199 - "Spread Your Dilemma Before The Lord" 2 Kings 19-21; Galatians 5

This picture of Hezekiah going to God with his problems is cemented in my heart. 2 Kings 19:14. I'll go looking for Hezekiah in heaven to tell him just how much his story of spreading his problems before God's Eyes meant to me over my lifetime.  I've smoothed out sheets and asked God to sit in the hospital bed next to me.  I've smoothed out paper and invited Him to write a different script.  I've smoothed out sin-sick souls and sat next to them and wept.  Whatever we face, spread it before the One Who is the Author of all.  Isaiah 37:14 - Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord:  “O Lord of hosts, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see..."

Spreading before the LORD what concerns us this very day. Oh God, incline your ear.

PHOTO: California. Whether cemented in splendor or surreal or surprise or senseless, spread it out before the Lord.

198 - "Sin Is More Than Wrong Choices" 2 Kings 17-18; Galatians 4

We can appear religious and be far from it.  "Even though the Israelites were worshipping God, they were far from God. They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger." 2 Kings 17:16-17

These Israelites were dead serious!  

Reminds me of today's suicide bombers with ISIS.

Selling themselves.

Sacrificing their sons and daughters.

Oh my!

The Israelites followed kings not the King. 

They became faithless not full of faith.
They practiced secrets not surrender/

"And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right."  2 Chron 17

2 Chronicles 28:3 Infamous Ahaz —incredibly! indulged in the outrageous practice of "passing his sons through the fire."  That is unbelievable.  Verse 19 says:  Arrogant King Ahaz, acting as if he could do without God's help, had unleashed an epidemic of depravity. I have been thinking a lot about our moral choices.  We read the Charity chapter in Mere Christianity in class on Friday.  When I led the discussion, one student responded that Lewis' words proved "love is a choice."  But we must always allow God to reveal the motives and intentions of our hearts as we love.  Sin is way more than just making a wrong choice to not love or do the wrong thing.  

It brings to mind a quote from Crabb:  "Sin is more than wrong choices, more than bad behavior, more than wrong understanding.  And it is not a reaction to felt need that deserves tender compassion and patience.  Sin cannot be explained, but it can be defined.  Sin is defiantly walking past the living water God provides in relationship with Himself and proudly digging wells with one's own resources in the futile and foolish hope of providing for oneself the water needed for a meaningful and secure life."  Jeremiah 2:9 -13

John Piper calls it "sweet idolatries in which the longing heart embraces the wrong satsifaction."  What are my deep satisfactions this night?  Is it my children responding right to me?  Is it my husband not "missing" me?  Is it my friends responding like I want them to?  Is it my God coming through for me?  What do I most want?

PHOTO:  The Hill Country of Texas. 

197 - "They Honored God But Not Exclusively" 2 Kings 15-16; Galatians 3

Israel seems like it's on a confusing teeter-totter.
Judah seems stable yet facing real struggles---but nothing like those who will not follow God's will.  One of the commentaries said it is a far different deal looking at the imperfections of man versus the wickeness of those who will not repent. 

These hearts of ours are deceitful and need "restraints."  We need the Hand of the Lord this day to restrain us from evil temptations.  Like a city without wall is the one with no restraints.  May we beg God for another chance, another restraint, another healing. 

Kings 15:1 - What is it that these kings continually failed to get rid of the sex-and-religion shrines that were popular with the people...wonder what these kings wanted more than the love of their God---their own popularity?? 

II Kings 15:16 - Menahem ripped open the pregnant women because the town didn't welcome him with open arms.  II Kings 16:3 They even indulged in outrageous practices of  burning their own children. 
These are really bad people..."all kinds of things on the sly."  They threw out everything their God had told them.  In a lot of ways, it sounds familiar in some respects in our own country.  How incredibly sad!  II Kings 18:32 - "They honored God but not exclusively."  

All I keep thinking about is the quote from 66 LL that says that in the midst of evil times, God's Plan is moving ahead.  "Above all else, seek to know Me better and represent Me well in every circumstance, no matter how you feel...You must understand the deceptive nature of evil."  [Evil today doesn't rear its head in outrageous practices in most Christian lives---it's more the deceptive evil that leads us astray. I will not be about burning my children but there's still cancer in my soul.)  "Evil hides itself and does its destructive work slowly, beneath the disease of necessity, reasonableness, efficiency, pragmatism, even morality, even goodness."   God has a Plan to restore the Beauty of Eden. God has a plan for each of you to create a life "in rhythm with His Holiness."  He is a Beautiful God in charge and He chose you!                                                                                                                                    

PHOTO:  Santa Rosa Island.  The Sun of Righteousness rises with healing in its rays. New day. New slate.  Clean hearts.  Right spirits.  Within.  Without.  We don't live perfect, we live forgiven. And we know Him!

196 - “There’s a Plumb Line” Amos 7-9, Galatians 2

 

Amos 7:7 - God showed me this vision: My Master was standing beside a wall. In his hand he held a plumb line.  "Read Amos and tremble.  God has dropped a plumbline to expose our wickedness---which is in all of our hearts, our relational sin.  Read Amos and tremble with the consciousness of your relational sin.  Worship that leaves UNCHANGED the way you relate to Me and to others is false worship.  I will not cooperate with any pursuit of spiritual maturity that leaves unrecognized and undisturbed your hidden energy of self-protection and self-enhancement.  You are wrongly conscious only of your unsatisfied desires in the Presence of My seeming indifference.  When you remain blind to your guilt, you seek Me for your purposes."  66 LL.

Amos 8: You give little and take much and never do an honest day's work. You exploit the poor, using them, and then, when they're used up, you discard them.  

RELATIONAL SINS:  * treating people as things to be used for personal advantage - the sin of Damascus 1:3     *valuing financial gain for self over well-being of others - the sin of Gaza 1:6     *regarding one's word as breakable when self-interest is served - the sin of Tyre 1:9     *seeing nothing wrong with nourishing hatred against people who hurt you deeply - the sin of Edom 1:11     *justifying harming others to increase personal satisfaction - the sin of Ammon 1:13     *presuming vengeance is a legitimate personal right - the sin of Moab 2:1     *disregarding the absolutes I reveal as the standard for all relating - the sin of Judah 2:4     *pursuing satisfaction by following a plan for life that is self-serving and not God-glorifying - the sin of Israel 2:6

"Without deep consciousness of relational sin, My people then and now feel falsely complacent in My Presence, unaware, and therefore, untroubled by how far short their style of relating falls below Mine" 6:1.  That is a very telling statement.  Complacent in God's Presence, unaware and untroubled by how far short our relating falls before a Holy God.   How have I changed in the past year, months, weeks, days? Worship that leaves unchanged the ways I relate to my husband, my kids, my friends, (and for me, especially to those who have hurt me deeply) is f.a.l.s.e.

PHOTO:  I am praying for you every day that God continues to change your heart. I pray that you keep on being the amazing young person you are who cares deeply about her Mom and worships the ground she walks on. May you love well all your days. It has been my greatest joy living with you these precious God-given years.

195 - "Are We Trying To Live Our Best Life Down Here" Amos 4-6; Galatians 1

Are we trying to have the best life here?  Everything falling into place in our world.

Days are coming. The plowmen will overtake the reaper.

It's the day we all live for---the coming of the LORD for His people.

"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria." Amos 6:1
What is my security in.
The themes mesh---Isaiah wrestling not to follow King Uzziah.
Amos wrestling with the feel of security.
What does that look like in all of our lives?
Peace and personal comfort.  It's usually what most go after.

COME BOLDLY:  Timeless Prayers
Father, may we live this day like we mean it.  Like we know that we have been invited into Eternity.  Make a difference in what we see and feel and understand this very day.

PHOTO:  30,000 feet in the air.  State of Colorado.  Am I living in reality on earth and not 30,000 feet in the air.  

194 - "The Lion Has Roared" Amos 1-3; Acts 15:22-41

Another prophet in the picture.

While Isaiah is dealing with his strongholds, Amos is saying this:

The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?”

Amos 3

So speak to to those strongholds.

They must go.

They have no hold on me.

Wrestle well.

You know what is right to do.

O Father, may we hear your Voice saying this is the way walk in it.  May we grasp a little more deeper this day that You are roaring in our lives for goodness, for justice, for love.

PHOTO:  Santa Rosa Island.  In those quiet moments today, may we move to do away with the strong holds on all our lives.  Those strongholds that stop the very blood flow of life to us.   

193 - ”Don’t Miss The Grace of God”

 

                                     

Who am I that you take care of me?
Who am I that you think of me?
The God of all Goodness and Grace.
Always doing us good.
Even though we may not see it today.
If we are following God,
we will be influenced by that Goodness.
We will resolve to follow further, deeper in.
But it's not just a decision!
It is Grace!
May we not miss the Grace of God
in all our little big problems.
Those times when a whale swallows us.
May we pray like Jonah to resist the idols
and receive the Grace & Goodness of God!
Jonah 2:8 who pay regard to vain idols
    forsake their hope of steadfast love.

Jonah 2:8. 

The basis of the spiritual life is humility. Not the haughty attitude that I know what is right and I am going to let you know. May we not distance ourselves.  May we not miss Your Grace & Goodness! Even in the belly of a whale.  And that's about the toughest circumstances around.  No light.  No exit.  No advocate.  No explanation.  No way out.  Unless God does something.  And He did.  

PHOTO: Pensacola Beach where I have spent the past summers of my life with family.

192 - "Evil Hides Itself in Necessity, Morality, Goodness, Reasonableness..." 2 Kings 13-14; James 5

A man passing through died and they threw him in a grave.

It was the grave of Elisha.

When the dead man's bones touched the bones of Elisha, 

he was raised to new life.

II Kings 13:22

When we read the Bible, the Bible actually reads us.

What stirs in you as you listen?

These prophets dealt with their souls & never let go of God.

Elisha assured King Jehoash to depend on God's Power not his own.  With trembling hands over Jehoash's hand, the dying prophet symbolically shoots an arrow out of his window.  His dying words leave this king with the hope that Divine Providence holds us in His quiver.  "Evil hides itself and does its destructive work slowly, beneath the disguise of necessity, reasonableness, efficiency, pragmatism, even morality, even goodness." 66LL.  This is the line of David and God will preserve them and the power of evil will not stop God's purposes.  We must recognize and deal with the evil in our own hearts.  There is no peace in sin.  Is our heart right with God? 

So much talk about giving thanks and focusing on the positive. But, are we really just trying to change our behavior? Sin is relational not behavioral. It's deep. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working, James 5:13. So pray ...

James 5:9 ~ "The Judge is standing at the door."  What is at my center?  I can live self-centered being good or being bad.  Neither works for righteousness.  The Judge is always at hand.  So, let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no so you may not fall under condemnation.  

PHOTO: Credit: Stock Photos. A grave. 

191 - "Is Your Heart Right, As My Heart Is With Your Heart" 2 Kings 10-12; James 4

These kings!  Ruthless.  Out-of-control.  Massive murderers.  Yet, they did exactly what they wanted to do.  I just read a quote from C.S. Lewis:  "In each of us, there is something growing up which will of itself be Hell unless it is nipped in the bud.  It's not a question of God 'sending' us to hell."

It's all about who we make covenants with.  2 Kings 11:17 "Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He smashed the altars and idols to pieces.  And the whole town became calm.  

May righteousness stir within us all. 

Jezebell asked the question to Elijah in 2 Kings 9 and so did others:  "Have you come in peace?"

Elijah didn't answer them, the perpetrators of evil.  He let them be. Had no mercy on their wicked ways.  

Such a telling thought to throw a woman out of the window to her death.  God moves and works in ways we don't understand.  Wondering what they thought of this story in that day?  Wondering what we think of this forcible forthright dealing with sinful natures.

May we not take lightly the things we do.  

Maybe, we think that we are doing all the right things.

Ministering.  Missional.  Madmen. 

How do we know we are right?

How do we know that what we do this day is really for God?

Jehu was anointed by God.  A madman ran in and told Jehu ... and ran right out.  Sometimes prophets are called a little out of their mind.  Jehu's life tells a compelling story---he destroyed the house of Ahab---so zealous for God. But there's so much more than living a zealous life, a successful life, a missional life.  We are here for God, not to build our do-good world.  There's a telling verse about Jehu, II Kings 10:31, reveals "Jehu wasn't careful to walk in the law of the LORD with all his heart."  Oh, how this makes me want to finish well.  Sin is never the way of peace ~ Isaiah 57:21.  

And the verse I take away from this passage and will hold dear:
It's a quote from the life of Jehu desiring to walk with his friend in unity.
It's a question we must ask ourselves.
“Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?”   II Kings 10:15

They bowed to starry hosts.

God never intended for us to worship nature more than Him.

They followed the practices of their peers.

God never intended for us to look sideways for direction.  Look up.

They even sacrificed their sons and daughters.

We may look very religious but are we doing it for ourselves?

In secret, they did things against their Lord, their God.

Things that were not right.

Do we?

Am I?

God, change us this moment as I reflect on what I do in secret.  Thoughts that may turn wild in motion, against the grain.  May I bring them captive to You.  May I look to You first, not my peers, never sideways.  Take these widdershin thoughts of mine and make them smooth as iron.  May I find You in this these 10,000 moments.  

Image:  Library of Congress. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsc.07478

190 - "Nothing Is Out of His Knowing" 2 Kings 7-9; James 3

What are the chances of seeing a total solar eclipse in your lifetime?  

What are the chances of walking in on a King having a conversation about your son?

And you haven't lived in that town for 7 years.

God eclipses our story for Good---outshines, outlasts, outdoes.

There is nothing said in this life that God does not hear.
There is nothing done that God does not know.
Our Advocate may be silent or storming. 
His Eyes, His Ears are here today.  

The Shunammite woman took Elisha's advice in the midst of famine.
She sojourned in the land of the Phlistines for seven years.
Went to the familiar for help, for food, for life.
She took her son restored from the dead.
Nothing out of God's Knowing.

Upon her return, she appeals to the king to inquire about her house.  
She enters and the King is talking with Gehazi about Elisha.
Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.
She speaks up: Elisha restored my son.
And so the king restores her land.
7 Years Worth---here it is.

There are no insignificant events in this life.  
A simple conversation can turn into a deep blessing.  
A mundane moment can produce holy hope if God is in the midst.
So keep on ploughing in reverence and in repentance.
Be present. Nothing is out of His Knowing.

James 3:14 ~ If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. There is hope for jealousy, ambition, pride, selfishness.  There is hope for sin.  My hope is not securing God's pleasure by my faith and works.  Rather, my hope is to go deeper in my Christian walk and advance God's Kingdom here on earth.  

"When your faith leads to a consuming desire to love Me & others at any cost,
When your faith is accompanied by a consistent pattern of good works,
Your life in this world will not be wasted!"                   66LL

189 - "But I Thought" 2 Kings 4-6; James 2

But, I thought.

But, I thought it would happen this way.
But, I thought it should look like this.
But, I thought.

Naaman did not like the way that the prophet, the man sent of God, spoke.  2 Kings 5:11
Naaman thought Elisha should wave his hands and call upon the name of the Lord on behalf of Naaman's monstrous condition---leprosy.  The drama wasn't enough for Naaman.  The ordinary wasn't enough either.  Sure, he wanted to be cured.  But, he thought it had to look a certain way.  And don't we default every day and balk that God has not answered or performed a healing His Way. 

If only we could see what others see.
If only we could see what God sees.
And if only we could see what true love is.
And if only we would treat others to bread and water, not the strikes or put downs. 2 Kings 6:20-22             

In 2 Kings 6:16-17 - Elisha commented on the predicament he was in --- being chased down by evil.  They wanted his head, but he says:  "Don't worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side ... and, Elisha prayed, 'O God, open his eyes and let him see.'  2 Kings 6:20. The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha!"  

James 2:1, 5 ~ Show no partiality as you hold the faith....make no distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts.  God has chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom.  Love as though your life depended on it because it does (I Cor 14:1).

Show your faith by your works. ~  James 2:18

PHOTO:  California. But, I thought things would be different. But, I thought life wouldn't end this way. But, I thought God would heal me but not like this. But, I thought. 

188 - "Where Is The God of Elijah?" 2 Kings 1-3; James 1

He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.  2 Kings 2:14

I'm beside myself with the evening Christian news.  Woe and behold if you focus on "sin."  People seem to want entertainment more than holy living. May we focus on what is true and right and holy.  

As we strike the waters to walk on dry land, may we call upon the Sovereign, the One Who sustains and carries us, even to our old age.  I won't see my children as mature adults in this world.  But I can pray for them this very day that they find the God of Elijah.  May the cloak fall on all of us as we read this holy Word.

God Who owned Elijah owns you.  The God Who provided for Elijah provides for you and yours.  The God Who loved Elijah loves you.  And He is near to you.  The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in Truth.  Psalm 145:18.  Keep on calling.  Keep on praying.  And Elisha prayed to God to fill the valleys with water overnight.  2 Kings 3:17.  God did just that.  May God fill all your valleys.

The inscription of this book is James, a servant of God.  It could say who James really was.  The Prime Minister.  But what it highlights is what James prized.  Being a servant of God.  In this celebrity society in which we live, may we not seek to be the master, the mentor, the magnificent.  May we live serving others, servants of God.

PHOTO:  At an Ironman triathlon with a sun creeping up to start a new day. I have been given miracles from the King of Kings. What will I allow to take away that peace this waking morning of how those miracles are being delivered? Something is going to happen. Something is going to try. Find rest in this power of the rising sun, my soul.

187 - "Who Will I Be Today---Not What Will I do?" 1 Kings 21-22; Acts 14

          

Either we are moving toward good, toward God, or away.                                                                           

All these kings.  May we see how we are taking matters into our own hands.      

These chapters show the intentions of their hearts.  That Still Small Voice from yesterday, Today.  May we move toward Goodness.  The Lord longs to be good to each of you.  But if we do not want His Goodness . . .  What do we really want?  

Jezebel admonished her husband, the king who was sullen over a failed business deal. 1 Kings 21:7. The king who possessed no natural force of character as to move to openly rebel and seize the land. This landowner meant no disrespect---he followed his conscience---he couldn't sell his inheritance. Yet. This is not how we act as king, the obdurate Queen Jezebel derided.  Cheer up!  It's all good, as they say today.  Be positive.  And she goes on to say:  I'll take care of it and seal the deal, even if it means killing someone over it.  And Jezebel seals her ignominous fate. Yes, she did---Jezebel took a life.  And her king husband responded to Elijah's stern rebuke over such evil.  And God deferred the punishment to the children.  Oh my.  What do we want?

PHOTO: Who will I be today---not what will I do? As the sun rises on my story, will I be the obdurate queen?

186 - "He Could Call Down Fire & Rain, Yet He Wanted to Die" 1 Kings 19-20; Acts 13:26-52

He was the prophet who called down fire and rain. He knew. Yet, he hurt and wondered and just wanted to die n midst of glory and ministry.

And Elijah records: I have had enough, Lord. 1 Kings 19:7.  And I feel the same.  Problem is my testy circumstances matter in no kingdom.  

May I care about those things that touch Eternity. 

“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” I Kings 19:10

And God responds: “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

And this spent an, this seeking prophet finds his God in a gentle Whisper. God will do His Work in his time by His Spirit, a sweet and gentle blowing of the Spirit of God. Whisper by me. 

 The news was dismal.  The King of Assyria was lethal.  Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.  And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. 2 Kings 19:17. 

This so moves me.  Take the letters of your life.  Take your Instagram posts.  Take all the words you hear that don't move you.  Take the bitter biting silence from your family and friends.  And spread that letter of life.  Spread it out on your bed.  And don't wail from your bed.  Just cry from your heart.  It's the Living Lord listening. DEAR GOD, PLEASE CHANGE ME IN ONE, JUST ONE MOMENT THIS DAY: Oh God! Open our ears this day. Im spent.  a long time in the 3rd year, the Word came to Elijah.
You know, sometimes the Word doesn't fall as we wait, expect, hope.

But He always comes.

And He is always asking:

What are you doing here?

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. I Kings 19:12. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

What am I doing here?

186 - "Finding God in the Low Whispers" 1 Kings 19-20; Acts 13

 My testy circumstances matter in no Kingdom. May I care about those things that touch Eternity.

 

Elijah listens to God - I Kings 19:13 
And, Elijah found God in the "low whispers."

The common natural way of providing for the earth---rain.
It dried up.
The uncommon Providential way of providing for Elijah---ravens.
Never dried up.

Do I realize that the Providential Hand of God is moving in uncommon ways in my life this very day?

The vilest of creatures took care of Elijah, not the kings.
And Elijah was on a shelf for more than a year
The man who could breathe life into sons.
Patiently waiting on a Good God!!!
Eating from mouths of birds.
Trusting God's timing.
Under the Care.

Such a moving story to know God uses the lowly widow. She took Elijah at his word even before feeding her own family in famine. And that one act opened the jar for Elijah to feed the widow's family for more than two years. 

If I cannot see you and can only hear you, you exist for me not in space but in time where hearing happens. If I see you and can walk around you, I experience you as an object—-I can inspect you from all angles. Buechener says something of “extraordinary importance occurs when I more fully take you into myself by hearing you. “Hearing you speak brings me by the most direct of all routes something of the innermost secret of who you are.”  Buechner, Frederick Whistling in the Dark

He was the prophet who called down fire and rain. He knew. Yet, he hurt and wondered and just wanted to die in midst of glory and ministry.

And Elijah records: I have had enough, Lord. 1 Kings 19:7.  And I feel the same.  Problem is my testy circumstances matter in no kingdom.  

May I care about those things that touch Eternity. 

“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” I Kings 19:10

And God responds: “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

And this spent seeking prophet finds his God in a gentle Whisper. God will do His Work in his time by His Spirit, a sweet and gentle blowing of the Spirit of God. Whisper by me. 

But He always comes.

And He is always asking:

What are you doing here?

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. I Kings 19:12. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

What am I doing here?

PHOTO:  I heard an audible Voice one day as I walked this beach.  A young lady stopped my stroll and said:  "I came up to this beach to read my Bible.  And God just told me to stop you and tell you that this thing you are going through is from Him.  He is with you.  You are going to be okay."  She could have never known.  I faced the biggest crisis, the Greatest Divide, of my life.  And matching the grandeur of the skies and sea, I heard an audible Voice from a mouthpiece of God. More than a match.

185 - “Holiness Over Effective Management” 1 Kings 16-18; Acts 13:1-23

1 Kings 16:26 Empty-headed, empty-hearted lives...not true hearted.  Oh! to be truehearted!  The lessons to be learned from these wicked men:  "Leadership without a priority concern for personal holiness over effective management at best produces only outward success.  It fails to engage the real battle in the human soul, between losing your life for Me or gaining your life without Me." 66 LL.  

I love the story in I Kings of Elijah meeting a woman whose son died.  I cannot imagine what she was going through.  Elijah lies on top of the boy and asks God "Why have you brought this terrible thing on this widow...why have you killed her son?"  It's so amazing to me that God responds to our requests.  We can ask for the impossible.  God had already told this widow that her jars of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil never empty until she needs it no more.  The woman hung on tight to her life lessson, close to her bosom.  Elijah took the widow's only son and asked God to put breath back into the boy.  God did!  And this mom's response:  "you're a holy man, Elijah."  For all that is dead in our lives, may we hear God's voice.  Come

Acts 13:16 ~~~ Men of Israel, you who fear God, Listen!

These words are not just idle words, this Word of God is your very life. Deut 32:46-47.

If nothing matters more to us than following God and honoring Him, are we truly listening to the Word spoken?  The Written Word?  The Living Word?  In this passage lies the power in their present lives.  Petrified Peter.  Self-Righteous Saul.  No More!  They have received the Spirit of God and so have you.  So have I.  We have an Advocate, Another Counselor, an Ever-Present Power.  Women of God, you who fear Him so, Listen this Day!

PHOTO:  Walking the beaches of Rockport. The real battle of life is within your soul. 

184 - "Tell Me My Good Fortune Rather Than My Faults" 1 Kings 14-15, Acts 12

King Jeroboam, full of contempt. 

A dad with a dying child. 

Disguises his wife and sends her to the blind prophet. 

"Will my child die or live"? 

Wait. 

What about this---what about saying: 

How could I help my child, dear man of God? 

Will you pray for my child, dear man of God?

How could I deal with my own heart as I sit in a lonely frigid dark chamber?  

"It would have been more pious if he had desired to know where God contended with him.

It would have been more pious if he had begged the prophet’s prayers, 

more pious if he had cast away his idols.

Maybe the child might have been restored to him---as his hand was. 

Some people would rather be told their good fortune rather than their faults or their duty." 

I Kings 14:4

The king in Acts 12 was no better. King Herod saw how much his popularity ratings with the Jews skyrocketed when he went after the church members in Acts and murdered James. Then, King Herod went after Peter and arrested him to kill him before the people. The church prayed and God answered. He sent an angel to Peter's side.

PHOTO: 2-year-old tiny twins with a future ahead of them. We will pray for you. Walk humbly into your duty. Deal with your own hearts always. There's an angel by your side.                                                                                                   We will help you and pray you find God on your path. May those closest to you tell you the truth.

183 - "Look After Your Own House" 1 Kings 12-13; Acts 11

                                                              

 Look after your own house. I Kings 12:16

The theme of today's reading drives me 'back home' to the place where we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.  It is when kings and paupers are not in the places where they should be.  It is when kings and paupers long for what they have not.  We are not in charge of any of this.  Just subordinates living for a King and a future world.  Just passing through here.  Leaving our mark be it success or silence.  Taking care of our own business.  Letting ambition go.  Living for another country.

Oh that I may truly know a little deeper that I am living for another country, another kingdom.  I am far too entrenched in what I see and touch and hear and feel.  God, please move in my own life.  Help me take my eye off of what I see; what I want.  Help me to look after my own house.  

"And the Hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed." Acts 11:21.

 

The persecution of the church, the harm hurled through threats and brutality---it was meant to destroy and kill the followers.  But this.  The very first preachers of Good News.  Dispersed.  All because of persecution.  What others mean for harm still works for good then and now.

 

And the work of conversion works on all of us, then and now.

 

And the hand of the Lord---God showed them His Favor.  Manifest in Miracles.  

Hearts changed forever.

Hand of Providence. Hand of Love. Hand of Wisdom. Hand of Power. 

"Not only his Hand of Providence, which brought them thither, and protected them; and his Hand of love, grace and mercy, which was upon them, and supplied them with gifts and grace, and everything necessary for them; and his Hand of wisdom, which guided and directed them; but his Hand of power, the same with the Arm of the Lord, which when revealed, and made bare, the report of the Gospel is believed."  John Gibbs. The Gospel is the power of God to salvation. 

PHOTO: The flower; A fragrance of Beauty.

182 - "The Answer Is Not Holding Your Tongue But Holding On To God" Ecclesiastes 10-12; Acts 10:24-48

Before the years draw near.
Before the sun and the light and the moon and stars are darkened
Before the clouds return after the rain
In the day when the keepers of the house tremble
Those who look through the window are dimmed
And the earth returns to dust as it was.
Before all that happens, know this
Vanity of Vanities.  All is vanity.
Fear God and Keep His Commandments.
And God records this to show us the reality of our days.

Cast your bread upon the waters.
Even 7.  Even 8. 
Even when it seems to be spent for nothing, not much.
Give freely!  Give your money away; Give your time away.
Eccl 11:1

So, let's pay attention to what really matters, first things first
Come to the Creator before He becomes Your Judge of every secret thing.
The end of the matter.  It's our whole duty.

Father, help us to see with spiritual eyes today what is in front of us.
We all will face judgment.  May I be way more concerned this day
with coming to You and loving You and leaving my life in Your Hands.

Eccl 10:14 The answer is not holding your tongue but holding on to God.

Eccl 11:6 So
Sow your seed in the morning.
Sow your seed in the evening.
You never know!

Words multiply.
People divide.                                             

Amid all the noise of this celebrity society in which we live,

to Whom am I listening?
I find myself still trying to change people.
And I find people trying to change me.
I see the look of disapproval, of disdain.
And my default goes to defense.
Oh God! Help me to repent in the moment I hear.
May we all go back to the conclusion:
Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Fear God and Keep the Word.
Draw up that Empty Chair and listen to the Voice so Dear

Dear Father, I am so defensive---and so are the others.  But I can do something about me.  Help each one of us with our desires for righteousness to really listen for Your Voice today.  Love covers a multitude of sins.  So, when I cannot get over the grievances, the gestures gone awry, then let me realize it is Your Voice calling me to repent.  Those times when people annoy, disrupt, condescend, and get away with it.  May I let it go for it is in Your Hands.

PHOTO:  The setting sun found me sitting alone under a bridge at dusk.  Today is our 44th anniversary. Kind of hard to believe. Kind of wonderful we made it together for Him. Waiting for the Empty Chair to be taken.  And it was.  And there is never an empty chair at home with Bob by my side---my everything in this life.  

181 - "Redress All Those Hurtful Things That Have Happened to You and Arm Yourself" Ecclesiastes 7-9; Acts 10:1-23

Redress all those hurtful things that have happened to you and arm yourself against the "mischief" that you could run havoc with. It is the Eternal Counsel Who will work good out of this in your life.  That's what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:  Take care of your own reputation; avoid all dangerous extremes; be mild and tender toward those who have been injurious to you; and lament your own sin as that which is more vexatious than anything anyone has ever done to you.  Amen.

Why can I not listen to my own words I write this day?  I am way too quickly provoked in my spirit and the anger resides in my lap. Eccl 7:8-9.  "Do Not Say: Why were the old days better than these?" It is wise not to ask such questions.

Do not be overrighteous. Eccl 7:15.  It is good to avoid all extremes.  There is no one who does what is right and never sins. 

"DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY WORD PEOPLE SAY or you may hear your servant or your kid cursing you----for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others." Eccl 7:20-21.

That's it.  Anger in my lap.  Overrighteous on my mind.  Hanging onto every word friends and family speak.  Why can I not stop it?  Romans 7 is why.

PHOTO:  The Bob Goff Weekend in California with 32 cancer victims.  Rather incredible to hear the stories and how God intervened and looked after.  Mike Slayman is still going through it.  Trying to find the Wonder in the adversity of it all.  Saw so much inside through these days----such healing from God.

180 - “Heavy On Mankind” Ecclesiastes 4-6; Acts 9:23-43

 

Do we have the power to enjoy what is going on in our lives?  God grants it.

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind:  a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them.  Eccl 6:2

Oh! God, as Bonhoeffer once wrote:  There is no more significant moment in humankind than this present moment.  

What is it that we cannot control? 

What is it that we canot understand.

What is it that we cannot do to live in the present?

COME BOLDLY:  Timeless Prayers

Father, somehow I have this "enjoyment" thing turned upside down on its head.  We pray that half of what we are exposed to this day, sinks deep into our repentant hearts.  Psalm 51:6

PHOTO:  Quarries Lake.  A little guy trying to catch a fish.  This present moment.

179 - “Be Even in the Events of Life” Ecclesiastes 1-3; Acts 9:1-22

 

Eccl. 1:1 - It's smoke!  Spitting in the wind.  How does Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, amass silver and gold and the treasure of kings and refuse his heart no pleasure (2:8)...and arrive at the conclusion:  I hate life (2:17).  Smoke.  Chasing after the wind.  What was Solomon missing in all his stockpiled wisdom and knowledge? Why was his heart not stirred with hope?  Is my heart stirred this day with hope or despair over my circumstances?  Solomon was desperate for what?  He couldn't get answers to his questions, could he? Maybe it wasn't the answers that the wise Solomon wanted.  "Until you stop running from real darkness into artificial light, until you hear the bad news that life is empty, that you are empty, you will not hear the GOOD NEWS My Son came to bring...I lower you into the depths of despair to lift you into the heights of joy.  The way up is the way down.  There is no other way.  You will not hear My song of love until you hear no other music."  66 LL.  What music am I listening to that keeps me from hearing His Song of Love?  It could be literal music or music to my ears or music to my heart or music to my eyes that keeps me from hearing His Song of Love. "Every moment of your life is a perfectly tuned note in the Eternal Harmony."  That is if I have ears to hear.  Let those scales fall off my eyes.  Let me hear the music of heaven.o

Eccl 2:24 - Enjoy the good of your labor.  Be even in the events of life---not leaning in hope that this will make me happy nor sinking in despair that this has happened.  Walk into the events of this day on purpose expecting God.  There is a time for every event under heaven. Eccl 3:1. God has put the event of Eternity in our hearts. Eccl 3:11. Solomon penned these words in his event search, his trial of every commodity, every experience, every person. All Futility. Nothing new under the sun. No new words either. There is a Season. And a Time. We cannot cover up the emptiness of our existence, if it be so, and live with the illusion of satisfaction. Today.  "Emptiness is covered by distraction. Loneliness is numbed with sociability. Futility is denied in activity. Premature and superficial satisfaction with the good things of life prevents My people from grasping the incredible news that My reality of joy, community, and meaning has invaded theirs." The ultimate good is living for God's Glory but the words run cheap. 

May we only be satisfied with seeing Your Likeness in our lives and the lives of those we touch.  Help us to see through the thin veneers varnished on our events.  Illusions exposed.

Seeing the face of Christ dazzled Paul to the things of Another Country. It took his eyes off of this world and what he was doing to make this world work. Dazzled by the Holy One. Blinded and offered eternal hope. And Paul cooperated to the fullest extent with the One Who held his hand. Acts 9:9

Every one of us has to answer the question:  "Who are you, Lord?" Acts 9:5
Such a wonder that Saul found Him.
Such a wonder that we find Him today.
God can draw aside the blindness.
God did for me. And He has for you.
"Who was brought to Christ's feet with those words?" M. Henry
I'm praying we all will be.

No eye has seen.  No ear has heard.  Never entered our minds.  All You have for us!  

Commons listened to the Word of the Lord.  I Kings 12:24. But then, this son of Solomon, put a greater yoke on the people.  The kings listened to the Lord until it didn't work for them.

PHOTO: Sunset. Darkness closes every day. Wake up tomorrow with expectancy that God is in your every circumstance.

178 - "We Move To Live This Day Either God-obsessed or Self-obsessed" 1 Kings 10-11; Acts 8:26-40

Solomon may have been the wisest person to ever live but he wasn't holy. "Effective Management trumped holiness." L. Crabb 

                                                              

Solomon, one of the wisest men to ever live, the one who people all over the world came to speak with, the one with 700 foreign wives and 300 concubines.  How could that be?  And the Word says that the women led him astray.  That's a lot of influence on one man.  How could he even remember their names?  1,000 names.  Now, who are you again?  And he built high places to detestable gods.  Oh my.  And God replies in I Kings 11:11 --- "since this is your attitude, and you have not kept your covenant, I will tear your kingdom away from you..."  How could this happen in the midst of infinitesimal wisdom?  What about in my own life?

IKings 11: 9-10  "God was furious with Solomon for abandoning the God of Israel, the God who had twice appeared to him and had so clearly commanded him not to fool around with other gods. Solomon faithlessly disobeyed God's orders."  Solomon was obsessed with women and power and managing his kingdom. Maybe Solomon had wisdom, but he wasn't holy.  66LL "Effective management trumped holiness." God never intended for us to be obsessed with anything but Him!  We all deal with the depravity of man. Every one of us is obsessed with something or another person at different times. Yet, He is knocking on the door of our hearts, Rev. 3:19-20, offering us this moment an opportunity for Him to come in and fellowship with us as we repent from our lives "curved in on ourselves."  

Every day we move to live and love either self-obsessed or God obsessed!                                                

He is always about the beauty of detaching us from anything that we have come to depend on for our life, our joy, our peace.  

He is attaching us to Himself if we don't abandon Him in our minds, our motives, our management.  He is freeing us up from demandingness and that's so good!  When we made our big move to Austin, a friend gave me a "Me & Ro" necklace that is inscribed with the word "fearless."  It's from Phil 1:20 in the Moffat version.  It's my prayer for you this day.  My hope is that you not feel ashamed but that you may honor your Christ in your own person with "fearless courage."

One Day, the heavens and earth will pass away.  

White-hot stars will melt to a crisp, 

the stunning shimmering sun will melt forever. 

And it will happen in a blink. 

Another lovely generation of generations passes away.  

PHOTO: The sunrise over our heads today as generations pass on.

177 - "His House is High---No One Is Out Of His Reach" 1 Kings 8-9; Acts 8:1-25

It's a Grand House.

The Berth and Beauty still holds a judgment.

We cannot escape the Eyes, the Heart of the God Who is and is to come.

God hears Solomon's prayer and responds: "I have consecrated this House" in I Kings 9:3. Only God can make a place holy. Only God can make our hearts holy. Living temples. He puts His Name, His Eyes, His Heart there perpetually. How beautiful is that to know this day.

And Solomon, "If you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, then I will establish your throne." I Kings 9:4. God knew. He perceived. He saw Solomon's heart.

And we know the rest of the story that Solomon would not repent (like his father did) of what is drawing him away from God---the love of this life. His father, David, broke in half when confronted with his sins...and David repented with great sorrow over the wrongs done before a Holy God. David did not live in guilt although forgiveness never took away David being a murderer, an adulterer. Forgiveness took away David's sentence, his guilt.

This "house is high"---I Kings 9:9--- but not out of reach of the Judgment of God. We will all give account. No one is out of His Reach. The grandeur, the splendor, the beauty cannot save the day. C.S. Lewis once said that prostitutes see a little more clearly, more quickly, than the proud and the mighty, the arrogant. Was Solomon full of himself? Am I? What's my bent? Bent on doing what I want to do. Bent on living like I want to live. Bent on being what I think is right.

Image: "Solomon's Stables Under the Platform" - P217, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

176 - "The Fabric of the Temple Rose and Tugged" 1 Kings 5-7; Acts 7:44-60

176 The fabric of the Temple was all built in silence. No hammers. No chisels. No iron tools. it Rose like an "exaltation"---so we too live our lives in quietness and confidence. 

The Temple was built in silence. 
No hammers | No chisels | No iron tools were heard.

I Kings 6:7.
It rose like an "exaltation," says one commentary.

"No hammer fell, no ponderous axes rung.
Like some tall palm the mystic fabric sprung." Reginald Heber

The fabric rose in silence in the Old Testament. I Kings 6:7.

The fabric of the Sanctuary - roof, walls, floor. 
The fabric tugged in silence in the New Testament. Mark 5:27.

The fabric of the Savior Himself - his robe. 

We are to live out our lives in quietness and in confidence. Isaiah 30:15.
Thy Kingdom Come. 

Never an Observer. Always a Participator.

But that still small Voice.
The One we hear behind us, saying, this is the way. Walk in it.

And the commentary speaks to me:  "Don't mistake notoriety for spiritual progress."                                  The Kingdom went unnoticed by the Caesars and the philosophers of the day.                                                       The commentator said it grew silently like a baby in the womb, unheard, unnoticed, unknown.                   But this New Kingdom.  

Changes people 

in degrees, 

radically, 

publicly, 

inches. 

This new humanity was not so sudden.

“Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you." No better thought. No better plan.

PHOTO:  I have tugged at His fabric for as long as I can remember.  Even as a Catholic school girl.  Sacred Heart was my first invitation to the Savior.  But the real tug came when I was in my junior year at LSU and wild as the winds of a tornado.  I knew there had to be more.  A whole lot more than what I was experiencing.  And I found Him. And I turned to a whole new life. And I raised up a generation of kids offering them the Truth I found. Trying to live it out my troubled past before them every day. This is a grandkid.

175 - "I Became In His Eyes As One Who Finds Peace" - Song of Solomon 6-8; Acts 7:22-43

                                                             

No more significant hour than this present moment.

To find Rest.

To find Peace.

To Worship our Maker.

Who plants us by His Written Word.

Song of Solomon 8:10 ~ I became in His Eyes as one who finds peace.  Am I looking for peace in this world, a slice or even a sliver of happiness here?  It's all illusions!  The only true happiness in life is found in Him, the only True Rest.

"I love you.  I delight in you.  I will do whatever it takes for you to enter into the exquisite, life-defining pleasure of the communion My Son and I enjoy.  I invite you into the feast of love."  66LL

We have heard from the prophets trying to wake us up. We've heard from Job in deep suffering. We've heard from Solomon, a wealth of wisdom.  Now, God is awakening, stirring, arousing the desires He has put in our hearts to know Him fully, in abundance.  He is providing Hope that we will be satisfied. Otherwise, apart from Him, we will live in hell---maybe not in this world, but the next one.

God is inviting me to so much more even in the midst of pain.  All these Scriptures we read---they did not know the Savior, only a promise.  We have Him now.  Let us all stand in awe of the Hope we have in Him that He will continue to draw us to Himself.  Finding a little more rest this day than I have ever known before----how?  Through repentance and worship and reality.

May God's Word become "the joy and rejoicing of my heart."  Jeremiah 15:16
Psalm 19:8 Father, May your Word enlighten our eyes this morning!  More than anything else!

Stephen infuriated the freedmen.  Those freedmen were "sawn in two" over Stephen's stunning soliloquy ~ Acts 7:54.  So very upset, yet, Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit.  How very Kind of God to give Stephen a Glimpse of the Opened Heavens in his dying hour.  A Merciful Kindness.  While the Freedmen stopped up their ears with their fingers and stormed this saint and stoned him cold.  Lifeless.  Asleep, but so alive in Him.  They may take his body but God has his soul forever.  Stephen will wake up again. 

The witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul (Acts 7:58) who will remember this day for the rest of his life.  Saul was one of them there.  Casting stones.  Saul was dead, too.  He is about to wake up.

Wake up, o my soul. 

PHOTO:  Planted. Roots go deep. Scripture interprets Scripture.