Numbers 8-11; Acts 16

God is on the move. It’s easy to see in these chapters: Cloud by day. Fire by night. Provision. An earthquake and prison doors flung open. Reading all this–a page turner, miraculous, and so marvelous that it all happened. God is great.

²³ And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”

Numbers 11:23, ESV

Moses, who had been through so much, even then wonders how the Lord will provide. Thank you, Lord, for remind me of these page turning, miraculous marvels of history.

I can look back on my life and see you at work. Things that seemed miraculous to me and to know that it was from you.

Is the Lord’s hand shortened? No. Not then. Not now.

He is trustworthy and faithful.

Courtney (66books365)

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Genesis 26-27; Mark 10

I wonder, when the rich man approached Jesus to ask him how he could secure eternal life, if he thought Jesus would size him up, consult a list, pat him on the back and say, “You met all the requirements. You’ve got this!”

It’s evident from this man’s response to what Jesus said that he didn’t expect to fall short.

²⁰ “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

²¹ Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. (Mark 10:20-22, NLT)

Even when the disciples were with Jesus, they didn’t fully understand the things he told them as he walked with them and ate with them. When I read the Bible, most of these stories have already resolved, so when Jesus tells them exactly what’s going to happen, I know it to be true. But even to them, in his presence, they didn’t get it.

³² They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. ³³ “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. ³⁴ They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.” (Mark 10:32-34, NLT)

It’s not long after he reminds them of what is coming that James and John (the sons of Zebedee) ask him for places of honor in his kingdom.

A rich man. A reminder. A request.

²⁶ The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

²⁷ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

²⁸ Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

²⁹ “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, ³⁰ will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. ³¹ But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” (Mark 10:26-31, NLT)

Lord, just like you told the disciples, you let me know what you want me to know. In hindsight, it’s very clear, but walking it out, it’s just as easy for me to jump to a better ending than to focus on the journey there. Help me to learn and to teach my children to seek you and your kingdom, to revere your word, and to put you above all else. Help me to face obstacles with grace and courage and confidence because you told me they’d be coming.

Courtney (66books365)

Deuteronomy 8; Psalm 91; Isaiah 36; Revelation 6

What did I learn in the wilderness? What did I learn in the wait?

² Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. ³ Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:2-3, NLT)

Deuteronomy 8 is very special to my family. It is deeply meaningful, and I read these words in the space of “after.”

⁶ “So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. ⁷ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. ⁸ It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. ⁹ It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. ¹⁰ When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. (Deuteronomy 8:6-10, NLT)

Remember how the Lord led you through the wilderness? Remember how he humbled you and tested your character? He taught you. He taught you–we live. We live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. He is trustworthy. He is faithful. He is our provider. Remember and write it down–what you learned in the wilderness, what you learned in the wait. Do not forget it.

In Isaiah, representatives from Assyria come to Judah to intimidate and plant seeds of doubt.

These are the terms the king of Assyria is offering: Make peace with me—open the gates and come out. Then each of you can continue eating from your own grapevine and fig tree and drinking from your own well. ¹⁷ Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one—a land of grain and new wine, bread and vineyards.

¹⁸ “Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us!’ Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? And what about the gods of Sepharvaim? Did any god rescue Samaria from my power? ²⁰ What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the Lord can rescue Jerusalem from me?” (Isaiah 36:16b-20, NLT)

In a practical way, Judah is presented with an option to make peace and they can keep their lifestyle. Assyria appeals to comfort and safety–but what is the cost?

Lord, I sit with these words, a feast. You lead me deeper into relationship with you, and I pray fervently for focus. You capture my attention, and I linger here and wait.

Courtney (66books365)

2 Kings 4-5; Psalm 83; Matthew 27

God is such a personal God and his timing never ceases to amaze me. Being single and reaching retirement age (too quickly I might add) has begun to concern me. What if I get sick? What if I don’t have enough retirement saved up? What if, what if, what if. Fear can be overwhelming if I let it. I have prayed about this A LOT. It is difficult for me to let go and trust God in this area—I feel I need to control everything.

Recently when I’ve taken this to him, he gave me the word “manna”. Manna? What does that mean Lord? You gave the Israelites manna every day, they weren’t to take more than a day’s worth except on Sabbath, it was your provision for them for 40 years. Hmmm! Enter today’s readings in 2 Kings 4.

 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

² Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

³ Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

⁵ She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

⁷ She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

God provided for her to pay her debts and have money to live.

¹¹ One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. ¹² He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. ¹³ Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’”

She replied, “I have a home among my own people.”

¹⁴ “What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.

Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”

¹⁵ Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”

“No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!”

¹⁷ But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

God provided a son to take care of his parents in their old age. He became sick and died, but Elisha brought him back to life.

⁴³ “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked.

But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

I am well acquainted with the verses quoted which are all examples of God’s provision. Yet today when I read them they became personal. God was using them to teach me, to assure me, to remind me of his great love for me. Has he not taken care of me thus far in my life? Yes! Did he not provide for me the year I was unemployed? Yes!! Emphatically yes! Why do I doubt him now? The idea of “the rest of my life” has a big question mark as to the length of time. Manna is God assuring me that he took care of his chosen people for 40 years, but they had to live trusting him day by day. And every day the manna showed up. God never changes. He will provide for me as he did for the widow, the Shunamite woman, and the hundreds. Everyone had enough.

Lord, learning to live in that place of trusting you daily is an on-going process for me. I thank you that you speak to me, assure me, give me examples right from your word that you hear me. I can rest as long as I stay in today. The future is in your hands—not mine. I surrender it to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Cindy (gardnlady)

Exodus 22-24; Luke 23; Psalm 12, 14

¹⁴ “Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor. ¹⁵ First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib, for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear before me without an offering.¹⁶ “Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest.

“Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest^[i at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields. ¹⁷ At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord. (Exodus 23:14-17, NLT)

A deliverance. A planting. A harvest. These are the three festivals for the Lord’s honor.

When I first started reading the scriptures today, I hoped that I could gain insight to a specific circumstance in my life. While the reading didn’t necessarily address it, I was reminded: God is just. And I trust in that. As I read about the festivals in His honor, I think of it symbolically today.

God delivered me from the captivity of sin and oppression. He has planted me in this place to sow what I will. And at the end of a life or a time, there will be a harvest.

¹⁹ “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.” (Exodus 23:19a, NLT)

These festivals were held yearly in the Old Testament–and I wonder if I looked closely at how I spend my time, what would I notice of sowing and harvest in a year? Would it honor God? Did I take what He has given me and use it wisely, intentionally? Have I given Him the honor and best of the harvest?

Lord, I’m so grateful for all that you have done for me. In this time of healing and discovering, I trust in you. I want to take my eyes of my broken heart and focus on purpose–a kingdom purpose. Help me to steward well what you have entrusted me. Help me to honor you and keep you as the focus of my heart, my words and my actions. Thank you for your Word that speaks to me of your presence and promises. Thank you for being trustworthy and just. Thank you for loving me just as much on the days I’m a shortsighted mess as you do on the days I’m bringing my best.

Courtney (66books365)