February 24, 2014--Exodus 7-9, Military Support; When You Can't Think Straight, You Remember

PRAYER

Daddy,

It is Military Monday, and I’m concerned about our military. I am concerned about the government’s lack of respect for our military. Right now we are in election season, and I ask you to put men and women in office who support our military. I ask you to put leaders in all areas of care and policy that truly want to serve our military men and women.

 Daddy, our military sacrifices so much for us. I ask you to stand for those who stand for our military and stand against those who don’t. That simple. You said you would bless those who bless me and curse those who curse me. Anyone who does not supply and support the military you have put in place to protect and serve my family curses me and my family. I ask you to keep your word and stand against them. On the other hand, for those who support our military, fight for their benefits, see to serve them and get them care they need, bless my family. I ask you to bless them. Do what you need to do to take care of our military and their families.

 Thank you for being a warrior God who loves our warriors.

Amen

 BIBLE READING

Exodus 7— First of all, telling people what they don’t want to hear, even when you know it is God, is not the easiest thing. And second, why in the world would you make more blood when it was already everywhere and the whole land stunk from it? This is insane to me!

Exodus 8—Seriously?! Get rid of the frogs TOMORROW?! Right now!!!

And making more gnats? Speechless.
“NOW pray for me.” It makes me giggle that Moses said, “No problem. The flies will be gone TOMORROW.”

Exodus 9—The truth is, it is easy for me to skim these chapters because I know the stories, but it took me a few readings to realize there are things I didn’t know. The point when these really started to make sense to me, though, was when  I started thinking about it from an Egyptian perspective. The slave labor going away and the change it would cause. The devastation to the land. Seeing it destroy Egypt but not Goshen. What was it like for the Hebrews? They watched God take on every “god” of the Egyptians and destroy them. So why did they worry in the desert? And I think Pharaoh was crazy, but he believed he was deity. He believed somehow he was going to come out on top, and even if he didn’t win, he couldn’t afford to lose.

 It seems ridiculous, but it makes me slide to my knees and ask the Lord, in my life, when do I stand against you because of my pride, my tradition, my refusal to let go of something I want? Do I ever know I can’t win, but I am too arrogant to lose?

 MEMORIZATION

 Head cold wins this one. I’m even writing down times when I take my meds, but this I know:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (or a really annoying cold) you are with me.

You comfort me.
You provide for me.
You are preparing the victory for me.
I lack nothing.
Psalm 23, paraphrased from memory.

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

The point of memorizing scripture is to hold on to what you know when you are too sick or tired to learn something new. A broad base of verses is good because then no matter what comes, you have a place to stand firmly.

 
Copyright 2014 Jerri Kelley Phillips

February 17, 2014 Genesis 40-42, Military Monday, Memory Review, Peace in the Proimse

It is hard to believe it’s been two weeks since I’ve sat down and read and written. I’ve been writing and reading, but I have missed the methodical reading and letting the Lord speak as He wants instead of looking something specific up for my purpose. There is just something incredibly amazing about hearing the Lord whisper His heart. You know?

PRAYER

Military Monday. One of my favorite days. J

Lord,

I ask special protection over our military in active hotspots today. I ask that your presence would be obvious to them. I ask that prayers of their loved ones would come before you as a beautiful aroma and you would honor them. I ask you to give wisdom to the leaders, divine revelation concerning danger zones and strongholds. I ask you to open their eyes to see he enemy even before physical contact is made.

I ask you to give them peace, and, Lord, make their aim true. May the bullets that leave their firearms hit the target for which it is intended, and may your hand guide them in the day of war. Be the perfect marksmen in them and through them.

Confuse the plans of the enemy. May their intelligence be mixed up and contorted. May they find chaos instead of clarity. Be the judge who judges against them and wreaks vengeance upon those who stand against you and your purpose.

Release the Spirit of holy revelation among our troops for the purpose of the salvation of their souls. I ask you to build unity of heart and purpose for I know you bless unity of hearts committed to you and your purpose.

I ask you to empower the chaplains with words of wisdom and courage. Give them insight from your word to speak directly to the hearts and minds of these men and women serving to protect our country’s people. I ask you to embolden them with truth and give them words of healing when comfort is needed.

Accomplish your purpose among those serving in the military. Be glorified in them that they would be an army serving you for your purpose to protect, defend, take ground, and exact judgment. Be their rearguard and the one who goes before them. Encompass them round about with your power and your presence. May they know their victories are not their own but handed to them by the hand of an Almighty God.

Thank you, Father, for being a warrior who fights for His own.

To you be all glory and honor.

In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen

 

BIBLE READING

Genesis 40—Anybody else in the room ever feel forgotten? Yeah. Me either. <insert eye roll> Okay, the truth is I want to make this some major comfort thing. You know. One of those “you’re in good company” rah rah speeches, but the truth is, if you’ve ever been forgotten, you know there is no comforting bright side. It’s just miserable, and you can know God’s timing is perfect, and you can know logically you are fine, but emotionally, it hurts horribly. And if you are feeling forgotten, I’m so sorry. I know it is hard.

Genesis 41—“He has made me forget all my household.” Except Joseph obviously had not forgotten. When his brothers came, Joseph clearly remembered. So obviously he hadn’t mentally forgotten. I haven’t done a word study on this because we’re just reading through, but I’m wondering if Joseph meant God had filled the hole left because of his family. It is a hard thing having no family, having no place to belong. Perhaps this son fills the longing for family and the longing for the family he lost. Not saying it is, just thinking maybe.

Genesis 42—So much goes through my mind with this chapter. I cannot fathom how Joseph felt looking on his brothers and watching them bow down to him. Sure he’d had the dreams, but to see these people—HIS BROTHERS—who had treated him so cruelly bowing to him. I cannot imagine.

 As for his brothers, shame and guilt are heavy burdens to bear.

 And Israel, what unbelievable grief and fear he must have had.

 Talk about a family steeped and overflowing in dysfunction, but even in this mess, God was paving the road for the Messiah. Amazing.

 

MEMORIZATION

I’ve done very little memorizing the last two weeks, so today I am reviewing what I’ve learned, making sure it is still with me.

 
A noble man makes noble plans and by noble plans he stands. Isaiah 32:8

Each one will be like a shelter from the wind,

a refuge from the storm;
Like streams of water in the desert
And like a great rock in a thirsty land. Isaiah 32:2

Be still and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be glorified throughout the earth.
Psalm 46:10
Gotta check this one. It doesn’t feel right.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

OH! So close. You would think I could remember the exalted thing twice, right? Gonna run this through my head a few times and move on.

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid.
Do not be discouraged.
For the Lord your God is with you wherever you may go.
Joshua 1:9

My mind has gone blank on the beginning of Jeremiah 29.

“When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart. You will seek me and…I will bring you back to this place from which banished you….”

Gotta refresh myself on this one.

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.^[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

 BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

 Daddy, I don’t even know what to say. I am trying to find something deep in this that isn’t cliché, and really, it all just sounds…it sounds like what has been said over and over and over. The truth is I don’t feel like I’m in a dungeon or a slave. I feel okay with where I am, but sometimes it is hard to figure out how to live in right now when I am waiting for the promise. How do I live in the truth of what is this moment without letting it negate the truth of the promise that seems utterly impossible from here?

That is where I am right now. I know one of the promises you’ve given me, and I’m struggling with it. Right now, it seems a million miles away, or maybe the more accurate thing to say is I feel a million miles away from it.

 I know you tell me not to fear or be discouraged. You say to be bold and courageous, but I confess, I feel neither bold nor courageous. I feel…like hiding in my closet. And right now, I am trying to summon everything I know about taking down giants and vast armies and city walls that fall because people have the faith to keep walking, but none of it is really helping me. So, this is what I am going to do. Instead of trying to make me be what I think I need to be, I’m going to take a deep breath and focus on all I know you are.

 You are my Daddy who loves me.

You are faithful.
You are kind.
You are gentle.
You are loving.
You are fulfilling.
You are tender.
You give blessings without regret.
You are good.
You tend me with gentleness.
Your thoughts are for how you can walk me through this path.
You are my peace.
The way you love me is my peace.
Your whole devotion to me is my peace.
You are my peace.
You are my peace.
You are my peace.
You are my peace.
I will be still and know…you are my peace.
I will be still and know…you are.
I will be still and know…you.

January 27, 2014, Military Monday, Genesis 22-24, Jeremiah 29, All Captive Places

This morning early I was unable to sleep and thought of a friend of ours whose husband is away for Army training. She had to make a long drive, and it was raining, and like me, she hates driving in the rain, so she asked for prayer. God answered in some really neat ways that made it easier, but still she has to drive those two hours. In the time I was awake I lay here and prayed for her.

I think sometimes we try to make prayers so pious that we forget they are personal. Yes, our men and women in uniform are warriors who deal with things most of us hope to never see, but they also deal with stuff that hits us every day. They are married. They have parents who are ill. They lose friends. They get home sick. They worry about their kids.

When we pray for our military personnel, we don’t have to pray some official sounding prayer. All we have to do is look at our family and our friends and ourselves and know what to pray.

PRAYER

Lord,

I lift up our military personnel to you. For whatever reason, I keep thinking about the important days at home they miss. I think about the birthdays—and the births…and the deaths. I am thinking about the anniversaries that are celebrated with a quick skype session if they get celebrated at all. I keep thinking of the time they are gone and the things they miss that there is no way to get back, and while these men and women are committed warriors, they are human, and I know these things hurt them. I know their hearts ache.

I ask you to comfort those aches. Somehow give them peace. Only you can, and they need it.

I pray for the family and friends who are missing them. I pray that you would comfort them as well. I ask you to help the couples and the families to find ways to connect, even if it is so far away. I pray that you would give them special things to bind their hearts together, whether that be a special code or signal or word. Maybe it is a wink or a hand sign. Lord, help them to find a way to be one and to be connected even when they are so far apart.

Keep their hearts steady and faithful and give them strength to get through these hard times. They need you. Be everything for them.

Thank you, Lord.

 Amen

 BIBLE READING

Genesis 22—I have heard this story since I was little. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it then. I now have kids, and I realize how much faith it took for Abraham to do what he did. Okay, so I’m not impressed with the way he treated Sarah, but this is hardcore. This man had faith on a scale I can’t touch.

 Genesis 23—Sarah is dead. I’ve heard different sermons on this passage and the negotiating that went on, but the simple fact is Sarah is dead and buried. Moving on.

 Genesis 24—Faith. “So what if the woman won’t come back with me. Do I take your son there?”

 “No. The promise is HERE.”

 The answer wasn’t based on circumstances or what Abraham could see. It was based on faith. He knew his son would have descendents. He had to for the promise to be fulfilled. Abraham’s servant was ready to do what had to be done to make the promise happen. Abraham knew God would do what He had to do to keep the promise. Abraham did not have to make things happen. He just had to let God fulfill His promise.

 

MEMORIZATION

Working on finishing this up.

Jeremiah 29

10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.  I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

I memorize, and I meditate. Yesterday I got through, “I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”

Then today I was going to finish this, but I got caught up in the next sentence.

“I will gather you from ALL the nations and places I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.

All the places of banishment. All the places of captivity. All the places of rejection.

All the places where the true identity was lost and a false identity was taken.

You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart…and I will bring you back from all the places where you’ve gotten lost and lost yourself….

 

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

 I’m pondering….

January 20, 2014, Military Monday, Genesis 1-3, Jeremiah 29:10-14

I still have yet to figure out the details. I know how I would LIKE to do this. I would like to have multiple posts with prayer, Bible reading, memorization and journal, and a whole digest that you can subscribe to according to interests. However, I don't want to drown you in four different posts, and I can't figure out how to set it up so you can subscribe to individual ones. I have an idea, but I need to research it some. If anyone has any suggestions beyond a website I have no clue how to do, I am listening.

BUT, for now, let's get this party started!!!

PRAYER

I try to always start my morning with prayer. Usually before I'm out of bed, my Lord and I have started chatting. I've been asked a lot about how I pray. Simple, I talk to God. Nothing more complicated than that. I'll do a longer post on this some time in the future, but for now, let's get to our prayer strategy topic: Military Monday. One thing you need to know. I take out military very seriously. They are not a nebulous group out there fighting bad guys to me. To me, these are the guards God puts in place to protect the life I value for my children. These men and women keep people with destructive mindsets and plans from destroying our lives by destroying the way of life we have  and the values we hold. In my mind, these are our personal guards set in place by my God, and I speak to Him about them as such.

You can pray these words or pray your own. Up to you. This is just how I pray...

Daddy, thank you for the men and women who stand for my children and me everyday. Thank you for the families who hug and kiss them goodbye and sending them to dangerous places to guard us by protecting us from terrorists and those who would destroy us and what we value. Daddy, today I ask that you would  be with every man and woman serving my children and me in harm's way. Give them courage to believe for good things. Give them strength when they are ridiculously exhausted in every way. Give them comfort when they lose one of their own. Daddy, be with them in a way only you can. Be the brother in arms that holds onto them. I ask for your supernatural protection over them. I ask that plans of the enemy would come to nothing. I ask that bombs and IEDs and grenades would detonate in the hands of those who would attack the men and women you have assigned to protect us. I ask you to be their guard before them and after them. I pray that a thousand would fall at their right hand and then thousand at their left. I ask you to be crazy good to them. And, Daddy, let them sleep peacefully. Still the nightmares. Still the memories. I know you have given them this assignment. Give them peace in the fulfilling of it. I ask for your miraculous healing on the minds, souls, and spirits of these men and women to stop PTSD and other battle related problems so these men and women are not victims to the war but victors over the enemy. Set them free from what would torment them. Bless them with peace, Daddy. Bless them with peace. Lord, you are a God of war. War for them. They need YOU to be the one fighting for them. Thank you for your faithfulness. To you be all the glory, Amen

Do you have a Monday topic? Want to share with the rest of us?

BIBLE READING

I am too ambitious sometimes. I wanted to do three different Bible reading plans: 1 chapter a day, 3 chapters a day, and 5 chapters a day. However, I simply cannot figure that out, and if anyone ends up on a different pace, I want them to be able to easily find thoughts on the chapters they are on, so I think the easiest way is 3 chapters a day. That will get us through the Bible in a year. Since we aren't going for deep stuff here, this is a pretty good pace. Even my teenagers are doing this with me, so, let's jump in.

Genesis 1--Okay, I love this part. "In the beginning, God created." It's totally dark. Nothing is there. No reason to expect anything new. Looks dead as a cosmic tomb. Then, this voice speaks to the tomb and says, "Let's light this place up," and He does. I have no clue how many times in the last 3 years I've meditated on this and flat out clung to it because it looked dark and dead, but my Daddy can take a tomb and create a universe exploding with life. He can make a new life for me too.

Summary of chapter 1: Perfectly ordered creation that God declared was good.

Genesis 2--Whoa! I'm slow! All these years, and I just got this. Check this out. "God planted a garden." He didn't just speak and plants pop up. This was a well-planned, intentional garden. He planted it specifically with these that look good and taste good. This was designed JUST FOR MANKIND. Talk about an attention to detail!! OH. MY. GOODNESS. It is like a suitor preparing the perfect setting for the perfect date!!! If I stopped right there, it would be enough for me to chew on for awhile. God Almighty set up the perfect date. Just wow....

"And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." So God sets up this perfect date, and then says, "But  I will give you the option not to choose me. Despite how much love I pour out on you and how obvious I make it, I will give you the option not to love me back." My breath has caught in my chest, and I am trying to wrap my mind around this kind of sacrificial love. Someone who loves this wildly and fully...who is willing to not be loved at all...What kind of God is this? Once again, I am...just rendered speechless by the crazy depth of His love and selflessness.

By the way, I'm not afraid of the "helper", man and woman topic, but I'll tell you, this is something the Lord is really speaking to me about right now. The concept of "helper". I won't get into it here because it is a discussion of great theological entrenchment, but maybe I'll talk about it on Undaunted Reality some time.

Chapter 3--Folks wonder how Eve could have been so stupid. How could she trade paradise with God for something so stupid? I don't know. I look myself in the mirror and ask how I do that very thing almost every day.

Some of my thoughts. Yours?

 

MEMORIZATION

Jeremiah 29:10-14 is what I am working on. My goal is to have it done this week. Right now, I have verses 10 and 11 done.

This is what the Lord says, "When seventy years are completed for Babylon,
I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to you
to bring you back to this place.
For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the Lord,
"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you."

I plan to work on verse 13 tomorrow. By the way, this is how I memorize things. I break them down into thoughts or sections of verses or sentences.

What are you working on?

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

 

So much going on in my head right now about Jeremiah 29:10-14. On one hand, I want to be disciplined and cover everything I said I would. On the other, I don't want to get in trouble for being proud of how I perform again, and I'm still thinking this through and trying to listen as I memorize and meditate, so for today, you saw a big bit of my journal on the reading part. I didn't mean to comment so much, but prayerfully, it'll bless someone. For now, I'm going to go meditate on this some more.

What are you meditating on?

Wow. It's done. The first REAL blog post for Gypsy Ponderings is done. Honestly, I could stay right here and spend a few hours, but I don't want to bog you down. I know you are busy, and I am going to spend some time considering Jeremiah 29.

I hope you enjoyed our first day together and come back tomorrow!! Let me know how you are doing on this journey, too. Okay? Praying for you!!!