149 - "We Know Not What's Born in the Womb of Time" Psalm 27-29; John 11:1-29

David's cruel and perfidious enemies assaulted him. They encompassed him. David gropes for words to express the impression his thoughts have made on his life. He gropes for words to express how desperate his condition would have been if he had not been supported by faith in God's promises. Even the best saints are subject to faint when their troubles become grievous and tedious; their spirits are overwhelmed, and their flesh and heart fail; but then faith is a sovereign cordial! Faith keeps us from drowning under our burdens; it keeps us hoping, and praying, and waiting; hope maintains in all of us honourable thoughts of God, and an expectation of relief in due time. But what belief was it that would keep David from fainting? That he should see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living — not only a continuance of the mercy and grace of God to his soul which he already possessed, but that he should outlive his troubles. David longed to see and enjoy in this life a deliverance from his enemies. The Land of the Living---David desired "this" mercy in "this" life not because he placed his portion in things but because he placed his whole life in truth and God's glory. That's it. I have been longing to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. O God, have mercy on me. Psalm 27:13-14 has been the biggest verse tugging on my heart for the past 52 years since I became a Christian. 

So...

"Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring."

Proverbs 27:1

We can prepare for tomorrow,

we just cannot presume upon God and his moving.

We just can't promise that we will be here. All we know is that we have to rest tonight. The sun will go down. We have no info about tomorrow for good reason. To-day, while it is called, To-day, hear God's voice. We know not what is in the womb of time until it's born. Then, the One Who closes the books on To-day, the One who has kept us in the dark is the One who readies us for every second, every day.

PHOTO: It's just me. Longing to see God's Goodness in the Land of the Living. Life's been hard. God's been good.

148 - "No One Can Snatch Me Out of the Father's Hand" Psalm 24-26; John 10:22-42

Blindness doesn't co-exist with pretense.

 "How long will you keep us guessing if you are the Messiah?"  John 10:25-32 - Jesus answered, "I told you, but you don't believe ... You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice....They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand."

"Many turned away when they realized what He was saying was "hard."  Like so many today!  The word hard is a translaton of skleros:  offensive not merely difficult.  "To love with nails in Your Hands and to love those who put them there captures the essence of what it means to really live!"  66 LL.

John 10:29  "No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand."  It's a verse God gave me years ago when I lived in dreaded fear of being harmed.  Safe in His Hand, whatever that means.  Not free from harm and hurt, just free to be His.  And that will never change!

We have been in the Providential Hand of God before the foundation of the world, and even before we were in "the loins of Adam." Everything about us is under God's care, protection, and power.

147 - "Come Quickly! Between a Rock and a Hard Place" Psalm 20, Psalm 21, Psalm 22; John 10:1-21

                         

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
    but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
    Answer us when we call!
                Psalm 20
The news came unexpected today.
It's over our heads.
We're between a rock and a hard place.
We know not what to do.
Overwhelmed.
We will rise up.
We will stand firm.
By Your Mighty Power.
Because it is not within me to move forward on this.
This is David speaking.
He knew what it meant to embrace loss.
And we have lost something really big today.
Rise up, o my soul.
Stand firm, and see the salvation of God redeem my heart.

DEAR GOD:  PLEASE CHANGE ME IN THIS ONE OF 10,000 MOMENTS THAT MUST NOT DEFINE ME.  Help me to let go of how I think things should be, how things should fall, how things should play out. Give us Grace to face this rough patch.   not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

Psalm 22:11

My heart melts like wax. 

Do not be far from me. 

You are my strength. 

Come Quickly!

PHOTO:  A rising Texas sun over all our rock and hard places.

146 - "My World May Not Delight in Me but My God Doea" Psalm 17, Psalm 19; John 9:24-41

He brought me forth into a broad place where I can stand without having to wonder. He rescued me because He delights in me---maybe my world does not, He does! And I believe that! Psa 18:19. My God is illuminating all of my darkness. Psa 18:29. I may not see a lot happening this very day but as I reflect back, so much has changed. Change takes time. Doesn't happen overnight. My dark patches, incomprehensible shadows will be made clear one day. Until then, I trust smack dab in the middle of confusion, disconcerting news, and a world that has no place for me. But I am here to live, to love, to give, to move. I no longer need my world to come through for me. ~ Acts 20:24 God fills us all. Fills all those empty spaces. You know, He is looking for empty spaces today. John of the Cross said it this way: The Spirit of God cannot pass a soul with empty places without filling it with Himself. Search and find Him---He is here.

We are far too easily pleased. C.S. Lewis said it. May I never be satisfied with anything greater than becoming like Christ. 

Whether we can see or not, believe for the sake of His Glory. John 9:30 "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes." Since the world began, no one has ever even heard of anyone who can open blind eyes. So, why is it that we don't believe God? 

As Christ passed by the very people who despised Him, he healed one of their neighbors. Lifted a burden off the community who took care of this blind helpless man for 3 decades. In transitu, as he passed by. May we live to love as we pass by. Blind men and sighted. Never stop doing them good, even if treated invisible. With common elements of mud and saliva. He used what He had. The very thing the Pharisees had a fit over---how the eyes of the blind man were opened. You would have thought they would have thrown him an all-town parade. Instead the Pharisees threw him out! No longer blind. No beggar job; no family support; no community behind him. But, because he went to the pool of Siloam, he was healed. May we go to places we are called to go with mud on our faces.

PHOTO: Free Bible images. 

145 - "Beg For Directions" Psalm 15-16; John 9:1-23

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? Psalm 15:1 David pleads to God for mercy, for help. All our world depends on this. Beg for directions. to know what it takes "to be" and "to do" His will. Walk blameless - is it possible. Do what is right - it is possible, only in His Power.   You have not forgotten. You see this thing that is happening to me. I will bless the LORD Who has counseled me. O God, please let my mind instruct me even this night. 

You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:11

Just like the Blind Man in John 9:3. Don't ask the wrong questions like who sinned causing him to be blind. Look instead for what God can do. John 9:3-4. Be at work for the One Who sent me here while the sun shines. I am the world's light. John 9:4-5. And the Blind Man metaphorically grabbed Jesus right hand. 

The Captain of our soul.  There is a Guide in these verses Who leads us all the way.
The Traveler.  There is a singular person referred to in this passage:  me.  It is I alone who travels the path of life.  I make my own decisions.  No one makes them for me.  I chart my course.  It is I.  
The Path. It is a winding uphill road all the way.  Filled with hard things.  Filled with His Presence, if we only take Him by the hand.

The End.  Wandering pilgrims going home.  

Eternal pleasures are ours. 

PHOTO: A quick trip to California to an unbelievable retreat for cancer survivors. They found me somehow. One thought I walked away with from Bob Goff: There are no titles to the chapters being written today. One Day you will know!

144 - "Expect Your Theological Boxes to Explode" Psalm 12-14; John 8:28-59

                                                            

Psalm 13:2-3. Let me not barter for Anything Else to enlighten me. You have not forgotten. You see this thing that is happening to me. I will bless the LORD Who has counseled me. O God, please let my mind instruct me even this night. Because You are at my right hand, I will not be shaken in what comes my way. 

Psalm 13:8 "Expect your theological boxes to explode, to lose all false hope in what My Love will provide in this life. We've built these thoughts that life should happen a certain way. And what happens when it doesn't? May we be shaken and stirred to find this new way of thinking. The abandoned life to Christ. Because He is God and we are not."  

God remembered. We are a remembered tribe. We may have forgotten about Him in the past 24 hours of difficulties or double hearts (Psaml 12:2). But, He has not forgotten us. God remembers ...

If I drop a piece of info into the right slot, would it be morally right?  Do I live by morals alone? 

"Here is the rub: one must be more zealous to please God than to avoid sin. One's obedience to God must be forward-oriented and zealous and free, and to be a mere moralist or pietist would make such a life impossible." Eric Metaxas. Oh! God, please give us strength to prepare the way to truly live free and let 

PHOTO: A monastery of days gone by on St. Margaret's Island in Budapest, Hungary. I stood on this spot and wondered how the monks here wrestled in war to cast their burdens, how to trust their God.

143 - "The Light of The World lit up 8 Billion Today" Psalm 9; Psalm 11; John 8:1-27uda

Eight billion people saw the sun light up the world this morning.

Christ is the Light of the World.
He lights 8 billion today
and all those who have ever lived.

A Metaphor.

"I am the Light of the World;
He that follows Me shall not walk in darkness."
Even in our darkest moments, Light shines.
John 8:12. 

There have been times … when I thought I could cry forever. But I haven’t done it … The living can’t quit living because the world has turned terrible … They can’t because they don’t. The light that shines in darkness and never goes out calls them on into life … into the world, into whatever the world will require.

Wendell Berry, Hannah Coulter

Indeed, Light did shine for the woman caught in adultery.
The Light of the World searches and shines
To show her Mercy
To show her accusers their sin.
She calls Him LORD.
Do we do that in our sin?

142 - "Pay More Attention to Your Impact on Others" Psalm 7-8; John 7:28-53

John 7:37-38  "Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone THIRSTS, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

Picture this:  He stands up and cries out.  No calm teaching here.  Passionate.  The Last Day of the Feast of the Tabernacles where they would pour out water from the Pool of Siloam as libation---while Jesus is crying out COME TO ME and BELIEVE the Scriptures.  I'll give you living Water.  I'll give you the HolySpirit.

God's Words are not idle words, they are our very life, Deut 32:46-47.  Reading the Word of God is no formula for growth but it is TRANSFORMING if we believe these words.  I'm not the same person I was last month!  I'm shaking my head!  He is the LIVING WORD.

Psalm 7:2 says:  I feel like I've been left, unlooked for, unremembered.  David speaks from his heart where he's black-and-blue from the beatings.   David didn't hide from God nor from his world.  He dropped all pretense and made known to God his fears and failures and emptiness and hopes and praises and desires.  Am I doing that?  Am I taking to God what's really going on inside my thoughts, my world?  Am I more concerned about my impact on others?  "God's power is most visibly evident in your life when, in the moment you most painfully feel the impact of another's relational failure, you pay more attention to your impact on that person than on that person's impact on you." (Larry Crabb). A family member has ignored me and I'm feeling it.  Am I more concerned about my impact on them or how they have made me feel?  Self-absorbed or unselfish living?

Jesus walked and did good in Galilee, not in Judea. For He knew His time had not yet come to die---and the Jews sought to kill him. Yet in Galilee, they wanted Jesus to produce miracle after miracle for those who didn't believe. Two take-aways here: 1. Wherever God has placed you, in your own Galilee, do good there. Don't wait or live or yearn for your Judea. Live in the moment. Live in the present. 2. Worldly policy dictates that we should be taken care of. Heal me. Fix me. Make sure I am comfortable. Do we live for the glory of God and His Will? Or do we live for ourselves. "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, from within Him will flow rivers of living water." John 7:38

PHOTO: freeChristimages.com

141 - "My Dark Night of The Soul" Psalm 4-6; John 7:1-27

Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. Lord, in the morning you hear my voice . . . Psalm 5:2-3. David wrestles through betrayal of his father-in-law, adultery, murder, betrayal of his son. David turns to the Only One Who can help him get over all of this. David knows it is God's Hand that has come down on him. David pants not for relief, recovery or resolve. David's soul pants for God. Psalm 42:1-2. David feels great turmoil still. Has God forgotten? When we are in the deepest darkest night of our soul, know this: We shall again praise Him. God is working in our lives through all the goings and comings. This beloved king has faced difficulties beyond measure. More than most see in a lifetime. David does not find answers to his cries. David finds Something Better. Salvation for his soul. David longs for the Great Captain of his soul not just for an anchor in the storms. Father, may we long for what really matters in life and not just for the resolution of all of that overwhelms us. May we long for You in the midst of every storm, every conversation, every dinner, every walk, every daily duty. In all of our thoughts and intentions, may we seek You to be our Great Captain this day and forward. Ps 4:1 - Answer my Evening Prayer. Be gracious. Hear this prayer of my heart at the end of the day. Ps 5:3 - Now, in the Morning, I will order my Prayer to You and eagerly watch today. Ps 6:8 - The LORD hears the voice of my weeping. 

 Doomed Star. We may feel doomed to a death we cannot stop. There is nothing that God cannot do with us to not raise us up again to life. Alive to God! He raised me up 20 years ago when I felt all but left for dead. He raised me up 17 years ago when I faced my own mortality---cancer stricken. Cancer free. Today. You, O God, have raised us up from the dead over and over again. Sovereign Steps. Where there is sorrow in my day, enlighten my eyes.    

PHOTO: The full harvest moon shimmering over sultry Colorado skies, over all of our nation. 

Dark nights of the soul.

140 - "God Speaks By Me---Words Breathed into David by God." 2 Samuel 23-24; John 6:41-71

We all live with ourselves.
We really know what we are like, what we think, what we do.

And we have a glimpse from this book of the things David did.
Evil.  Wicked.  And some Glorious.
David was self-aware of what his sins were.  He took ownership of the stormy seas.
He threw out an Anchor for his soul.  We waddled and waded through the mire, the quicksand.

And it was the Word of God breathed into David that he spoke.
2 Samuel 23:2. 
They knew that it was not their minds conjuring up great advice to give away.
These are God's Thoughts that David writes.
“The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
his word is on my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken;
David dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth."
The Word of God has spoken.

And His Word still speaks today.  To you.  To me.
God speaks by me. 

PHOTO:  The Quarries Lake.  It's a silent spot I go to often to listen to God's Word. This lake has heard all of your names, all of my secrets, all of my cries.  

139 - "God Took Hold of Me and Re-Wrote the Text of my Story" 2 Samuel 21-22; Psalm 18; John 6:22-40

2 Samuel 22:25 - The Message goes like this: "God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes." God did that for me on January 13, 2006.  Literally, the bedrock under my feet. Psalm 18:1

The historian draws his conclusion of David's reign. It is David's weighty words as he ends his life on earth--- and they are spoken by inspiration. And he refers to his seed who will live forevermore. 

David settles the crown on Solomon's head;                                                                                                  he settles his treasures upon the temple which was to be built by the next king.                                     Here. Worthy words to be remembered to this very day. His house is right with God. He was raised up on high to see farther than his neighbors.  

So I sit tonight at a sweet spot where it was the lowest of the lows for me about 18 years ago. A place where I never thought I'd see the light of day. The Great Divide. Where God stepped in and took hold of me. 2 Sam 22:17-19 and rescued me from deep waters. "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. And I don't even know how to swim. And my friends confronted me, but the Lord was my support. And He brought me to a spacious place. It took a bit. It was worth everything to know Him now. 

This is what a re-write looks like: John 6:40: Labor not for food that perishes but work for food that endures to eternal life. Anyone who sees the Son and trusts Who He is and He does and then aligns with Him will enter real life, eternal life. 

PHOTO: I just sat at this riverbank to watch the metallic sun set, and I asked questions of the God we adore. What does this re-write look like? What are You doing with me?

138 - "5 Loaves/ 2 Fish...No Delays in God's Provision" Psalm 64; Psalm 70; John 6:1-21

John 6:5 -  Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" 
Philip knows where to buy bread in his hometown and he knows that they could come up with 200 denarii but it wouldn't buy enough bread.  200 Denarri!!!!  One denarii is a day's wage. 200!!!!  That's six months of daily wages. What disciple had that kind of wealth?  In today's economy, at minimum wage, six months of working every single day would net almost $12,000.  And that still wouldn't be enough to feed them a full meal.  

And where could Philip find that much barley bread and fish in Bethsaida?  The town was emptied----they were all there.  There were 15,000, maybe 20,000 hungry people sitting there.  It would take 15,000 pounds of bread and fish to feed that many.  And how long would that take to serve 20,000 people?  Have you ever tried to serve 500 people at a reception real fast?  20,000!!!!  

This is a major miracle before their eyes.  Not only does Christ have the power to deliver the food instantaneously (each disciple taking one second to feed the 20,000----you can make it through no more than 3,000 per hour and probably collapse right there staring at another 17,000 hungry people),  but there are 12 baskets left over. No delays with God's Hand, God's Power. 

You know, some of those 20,000 people are poverty-stricken and don't eat that well.  Yet, they weren't grabbing for more.  They were satisfied.  This is a parable of Abundance.  

Do I know His Power to supply all of my needs and so much more?  Am I trusting Him for more?  He is stirring up faith in our hearts. He will fulfill every desire we have to do what's right.  Those desires aren't coming from the enemy of your soul.  May you press into and lean hard on the Christ, this day, our Abundant Provider and His Infinite Resources for whatever need you hold in your heart!  

Whatever you face this day, there are 5 barley loaves and 2 fish waiting.  At the lowest point of my life, a friend said to me when I cried out to him for help:  "Five Loaves & Two Fish."  Somehow, at that moment, I knew a little bit more than the moment before, that God was going to show up in my despair.  And He did...with so much more than I could have ever imagined!

137 - "Misplaced Love" 2 Samuel 19-20; John 5:25-47

What is this---you love those who hate you and hate those who love you? 2 Samuel 19:6. Never hold on to what was not meant for me. To love deeply is what is meant for you. For the Messianic Presence hears all of it. 

                                                   

And they confront David: You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. 2 Samuel 19:6.

How do we do the very same things? O God of Mercy! That I may learn to truly love. To never hold on to what was not meant for me. To love deeply what is meant for me. 

Joab was the spokesperson brave enough to say to David:  I repeat 2 Samuel 19:6 cause this is so powerful. "What is this—loving those who hate you and hating those who love you? Your actions give a clear message: officers and soldiers mean nothing to you...you knocked the wind out of them."  

Why did David grieve his son Absalom at the expense of those alive around him?  What were his tears really for?  Himself?  David prayed in Psalm 25:18 "Lift this ton of sin."  I have so felt the weight of previous sin this week.  Lift the ton, O God!  

God lifted it and immediately David goes back to war with Sheba followed by even more enemies with 24 fingers and toes.  And David prays:  "When I call, give me answers. God, take my side! Once, in a tight place, you gave me room.  Now I'm in trouble again: grace me! hear me!"  Psalm 4:1

"You have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul." Psalm 31:7.  The Messianic Presence hears every word. 

PHOTO: My favorite spot on earth in Eatonville. I learned right here a tiny bit more how to love well. 

136 - "God Will Repay Our Service and our Suffering" 2 Samuel 16-18; John 5:1-24

Cold.  Blue.  Calculating. Wooed.

Pressed daily with words.

God will repay not only our service but also our suffering. Here it is in this story of David and Shimei. David could have retaliated. Gallant David and his men walking through a prosaic valley. Empurpled with rage, Shimei walking on the mountainside. David: minding his own affairs. Shimei: Throwing rocks; throwing words. David's men long to rid the world of Shimei. David's humility prevails---what if? What if he is doing me harm because God told him to speak these derisive words. What if? "It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today." 2 Samual 16:12. 

Someone has been trying to hurt me in my life.  What if?

This is an intriguing story about David and Shimei. David and his men were walking through a prosaic valley. Empurpled with rage, Shimei walked along the mountainside hurling life-threatening words and rocks at David. David's men longed to rid the world of Shimei. David's humility prevailed: What if? What if God is allowing this and the Lord will look on my misery and restore to me a blessing not the curse from Shimei? What if? It may be that the Lord will restore a blessing rather than ...

Bob is out of the hospital---no fractures, strong bones. Just bleeding at the trauma site from a bike accident. He will try to race in 15 days if healing goes well. God is always doing us good. Things are going to happen. May I not throw rocks and words at anyone.. Leave everything in God's hands. It may just be that the Lord will restore a blessing to all of us rather than what is being hurled at you. 2 Samuel 16:12.

PHOTO:  Let them throw the empurpled chilling blue words at you.

135 -"Pray Against The Words Not The Person" 2 Samuel 15; Psalm 3; Psalm 69

She's only in 3rd grade but she is learning about friends who have their own agenda.  May we all pray for our friends with grace-filled words. Pray against their actions not against the person.
David learns that one of his senator's is now a conspirator.  Against him and what David stands for.  So David prays these words in 2 Samuel 15:31 --- confuse the counsel of this senator.  David didn't pray against the person but against his words, against the advice of his soul.  And David prays with the strong knowledge of a Sovereign God Who holds all words and hearts in His Hand.  One commentary says we must second our prayers with endeavours.  And David did.  No man holds the corner of the market on truth.  We can think and live and move and love and still need forgiveness.  Yet, David!  Great in wisdom and patience when treated so cruel.  The David who had just sinned beyond his recognition.  May we follow the footsteps of the One and Only Who holds us tight, never to let go, never to fail.  The One Who lifts our head every single day. Psalm 3:3

#prayer

PHOTO:  Ezri and the birds at The Aquarium.  We go there every week. Hey Ezri---pray against their words not against the person.

134 - "Can We Over Grieve What We Love?" 2 Samuel 13-14; John 4:1-26

Pascal said it:  "True religion accounts for both the wretchedness and greatness of people."  David lived that out for and found the Glory of God.

And our God promises to defeat all of the evil in the world.  Through us.  In us.  In this world.  God is moving in the midst of all that is going on.  He wants to use us to advance His Kingdom in this world and that is just unbelievable!

Larry Crabb talks about how David "lived the new way"

* He didn't celebrate the death of Saul.  He mourned the father-in-law who tried to kill him.

* He waited patiently for 7 years in Hebron as king over only one tribe---all the while knowing that God had appointed him over 12 tribes.  He didn't make it happen.

* He invited Saul's house to his table---the lame Mephibosheth, grandson of Saul.

* He mourned wicked Absalom's death and cried out "if only it had been me."  

66 Love Letters

These two stories in today's reading are so gripping.  Grasped men who are grasping for straws.  The story of Amnon in 2 Samuel 13:4: “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” Heart wrenching.  Loving after something that can never be his.  David's valley.  Again.  This time, a son out to get him, not a father-in-law.  Oh the grief.

And Absalom slays the kings and takes the kingdom into his hands.  And David grieves.  Someone once said we can "over grieve" what we over love---wondering if that was the case for David.  He could not let go of Absalom.

Wretchedness and Greatness.  Here in this story
Father, may we never be afraid to listen to your promptings in our hearts for there is hope for our sin.  

Yes, there are wretched places.  

Yes, there is matchless grace covering like blankets of fresh fallen snow.  Fall fresh on me.

"The man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him and he went on his way." John 4:50 He was a nobleman with a very sick son. He came to Cana because he heard the word of others. Even the greatest of men becomes a beggar. Even noblemen hold no secret pass, no security over safety. Only God can word a miracle. "Go your way," says Jesus, so tenderly And now his faith has to go beyond what he can see. A trust in aid with no longer a aign of His Presence. And his faith was so strengthened. And a whole family ends up believing. Wonder if Houstonians feel that way sitting in Hurricane Harvey. Can we trust the Word that has been spoken to us? Tonight, I trust this Tender Word.

PHOTO:  The Valley.  Hill Country.  David is in another valley.  And it is being filled with rain falling fresh from heaven on him.  Going deep into the trenches of his heart.  His dependence soaks it all in.  Because David is "all in" now, or is he?

133 - Psalm 32; Psalm 51; John 3:16-36

  

Oh David! The first words out of his mouth: "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Psalm 32:1 God does not count this travesty against David. There is a rush of great waters for all of us. You are our Hiding Place. Psalm 32:7. Oh David! You moved through this under the Grace of God, the Power of God, the Goodness of God. Under The Mercy. Surrounded by the Steadfast Love of God.  Psalm 32:10

 Oh Father, there's not a person on earth who has not lived a day without being "curved in" on ourselves. In our secret hearts, forgive and Psalm 32:1 "You get a fresh start, your slate's wiped clean. God holds nothing against you and you're holding nothing back from him." How foolish of me to think that there is any good greater than the good of know

"The struggle with fear and pain will continue. Only in the storm will you know there is an anchor...I've not wanted an anchor in the storm. I've wanted a quick trip to shore." No spiritual aspirin available. No anesthetic for my storms. Just a revelation of what life is like for the person who lives in the storm with his eyes fixed on Me. 66 LL 

PHOTO: Eatonville, Washington. The place where Bob's Mom & Dad lived. You walk down their driveway and expect to see them coming out. You hear those voices talking about life gone by. You see the snow-capped slopes from their windows. You long for one more conversation to say what's on your heart for them. My children's grandparents.

132 - "What Cry Comes From My Deepest Center?" 2 Samuel 10-12; John 3:1-15

David sends a faithful warrior to this place, his death.

The man who refused to go home to his wife,

camped on David's doorstep to protect his kingdom.

What on earth came from David's deep center?

2 Samuel 11:1 ... Then it happened ...

When kings go out to war ---
Privileged David stays home --- wonder why.
David was in the wrong place at the time he saw Bathsheba indiscreetly.
And she now carries his child.

So, he sends her faithful king's servant to the front lines.
The fiercest of battles.

Take. him. out.

Chilling.

The David who just wrote the beautiful prayer to Divine Providence.
The David who just hid in caves protected by Divine Providence.
The David who waited for Divine Providence to crown him.

What happens to us to get our attention?
Those Nathan moments when this Word of God reads our hearts.

This. David.

He is a man after God's heart. And we watch this story.
There is a cry for God's holiness arising from his deepest center.

It will be louder than the cries of shame and fear and privilege. 

PHOTO:  The Cross. What arises from my soul?

131 - "Our Worst Problem is Not Pain Nor Unreturned Love" 2 Samuel 8-9; Psalm 60; John 2

                                                             

“Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Samuel 9. A precious story!

Here is a beautiful place in David's heart.  

To whom may I show God's Kindness.

Reflecting back on all the Goodness.

Emptying himself into strangers.

So moving to initiate Giving.

Makes you long to be kind.

Makes you long to live.

Wondering how real.

Is this the Gospel.

Lived out here.

Or what is it.

Self-slain.

Selfish.

Love.

God.

He.

I.

And days, months later.  

When kings normally go to battle in war.

David stays home.

And he shouldn't have.

Wondering why.

Why did not David go.

And nights pass.  

When kings normally tend to their affairs.

David takes a girl.

And he shouldn't have.

Wondering why.

Why didn't David turn.

There are places in all of us.  

Dark places where Light wants to Shine.  

And it will.

If we are His!

2 Samuel 8: 1-6 David brought the Philistines to their knees and took control of their countryside.  He defeated Moab and executed two-thirds of them.  He killed 22,000 Arameans.  He plundered gold and looted large quantities of bronze. He struck down the entire army of Hadadezer.  He built a victory monument.  Set up puppet governments. 2 Samuel 1:14 "God gave David victory wherever he marched." This guy had courage that is so intriguing and admirable!

He lived well.  He suffered well.  He ruled well.  But did he love well?  It just so captures my attention, my heart that he had all those concubines!!!  How did he "miss" God on that?  How do I "miss" God?  Does it seem to you that if Christians today have a flaw like David did or even more culturally accepted flaws (if there is such a thing) like raging anger, then they are DQ'd from ministry, from respect.  No one DQ'd David for adultery and murder! 

Crabb's words come to mind:  "We naturally believe that our worst problem is personal pain occasioned by others who relationally fail us.  Because we fear that pain, we protect ourselves against it and think that our greatest good is our immediate satisfaction."  That's what David thought.  And we arrange for it any way we can, whether through sex or hard work or achievement or even worship (wow, I'm floored that he threw worship in there---doesn't seem to be a distractor, does it?)  So, what's my greatest good in my current situation?  Holiness?  God?  Whatever pain you own today, God is at work in you by His Power making you and me aware of just how far short we fall of relating like He does.  Colossians 1:29 - He is powerfully at work in you doing whatever it takes to get us to relate to others and move in to really love them and live for the Greater Good!  Wonder what my Greater Good is today?

PHOTO:  Santa Rosa Island where I have spent countless of summers walking the beach thinking about what is in my heart.  I vividly remember one June walk in 2006. I was just a few feet away from the pier.  A girl on a blanket jumped up and called out to me that God wanted me to know that everything was going to be okay because His Sovereign hand is on you.  It was the lowest point of my life. The Great Divide.  How could she have known? 

130 - "Find Courage To Pray Like David Did" 2 Samuel 6-7; Psalm 30; John 1:29-51

Who is over my affairs?

Pray.  Take courage.  It has been our dream to pray for our children and launch them into the world.  This day was the last day of our parenting days at home.  They all have moved on and we hope that they can never get over our prayers for them. 

So, what prayer of courage could I offer Him?  2 Samuel 7:27... "Your servant has found courage to pray the prayer in 2 Samuel 7 to a Sovereign Lord. All because You, oh Lord, have put me together. Psalm 30:2.

The Prayer of Courage: 

"Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?. And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant---and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human...

How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is No One like you!

So, find courage to pray today! You have a Sovereign Lord over all your affairs.

There was once a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way. The way to go, where to look, who to believe in. Every person who enters this life, God brings into Light. In the deepest sense, the Messianic Presence is in our thoughts, in our lives every single day. 

The words of John melt my hart. Life has been uphill all the way. Some of the best advice came from my counselor I supernaturally found when I faced a great divide in my life. He told me that in this world, communion with God is not defined by experiences or blessings.  To really live is to release the life of Jesus through our lives in any circumstance no matter what. Reading the New Testament paints the picture of relating as Jesus did. Giving when no one gives back. Loving in the face of unreturned love. Forgiving when it is not deserved. Suffering in the place of those who should suffer. 

Let’s look to Jesus together. He is able.

John 1:29-51.                                                                                                                                         Nathanael was home when Philip beckoned him to hear the glad news of the Messiah coming to their town. "We found the One." From Nazareth comes the "All Good." Nathanael goes quickly. He is both amazed and startled at Jesus' words to him---as if He knew him. "How do you know me?" asks Nathanael.  We have never seen each other before.  "I saw you under the fig tree," John 1:48--- in the deepest sense, the Messiah was there as Nathanael prayed and thought and wondered in his backyard under the fig tree.  There was an actual "Messianic Presence" in his inmost thoughts and yours too.  

I have to say the same.  As a Catholic schoolgirl for 12 years from 1956-1968, we went to Mass every single day Monday through Friday and every Sunday.  Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. 3200 Canal Street.  New Orleans. The presence of God was there for me in my innermost thoughts as I walked through the iron picketed fence protecting the shotgun house on Palmyra Street every day and scurried one block to Catholic school.  He was there. That was my fig tree and he heard all the heavy-weighing anxieties of my heart as I lived in fear of my mentally ill brother.  He saw my tremulous hopes for my life.  He answered all of my deep pleadings to be safe and sane. All those times I stood with my hand on the front doorknob of my living room waiting to escape and run to Colleen's house. A Messianic Presence waiting with me. The built-in sliding pocket doors separating the rooms. A Messianic Presence standing there. I would not know that Messianic presence personally until 1972.

But God knew me and loved me from the Beginning of the world. "In the beginning was the Word. Without Him was not anything made that has been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." John 1:1-4 One philosopher said that these verses are "worthy to be written in letters of gold."  

PHOTO:  A Mom & Dad's heart for their child. Take courage. Our son hits a milestone. Britt's graduation from UT.  May 2010.  Admiral McRaven speaks and writes a book from his speech. Keep on praying with courage. 

129 - "Overcome With Grief and Eli Cares More About God than Himself" 2 Samuel 3-5; John 1:1-28

129 Eli cared more about God than about the news of his 2 dead sons. 

Lay your head on your pillow and
you start thinking about what you've done today.
How we've treated those we love. And those who may not have returned our love.
How we've disdained this day, or maybe loved a little more than yesterday.
How we've distanced ourselves from one, or maybe stepped into fresh faith.
How we've forgotten the LORD of our lives, or fell forward in a deep dependence.
How His Good Grace covers all our moments. 

We cannot relive today but we can start fresh this very next second of life we have.

Eli led with integrity for 40 years. 

His men delivered devastating news:

 “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 1 Samuel 4:17

Eli cared more about God than himself. The Word that became flesh and blood moved into John's life in John 1:14. God-begotten. John saw the glory with his own eyes. This is the One, says the thunder in the desert...Make the road straight for God! John 1:23.

By the way that I act today, will I share that I care more about God?  Today, God sent someone to me who spoke like a messenger from God.  An affirmation beyond words.  All these things that we think are so important in our day---how important are they in light of eternity?  Trying to wrap thoughts around the Philistines take on such holy things.  We cannot treat lightly the things of God and be able to rest. 

We open the book of John. John presents a Glory that "though dimly visible now" will one day fill the earth.  Everything was created through Him!  "The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness (John 1:5)."   And John pointed the way for those who will believe. God will make you your true selves begotten of God.  John 1:13. Most people are living to make themselves a better version of who they are. God is making us our true self.

PHOTO:  It was so the Hand of God that shone through my moments today.  Just an ordinary day when I encountered the sound of God in my life in a way I never dreamed.   

128 - "Trust God To Take Care of the Evil in Others" 2 Samuel 1-2; Luke 24:36-53

128 Trust God to take care of the evil in others. 2 Samuel 1:16. By the Power of the Holy Spirit in you. Luke 24:49. David & Jonathan overlooked the carnal mean in each other. What a way to live!                                                            

An Amalekite tells David that he killed the Anointed One King Saul, the one who was trying to murder David. David orders the man executed for killing a man anointed by God. 2 Samuel 1:16. David never took matters into his own hands. He trusted God to take care of the evil king. Trust in your darkness.  

Here David sat in a city with his 600 men.
Defeated and distraught.  At a low.
And that news came . . . Saul is dead.
"The blow which opened David's way to the throne was given about the time he had been sorely distressed.  Those who commit their concerns to the Lord, will quietly abide His will.  It shows that David desired not Saul's death, and he was not impatient to come to the throne."  Matthew Henry

David mourned the deaths of Saul and Jonathan.

Yet, the houses of David and Saul still warred against each other.

David's life is so beautiful.  And we know the rest of the story.  He is just a man who needs God just as much on a balcony secretly watching Bathsheba as in a cave hiding from a King, his own father-in-law.  No man is to be worshipped high on a pedestal.

David has already faced strong temptation in such distress and degradation.  What does it truly mean to encourage ourselves in the Lord, as David did?  What does it look like to not touch the garment of the anointed one, even when you could justify revenge.

The funeral song, "The Bow," says nothing of Saul's righteousness or goodness.  But it does speak of two souls knit together in a strong bond of love---Jonathan and David.  They both would overlook the carnal man that resided in both.  Love covered their sins.  It's interesting that Jonathan would never see the side of David that we are about to see.

Father, help us to live by those convictions that we hold dear.  Luke 24:49 God has sent the Power of the Holy Spirit to equip us for all good things. When we face haunting temptations this fresh new week, may we cry out for more of you and less of us.  Make us into the people you have called us to be.  May the song we sing this day be of praise to you and honor to all we know, even those who have done us wrong.

PHOTO:  Annette's Fig Tree.  Jesus cursed the fig tree when it would not produce.  Wondering about that story.  Wondering about life and letting go.

127 - "Strengthen Yourself in the Lord Your God" 1 Samuel 30-31; Luke 24:1-35

127 Strengthen yourself in the Lord when your father-in-law and your children betray you---and the city wants to stone you for keeping them in war. How do I talk to myself? Will it be words like Psalm 18:28 Either we are moving toward dependence on Him or distance from Him.  

Is it a court compliment or a Divine word?

Saul slew his thousands; David slew tens of thousands.

1 Samuel 29:5
So, who is proven?
Of men or God?
Did David "cave in" to Achish?
One thing David did right.

And the people were "bitter in soul" for their own sons and daughters. And how I love David's response. May it become our holy privilege: "David strengthened himself in the Lord, his God." I Samuel 30:6. That's it!!! How do I talk to myself? What will I say to myself this day? Either I will move toward dependence or distance.

"Those who have the knowledge of Christ crucified, should seek to spread that knowledge. Our Lord Jesus reproved them for the weakness of their faith in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Did we know more of the Divine counsels as far as they are made known in the Scriptures, we should not be subject to the perplexities we often entangle ourselves in."  Perplexities of Life. Luke 24:14. They engaged each other to know Him more. And where two are gathered, here He comes. 

PHOTO:  To all our grandkids and future great-grandkids whom we will never meet:  Go to Peace.

126 - "Go 'To' Peace" 1 Samuel 28-30; Luke 23:26-56

126 David knows to always speak well of others to get the good out of the people you deal with. Achish says "Go to Peace" which is given with great affection. Go in peace is issued unhappily.

                                                           

The theme.

Look at this. 

"Saul has struck down his thousands. And David his ten thousands." I Samuel 29:5

You know, that looks good on paper that David's success looms large.

David's success also costs him greatly: His two wives have now been taken captive.

"And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him---those who hailed him as a hero. No more. You're too much of a risk to us, David.

Always behave well to get the good out of all the people you deal with---speak well of them.  Then, let it go.  It will go one way or the other.  That's not your control. For David, it went well.  His secret hope came true and he is more than relieved. And Achish says: "go to peace" and that's the best yet. 1 Samuel 29:7

The Jews distinguished between wishing a person to "go in peace" or to "go to peace."  The former means it is not issued happily; the latter means it certainly is given with affection:  "Go to peace." 

And they were "bitter in soul" for their own sons and daughters. 

Will I speak these words of Psalm 18, the ones that David grabbed hold of in deep distress, losing wives, friends, comrades, and his community. "I love you Lord, my Help, my Deliverer.

For it is You Who lights my lamp, the Lord my God lightens my darkness." Psa 18:28

PHOTO: The view from my bedroom window in the hill country.  It's dark out there.  And there are dark places in my own soul this night as I fold my apron.  And I think of the One Who folded his cloths in a tomb, saying "It Is Finished."  What He has done for me, that Resurrection, covers all my darkness.  I will see Light---a little more Light this day than the last one.  It's dark outside but a tad Lighter in my soul.  I know. This. This is the King of the Jews.

125 - "God Changes My Motivation from Self Protection to Selfless Love" 1 Samuel 24-27; Luke 23:1-25

125 Compelling stories about Abigail and David springing forward to love difficult husbands, finger-pointing families, fickle friends. It is God's business to decide what to do with those who hurt us. God is changing my motives from self-protection to selfless love. May we weep over our demandingness for God to cooperate with our agenda and see a rise of holiness from our deepest center.

                                                                              

1 Samuel 25: 18-19 Picture #1: Abigail flew into action when she heard that her husband Nabal had hurled insults at David's men. Abigail took the blame for her husband Nabal, the fool.  Not mentioning anything to Nabal, Abigail took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep dressed out and ready for cooking, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and she had it all loaded on some donkeys. Okay, did they have to bake the 200 loaves of bread and 200 cakes?  She had 5 personal servants but still this is a lot of work to pull together all this quickly.  What did the fast job amount to?  A husband like no other.  Abigail did what she could to love her own foolish husband.

I Samuel 26:3 Picture #2: David, still out in the backcountry, knowing Saul had come after him. His scouts find Saul and confiscate spear and jug from a slumbering Saul.  I Samuel 26:9 - Don't you dare hurt Saul! "Who could lay a hand on God's anointed and even think of getting away with it."  That's the attitude I want to have when people who are made in the image of God insult me, as it happened this very day!!  I Samuel 26:24 says:   It's God's business to decide what to do with each of us in regard to what's right and who's loyal.

I am so taken with how David and Abigail loved.  They didn't gloss over the wrongdoing and they called it what it was.  Truth.  Yet, both God followers chose to love those closest to them who were fools.  They didn't walk away.  They didn't keep silent.  They stayed close, "ALL IN."  Jesus died for them to have the power to change their motives from self-protection to selfless love. What would it look like to love those in our lives this day who are conniving and cunning and coy?  Those difficult husbands.  Those finger-pointing relatives.  Those fickle friends.  "Owe no man anything except to love him." -  Romans 13:8. 
And, what happens if you really love?  "You will hear yourself weeping over how you demand that I cooperate with your agenda, and you'll hear the cry for holiness arising from your deepest center."  66LL

124 - "After Whom Do You Pursue?" 1 Samuel 23; Psalm 54; Psalm 63; Luke 22:47-71

                                                              

How could David possibly feel when he learned of the news that people were dying because of him?  And Saul continues to pursue every day!  I Sam 23:14.  But God does not give David into Saul's hand.  I Sam 23:28.  A Rock of Escape. 

David has 400 men with him---the discouraged, the depressed, the down-and-out.
Saul has 3,000 men with him---the arrogant, the confident, the jubilant, the best.
Yet . . .
David wins.
David spares Saul's life when he has a chance,
screaming after Saul:
"After whom do you pursue?" --- The person who just saved your life!

What am I really pursuing? 
After whom do I pursue?

Psalm 54:4 - Look! God's right here helping me, just like He did for David. God is on my side.

Psalm 63:1 - I cannot get enough of Him!

Luke 22:62 Overlay Peter, friend of God, denying 3 times that he even knew Jesus. He is not my friend, says a plaque on a statue in Israel that I saw one time. 

No, Peter, He is your Friend. God is on your side and come Resurrection, you will know it and risk it forever. 

PHOTO:  Peter learns what real Love is and never stops pursuing God. After whom do I pursue?

123 - "Our Times Are in God's Hands Not in the Multitude of Our Friends" Psalm 52, 57, 142; Luke 22:24-46

David is "spent with sorrow." And He turns to the One Who orchestrates it all. Does anyone really know if Saul will catch David---only those who have read the ending of the story. And what would Saul do to David, his son-in-law? Our times are in God's Hands, not in the multitude of our friends, not in the safety of our family. Our God "lengthens or shortens, makes bitter or sweet, according to the counsel of His Will." M. Henry.  God's Mercy carries the day. Psalm 52:2

It's a Beautiful God that pours out of David in calamity. He runs to God for dear life. He calls out to High God, the God who holds him together. Psalm 57:2. David is ready from head to toe. Ready to sing, "Wake up, soul!" Psalm 57:7. His wife is not with him---could she save him from her dad? David's friends are dwindling---he's not the safest choice to have as a friend. But David believes deeply Psalm 27:13-14 as he pens the words. It's a verse I have thought about day-in day-out for the past 13,680 days. "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the Goodness of the Lord." Take Courage. Wait for the Lord, not for any man.  

What matters most for David, for me, for you is that we live and move out of sincere desire to know God and draw out of others the people God intends for them to be. So, what stirs in our heart most deeply as we read and pray and live and love and give? Does my heart stir to advance God's agenda or complete my own agenda this day? And just what is God's agenda for my life?  

"Is it closing the deal or revealing the character of My Son as you negotiate? Is it finding a way to get your spouse to understand how abandoned you feel or revealing the character of My Son as you deal with your troubled marriage?" 66LL

One would never know upon reading these psalms that David's life was in danger 24/7. David wasn't looking for answers, he was looking for God.  

"The LORD is my Light and my salvation.

The LORD is the Stronghold of my life." Psalm 27:1

There are places in David's heart that are being redeemed. And the same for each of us. Not based on merit.  Based on desire. 

COME BOLDLY: Timeless Prayers

II Thes 1:11-12

May God count you worthy of His Calling and may He fulfill every desire for good within each of you.  May He do a work of faith with Power in you and through you.

PHOTO:  Santa Rosa Island.  It is a Beautiful God Who pours out of the pearls who read these words.  Your desire to know God is so genuine and beautifully rabid.  Bitten.  Smitten.  Grasped. Glorious.