February 18, 2014 Genesis 43-45, Testing the Family Waters

PRAYER

Tuesdays are the day when I pray about my church, and today I feel at a loss. You ever feel that way? It is really easy not to pray at all because I don’t know what to say, BUT, I’ve made this commitment, and I really want to keep it, and my church needs prayer…..So, I’m just going to start talking and let the Spirit take over.

Lord,

I need your heart for my church. I need to know what is on your mind. I got to church on Sundays, and I look around and wonder what those people are dealing with. I wonder what is hurting them. I wonder how many of them are on the edge and barely hanging on. I wonder how many of them are sitting there thinking if people really knew them they would be mortified. And I think about how crushing that is, and, Lord, if I could give those people anything, I would give them freedom from that. I would hand them Isaiah 61 on a platter. So, Lord, that is what I am praying for my church. I ask you to:

Proclaim good news to the poor. Beyond the pastor’s words, on a spiritual level, in a personal way, give them the good news that they don’t have to live where they are anymore.
Bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
   proclaim to them that this is the time when they have favor with you, all the breakthroughs, healings, and blessings they’ve been hoping for, NOW is the time

 and show them that now is when you will act on their behalf and hold accountable those who acted against them, those who left them hurting, broken, and wounded,
 comfort all who mourn,
 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
 bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

Lord, I ask you to unleash the purpose of Christ on the people in my church for their healing and deliverance and your glory.

Thank you for hearing my petition and acting on behalf of your people.

I ask these things in the holy name of Jesus,

Amen

BIBLE READING

Genesis 43— I didn’t understand Joseph’s reaction to Benjamin until today. I didn’t understand the big emotional reaction to someone he didn’t even know until today. Yesterday I mentioned Joseph wanting to belong somewhere, wanting a connection. I think that was Benjamin. He was a brother to the others, but he wasn’t. The family dynamics made things crazy, then he had dreams, and add the favoritism, and he didn’t belong, but here is a boy who is a real brother who is obviously the favorite now, who might understand. Joseph could finally see a good ending for himself in the family because he saw the good ending Benjamin was living.

Genesis 44—Wow. Talk about a character test. Were they the same? Had things changed? He wanted to know: who were these men NOW?

Genesis 45—“Do not quarrel on the way.” This just makes me giggle.

 MEMORIZATION

Today I found myself repeating Romans 13:15 over and over.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I also found myself learning Luke 1:37 and 38

^37 “For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered.
“May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Then the angel left her.

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

Lord…Daddy,

Use my words to bring you glory. Speak to my heart always so my meditations are on you and for you. Please grant that my words would be your words. Grant that my heart would be one of love. Reveal all hard places so I can give them to you and you can fill them and soften them to you and your purpose. Give me compassion and give me wisdom to pick my words carefully. Your Word says Jesus didn’t break a tender reed. Please grant that the same would be said of me. I don’t want to break any tender reeds. I want to see them through your eyes and your heart. Oh, God, that my writing would be healing and never hurtful, that it would bind wounds instead of inflicting them, that I would be more concerned about effectively communicating your truth than structuring a sentence melodically. Daddy, above all things, your heart. I love you. Amen

January 28, 2014 Praying for my Church, Genesis 25-27, Belief and Work Go Hand in Hand

PRAYER

 Lord,

Be with the leaders of my church today. I know they are seeking you to know how to best lead us that we may know you and live the lives you desire for us. Give them insight, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Answer them when they call to you.

 Give them wisdom for prospering in their marriages and families. They are so focused on blessing our church. I ask that you would keep before them the importance of blessing their family. Your word says a man who cannot lead his family cannot lead your body. I think that is because a family goes awry when priorities are wrong. When eyes wonder to power, worldly success, laziness, and selfishness, a family goes awry. Holy Spirit, give these men and women wisdom to keep their priorities right, to know the only success is in seeking and serving you. Give them hearts for their families.

 Give them permission to rest. I’ve met too many pastors who do not know they are called to rest. I ask you to give these men and women wisdom to rest and be still. Bless them with your restoration and presence. Bless them with deep breathing of you and the joy that is found in just being with you.

 Lord, thank you for these men and women who desire you and have answered your call to be leaders and shepherds. Bless them and their families richly.

 To you be all glory,

Amen

BIBLE READING

Genesis 25—Ishmael lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to him. Really? Can you blame him?
 
^“21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless.” I wish husbands really understood this. So much deep stuff right here in this one sentence. So much poverty in marriage and relationships because men do not understand their roles as husbands and intercessors for their wives.

Oh, by the way, did you notice? Twenty years passed from the time of marriage till the promised babies came. Again, learning to hold on when the promise takes so much time…

Genesis 26—HUGE thing to see here. Isaac was in someone else’s territory. He didn’t have his own place yet, but God blessed him so much that the Philistines became afraid of him and asked him to leave. This seems like a small thing, and it is easy to read over it, but so many people I know are living in a foreign land, whether it be in a rental house or their job or a city where they would rather not be. Too often all they see is how things aren’t just what they want. Some may be there because they didn’t heed the call to get up and move. That is their fault, but in this case, Isaac was exactly where God told him to go, and it wasn’t his. It wasn’t the promise fulfilled, but it was still a place of prosperity.

I know folks who are miserable to talk to because all they talk about is how this place isn’t the promise fulfilled, and this is not what they Daddy wants for them, and this is not what they were promised, and the enemy is stealing from them. They don’t stop to think about the blessing of where they are. In Isaac’s case, he had someone covering him. He had someone protecting him from invaders. He had the covering of the king. He didn’t have to worry about safety or a lot “overhead” issues of being totally independent. Someone else could worry about those and let him focus on his crops and herds. Yes, Isaac was in a foreign country, but, God blessed him there.

And I want to point out too, Isaac didn’t just sit on his backside and wait for God to pour out heaven on him. He worked. He worked the soil. He tended the animals. He put in the effort so God could pour out the blessing.

It says Isaac reopened the wells the Philistines clogged. This is so deep with good stuff, but I just want to say one  thing: Isaac didn’t sit and whine about how someone had stolen his water or filled in his well. He did what had to be done to restore the blessing of water. He actively took back what his father had done.

Oh, my goodness, so much depth in this chapter!!! I don’t want to leave. I want to camp out here all day, but alas, this is not a dig a well and make it home reading. This is just a drive through tour, but I will have to come back on my own with a glass of tea and stay awhile.

Genesis 27—“Let the curse fall on me.” I wonder how many times she regretted that choice and those words. I wonder if having to send her son away and not seeing him was a curse to her.

 

MEMORIZATION

I reviewed several verses I’ve memorized this month. I try to review them once a week just to keep them fresh. How is your memorizing going?

 

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

I wrote a lot of my thoughts above, so I won’t spend time here, but I am pondering deeply on Isaac and his obedience. He didn’t just wait for the promise. He did what it took for God to bless him.

Lord, what do I need to be doing so you can bless me and prosper me? What am I doing wrong, and what am I not doing right?

Blessings, y’all.

January 21, 2014 Praying for My Church, Genesis 4-6, and Jeremiah 29

Technically, we are on day 2 of this adventure, but if you are just joining us, jump right in! Yesterday we read Genesis 1-3 and prayed for our military. Today we are going to pray for our churches and read Genesis 4-6 and give some general thoughts about anything that catches our eye. Ready? Alrighty then. Let’s get going!

PRAYER

You ever try to pray for your church and not pray to fix something? You know what I mean. The pastor who has the bad delivery or the secretary who has the bad attitude. Sometimes all we can see in our church are the things that we want God to fix. Well, maybe today, I need Him to start making my church better by fixing me.

Daddy, we are new to our church, and really everything is shiny and wonderful. Honeymoons are glorious things, but I know honeymoons end, and it is easy for things to become tarnished and dull pretty quickly. I’m asking you to keep my heart open to the joy of my church. Help me to see the ways it blesses my family and others. Help me to see the good things, like the way the way our campus pastor always greets us with a smile after service.

Help me to be a good thing.

 When someone is sitting alone, turn my eyes to them so I see them. I’ve sat in too many services feeling unseen. Please, let me see others.

Give me words to encourage our pastor and volunteers and let them know I appreciate them. When they needed it, prompt me to drop a note or even a small gift of gratitude to let them know their service is being fruitful and making a difference.

Show me where you want to use the gifts you instilled in me to be a blessing to people who attend. I want to be a producer and not a parasite.

And, Daddy, when I am petty, because we both know I can be, give me wisdom to keep it to myself, to deal with it with you, and to let it go. If something bothering me can bless the church by making it better, give me courage to speak to the right person and grace to speak kindly, but if my words only cause problems, I pray you would convict me to deal with my own issue and my own heart.

Daddy, help me be the kind of person I would want to see and speak with every week. Help me to be an answer to someone’s hard week or rough day.

Thank you for my church and the great people who serve and attend there. May you be glorified in us all. Amen

BIBLE READING

Genesis 4—I will not drown in all those names. I will not drown in all those names.
The big picture information:
Adam and Eve had Cain and Abel.
Can killed Abel, and Cain was sent out of God’s presence.
There is a guy name Lamech who decided two wives were better than one and killed someone, too, but not because of the wives.
Adam and Eve had Seth.

Genesis 5—Don’t drown in the begats. They do serve an honest purpose, but right now, for our purpose, it’s just filling in a long blank until we get to important stuff, like Enoch, who was no longer because God took him. Can you imagine?! Then we get to the next major piece of our story: Noah.

Genesis 6—First, no, I don’t know what it means by the Nephilim and sons of God. Right now, I’m not digging into that. Maybe for a personal study, I might, but for this purpose, I’m simply reading. I might highlight it or note it in my journal so I go back and look later, but remember, this is not a deep study, just an overview.

God was sorry He made mankind because it was so wicked. It is hard for me to wrap my brain around that, and it does contradict some theology I was taught growing up, but for me the primary take away is so simple: Dear God, may I never be so wicked that you are sorry you made me. Maybe I always bring you pleasure and not regret.

Noah. I tried to actually draw the ark out once. Then I found a picture in a book, and it had all the dimensions and such already. I felt a bit silly, but I was hoping by drawing it, I would keep getting lost in the description. Finally I realized the importance of the description to me is this: God had a plan. It was a detailed plan that had to be followed to perfection because God does not waste resources. He didn’t waste space, food, animals, or timber. God knows what He wants done and what it takes to get it done. It was that way with the ark, and it is that way in my life.

And why did this ark thing work? Because Noah did everything God told him to do. That alone will sink me to my knees asking, “Lord, am I doing everything you told me to do? Is there anything I’m missing?”

MEMORIZATION

Still plodding in Jeremiah 29:10-14.

This morning I wrote in my journal:

This is what the Lord says,
“When seventy years are completed for Babylon,
I will come back to you and fulfill my good promise
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 to me and come and pray to me
And I will listen to you.
You will seek me, and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Okay, that last part doesn’t seem quite right. Let me check that very quickly. Slight fix.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Do a few words make a difference? I am tempted to say they don’t, and yet, some words really do matter, and for me, this is also an exercise of excellence. I memorize quotes from books or movies being careful to get them correct word for word, and they just fit my whim with no eternal significance. If I give such diligence to something that ultimately means nothing, how much more diligence should I give to something that means everything?

 I also reviewed previous verses. I try to do that at least one a week to keep them fresh. I write them all in my journal, but my kids type theirs.  

How is your memorizing going today?

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

I’m still fixated on that tree in the garden. When I’m done rolling it over, I’ll pour it out for you to see. For now, anything you want to share that has been roaming around your mind?

Thanks for sharing this part of your day with me. I pray it is a great day for you! And I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Blessings,

Jerri