In the Bible many Valleys were known for only death and destruction…the Valley of the Dry Bones, the Valley of the Shadow of Death, the Valley of Despair. But in this particular Valley it was quite the opposite for the men of Judah. That’s because the vast army that had sought to annihilate them, had instead been annihilated by God. So the Valley of Death and Destruction suddenly became the Valley of Praise. Over the course of the last months many of us have been in the Valley…a Valley filled with fear, anxiety, sadness, isolation, and discouragement. But we need to realize that God is the God of both the mountain-top and the valley…the highs and the lows…the good and the bad. That’s because He’s with us always, so our praise shouldn’t stop either, no matter where we find ourselves. For while we all long for those mountain-top experiences…we also have learned that many a hard-fought lesson comes while in the Valley.
Tag: daily devotions
Deuteronomy 3:28 ” But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”
God allowed Moses to see the Promised Land, but forbid him from crossing over the Jordan River and claiming it. It stemmed from the incident where God had instructed Moses to speak to the rock for water to flow, but out of frustration and anger, Moses had struck the rock instead…allowing the people’s whining and complaining to get the better of him. (Numbers 20:1-13) Likewise, God gave David the vision of what the Temple should look like and charged him with procuring all the building supplies, but forbid him from actually starting it…for he was a man of war with blood on his hands. Instead, God gave the task to David’s son, Solomon. Both Moses and David could of become very offended with God’s decision not to let them finish the mission He had given each of them. And they could of become very insulted when God told them to encourage someone else who would complete it. But that’s when we have to step back and take a look at the BIG picture…that’s when we have to ask God for His perspective and His ultimate plan and purpose.
Daniel 6:10 ” Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
King Darius had issued an edict, prohibiting any prayer other then to him. But Daniel continued to pray to his God in obedience to Him rather than man. That’s because in the beginning, God instituted civil government for the good of all people,(Romans 13:1-5) and throughout the Scriptures He instructs His people to be in submission to the powers of government. (Titus 3:1 & I Peter 2:13-14) However, God has never granted any government the right to compel their people to do things which are contrary to His Laws. (Acts 5:29) But the real wisdom here lies in knowing what’s God’s laws, and what’s merely man’s selfish desires.
II Timothy 2:23 “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.”
Right now opinions are abounding from everyone. “Open up the country!”…”No, we should say at home yet.”…”Churches should be able to open up.”…”No, it’s too early to gather together in groups.” But what happens when you have all these contrasting opinions are silly arguments over semantics rather than what God’s Word actually says. In this Scripture, Paul is writing to the young Pastor Timothy, warning him to avoid quarrels of “words” that stem from either party’s inadequate training in and/or deficient knowledge of Biblical disciplines. So before we can express any kind of opinion, we must first know what God’s Word says about it…in order to handle correctly the word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15). But to know God’s Word, we must first get into God’s Word and allow it to enlighten us.
Psalm 96:10 ” Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’ The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved…”
God’s activity in creating and ruling the world is seen throughout the Psalms. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1-2) “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad.” (Psalm 97:1) “The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty.” (Psalm 93:1) The bottom line is…throughout this pandemic, you may think God has been absent, indifferent, or turning a blind eye to all the death and suffering…but He hasn’t. God’s sovereign authority is still operating on our behalf and for our good. For “the Lord works out everything for His own ends.” (Proverbs 16:4) But how and why is He doing this? As the Lord told Moses in Exodus 9:16, “for the purpose that I may show you My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So one thing we can be certain of today… is that God is still in control and ruling with grace and mercy.
John 11: 41-42 ” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ “
Jesus had traveled to Bethany after hearing of His friend, Lazarus, death. As He stood before the grave entrance, He prayed out-loud…not to profit Himself, but all the mourners looking on. For Jesus knew His Father, and His Father knew Him, so His spoken words benefited the crowd only. But why? So that they might know that God hears and answers prayer. You may think God’s work in your life is for you only…but you’d be so wrong! Anytime we’re faced with hardship, loss, sickness, or tragedy…people are watching us. Both unbelievers and Believers are observing how we’ll react. Do we gripe, are quick to complain, and become easily offended…or do we clothe ourselves with the same grace and mercy our Heavenly Father has shown us? That’s because they’re watching closely to see where we place our hope and trust…in ourselves and the world, or in Jesus Christ. So think about this today… by your actions and reactions you can bring someone closer to Christ or push them away.
Jeremiah 8:18 ” O my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.”
Ok, can we all admit to ourselves that the past months of dealing with COVID 19 and the pandemic have been downright hard! It’s been difficult being isolated from family and friends. It’s been scary listening to the dire warnings and daily statistics of positive cases and deaths. Brother, it’s even been apprehensive just going to the grocery store! That’s why when I read the above verse this morning it brought me back to a basic foundational truth…our God is the Father of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles… (II Corinthians 1:3) So even when I’m not at my best, He’s there to comfort me with the Holy Spirit…and like Isaiah 40:29-31 tells me, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Joel 2:12 ” Even now, declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping, and mourning.”
Come back to God…for He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. (Ezekiel 33:11) Turn back from the empty life you’ve been living and allow Him to show you the ultimate plan and purpose you were created for. And the Lord Himself promises that if you seek Him, you will find Him, if you look for Him with all your heart. (Deuteronomy 4:29) But the greatest promise is contained in the two words that begin this verse – Even now. It means regardless of how far you’ve wandered…or despite what you’ve done in the past…right now, at this moment, the Lord is lovingly waiting for you to come back home.
Galatians 5:13-14 ” You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire Law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “
This freedom Paul is speaking about means liberty from the rituals and ceremonies of the Mosaic Law…but not from its standard of morality and justice. He also warned of using this freedom to cause someone else to stumble. (I Corinthians 8:9) To illustrate this further, Paul wrote that though he was free, he made himself a slave to everyone, in order to win as many as possible to Christ. (I Corinthians 9:19) As the COVID 19 pandemic continues in the United States, words like freedom, rights, and liberty have become hot-button topics. But no matter where we stand on these issues…God’s Word remains. Or as Peter wrote in I Peter 2: 16-17, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”
Acts 27:15 ” The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind and so we gave way to it and were driven along.”
In this verse Paul is being transported as a prisoner to Rome when a fierce Northeaster swept in. The crew of the ship suddenly found themselves totally at the mercy of the hurricane force winds and crashing waves. In many other places in the Bible we can find examples of that helpless feeling of being tossed by waves and battered by the storm. Psalm 107:23-28 tells of that weak and defenseless feeling of being thrown back and forth by the storms of life…and the hopelessness that comes from the lack of control. For many of us, we feel like we’ve been caught up in a terrible storm for weeks now called COVID 19, and have been waywardly tossed here and there. But the good news is, if we continue to read in Psalm 107, we find that only our God is able to still that tempest in and around us and guide us to a haven of peace…and that place of refuge in Him.
Safetypinlove 