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 22, 2014 We the People...Who Give Lavishly, Genesis 7-9, Jeremiah 29

Today as I write this, I don't want to be writing it. What I want to write is about the loss of a beautiful man. Jack Clark taught agriculture (AG) and shop classes for decades where I went to school, and today he passed on. I have no idea how many of us are feeling the gaping hole tonight, but honestly, I just want to think about him and what a blessing he has been to so many and how much better our lives are, and I've been trying to figure out how to shift my gaze from Mr. Clark to our nation, and how do I pray for our nation when I hurt for his family? I think I know.

PRAYER

Dear Lord,

Today you chose to take home a man who loved like I believe you love. He didn't teach a subject. He taught young people. He taught them the power of patience by giving it. He taught them they can do great things if they stick to it. He taught them needing a second try was normal, and he taught us to not give up on ourselves and not to give up on others.

He taught us so many things about living well.

Lord, this country is built by people like Mr. Clark, teachers, mentors, leaders, neighbors, folks who step in when parents aren't there, people who give of their lives so living is made more clear. I ask today for your blessing on these people. I ask that you would bless them for how they strengthen this country with their lives. Thank you for their selfless giving. Lord, bring forth more of them.

Thank you for Mr. Clark and Kay and all they poured into each of us. Thank you for the other men and women that other young people say the very same thing about. Thank you for the impact they had on this country through the impact they had on our lives.

Tonight, I ask especially for Mr. Clark's family, for their comfort. Only you can comfort them and carry them through this. Be with Kay as she lives without her best friend's presence. May you comfort those who mourn, and with time and your healing, may they dance again.

With deepest gratitude for those who love like you,

Amen

BIBLE READING

Genesis 7--Did you notice? He didn't take one pair of each animal. He took seven pair, which happens to be the number of pair needed to develop a new population of animals that are healthy.

 

And the very day Noah and his family entered the ark, it started to rain. God's precision timing always leaves me amazed, and sometimes it leaves me annoyed. Just keeping it real.

 

Genesis 8--Instead of grumbling about the smell or the chore or the conditions of life in the ark, instead of walking out the door and bellowing, "It's about time!", Noah made an altar and sacrificed to the Lord. No wonder the aroma was pleasing. No wonder it reached His heart.

 

Genesis 9--God blessed them and told them to increase. Does God ever bless and it not come with increase or obvious fruit? Seriously. Anybody see that in the Bible? I can't think of any instance where that happened. Anyone have one?

 

 

MEMORIZATION

This is hard to focus on today, so I am making sure my verse for the year is solid, maybe because I feel helpless with knowledge of how Mr. Clark's family is grieving. Maybe I need to remember even in the worst places, I can offer a safe place.

Each one will be like a shelter from the wind,

and a refuge from the storm,

like streams of water in the desert,

and the shadow of a giant rock in a thirsty land.

Isaiah 32:2

Lord, grant me wisdom to know how to be a comfort in hard places.

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

 

Today I find it interesting that I read about Noah and the ark. For the first time, I saw the journey we were on as a trip in the ark. God said, "I'm going to destroy everything as you know it, but I've got you," and He did, and He has. Just like the new life He gave Noah, ours is blessed and fruitful and good. It has aspects of what it used to be, but for the most part, it's all new, and we have to learn to live in it differently.

Today the Clark family enters into an ark they will hate, just as we hated ours, and they will ache for what was, but it is gone. They will have to do like all of us. They have to find life on the other side of the destruction. It is a hard thing, but it can be blessed richly.

I wonder how many of you are sitting in an ark knowing what you knew and loved is gone. You can't imagine the future yet. You just know it isn't what it used to be, and the transition to get there stinks and is hard and uncomfortable and miserable, and does it really matter if you get out of bed? I mean, this ark sort of floats itself, you know.

If you are in the ark, I want to you know, I spent a few years in an ark between the life with a husband/dad, mom, extended family, and hopes for a happy ending and where we are now. I hated it, but I realize it had to happen for me to get here. No. I am not trying to candy coat or cliche' comfort.
Some of you are wondering if their is any hope at all, and I want you to know, yes, there is. I know it is hard. I know it hurts. I know this is not the ride you would have asked for, but I also know God is good, and on the other side of this are blessings and fruitful life and increase...and a rainbow with your name on it.

You see, that rainbow wasn't just about the flood. It was a promise for everyone who ever steps into an ark. It's a promise that the rain will one day stop. You'll walk out of the ark, and life will really happen again.

May God grant you strength for the journey and courage to believe in your rainbow.