Getting God's direction

"Flight Into Egypt" by Gustave Doré

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 2:13-23

TO CHEW ON: “But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.” Matthew 2:22

On Christmas Eve we watched a movie called “The Nativity.” Watching it I was impressed with how earth-shattering the events of the incarnation must have been to Mary, Joseph, and their families.

After an angel convinced Joseph of Mary’s purity and he took Mary as his wife, Jesus as his son, much rested on his shoulders. At least three times he had to break with routine so that Jesus would be safe—rush off in the middle of the night, move to a foreign country, move back home, but to which home (Matthew 2:13-14, 19-20, 22)?

We who know the whole story probably don’t appreciate the weight on his shoulders. Was that dream I just had a word from God or the result of my over-active imagination? Is my uneasiness at returning to Judea justified or am I being paranoid?

God directed Joseph, yes sometimes through voice and dream communication but also through his human emotions and intuition. It’s the same way I believe He directs us.

Even when we’re not sure which path to take, He is there, as He has promised (“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; / I will guide you with My eye” - Psalm 32:8).

He leads, sometimes in ways as obvious as an angel visit or a voice (”Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,/ “This is the way, walk in it,”/ Whenever you turn to the right hand/ Or whenever you turn to the left” - Isaiah 30:21).

At other times His leading is as subtle as that almost imperceptible check inside us we call “fear,” or “this is right,” or “just take the next step”  (“I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; / I will lead them in paths they have not known. / I will make darkness light before them, / And crooked places straight. / These things I will do for them, / And not forsake them.” Isaiah 48:17).

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for my mind, emotions and experience that work together with Your word and presence to give me guidance. Amen.
 
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Happy

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 146:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God." Psalm 146:5

Happy: enjoying, showing or characterized by pleasure; joyous, contented.

By the definition above, are you a happy person?

When we look at Bible references to happiness, we find that reasons for happiness can fall into at least three categories:

1. Creature well-being
Some people are happy because life is going well and according to plan.
- Those who are able to do a day's work and support themselves and their families are described as happy (Psalm 128:2).
- Those who are able to bear children (like Leah and her maid in Genesis 30:13) and carry on their family lines (like the full-quiver man in Psalm 127:5) are happy.

2. Creature nobility
Some are happy because they are living with the satisfaction of doing the right things—things like:
- showing mercy to the poor (Proverbs 14:21).
- living by the laws of the land (Proverbs 29:18).
- generally pursuing wisdom and good sense (Proverbs 3:13).

3. Creature realism
Perhaps the most profound happiness comes out of an acknowledgment of our creatureliness under God (Proverbs 16:20).
- The happiness of the crowd after understanding the Law of Moses during Nehemiah's time (Nehemiah 8:12) flowed from this realization.
- Showing reverence toward God brings happiness (Proverbs 28:14).
- Living by the upside-down laws of the Kingdom of Heaven — like serving others as Jesus served His disciples by washing their feet (John 13:12-17) — brings happiness.

As our focus verse implies — happiness is the result of our relationship with an all-powerful God. He is our helper now and our hope for the future.

If you and I claim to have this relationship with God but are unhappy, perhaps examining our lives in relation to the last two categories will give us some clues why.

• Are we unhappy because we're violating our consciences by not living like we know we should?

• Are we unhappy because we're not sure we want to enthrone Jesus as our Lord?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to experience the happiness of living with a clear conscience under You as my Lord. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unlikely saviour

Goliath vs. David (Artist unknown)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 17:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "David was the youngest." 1 Samuel 17:14

The giant Goliath facing and defying the Israelite army (1 Samuel 17:10,11) reminds me of the challenges and fears we face from time to time. Things like illness, unemployment, financial woes, concerns over our children etc.:
- seem huge and unconquerable.
- feel like a threat to our very lives—certainly to our enjoyment of them.
- fill our imaginations with worst case scenarios.
- present themselves persistently, day after day. There's no end in sight!

If we were reading the story of David and Goliath for the first time and saw David coming on the scene, we would not foresee what is ahead. For he is young, a shepherd not a soldier, and on a lowly errand for his dad.

Of course we know how the story continues. How it's David's outrage at Goliath provoking and defying "the living God" that spurs him into action (1 Samuel 17:26). And it's his skill with weapons, albeit humble ones, along with his complete trust in God that has him going out to confront this 9 foot, 9 inch specimen (1 Samuel 17:34,37).

As we pray for relief from the intimidation of our life giants, let's also renew our faith in God. Let's start looking at life's "I defy you" moments not as the beginning of  seasons of fear, worry, and anxiety but as opportunities for God to show Himself strong on our behalf by bringing us out of or through them. And let's not be surprised when He does it through entirely unlikely and unexpected people or events.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to look at challenging circumstances not through eyes of fear, but eyes of faith. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tested by circumstances - 1

"Naaman comes to see Elisha"
Illustrator of Henry Davenport Northrop's
'Treasures of the Bible' - 1894

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 5:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, 'Indeed, I said to myself, "He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal the leprosy."'" 2 Kings 5:11.

One of the reasons stories fascinate us is because they contain conflict that reveals character. In Part 1 of the Naaman story, we see five main players. Their reactions to the conflict of a big problem—Naaman's leprosy—is not only interesting but instructive.

The unnamed slave girl, captured in a raid by the Syrians, didn't keep the good news of Elisha's healing power to herself. She could have thought, It serves my captor right that he is sick. But no, she told her mistress that healing was possible.

Israel's king interpreted the Syrian king's letter on behalf of Naaman as a threat, seeing his request for healing not as a God-sent event but as a means of provoking war.

Naaman, the Syrian general, was quite willing to go for help. But he had expectations of how that help would come. Those expectations weren't met. Elisha didn't even talk to him in person. The cure, to bathe in the muddy Jordan River, wounded his pride even more. He was offended and set off for home in a huff.

Naaman's servants cared about the well-being of their master and begged him to change his mind. They built up his faith and encouraged him to do what Elisha had said. They persuaded him to go to the Jordan where he took the seven-dip bath and received his healing.

Elisha the prophet had all the characteristics of someone living for God alone, his Audience of One. He boldly sent a message to the king, telling him to send Naaman to him. When Naaman came, the fact that Elisha sent his servant to speak to Naaman instead of going himself showed he was not a respecter of rank or wealth. Later, when Naaman wanted to reward him, he refused to take anything.

Do we see ourselves in any of these characters? What can we learn from them about facing our own conflicts or tests of circumstance?

1. God's goodness is for all—friends and enemies alike. The little servant girl teaches us to share God's goodness with our enemies as well as our friends.

2. God is in every circumstance. Israel's king missed that and as a result lived in suspicion and fear.

3. Pride can get in the way of receiving from God. Naaman expected a little respect and some healing theatrics. He would have missed his cure, but for his servants.

4. Faith sometimes needs encouragement. Naaman's servants showed themselves loyal friends as they bolstered his faith when he had little to none.

5. Live for the Audience of One.  Elisha's concern with pleasing his Boss—God—meant that ego-stroking (his own or his client's) and personal advancement played no part.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that even bad circumstances can draw me closer to You. Help me to pass the circumstance tests I will face today. Amen.

MORE: The Audience of One

"The more one sees of life ... the more one feels, in order to keep from shipwreck, the necessity of steering by the Polar Star, i.e. in a word leave to God alone, and never pay attention to the favors or smiles of man; if He smiles on you, neither the smile or frown of men can affect you" - General Charles Gordon, quoted by Os Guinness in The Call.*

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Adventurous discipleship

Walking on water - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 14:22-36

TO CHEW ON: "And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come out of the boat, he walked on the water to Jesus." Matthew 14:28-29


Jesus' invitation to "Come" answered a seemingly frivolous request from Peter—a sort of Gideon fleece: "Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."

What was the point? It wouldn't surprise me if, at the time, even Peter couldn't have told us. But his impetuous request and what happened next probably stayed with him for life. For on Jesus' "Come" Peter, with his eyes on the Lord, stepped out of the boat and walked on water, just like his Master was doing.

And then he looked around. The wind was high. The waves were boisterous. What am I doing here? This shouldn't be happening.  This can't be happening! I'm scared! And he began to sink. Just in time Jesus rescued him.

I wonder if he thought of this incident later in life when he found himself in impossible situations. I wonder if he made the connection between looking to Jesus in faith and walking on the water versus looking at what was all around him and beginning to sink?

I believe Jesus still challenges us to adventurous discipleship. When we ask for wisdom about a particular project or thing we're facing (James 1:5) and hear His "Come," do we get out of the boat and, keeping our eyes on Him, move forward in faith and obedience even though everything around us says that what we're attempting is impossible?

Or do we get distracted by what we see around us, the winds and rough seas of common sense that say, "it can't be done!" and lose faith?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please teach me how to consistently keep my eyes on You. Help me to be an adventurous disciple. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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