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 26, 2014 Sabbath, Genesis 19-21, Jeremiah 29, Restoration and God's Perfect Timing

PRAYER

Lord,

Today is the day I choose to rest in you. I choose not to take up concerns about the nation, the world, or next week. Today I simply want to breathe. I want my mind to rest and my soul to rest and my heart to rest. I want a break from all the stuff. Help me today to focus on the moment. Today I have time in your house. Let me focus on the worship and giving you my praise. Help me to focus on how worthy you are and how good you are. Help me to tune out everyone else and just pour myself into you.

 After church, I have time with my family. I know Sunday is usually seen as “my only day off”, but, Lord, it’s the day I have when I can focus on my family. Help me to really hear them and really see them. Help me to think of ways to show them I know they are gifts.

 Help me to rest from everything I can do nothing about today. Help me to lay it down and just enjoy today with no thought of tomorrow, just to enjoy the moment.

 Thank you for this Sabbath to rest in you and worship you. May you be glorified in me.

 Amen

 

BIBLE READING

Genesis 19—What a mess! It is really easy to look at Lot and wonder where his brain was. I mean, God was trying to get him out of there, and he was doing everything to stay. It’s always easier to see in other people’s lives. But how often do I stay in friendships, stay in commitments, or whatever when God is saying, “Get out! This is BAD!”? How often do people stay in jobs or even marriages long after they should have left because they can’t see past the walls or people around them? Yeah. Suddenly Lot doesn’t look so stupid. Suddenly Lot looks a lot like the person looking back at me from the mirror.

Genesis 20—I like how Abimelek “vindicated” Sarah and said in front of everyone, “This isn’t your fault.” Good man.

Genesis 21—A promised baby arrives.

A human fix was sent away.
A man of God was recognized.

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.”

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

In the Bible, the word “restore” means to return to the point of departure.

In Jeremiah 29:10-14, the Lord keeps saying, “I will bring you back to where you left.”

I will restore you.

Today the kids picked a movie to watch, and they picked the new one we have, “The Book of Daniel.” It started with a soliloquy of Daniel praying, and he quoted this scripture. It makes me wonder.

When we moved here, it felt as though the Lord said the days of loss and sorrow were over, that this was the new beginning. Then so many things happened that were so hard. It felt like all of last year was just hard.

Then at the beginning of this year, the Lord gave me a word for this year, but then He also told me to memorize this scripture, the whole passage. The whole passage isn’t the too often incorrectly applied great plans part. The whole passage is about restoration. When the time of punishment and correction are done, I will bring you back to this land.

The land was their inheritance. It was their promise of good things. It was more than that, though.

The land was their identity…as tribes of Judah, as God’s chosen people.

When the time of correction and discipline is over, I will come and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. Then you will call to me and come and pray to me. You will find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, and I will bring you back from captivity. I will set you free from the lies that hold you imprisoned. I will set you free from what keeps you from living all you truly were created to be.

I have to really just sit in this. Not only is the passage I have just memorized, but we’ve had that video over three months and just watched it today. The Lord leads my path. The timing of those two things are perfect in Him. I really just have to sit in this.