taking walks, and enjoying simple play with a puppy. And even more than those joys, I am up at dawn to see the breaking light of a new day, to listen as the world wakens with bursting birdsong–the whole earth truly does sing. It’s all praise. And when I’m not filling my mind with other people’s thought feeds, I have time to quiet and know that God walks with me. He listens. To think I can ask him, “Should I? Will you?”!

Lord Jesus, I thank you for your faithful presence, how you bend low to hear my simple whispers. And I thank you for your many answers to prayer, your patient guidance, and the sweet gifts of time you have given me.

Courtney (66books365)

Isaiah 49-52; Psalm 69; I Corinthians 14

Sleepless these days? Wrestling with ghosts or having nightmares of lonely struggles? From all the turmoil in our personal, national, and worldly concerns, we have become a people dependent on medication, meditation, sleep contraptions, and sound reducing earbuds to insulate ourselves from the escaping shards of rest and peace. Yet, trying to drown out the sounds of cacophony can lead to self-reliance. Isaiah 50:10 says, “Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.” The next verse expresses this thought negatively, again reinforcing the admonition to rely on God. “Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled –This you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment” (v 11).

Recently I watched a movie, The Road, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy which won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The setting is post-apocalyptic, and the two main characters, a father and his young son, are on a journey south to escape the encroaching cold while avoiding cannibalistic remnants of society. The horrific and heartbreaking scenes are precariously balanced by the father’s assurance to his son that they are the “good guys” who are “carrying the fire.” As I heard the repeated assertion by father and son, I could not help but wonder how the heaviness of self-reliance can eclipse the only true Light of the World. When all we have left is ourselves to look to, we will (like this father and son) certainly lie down in torment. Yet, we who believe, how can we forget what Jesus Christ said? “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28).

And how does reliance on God help others? It begins with a simple supplication as in Psalm 69:16. “Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.”  To testify that God is good and that He is merciful establishes trust that he will intervene on our behalf. Maybe nothing dramatic happens, and maybe this act of reliance will take the shape of patient waiting. There is a change, however, to the troubled mind and restful sleep comes. Sleep rejuvenates the spirit and energizes our praise to God. Regardless of how or when God answers prayer, our steadfast hope in God’s lovingkindess encourages others who also are ‘poor in spirit.’ Psalm 69:32 says, “The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.” Yet, it is not our actions that bring down the peace that passes all understanding. To believe that is to again become self-reliant. Rather, our help comes from the God who asks, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you [my italics]. The verb used implies that God is saying, “As for Me, I am unable to forget you!” (commentary; New King James Version). So let us pass on to our children and our Christian brothers and sisters the assurance that the God who never sleeps (He doesn’t need to in order to have perfect peace!) is our help in troubled times. Let us seek to lift each other up by coming together, each “…has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” Instead of teaching each other to depend on self; we must encourage one another to rely on God if we are to enjoy peace and rest in our Lord.

We thank You, Lord, for You are the Light of the World and the burning flame that we carry to others. Light the way, we ask You, Lord Jesus, and please give the weary soul rest, if even for a night.

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

2nd Kings tells the stories of 4 different miracles of God performed through His prophet Elisha. The widow who needs money to pay the soon-coming creditor, pours her “remaining” oil into jar after jar after jar. The Shunammite woman’s cherished son, who dies from sun poisoning,  is brought back to life. The poisonous gourd soup that is made good with flour. And the feeding of a hundred men with only twenty loaves of barley bread.

What struck me most was the dependency of the people in the stories on the prophet. He was just human, but he was God’s ambassador to the people. The people went to him when they needed deliverance from their problem.

In today’s society, I find myself and others around me, with a very self-sufficient attitude. Not reaching out to others when we truly need help. Wearing ourselves to the bone trying to do it all.

I also see in myself at times, an attitude of self-reliance in regards to approaching the King of Kings. I choose not to reach out to God to gain His strength and power for my life. I can do it on my own. I can handle what curve ball comes my way, instead of armoring up with God and preparing myself for the bombs the enemy likes to plop into my day.

I marvel at my own thick-headedness. On those mornings, when I make it a priority to armor up God’s way. I am so much more prepared to deal with life (the not-so-pretty life). But yet, I revert back to doing it on my own and then have to deal with the not-so-pretty consequences of my actions.

Thanks be to Jesus for his mercy and compassion.

__________

“The Lord is gracious and righteous, our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, He saved me.”

Psalm 116:5&6 NIV

Paul puts it so wonderfully in 1 Timothy 1:15

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.”

And still He gives and appoints…

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.”

1 Timothy 1:12

“How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all His people.”

Psalm 116:12-14

__________

Lord,

I want to be so reliant on You each and every day. To trust You with my life and the storms that blow through it. Help me to reach out to others for help and also to reach out to others with help. Even more importantly, help to reach out to You for Your strength and power to see me through. I long to glorify You with my life, in action, word and deed.

Amen

– Beckie (look2thehills)