Learn to wait

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 45-48;  Psalm 25

TO CHEW ON: "'Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day." - Psalm 25:4,5

Are you good at waiting? I confess I'm not. From a child the importance of being prompt has been drummed into me. I like meetings to start on time. I am rarely late for anything. But God is—or so it seems.

In our reading today, David talks about waiting. He uses the word wait (qavah) twice in reference to his relationship with God: "On You I wait all the day" and "….I wait for you" - Psalm 25:5,21.

There's a subtle difference between saying we wait on God and we wait for Him. Really, though, it's two sides of the same coin. Waiting for Him could imply that we're waiting for Him to arrive. Of course He is present everywhere all the time, so the absence (lack of presence) we feel is due to our faulty perception.

Waiting on Him implies that He's here, with us, but we need Him to show His hand, to act, to come through for us in some way.

In our reading it seems the psalmist David is waiting on God for enlightenment about how to live and for His endorsement of David's trust,  integrity and uprightness of action (or perhaps lack of action).

Other passages illustrate more riches available to those who wait on God:

• Courage - Psalm 27:14

• Inheritance - Psalm 37:9

• Defense - Psalm 59:9

• Salvation - Psalm 62:1

• Mercy and Justice - Psalm 123:2; Hosea 12:6.

• Vindication - Proverbs 20:22

• Hope - Isaiah 8:17

• Strength - Isaiah 40:31

An article about waiting in my Bible adds even more perspective:

"To wait upon the Lord is to foster a sensitivity both to His presence and His promptings which quiets our hearts, focuses our minds through thanksgiving and praise, and allows Him to reveal any subtle attitudes or forgotten sins that would dull our sensitivity to His voice (Psalm 66:18). Accept the NT call to fasten the belt of your mind (1 Peter 1:13), meditate on God's Word, and respond with focused worship. Dedicate times alone with God for waiting and for interaction with Him" Steven Fry, "The Discipline of Waiting," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 704.

PRAYER: Dear God, I am so easily impatient. Help me to learn the discipline of waiting for You and on You so I don't mess up and confuse situations with my impulsive actions. Amen.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 25

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

When the wise speak

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 7-9; Psalm 150

TO CHEW ON: "Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things." Proverbs 8:6

One of my favourite down-time activities is to watch reality shows on the Food Network. I love the contestants' ingenuity with food and seeing the amazing creations they come up with in limited time. But there is one thing I don't enjoy—the profanities used by many contestants. The beeper is busy and still some leak through.

These brilliant cooks may be wise about food but according to the writer of today's reading, could they be lacking in other wisdom? For wisdom here identifies herself largely by what comes out of one's mouth.

What does come out of the mouth of a wise person?

Right things, excellent things, truth, words spoken with righteousness, nothing perverse or crooked, plain understandable speech, instruction, knowledge.

The Bible speaks of speech in other places too:

• A wise person "spares his words"  and is "of a calm spirit" - Proverbs 17:27.

• Jesus advises us to make simple promise which are kept - Matthew 5:37.

• Paul tells the Colossians that their speech should be "always with grace" - Colossians 4:6.

• However, James reminds us that none of us is perfect in this department - James 3:2-18.

Oops! Maybe I'd better take a closer look at myself. What is my speech like when I get upset, am under pressure, on the offensive? Always gracious and excellent? Never perverse? I know too that unwise words nurtured in my thoughts may one day spill out. Perhaps I'd better attend to my own unwise thoughts and words before I point fingers at others.

What about you?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me with my pesky tongue. Actually, help me to go one step back and root out unwise thoughts that, if allowed to grow, will produce a harvest of unwise words. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 150

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Fathers, lead in right paths

 HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 4:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "I have taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths." Proverbs 4:11


"I have led you in right paths" says the father to his son in our reading today. There is probably no more persuasive teaching than that done by example. What are the "right paths" on which a father could lead his children? Are they still there for us to find today?

Right paths:

1. The wise father seeks out the paths of God - Psalm 23:3.

2. He goes to the "mountain of the Lord" to get instruction (Isaiah 2:3). For the Old Testament Hebrews this would have been the temple in Jerusalem. In our day instruction can come from many places—church, radio & TV, books and, of course, the greatest book for this is the Bible which we can access in our own homes (no traveling to mountains necessary, although spending time with God in His word is sometimes called a "mountaintop experience").

3. The paths of God are:
- life and joy and pleasure - Psalm 16:11.
- mercy and truth - Psalm 25:10.
- wisdom and justice - Proverbs 2:6-8.
- uprightness - Isaiah 26:7.
- righteousness - Proverbs 8:20; 12:28.
- shining - Proverbs 4:18.

4. He avoids the path to sin. The path specifically referred to here is the path to the  "seductress" i.e. an immoral, extramarital relationship - Proverbs 2:19.

5. If he goes astray he looks for the way back. Jeremiah tells us to find our way back to God via the "old path" (Jeremiah 6:16), and to look for the "signposts" and "landmarks" (Jeremiah 31:21). This picturesque instruction says to me, don't look for a new-fangled way back to God. Come by the way of the book. If you have backslidden, come remembering and revisiting your decisions and experiences from the past.

6. The writer to the Hebrews gives the last bit of path wisdom to fathers and all of us: "…make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed." We need such straight, honest living, not only for our own well-being but for the well-being of those who follow behind, calling us father (and mother).


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for fathers. Thank You for my father who loved Your word and taught it to us in our home. Please give wisdom, grace, and joy to all fathers who read here this Father's Day. 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.

Spiritual benefits of insomnia

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 16:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons." Psalm 16:7


What do you do when you can't sleep at night? Fret? Toss and turn? Count sheep? Take a pill?

Night wakefulness is referred to quite a few times in the Bible.

• For Job's friend Elihu it was a time of hearing God's songs (Job 35:10).

• For the psalmist Korah it was also a time of lingering songs as well as prayer (Psalm 42:8).

• For Psalm-writer Asaph night songs evoked meditation and spirit searching (Psalm 77:6).

• When Israel faced the Assyrians, Isaiah prophesied, not nighttime thoughts of dread and foreboding but "a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept" (Isaiah 30:29).

• Who can forget Paul and Silas, locked in stocks in a jail in Philippi, praying and singing hymns at midnight? We remember the miraculous jail break that followed (Acts 16:25, 26)!

• And in our psalm today, David testifies of God instructing him in the night seasons.

So next time we're troubled by insomnia, perhaps we should pause our fretting, turn our attention to God, and ask:

~ Do you have a song for me?
 
~ What Bible verses could I meditate on?
 
~ Who or what situation needs prayer?

~ Is there a battle somewhere that could be impacted by my praise and prayer?

PRAYER: Dear God, You know I don't usually think of sleeplessness as a good thing. Please help me to remember that it can be a time of prayer, song, counsel, meditation and spiritual warfare. 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.

Headlights for life

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 119:105-120

TO CHEW ON: “Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

Yesterday we focused on preparing the way of the Lord and straightening those desert highways—doing heart roadwork. Today we explore another aspect of traveling life’s road.

All of us who have driven in darkness know how important good headlights are. Here God’s word is pictured as the headlights for making our way through life—both low and high beam:

“… verse 105 shows us how God’s Word lights the way, giving direction for each step (“to my feet”) and for long-range plans (“to my path”) - Jack Hayford, “God’s Word in Practical Fruitful Living,” New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 783.

Some Bible passages that focus on more ways God’s word is light for life’s path:

• It gives understanding (“enlightens the eyes”) - Psalm 19:8

“The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes” - MSG.

• The introduction of God’s word into a situation leads to clarity and  grasping meaning (seeing below the surface) even for the “simple” - Psalm 119:130.

“Break own you words, let the light shine out
let ordinary people see the meaning” - MSG.

• God’s laws, rules, and reproofs help us understand how life works and works best - Proverbs 6:23.

“For sound advice is a beacon,
good teaching is a light,
moral discipline is a life path” - MSG.

• Finally, prophetic passages in the Bible are the light of hope for the future - 2 Peter 1:19.

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”

I can apply this to our lives no better than Hayford does in the concluding words of his article: 

 “Let God’s Word guide, correct, instruct, lead, teach, and confirm (and I would add, give hope)” - Ibid.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to not only read and study Your word but drive through life by its light. 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.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Necessary discipline

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 12:5-29

TO CHEW ON: "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

Do you have regrets about the way you have or are raising your children? In a novel I'm reading, the main character reviews how she and her husband brought up their son, now gone from home. She remembers her husband's impatience when he tried to teach his son the trumpet, her swooping in to help him out when he was in trouble, their visible coldness toward him when he flubbed a music recital. Her descriptions brought back scenes from the days when our children were young—along with some regrets of my own.

Discipline—doling it out, getting it—is never easy, or at least it isn't for me. We can tend to discipline our youngsters when we're in the throes of emotion and be over-harsh and irrational. Or perhaps we hate confrontation and avoid disciplining, only to later reap the fruit of an out-of-control child.

In our Hebrews reading the writer talks about the ways God disciplines us. Several words illustrate the range His discipline takes.

• He chastens (paideia) us  as in the rearing and training of a child (vs. 5, 7, 8, 11).

• He rebukes (elencho ) as in giving us verbal reproof (vs. 5).

• He corrects (paideutes) us as a teacher disciplines (vs. 9).

• He trains, instructs and punishes us (paideuo) (vs. 7).

• And He scourges (mastigos) us—disciplining us physically (vs. 6).

Just like children left on their own can yield a harvest of bad fruit, so will we if left untrained and undisciplined.  So let's learn to recognize and welcome God's discipline of us, and model it as we train our children, both natural and spiritual.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to recognize and welcome Your discipline. May I be a teachable child. Amen.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

God can be your teacher

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 2:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "Many people shall come and say,

'Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

To the house of the God of Jacob;

He will teach us His ways

And we shall walk in His paths.'

For out of Zion shall go forth the law

And the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Isaiah 2:3

Do you remember your first teacher? I do! Of all our childhood relationships, the ones we have with our teachers are some of the most impacting.

Teachers have had a tremendous influence in shaping who we are. I have heard stories of people who have experienced years of low self-confidence after  being belittled and criticized by a teacher. Similarly, the course of a life can be set by the inspiration and encouragement of a good teacher. Thus it is exciting to realize that God has an interest in teaching us.

The fact of Gd's instruction spans centuries. He promised to teach Moses what to say when he complained that he had a reluctant tongue (Exodus 4:12). The exodus from Egypt to Canaan was instruction (according to Nehemiah 9:20). Jesus refers to the words of the prophets as instruction that points to Him (John 6:45).

God can start teaching us when we're young and continue the instruction throughout our lives (Psalm 71:17,18). He instructs us corporately and as individuals (Psalm 32:8). His instruction is bit by bit, and given with infinite pains (Jeremiah 32:33), often coming to us when we're most receptive. For Isaiah that was "morning by morning" (Isaiah 50:4).

Some of the things God teachers us are:

• the difference between the holy and the profane (Ezekiel 44:23).

• the right way to live (though for us that no longer involves keeping the law) (Deuteronomy 4:5).

• to love one another (1 Thessalonians 4:9).

• to live in Jesus (1 John 2:27).

What a privilege to be God's student! How blessed we are to have a relationship with such a teacher. It's my goal to get an A in the course of life. What about you?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the promises, throughout the Bible, to instruct me. Help me to be a diligent and teachable student. 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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A heritage of wisdom

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 4:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Hear my children, the instruction of a father

And give attention to know understanding." - Proverbs 4:1

Happy Father's Day to all fathers reading!

On this day when we celebrate fathers, we think of them in two ways: as children of fathers and as fathers of children. Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, has skilfully woven both viewpoints into our reading.

First he urges his kids to listen to his advice like he listened to his own father's words. His was a father who made a passionate case for his son's careful attention. Sample David's words as his son Solomon remembers them (New Living Translation):

“Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.....Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!....If you prize wisdom, she will make you great....She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown” (excerpts from Proverbs 4:1-9)

Following that in verses 10-13 Solomon urges his children to follow this advice themselves. He names three reasons why:

1. Their lives will be prolonged (Proverbs 4:10).

2. Their journey will be swifter and smoother (Proverbs 4:11-12).

3. This instruction will be their life (Proverbs 4:13).

"Instruction" is an interesting word and not completely pleasant.

[Instruction (muwcar) means correction, chastisement, instruction, discipline, an admonition, rebuke or warning. Muwcar comes from the word yacar - "to reform, chastise, discipline, instruct." It encompasses chastening both by words and punishments (Proverbs 1:1-3; 22:15). Muwcar includes all forms of discipline intended to lead to a transformed life. - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 809.]

Words of correction, rebuke, warning, or admonishment are harder for a child to take than words of praise, encouragement or affirmation. However, for fathers, they may be the easier, more natural words to give. Paul acknowledges this when he talks about fathers not discouraging their children:

"Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or fret your children [do not be hard on them or harass them], lest they become discouraged and sullen and morose and feel inferior and frustrated. [Do not break their spirit.]" - Colossians 3:21 - Amplified

And so fathers (and mothers) need a balance. For if correcting words are a child's life, a loving parent would not ever want to withhold them. But neither would that parent want to discourage, frustrate, or break the child's spirit.

In this every godly father and mother can be goaded and guided by the principal of love God applies when He scolds us. It's in Proverbs too - Proverbs 3:11-12

"My son, do not despise or shrink from the chastening of the Lord [His correction by punishment or by subjection to suffering or trial]; neither be weary of or impatient about or loathe or abhor His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights" - Amplified.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for my godly father. Though he has been gone a long time, his example still lights my life. As the wife of a father, help me to support my husband's fathering of our children. Amen.

MORE: Words from a wise father

John Piper elaborated on Colossians 3:21 in a 1986 Father's Day sermon. Here is the takeaway from that sermon. Good perspective, wouldn't you say?

The Opposite of Discouragement

Now what is that? I would sum it up in three characteristics.

1. The opposite of being discouraged is being hopeful.
2. The opposite of being discouraged is being happy.
3. The opposite of being discouraged is being confident and courageous.

So I would say that the negative form of verse 21 really implies a positive command as well. It says, "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." But it means not only avoid one kind of fatherhood; it also means pursue another kind, namely, the kind of fatherhood which gives hope instead of discouragement; and gives happiness instead of discouragement; and gives confidence and courage.

Read all of "Fathers Who Give Hope"...

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org


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