Past Devotions

Exodus 33 is perhaps my most favorite chapter in the Old Testament. I love the interaction between Moses and Jehovah God. The people had sinned. God has said they could still have the Promised Land, but He would not go with them. He’d send an angel and they’d get the victory, but His Presence would be absent.  That’s not going to cut it for Moses.  He pretty much tells God that if God doesn’t go, he’s not going either.

God had acknowledged His favor of Moses, and Moses begins his exchange with God based on that favor. “You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.” [Ex 33:12-13 NKJV]

Think about that.  Moses found grace in God’s sight. Because of that, Moses requests one thing—that he might know this God in whom He had found favor. Moses asks to know God’s way so that he might continue to find grace with God.

We, too, have found grace with God. The New Testament is full of references to the grace (favor) in which we now stand. Paul made it clear in Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”

So, based on God’s favor, what are our requests? Are we, like Moses, asking to know God’s way in order that we might continue to find favor with Him?  Or are we hoping to take advantage of God’s favor to satisfy our own agendas?

For the record, God’s response to Moses’ request … “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” [v14]

Over the past week I have had a personal prayer request. I have asked a few people to pray about it without revealing what it was about.  It’s what we often call “unspoken.”  Some people don’t like to pray for “unspoken” prayer requests; they want all the details. The reasoning is that they won’t know how to pray if they don’t know the situation.

I have never minded praying for or asking others to pray for “unspoken” prayer requests. Sometimes the things that are on our heart are deep and private, yet we appreciate and need others to help.  As of now, I haven’t had my “unspoken” need settled. I’m still in waiting-mode.

I know what I want the LORD to do, but hopefully, I am not so arrogant as to demand He respond that way. I pray fervently that no matter how this situation turns out, that I have the grace to accept God’s decision. After all, He knows the future, I don’t. He knows what is best for me, I’m not always sure. He knows the best timing, I’m pretty much a “right now!” kind of person.

I remember this morning the promise God gave in Rom 8:26-27. He promised that the Holy Spirit of God would help us in our weakness … even in our weakness when we don’t know how to pray for a situation.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

 I trust that the Spirit of the Living God has taken my prayers for this unspoken situation and molded them to the will of my Father. I trust that my Father will give me what is best and will provide the grace to acknowledge and obey His will.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely women reading this.  The nurturing hearts of women are one of God’s greatest gifts to this world.  May your day be filled with the grace and joy of the LORD.

One of the best gifts God gave me were two aunts who loved me. Neither had children of their own, but they poured out their hearts to me. One was on my father’s side, an aunt who died when I was nine. The other was on my mother’s side, an aunt who not only loved me, but also lived to love my first child.  My aunts were so important to me since my own mother had mental and emotional challenges and could not always provide the encouragement I needed.

I love what Peter wrote in his first letter. “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”  [3:3-4 NIV]

“The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit ….”  How I long to have that kind of spirit! I’ve been described many ways, but the terms gentle and quiet have seldom been used in that description. I have always been loud, and often forceful in my determination to get what I want.

God has gently revealed my faults over the years … and I’m sure He has more to reveal in my remaining time. As He does that, I endeavor to follow His leading and obey His promptings to be more like Jesus. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” [1 Peter 2:21 NIV]

I was reading Psalm 141 this morning. It is a song attributed to David. David cries out to God, asking God to hear his voice and asking that God would regard his prayer as incense rising to Him, and “the lifting of [his] hands as the evening sacrifice.”

 Then David says something that I know I need to live by. “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.” [Ps 141:3-4 NKJV]

I am 72. Across the decades of my life when I found myself in trouble, it was usually not because I “did” something, it was because I “said” something.  My tongue, as James says, has needed taming; it is a ruthless evil, full of deadly poison. [James 3]

Of course, my tongue’s ruthlessness springs from a heart that sometimes inclines to arrogance, or judgment, or envy, or rebellion.  How often I have needed to pray as David prayed – set a guard, O LORD over my mouth and keep my heart pure and holy before you!

 That adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is patently false. Bones heal, but the wound inflicted by an untamed tongue often last a lifetime.

Father God forgive me for the damage my words may have done to others. Keep a guard over my mouth so that I might never hurt another soul. Amen and Amen

I have a plethora of images rolling around in my head from my recent trip to California. I have images of hopelessness and poverty, walls and gates, people living in luxury homes and people diving in dumpsters for whatever they could scrounge. If there is ever a place where the division of the rich and poor can be seen by just traveling a few blocks in any direction, it is California. This last trip it reminded me of the necessity of praying for our nation’s leaders.

Paul, toward the end of his life, wrote to Timothy, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” [1 Tim 2:1-2]

We are to pray for those in authority over us so that we might live peaceful and quiet lives of godliness and holiness. Godly and holy living wasn’t so easy in Paul’s world, it’s not so easy in ours.

And I thought Paul’s list of how we are to pray was interesting, especially as tied to our “kings and all those in authority.” That list says that we are to make requests for, pray for, intercede for, and give thanksgiving for them.

The requests and prayers are commonly what we offer. But there are times when we must intercede—stand in the gap when our leaders are faced with tough decisions, laws that need to be passed or vetoed, threats from outside and inside our borders. We must be warriors in the spiritual realm, knowing that we do not fight people (or even governments or political parties), we fight the authorities, powers and spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.  [Ephesians 6:12]

Then there is the last item on Paul’s list. We are to offer thanksgiving for our “kings and all those in authority.” That may be the toughest of all!  Father God, thank you for all those You have placed in authority in our governments, local, state, and federal. Amen.

My grandsons in California attend a Christian School. It hosted Grandparents Day on the National Day of Prayer. The visitors sat around beautifully decorated tables and listened as the K-5^th graders sang worship and praise songs, recited Scripture and prayed.

Later we sat in tiny chairs in their classrooms and did a cute cookie project with our grandson. The teacher asked each of the grandparents in the room to give one short “word of wisdom” for the children. She recorded these so she could give them to the class later.

One grandparent was thankful for this Christian school. The teacher in the class echoed that thought. She was thankful that she could teach not just subjects, but also her love for the LORD. I think she said she’d been teaching for 40 years. It was evident she loved Jesus. I wondered how many little ones she had touched for Christ during those years.

Another grandfather gave his word of wisdom and then added that he was a volunteer in a prison. He talked about the sadness and hopelessness of the young men he worked with, men who had no knowledge at all of the true meaning of Christmas or Easter … men who had never had anyone input the love of God into their lives.

I was reminded of how important the words of Psalm 78:4 are: “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.”  [NIV]

I looked at these 4^th graders and prayed they would always remember the LORD, and I thanked God for godly parents, grandparents, teachers, and all those committed to “telling” the next generation.

I’m laughing this morning over a recent on-line report.  It says that (so-far) 20 Democratic contenders have already jumped into the primary (which is still one year away), including a former Vice President, six US Senators, six members of the House, and two governors. One Republican governor has also declared himself a candidate.

So far, 21 people are looking to be elected President of the United States.  Twenty-one, not counting the current sitting President. My, oh my, this is going to be one long year!

Each of these men and women are hoping to ascend to the glory of the highest position in our nation.  At one time, the US President was considered the most powerful person in the world, no matter who was in office. I’m not sure if that is still a consideration, but I know it must be close or we would not have so many people running for the office.

I’m laughing this morning. As I type this, I am thinking about what Paul wrote to the Colossians.

Colossians 1:27: “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  [NIV]

My hope of glory is not connected to an election. It is not realized with inauguration into a political office. My hope of glory, your hope of glory, is connected to a living, reigning, LORD of Glory, Jesus the Christ.  The “lowliest” believer has a higher hope of glory than any of these men and women will find in being elected President of the United States.

Thank you, God – may we recognize and realize the glorious riches of this mystery you have made known among us. Christ in us – the hope of glory!  Amen.

We are preparing for another trip to California. Two long trips in less than a month! With Easter Season in between. This time it will be attending Grandparents’ Day and some baseball games. We are looking forward to seeing our California family again. They bring us such joy.

Of course, to get there we must travel about 645 miles.  That’s the not-as-joyful part of the trip. But if we want to hug our kids and grandsons, we’ll even embrace the travel and make the most of that. The rewards come at the end of the journey, not always in the middle.

Paul, in his last letter, anticipated the time had come for his departure. He must have known that he would not be released from prison this time, that instead, he would be martyred for his faith in Christ Jesus. As he faced the end of his journey, he reminded himself, Timothy, and us, that the rewards come at the end. He defined that reward as a crown.

The NT of our Bible speaks of several different crowns for the faithful.  As Paul faced the end of his life, a life lived well for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he thought about one of those crowns, the Crown of Righteousness.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” [2 Tim 4:7-8 NIV]

Imagine that! We will receive a crown at the end of our journey, one given to those who anxiously wait and long for the return of the LORD Jesus Christ.  “Amen, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”